Academically he is not doing very well. The school is very focussed on academic achievement and those who struggle are left behind. His teacher often communicates with the au pair, but feels that Steve is not progressing. When it's time for homework, it is rushed because there is not enough time to complete it before the extracurricular activities, or he struggles to concentrate as the Ritalin has worn off. At school Steve is desperate for any kind of attention and acts socially unacceptable towards peers and therefore doesn't have many friends.
Cognitive Characteristics.
Steve was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because of his inability to concentrate for long periods at a time (Roth, 2013). He tends to do things impulsively that leads him to making errors, as he doesn't pay attention to the requirement of the tasks. This varies from activity, as he tends to works efficiently with the au pair's supervision when studying for a test. When it comes to writing the test, with no special, attention and supervision from the teacher, he seems to make more errors. Steve takes time to focus and pay attention to new stimulus, and therefore he is easily distracted by his surroundings. He struggles to understand/grasp a concept until it's repeatedly explained in a manner where he could visualise it. He prefers to learn through touch or body movement which makes it is easier for him to understand, and maintain his attention. Steve shows the inability to accurately copy visual material presented on a chalkboard, because on a regular basis is homework was copied incorrectly from the board. He is not as efficient as other learners in handling new information. Because of his attention disorder, he struggles to hold information long enough to transfer it from short term to long term memory, therefore scaffolding is needed. Information/concepts should be repeated so that Steve could use the new information and manipulate it to make a response.