Case Study Analysis of Matthew's Writing Problem: Education

This case study analyzes Matthew, a student struggling with written expression despite strong reading abilities. The analysis identifies the primary difficulty as an inability to produce written text, stemming from challenges in planning, organizing, and expressing ideas. The study explores potential underlying causes, including difficulties in creating mental representations and sequencing. The paper proposes several interventions, including occupational therapy, educational therapy, accommodation strategies, encouraging personal narratives, developing planning and organizational skills, and peer tutoring. The case emphasizes the importance of a multi-faceted approach involving educators, therapists, and parents to support Matthew's development of cognitive, sensory, physical, and motor skills, ultimately aiming to improve his writing abilities and overall academic performance.

Running Head: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF WRITING PROBLEM 1
A case study analysis of writing problem
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A case study analysis of writing problem
Some students suffer difficulties in learning, a situation that contributes to poor
performance. The difficulties in learning have been identified as inability to read, poor
comprehension, and poor written expression among others (Lin-Siegler, Dweck & Cohen, 2016).
Inability to read is a condition that is displayed when students lack reading skills or get frustrated
when they are asked to read loud. In most cases, such a difficulty is related to dyslexia condition
which is said to affect the reading skills of a student (Rouse, Florian, & Black-Hawkins, 2016).
Poor comprehension affects the understandability in school resulting to poor individual
performance. In the early stage of learning, encounter with new vocabulary can increase the
difficulties of learning. When the problem is persistent, it can be seen as a big problem that needs
more attention in order to help the student. In other instances, some children show inability to
produce written text even though they are bright. The paper focuses on the case analysis of a
student with poor production of written text.
Description Of the problem
The description provided for Mathew is that he is a student who loves reading above the
grade level, an indication that he is bright. In Maths he has average performance but in written
language he is below the grade. That means that the ability to read and write do not match the
grade, on reading he performs well but on writing he underperforms. Therefore, the main
difficulty that the student is experiencing is the problem in producing written text (Klingner,
Vaughn & Boardman, 2015). Some of the main reason that can lead to the difficulty is messy
handwriting or inability to express ideas through writing (Hamsho, Antshel, Eckert & Kates,
2017). Since in the case, there was no complaint of poor or unreadable handwriting then that is

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not the problem that Matthew is facing. Therefore, it is clear that the student cannot express
himself in writing despite that the fact he loves reading and performs better at it. Due to the fact
that he has a difficulty in generating written text, Matthew is likely to record poor performance
in class work that require writing. Therefore, the performance of the student is highly contributed
by the problem of developing, planning and organizing ideas and also expressing them in a
written form (García, Crespo & Bermúdez, 2017). Writing involves a complex process that
requires one to attend to multiple elements considering the performance monitoring process.
Further, there is need to develop effective and efficient composition skills which could pose a
challenge to Matthew since his writing skills are poor.
In some cases, students with such a problem have a difficult in knowing where to start
when they are writing (Bennui, 2016). Others when they start writing they may not know how to
organize the rest of the text to give proper meaning. For that reason, the main cause of such a
difficulty is poor planning and organizational skills. Students who have poor written expression
are unaware of processes of writing; they may have little knowledge in text structure, problem in
developing plan and experience writing anxiety and low motivation (Ginty, Hawkins, Kurzman,
Leddy, & Miller, 2016). From the case, Matthew shows and anxiety since he could become
angry. When he is asked to give a written task it becomes a source of great frustrations. In
addition, as explained by the parent in the case study, Matthew avoids recreation and dinner and
prefers to stay in his room other than doing his homework satisfactorily. That shows that he is
highly demotivated in other activities when being forced to write both in school and at home. He
shows inability to organize ideas and his thoughts. He seems to only produce few lines when
writing no matter the time give to complete a task.

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Problem Analysis
The underlying difficulty in the case study is the failure to create mental representations
of the ideas and the structure that needs to be written. As mentioned earlier, the major problem
experienced is planning and organization of ideas in order to put them into text. Planning is an
organized approach that shows how a task will be written. Written task involves planning a head
and having a mental representation in terms of ideas and structure that a text will take (Al-
momani, Al-Khawaldeh, Bani-Khair, & Jaradat, 2016). Planning is done before one composes a
text but for people experiencing problem of writing often do not plan but compose their text as
they write. That is why they run out of ideas quickly or write few lines and forget what they
wanted to express. So it is clear, planning can help in creation of mental presentation and failure
to plan fails to create mental representation.
In addition, mental representation provides a sequence such as the components of a text.
Also, it provides what needs to appear in the beginning or what to start in a text, the middle or
body of a composition and the end. Through sequencing a person is able to get a mental
representation of what is needed to appear in a text and how to organize the components. Mental
representations are cognitive symbols that need to express the external reality. It is those
cognitive symbols that are put into writing as a way to express what is in the mind. Therefore,
sequencing is part of cognitive process that directs the organization. Relatably, in the case study,
it is true that Mathew has difficulty in sequencing that is justified by the fact that he writes few
lines and lack motivation to continue writing.
Decision-making in developing an intervention

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This case of Matthew is an intriguing one, in the sense that one would wonder how he
could not write despite being good at reading and math. The analysis of the Matthew’s problem
reveals that he has a problem in producing written text. With this learning disability, an educator
will have to develop the necessary interventions to help him deal with this disability. According
to Skues, & Cunningham (2011) the under-achievement in an area such as writing or
mathematics is a learning disability considered to be neurological in origin. This is, in all
probability means that Matthew has a neurological problem which requires keen attention from
an educator and other psychotherapists. An educator still stands a chance to help Matthew
overcome this problem. In other words, Matthew is struggling with dysgraphia. As an educator,
it would be so unfair to consider this kind of student careless, reckless or use any derogatory
word against them. It is not Matthew liking to be in such a mess. Researchers believe that when a
person is unable to write, their problem roots from the processing system that deals with
sequencing. As a teacher, I would recommend several interventions. Since this may be a problem
that I cannot solve alone, I will even involve occupation therapists, educational therapists with
the support of Matthew’s parents provided the problem gets solved.
Interventions to solve the problem
Intervention Explanation
Occupation therapy This is an important intervention that can help Matthew overcome the
learning disability quickly. By definition, occupation therapy is a
treatment that is used to help individual wit cognitive, sensory or
physical disabilities. In children, OT can be used to improve motor,
physical, sensory and cognitive skills (McMaster & Roberts, 2016).

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. As mentioned, the writing inability that Matthew is neurological or it is
within the processing system that entails sequencing. For a kid to be
successful in sequencing, they require motor movements. Thus,
occupation therapy will be handy at helping Matthew develop motor
movements. In addition, if an occupation therapist is involved, Matthew
can be helped to bolster fine motor coordination as well as hand
strength. If this is done, Matthew will gain the ability to type as well as
write by hand. In essence, OT will help Matthew better his body posture
as well as arm position while writing and as a result he will be able to
write.
Educational therapy Education therapy can still be employed as an intervention that helps
correct this problem. Although educational therapy is a general term, it
can be used to solve the writing problem Matthew is facing. This can be
carried out by an educator who will engage Matthew outside of school.
The educational therapist is not a tutor, but is a counselor that teaches
kids organization skills and enhances their ability to study (Felix, Mena,
& Maestre, 2017). An educational therapist will look at the writing
disability holistically. The therapist will focus on developing various
skills, which ultimately will help Matthew bolster his writing skills. In
essence, the educational therapy will focus on:
 Identifying behaviors that impair the victim’s writing ability.
 Boost the morale of Matthew and enable him to know, this is a

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problem he has to solve by all means.
 Creating safe environment for introspection.
 Create an environment where a student takes the challenge upon
himself and indefatigably pursue development of writing skills.
Accommodation Based on the case study, Matthew is given homework assignments like
other normal students. At home, his father could force him to stay
locked up in the room to finish his homework. Unfortunately, he does
not complete it. In a situation like this one, it essential that Matthew’s
parents requests accommodation through the teacher. This will mean
that a teacher shall have to give audio or video assignments to Matthew,
as his problem is being solved.
Writing personal
narratives and other
stories.
According to Baker, Gersten, & Graham (2003) when one of helpings
students with writing problems is encouraging them to write personal
narratives. This means that by encouraging Matthew to write personal
narratives or other intriguing stories, he is likely to improving his
writing skills. Matthew can be encouraged to write persuasive essays
about topics he likes most.
Other interventions
include developing
planning and
From a broader perspective, the inability to write is linked to poor
planning and organizing skills. Matthew ought to be taught planning
and organizing skills to solve the writing problem.

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organizing skills.
Peer tutoring This can be a problem-solving strategy. According to Westwood
(2004) peer tutoring can be used to improve academic performance. A
peer tutor can be a student who is Matthew’s friend. When students
teach each other, they are likely to develop a strong grasp of content.
Also, peer tutoring creates a feeling of safety in the student. Matthew
might find it hard to be taught directly by his teacher, but can pay
attention to his peer.
Daily instructions An educator should pay attention to Matthew every day. This strategy
will encourage Matthew commit to solving this problem. Notably,
Matthew has had this problem because he has not had someone who
could monitor and help me overcome this challenge. Thus, a teacher
will have to give Matthew daily instructions on what he should in effort
to improve his motor, sensory, physical and cognitive skills.
In all probability, if the above interventions are followed there is a high possibility that
Matthew’s problem will be corrected. This is because the above strategies will help him develop
skills such as cognitive, sensory, physical and motor which he needs for this problem to be
solved. From the case study, it is apparent that his learning disabilities are not complicated like in
a situation where a student disabilities in mathematics, reading, spelling and writing. Given that
Matthew can read and is also performing averagely in mathematics, his problem can easily be
solved. However direct involvement of his parents will be critical at this point. Occupation
therapists or educational therapists can only be reached out by parents. Thus, it is Matthew’s

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parents that will have to reach out to these authorities to find a way of helping Matthew. Equally,
at school, educators should create time to give adequate support for Matthew, for him to be
accommodated.
Monitoring and assessment
Different assessment would be used to collect information about a student and ensure the
problem is understood. The best measures include observation and involving Matthew into
different test. Observation as a way of assessment would focus on reaction, behavior and the
skills to collect information when the student is asked to develop a text. The importance of using
observation is to ensure direct response and reaction are recorded to determine the difficulty the
student is going through (Serry & Oberklaid, 2015). For instance, in the case of Matthew, some
of the observations such as getting angry and taking too long to complete a task should be
clarified through observations. Further, the demonstration of writing skills need to be recorded
help determine the approach to help the student overcome the challenge.
The other assessment will include subjecting the student in different test both oral and
written. The first test will involve testing a student to select a story and tell it. The test will help
determine the ability of the student to organize oral context (Dockrell & Connelly, 2015). As
mentioned in the case, the student loves reading and expresses hum better verbally. The next test
will be to write the written story in a few words to assess the writing difficulty. The main
intention is to see where there is development of a plan, the difficulty in starting the text and
development of the body as told. Through tests and observation it will be easier to understand the
difficulty as well as get the difference in two ways of expression. Better understanding of the

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problem will aid in the intervention or devising a strategy that can be helpful to the student and
improve his learning abilities.
After ascertaining that the student possesses the problem of expression, the teacher
should devise a program of learning that is inclusive to all students. In some cases, the ability to
learn and understand content may be different among children. Thus, mixed teaching techniques
will help in capturing the students who needs special attention. For instance, incorporating tests
that involve expression of idea verbally can be of great help to Matthew. In a similar vein, people
with a problem of starting a text, can be given some guidelines where the tutor is required to give
simple starting guidelines and test the student ability to develop the rest of the body. Such an
assessment will be able to guide on specific difficulty in the planning and organization of the text
(Westwood, 2004). Also, graphical representation of the idea should be another text to help
understand the ability of context organizing. The systematic use of different techniques will act
as a guide to help the teacher identify the area of weakness and also how to teach the specific
student and helping in learning.
In essence, once some of the interventions mentioned above have been adopted, as a
teacher it will be key to monitor the progress of the learner. One way to do that is by assessing
their performance in every assignment given to them as described above. In the intervention
plan, it was indicated that Matthew will be given an assignment that will involve writing
personal narratives or persuasive essays. A teacher will assess progress based on the delivery of
personal narratives or any simple essay he will be given. If the student delivers it within the set
deadline, it would definitely mean that they are progressing. Quintessentially, the teacher can

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also monitor Matthew’s behavior or attitude towards writing. If he becomes self-driven and
inquisitive or self-motivating to learn, that will be an indicator that his problem is almost solved.
In conclusion, the student’s problem is not complicated and what he needs is attention,
help from his teachers, occupation therapy and possibly daily instructions. The case study shows
that he is able to read and express himself verbally. This makes it easier to solve his problem
especially if attention is paid to him. Thus, several interventions as show in the above table can
be tried specifically to develop skills such as cognitive, physical, motor and sensory. Once these
skills are developed, this problem would be solved.
References

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Al-momani, H., Al-Khawaldeh N., Bani-Khair, B. & Jaradat, A (2016). Figurative idiomatic
language: Strategies and difficulties of understanding English idioms. International
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Baker, S., Gersten, R., & Graham, S. (2003). Teaching expressive writing to students with
learning disabilities: Research-based applications and examples. Journal of learning
disabilities, 36(2), 109-123.
Bennui, P. (2016). A study of L1 intereference in the writing of Thai EFL students. Malaysian
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Dockrell, J. E., & Connelly, V. (2015). The role of oral language in underpinning the text
generation difficulties in children with specific language impairment. Journal of
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Felix, V. G., Mena, L. J., Ostos, R., & Maestre, G. E. (2017). A pilot study of the use of
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Based on Knowledge and Understanding. American Educator, 40(2), 33-38.
Hamsho, N., Antshel, K. M., Eckert, T. L., & Kates, W. R. (2017). Childhood predictors of
written expression in late adolescents with 22q11. 2 deletion syndrome: a longitudinal
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Rouse, M., Florian, L., & Black-Hawkins, K. (2016). Researching Achievement and Inclusion in
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students with learning difficulties, 2/E. Guilford Publications.
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classroom learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(3), 295.
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Westwood, P. (2004). Commonsense methods for children with special educational needs.
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