Suzy Porter Case Study

Suzy Porter is a fourth grade, public school, student with mild cerebral palsy. It has not been determined which type of cerebral palsy she has, whether it is spastic, athetoid, ataxic or mixed. However, it is known that she has some difficulty with her gross and fine motor skills. She has a learning disability and difficulty with penmanship which is probably due to her limited fine motor skills. Currently, Suzy spends the majority of the school day in a regular classroom where she receives one on one academic support for reading and math.
Although Suzy is progressing steadily in her studies her parents feel that personal instruction from a special education teacher who has knowledge of assistive technology would be more beneficial. In accordance
These tools could be made available to her during the regular class time while she is working with her current one to one support person. Mid level technology tools would be a digital recorder or portable note taker. Suzy is in the fourth grade, students are expected to write down notes or assignments for themselves. Having a recorder or note taker would allow her to record the teacher’s instructions without needing to hurry and write things down. High-tech tools that would be beneficial for Suzy would include a laptop, Ipad and software. Both the mid level and high tech tools would require Suzy to have assistance from someone who is trained on how to use them in the correct manner. (6) It is imperative that Suzy and her family understand how to get the maximum benefit for their particular
She is able to write but it is labored and at times illegible. She is also experiencing some difficulty with organizing her writing despite being able to spell near grade level. These issues represent a disparity between Suzy’s capabilities and her actual potential if given assistive devices to help her. In the case of Hendrick Hudson v. Rowley the court ruled that Amy Rowley was not receiving a “free appropriate public education” as a result of the disparity between her achievement and her potential. According to the District Court, such a standard "requires that the potential of the handicapped child be measured and compared to his or her performance, and that the remaining differential or 'shortfall' be compared to the shortfall experienced by non-handicapped