Case Study of a Child with PDD-NOS
Consuelo (Connie) Natal
Concordia College
PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) is a diagnosis given to individuals experiencing difficulty in the areas of social interaction and communication, and their symptoms do not meet all the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are studies that classify individuals diagnosed with PDD-NOS into three subgroups as provided on www.enwikipedia.com. The three subgroups of PDD-NOS are: a high functioning group, a group, and the biggest group. A high functioning group includes 25% of individuals diagnosed with PDD-NOS. The symptoms of individuals …show more content…
He lives in a quiet suburb in New Jersey with his Mom and Dad, who are of Hispanic descent. He is an only child and he has two pets - a dog and a bird. The theories of Piaget and Vygotsky relate to his behavior and learning capabilities. According to Piaget, children go through cognitive developmental stages. Children go through the following stages: sensorimotor from birth through two years old, pre-operational from two through seven years old, concrete operational from seven through eleven years old, and the formal operational stage from adolescence through adulthood (Charlesworth, 2014). According to Vygotsky, learning for young children comes from the support of adults and advanced peers, which he also referred to as the Zone of Proximal Development. The Zone of Proximal Development, outlines knowing the area of what a child knows and can do with help can be done through the use of scaffolding. Cameron relates to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development in the way he plays with his cousins. He and his cousins play in his room together, he sits at his desk, opens Microsoft Word and begins typing the word homework and the numbers 1 – 3. Cameron’s cousins play video games while he is at his computer. He pretends to be a teacher and that his cousins are the students in his classroom. Learning by teaching others relates to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. Cameron’s current reading level also relates to …show more content…
I would also suggest that his parents research and use positive strategies to support positive behavior to deal with his tantrums. Cameron’s parents have a progressive care policy for Cameron. This policy will ensure Cameron receives the same services he has currently, and if anything happens to his parents other family members he will still receive these services in adulthood. Cameron should also continue to paint, draw and use the computer to enrich his learning experience and make it interactive. His Mom has accepted his learning disability and believes he will grow up to be a notable person like Bill