Term | Description, etc. |
Learning Disability (LD) | Disorder in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding/using spoken and/or written language = imperfect ability to listen, think, read, write, spell, or do math calculations. |
Characteristics of LD (may not have all) | Normal intelligence; discrepancy between intelligence & performance; delays in achievement; poor motor coordination/spatial ability; perceptual anomalties; difficulty w/self-motivation; etc. |
Working with students with learning disabilities | one-to-one tutoring for reading; early elementary = phonetic reading strategies; teach learning-to-learn skills (study skills, test-taking skills, etc.); give frequent feedback; break down large projects into smaller chunks; effective classroom management |
Emotional and Behavior Disorders (EBD) | Serious/Persistent age-inappropriate behaviors resulting in social conflict, as well as problems in school and personal concept. Caused by make-up of the child, family disfunction/mistreatment, and/or underlying learning disability. |
Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders | Educational performance markedly and adversely affected over a period of time by: inability to build/maintain satisfacory interpersonal relationships; inappropriate types of behavior/feelings; general unhappiness; etc. |
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD) | Difficulty in maintaining attention because of limited ability to concentrate accompanied by impulsive actions/hyperactive behavior = may have marked academic, behavior, and social problems stemming from inability to pay attention. |
Working with students with ADHD | make sure student understands classroom rules/procedures; seat ADHD students in close proximity to you; understand student may not be able to control her behavior (not defiant); allow student opportunities to be active; use daily report cards |
Autism | Developmental disability affecting social interactions, verbal/nonverbal communication, and educational performance. Generally evident before the age of 3 years. |
Characteristics of Autism (those a child exhibits depends on form/severity of autism) | extremely withdrawn; engage in self-stimulating activities (rocking, etc.); might have normal/outstanding abilitities in some areas; resistant to changes in the environment/routine; more prevalent among boys |
Language Disorders | Impairment in student's ability to understand language (receptive language disorder) or to express ideas (expressive language disorder) in one's native language. If not result of physical problem/lack of experience, indicates a LD or mental retardation. |
Speech Disorders | Oral articulation problems; occur most frequently among children in early elementary grades. |
Working with students with speech disorders | display acceptance of student; never finish student's sentence or allow others to do so; don't put student in high-pressure situation in which they must respond quickly in a verbal manner. |
Vision Impairments | Degree of uncorrectable inability to see - 1 out of every 1,000 children are blind (vision = 20/200 or worse in the better eye) or visually imapired between 20/70 and 20/200 in the better eye). |
Possible signs of vision loss | Child often tilts head/rubs eyes; has eyes that are red, inflamed, crusty, or water excessively; has trouble reading small print/can't discriminate letters; complains of dizziness/headaches after reading. |
Asperger's Syndrome | Mild form of autism; may have concomitant learning disabilities and/or poor motor skills. |
Characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome | easily memorize facts but has limited understanding of them; highly verbal with poor verbal/nonverbal communication skills; have a set way of doing things; experience extreme anxiety when routine is changed/expectations are not met; sensitive to sounds |
Mental Retardation | Refers to substantial limitations in present functioning - manifests before the age of 18. |
Characteristics of Mental Retardation | sub-average intellectual functioning existing concurrently with related limitations in 2 or more of the following: communication; self-care; home living; social skills; community use; self-direction; health/safety; functional academics; leisure; work. |
Down Syndrome | Chromosomal - have 47 chromosomes instead of 46; TRISOMY 21 - the extra chromosome attaches to the 21st pair |
Characteristics of Down Syndrome | Mild to moderate mental retardation (some exceptions); may have heart defects, hearing loss, intestinal malformation, vision problems; increased risk for thyroid problems, leukemia, & Alzheimer disease |
Physical Characteristics of Down Syndrome | upper-slant eyes; short stature; flat nose; somewhat smaller ears/nose; enlarged, sometimes protruding tongue; short fingers; reduced muscle tones; single (Simean) crease across palm of the hand |
Fragile X Syndrome | Chromosomal - deficiency in the structure of the X chromosome; affects one in 750 males and one in 1,250 females; appears to be associated with autism/disorders of attention |
Physical Characteristics of Fragile X Syndrome | long, narrow face; large ears' prominent forehead; large head circumference; testicles enlarged at puberty in males |
Characteristics of Fragile X Syndrome | about 1/3 of affected girls have mild retardation/learning disability; may exhibit attention disorders, self-stimulatory behaviors, and speech/language problems |
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) | estimated one in 500-700 babies born each year with some degree of alcohol-related damage/defect- alcohol can damage the central nervous system of fetus and brain damage is not uncommon. |
Physical characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome | facial abnormalities; heart defects; low birth weight; motor dysfunctions |
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome could result in . . . | mild to moderate mental retardation; attention disorders; behavioral problems |
Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) | Less severe, more subtle forms of alcohol-related damage. |
Orthopedic Impairments | Can be a congenital anomaly (e.g., club foot, etc.); an impairment caused by disease (e.g., polio, etc.); or impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputation, etc.) that adversely affects a student's educational performance. |
Other Health Impairments | Student has limited strength, vitality, or alertness that results in limited alertness due to chronic/acute health problems (e.g., heart condition, diabetes, etc.) that can adversely affect student's academic performance |
Deafness and Hard of Hearing | Hearing ability is of little use, even with the use of a hearing aid = cannot use hearing as primary source for accessing information. |
Deaf-Blindness | Concomitant hearing and visual impairments which cause severe communication & other developmental/learning needs that student can't be educated in special education programs for students with hearing impairmenets/severe disabilities effectively. |
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) | An acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical force, resulting in a total/partialfunctional disability, psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a student's educational performance. |