Tommy is a 15-year-old freshman, who has been diagnosed with autism. In addition, based on his IEP, Tommy has “deficits in visual-motor integration, verbal comprehension, adaptive skills and pragmatics, which impact his performance”. Because learning new content about pollution relies heavily on new vocabulary, Tommy may find learning new content challenging since he has difficulty with visual comprehension. Tommy has low self-confidence and his perception of what he knows is much lower than what it actually is.
Linguistic & Academic language background:
Based on Tommy’s previous grades and test scores, he has consistently performed very well in English and History (A’s and B’s) and poorly in math and science (D’s and C’s, respectively). Tommy excels in the language arts. 
Physical, social and emotional development:
Tommy is a good student who wants to do well. He takes careful notes, studies, and works hard to complete all assignments. Tommy needs a lot of support, positive reinforcement, and a comfortable classroom setting to boost his confidence and focus more on his progress as opposed to his mistakes.