Scenario:
You are a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and licensed professional counselor (LPC) employed at the Texas Workforce Solutions VR Services Program.
Diagnosis:
Specific Learning Disability. Functional limitations: reading comprehension and executive functioning.
Background:
Carlos is an 18-year-old sophomore at UTRGV. He is working towards a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Carlos has a specific learning disability which affects reading comprehension and executive functioning. He received special education services while in public school and is grade level for math and writing. Carlos has an 8th grade reading comprehension level.
Carlos is on scholastic probation. His learning disability interferes with his ability to understand the meaning of words and understanding important ideas in reading passages. He struggles with basic reading skills such as word recognition and decoding words, but comprehension is the greater weakness. He tends to give up too quickly when faced with a difficult passage. He reads aloud with little difficulty but does not understand or remember what he has read. He frequently avoids reading and gets frustrated with reading tasks in classroom. Like many students with invisible disabilities, such as learning and psychological impairments, Carlos is sensitive to the attitudes and perceptions of fellow classmates and instructors regarding his need for accommodations. He is reluctant to announce this need fearing perceptions of preferential treatment, invalid reasons, and negative stereotyping (e.g., “I am lazy or stupid”).
Carlos is very stressed and worried that he will not be able to keep up with the course workload and has fears of failing a course(s) and placed on academic suspension.
Discuss the following items.
1. Describe how you will address the attitude and stigma he perceives from classmates and instructors? Why is this important to address?
2. What school accommodations will you arrange with Carlos?
3. What work-related accommodations do you think he will need after graduation?
4. What other services would you recommend for him?
5. What additional information would you like to have regarding his case?
