CASE PRESENTATION

By: Alayna Smith

Subject Background Information

Moses*
7th grade African American male
Raised by a single father in the military
Diagnosed with Intracranial Germinoma (Malignant Brain tumor) end of-October 2014
Had surgery to remove tumor-November 2014
Went through Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatments
Side effects from surgery:
Worsened eyesight
Slurred speech
Difficulty walking
Short term memory loss
Difficulty concentrating

*Name has been changed to protect the child involved with this case.

Problem Statement
The teachers at Moses school should attempt to make his school and learning
experience a pleasant one. They should seek to provide any assistance necessary to
help him succeed in school. This will push Moses to be as successful as he can, not
only in middle school, but his life also.

Services
Services provided to Moses are:
Modified assignments
Longer time to complete assignments
Modified grading
Tutoring as needed (after school)
Allowed to wear baseball hat to cover up scar
Must use elevator when going upstairs or downstairs
Release 5 minutes before class ends

Strengths and Limitations

Strengths
His dad is a strong and capable influence that wants his son to succeed
Moses has a strong determination to get his schoolwork done and to get good grades
Moses is adamant about making his father proud (hes told me this several times)
He wants to be a surgeon someday
Limitations
Even with teachers modifying his assignments and time, he still gets overwhelmed.
Moses has a hard time not getting discouraged and frustrated sometimes. He really wants to play
soccer like he had in the past, but he must wait until he gets the shunt in his brain removed.
He has very little contact with his mother who lives in Missouri. This is another source of
discouragement for him
It has been a year since he has had the surgery to remove the brain tumor. Although he has
definitely made progress, it has been slow-going.

Assessment Goals
Increasing short term memory capacity
Dealing with normal homework load/ normal homework due dates
Using stairs and not the elevator
Being able to play contact sports such as soccer (Moses priority)
Get As and Bs on report card

Interventions and Timeframes

Get more time on assignments/tests: Now-April 2016
Modified Assignments: Now-April 2016
Modified Grading: Now-April 2016
Using a baseball hat to cover scars- As needed
Release 5 minutes before class ends-April 2016

Moses Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be reevaluated in 6 months.

Biases
When I first met Moses, he seemed like a very sweet and caring young man. When I
learned about his health history, I thought he may develop a victim attitude and try
and take the easy way out with his homework.
After getting to know him, I realize this bias couldnt be further from the truth. Moses
cares more about his grades and succeeding than most kids at the school do. These
other children have not dealt with the health issues that Moses has.

Value Differences
I could not think of any value differences that Moses and I have.
He has a very strong work ethic and does not fall under a victim label.

Life Experience to Shape his

Life
The biggest life experience Moses had that has shaped his life this far is his brain
tumor. It has turned him into a survivor. He is willing to do whatever it takes to make
it and be successful.

Staff Recommendations
Are all listed under Moses IEP plan
More time on Assignments/homework
Modified Grading
Modified Assignments
Hat worn to cover scars

Research on Diagnosis/Treatment
There are 688,096 Americans living with a brain tumor
550,042 tumors are benign (non-cancerous)
138, 054 tumors are malignant (cancerous)

Survival rate up to 5 years for Intracranial Germinoma is 79-90%

90% of the cases for this type of brain tumor are before the age of 20.
Occurs in 7 kids per 10 million

Source: Braintumor.org

Suggestions for Agency

A suggestion I would give to the agency is to give Moses homework beforehand at
the beginning of the week, so he will be able to move at his own pace finishing it.

Conceptual Framework
Psychosocial Theory
Strengths Perspective
Family Systems Theory

Competencies/Practice Behaviors
Competencies Used: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10
Practice Behaviors: 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 5.1, 7.2, 8.2, 10.1,
10.2, 10.10