Five months ago, I met Mike, an 8-year-old, biracial (Caucasian and Puerto Rican) boy, who has been labeled by his school, mother, and by medical professionals as having several learning disabilities. Mike’s mother shared with me that Mike was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)—a level of autism. Also, Mike’s mother shared that Mike was currently on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) at school. In order to inform my own understanding of Mike, I conducted informal observations of Mike and his interactions with others at home and school. On September 20th and Oct 4th, I conducted two field observations at the school that Mike attends called BuildUp elementary school academy (pseudonym). BuildUp is a school in the Riverdale Public School District (pseudonym) that serves grades K-5. The school
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Consequently, I was able to recognize several strengths that Mike possessed that I had previously been unaware of. I found Mike to be sociable, observant, confident, relaxed, and not afraid to take risks. He appeared to be respectful of his peers—by both female and male students. In fact, I witnessed several instances where other students looked at Mike as a leader. I, also, found other students to be aware Mike’s work and be cognizant of his ability to stay on task. Mike was able to continue completing his work despite distractions by others. Mike was focused and able to regulate himself, despite being in a situation where some peers were not and some were. I noticed Mike was able to make safe and good decisions with limited supervision. During classroom instruction, he was engaged in the classroom discussion and asked questions. I was surprised to learn from Mike’s teacher about his difficulties in-group
Consequently, I was able to recognize several strengths that Mike possessed that I had previously been unaware of. I found Mike to be sociable, observant, confident, relaxed, and not afraid to take risks. He appeared to be respectful of his peers—by both female and male students. In fact, I witnessed several instances where other students looked at Mike as a leader. I, also, found other students to be aware Mike’s work and be cognizant of his ability to stay on task. Mike was able to continue completing his work despite distractions by others. Mike was focused and able to regulate himself, despite being in a situation where some peers were not and some were. I noticed Mike was able to make safe and good decisions with limited supervision. During classroom instruction, he was engaged in the classroom discussion and asked questions. I was surprised to learn from Mike’s teacher about his difficulties in-group