Educational Psychology A Practitioner-Research Model of Teaching A PowerPoint Presentation by Jo Alexander and Averil Loague

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Legislation: Directing public schools to meet the needs of the exceptional student PL : Landmark legislation mandating a free, appropriate education for children with disabilities Responding to the Educational Needs of Exceptional Students

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  PL mandates that students with disabilities be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE), as well as directs that each child should be placed in a setting that is as normal and as much of the mainstream of education as possible. Full Inclusion versus a Continuum of Service

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Full Inclusion – the more recent movement – directs: Students attend the school they would normally go to if they had no disability No student should be rejected from a school site because of type or extent of the disability presented No self-contained classes should operate at the school site; instead placements should be age and grade appropriate Cooperative learning and peer instructional methods should receive significant use in fully inclusive general education classrooms Special education support should be provided in the context of the general education classroom and in other integrated environments Full Inclusion versus a Continuum of Service

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Intelligence has been defined as the capacity to acquire knowledge, the ability to think and reason in the abstract, and the capability for solving problems.  General or Specific Intelligence(s) Early researchers believed intelligence was a general or unitary trait because scores on diverse measures of intelligence including verbal ability, numerical competence, and abstract reasoning were all highly correlated. Including Children with Exceptional Intelligence

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Definition Mental retardation refers to substantial limitations in present functioning. It is characterized by significantly subaverage intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the following applicable adaptive skills areas: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work. Mental retardation manifests before age 18. (AAMR Ad Hoc Committee on Terminology and Classification, 1992, p.5). Mental Retardation

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Causes A number of specific organic (i.e. biological/physical) causes of mental retardation have been identified, including: chromosomal anomalies, inherited diseases, the result of maternal infection with rubella, herpes simplex or syphilis during pregnancy, maternal drug or alcohol use during pregnancy, maternal and fetal blood type incompatibility (Rh factor), and any trauma at birth which may significantly deplete oxygen supply to the child’s brain. Mental Retardation Continued

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Traditionally defined as falling in the top three percent of scores on intelligence tests  High creativity or the ability to formulate new ideas and apply them to problems  High task commitment or a high level of motivation and the ability to see a project through to its completion Gifted and Talented Students

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Criteria for defining/diagnosis SLD: A discrepancy between IQ and achievement Learning problems in reading, writing, math, or speaking Learning problems due to a central nervous system dysfunction Learning problems not due to mental retardation, visual or hearing impairments, environmental disadvantages, or an emotional disturbance Specific Learning Disabilities

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Damage to or deterioration of the central nervous system is one of the most common causes of physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and spina bifida. Student’s with Physical Challenges and Chronic Health Problems

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  In addition to those with neurological impairments, classroom teachers will also work with students who suffer from chronic diseases. Among the most frequently encountered of these are: Asthma Diabetes mellitus Cancer Student’s with Physical Challenges and Chronic Health Problems

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Hearing Impairment A generic term indicating a hearing disability that may range from mild to profound, including the subsets of deaf and hard of hearing  A deaf person is defined as one whose hearing disability precludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid.  A hard of hearing person is one who, with the use of a hearing aid, has residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic information through audition. Sensory Impairment

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Visual Impairment Blindness: For educational purposes, individuals who are blind are so severely impaired they must learn to read either by using Braille or aural methods such as audiotapes or records. Low Vision: Those individuals who can read print with the use of magnifying devices or large-print books are referred to as having low vision. Sensory Impairment Continued

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Defined: Communicative disorders involve difficulty in the use of language, speech, or communication.  Language is the communication of ideas from an arbitrary system of symbols used according to certain rules that determine meaning.  Speech is the behavior of forming and sequencing the sounds of oral language.  Communication refers to any process that transmits information such as language, speech, telephone, or computer.  Augmentative communication is a supplemental aid for people with disabilities which helps them communicate despite the presence of a physical impairment. Student’s with Communicative Disorders

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  The federal definition of "seriously emotionally disturbed" in IDEA, suggests: One or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time, which adversely affects academic performance:  An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors  An inability to build or maintain satisfactory relationships with peers and teachers Student’s with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Chapter Four Exceptionalities: Addressing Students’ Unique Needs © 2001 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances  A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression  A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems The term also includes children who are schizophrenic or autistic, but does not include those who are socially maladjusted unless it is determined that they are seriously emotionally disturbed. Student’s with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Definition Continued: