Research Question

How do the parents (Mr. and Mrs. Burg), teachers, students and Laura Burg at HT Private Day School view Laura’s Social Pragmatic Communication diagnosis? How do medical, social/emotional development, culture, laws and religious beliefs impact their experiences and perceptions?

Descriptions of Context

Laura is a 12 ½ year old student who attends a private religious day school in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The school enrolls over 400 students. Laura is in the 7th grade; there are 40 students in her grade. In Laura’s student file she has a current psychological-academic evaluation. She has a history of anxiety, depression, ADHD, and Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder. In addition she has superior intellectual functioning and language abilities.

Brief Description of Data Sources and how you collected data

Introduction

If you ask Laura Burg for her birth date she responds “I was born the same month as one of the five top confederate generals during the Civil War.” When instructed to write her name she will write Alexander Hamilton. You don’t need to prompt her to find out her hero and role model- Ruth Bader Ginsburg; the winner of the Thurgood Marshall Award for her contributions to gender equality.

Laura Burg has a number of diagnosed disorders including Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder. During my research I learned that Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder (SCD) according to the latest Diagnostic and Statistical