The Special Needs Population Categories and Definitions Chapter 3

Broad General Categories Many professionals and parents involved in Special Education…..different orientations…different vocabulary All agree on 6 broad general categories: -Intellectual and developmental differences -Sensory disabilities -Communication Disorders -Physical and Health Difficulties -Behaviour Disorders -Combinations of above

5 Official Ministry Categories of Exceptionality Communications - 5 sub-categories Behaviour Physical -1 sub-category Intellectual -3 sub-categories Multiple- any 2 or more co-existing from above list

Categories and Sub-Categories (Areas) Communication (Category) Sub-Categories: 1) Learning Disabilities 2) Deaf and Hard of Hearing 3) Autism 4) Speech Impairment 5) Language Impairment Definitions: Appendix Page 221

Category: Behaviour No subcategories, but many different descriptors which include Mental health disorders/mental illnesses Emotional disturbances Socially maladjusted Delinquent ( criminal behaviour ) Conduct Disorders Form a continuum from extreme aggression and acting out behaviour to extreme withdrawal /shyness : Appendix p.221

Category: Intellectual Sub-Categories: 1.Gifted 2.Mild Intellectual Disability (M.I.D.) -Slow learner, at times confused with L.D. 3. Developmental Disability - Very low intellectual functioning ( <.1 %ile). and poorly developed ADAPTIVE Behaviour

Category: Physical Blind and Low Vision Orthopaedic Concerns : Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Musculer Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, etc. Neurological Disabilities Health Difficulties that interfere with learning Ministry definition: Appendix p.222

Category: Multiple Combination of learning or other disorders, or physical disabilities Any 2 or more of the above sub-categories Co-occuring or comorbid conditions Require specialized teacher (s) (Special Education AdditionalQualifications) AND Specialized Equipment and… Services of an Educational Assistant ( usually)

What Do the Numbers tell Us? Steady increase in numbers of Special Education students since inception of Bill 82 Incidence data: the number of new cases identified over a period of time Prevalence data: total number of existing data Example: At both elementary and secondary levels, L.D. exceptionality is the largest segment of the exceptional population (high prevalence) and the most frequent new identifications ( high incidence rate)

High Incidence Exceptionalities Elementary High Incidence and High Prevalence in descending order: 1) Learning Disabilities - 3 to1 2) Giftedness 3)Mild Intellectual Disability (M.I.D.) 4)Behaviour * 5)Language Impairment * 6) Autism - fastest growing ( incidence) 7) Developmental Disability

Low Incidence Exceptionalities Elementary Low Incidence and Low Prevalence in descending order 1) Multiple Exceptionalities 2) Physical Disability 3) Deaf and H.of H. 4)Speech Impairment 5)Blind and Low Vision 6) Deaf and Deaf-Blind ( alternative program

Round Table Discussions Tables 1 and 2: What factors could account for the large increase in students identified as L.D. in secondary schools over elementary schools? Tables 3 and 4: There are over 3000 fewer students identified as Behavioural Exceptionality in secondary schools vs. elementary schools. What could account for this decrease in numbers? Tables 5 and 6: Why would it appear that the number of students who are speech impaired is greatly decreased in secondary from elementary? Tables 7 and 8: What factors could be causing the numbers of students being identified as Communications: Autism to be so drastically increasing at both elementary and secondary levels? What does an increase of 175 % in services for autism at secondary mean??????