Definition From OSEP & NCDPI – Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology
The term learning disability according to OSEP and the US Department of Education (Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability), means" a child evaluated in accordance with Sec. Sec. 300.304 through 300.311 as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as "emotional disturbance"), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services". According to the federal and state definition of learning disabilities, a learning disability is a problem that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, analyze, or store information. These problems can make it difficult for a student to learn as quickly as someone who isn't affected by learning disabilities.Having a learning disability can affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or direct attention. Learning disabilities is a lifelong condition, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and adults across our country.Having a learning disability is not like having a contagious disease; yet, a learning disability can be genetic. Which means the disability can be passed down in families through genes.Even though a learning disability may hinder ones ability to process information, many professionals are there to help c help figure out what a kid's learning problem is and find solutions to make it better.
(1) “Speech-Language Impairment” means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation/phonology, a language impairment, or voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Speech-Language Impaired. A pupil who has a speech-language impairment has a disorder in articulation, language, voice, and/or fluency. A speech-language impairment may range in severity from mild to severe. It may be developmental or acquired, and pupils may demonstrate one or any combination of the four parameters listed above Incidence More than 1.4 million students served in the public schools’ special education programs in the 2002-2003 school year were categorized as having a speech or language impairment (//Twenty-sixth Annual Report to Congress//, U.S. Department of Education, 2006). This estimate does not include children who have speech/language problems secondary to other conditions such as deafness. Language disorders may be related to other disabilities such as intellectual disability, learning disability, autism, or cerebral palsy. It is estimated that communication disorders (including speech, language, and hearing disorders) affect one of every 10 people in the United States.
(6) Mental retardation means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Autism means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. Incidence Information from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that between 2 to 6 per 1,000 children (from 1 in 500 to 1 in 150) have some form of autism/PDD. These disorders are four times more common in boys than in girls, although Rett’s Disorder has only been reported and diagnosed in girls.
Etiology
The causes of autism or PDD are unknown. Currently, researchers are investigating areas such as brain development, structure, genetic factors and biochemical imbalance in the brain as possible causes. These disorders are not caused by psychological factors.
Typical Characteristics of the Disability / Health Issues
There is considerable agreement about general patterns or types of disordered behavior. Achenbach suggests two discrete patterns that he calls "externalizes" (aggressive, disruptive, acting out) and "internalizes" (withdrawn, anxious, depressed). Quay identifies the following dimensions: CONDUCT DISORDERS (aggression, disobedience, irritability); PERSONALITY DISORDERS (withdrawal, anxiety, physical complaints; IMMATURITY (passivity, poor coping, and preference for younger playmates); and SOCIALIZED DELINQUENCY (involvement in gang subcultures). http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Behavior_Disorders_Emotional_Disturbance Conduct disorder: Students may seek attention, are disruptive and act out.
Socialized aggression: Students join a subculture group of peers who are openly disrespectful to their peers, teachers, and parents. Common are delinquency, truancy, and dropping out of school.
Attention problems -- Immaturity: These students may have attention deficit disorders, are easily distractible and have poor concentration. They may have the tendency to be impulsive and may not think about the consequences of their actions.
Anxiety/Withdrawal: These students are self-conscious, reticent, and unsure of themselves. They typically have low self-esteem and withdraw from immediate activities. They are also anxious and frequently depressed. Psychotic behavior: This student displays more bizarre behaviors than others do. They may hallucinate, may deal in a fantasy world, and may even talk in gibberish. Motor Excess: Students with motor excess are hyperactive. They cannot sit still nor listen to others nor keep their attention focused. http://www.slc.sevier.org/emoclass.htm
Blindness The effect of visual problems on a child's development depends on the severity, type of loss, age at which the condition appears, and overall functioning level of the child. Many children who have multiple disabilities may also have visual impairments resulting in motor, cognitive, and/or social developmental delays.
A young child with visual impairments has little reason to explore interesting objects in the environment and, thus, may miss opportunities to have experiences and to learn. This lack of exploration may continue until learning becomes motivating or until intervention begins.
Because the child cannot see parents or peers, he or she may be unable to imitate social behavior or understand nonverbal cues. Visual handicaps can create obstacles to a growing child's independence.
Deafness
It is useful to know that sound is measured by its loudness or intensity (measured in units called decibels, dB) and its frequency or pitch (measured in units called hertz, Hz). Impairments in hearing can occur in either or both areas, and may exist in only one ear or in both ears. Hearing loss is generally described as slight, mild, moderate, severe, or profound, depending upon how well a person can hear the intensities or frequencies most greatly associated with speech. Generally, only children whose hearing loss is greater than 90 decibels (dB) are considered deaf for the purposes of educational placement.
There are four types of hearing loss. Conductive hearing losses are caused by diseases or obstructions in the outer or middle ear (the conduction pathways for sound to reach the inner ear). Conductive hearing losses usually affect all frequencies of hearing evenly and do not result in severe losses. A person with a conductive hearing loss usually is able to use a hearing aid well or can be helped medically or surgically.
Sensorineural hearing losses result from damage to the delicate sensory hair cells of the inner ear or the nerves which supply it. These hearing losses can range from mild to profound. They often affect the person's ability to hear certain frequencies more than others. Thus, even with amplification to increase the sound level, a person with a sensorineural hearing loss may perceive distorted sounds, sometimes making the successful use of a hearing aid impossible.
A mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural loss and means that a problem occurs in both the outer or middle and the inner ear. A central hearing loss results from damage or impairment to the nerves or nuclei of the central nervous system, either in the pathways to the brain or in the brain itself.
Individuals with mild mental retardation (formerly referred to as "educable"):
are likely to need only intermittent to limited support;
typically do not "look" different from their non-disabled peers;
often have only mild or moderate developmental delays, except in academics, which is often the major area of deficit;
therefore, they are often not identified until they enter the school setting, where their cognitive disability is most apparent;
in Minnesota, students with mild MR spend most of the school day in the regular classroom;
they typically attain 3rd- to 6th-grade academic achievement levels by the time they finish high school;
as adults, many, though not all, with mild MR will be able to obtain independent employment;
many will marry, have children, and blend rather indistinguishably into the community; for those who achieve total independence, the label of mental retardation is no longer appropriate. http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/mrcharacteristics.htm
These students may differ from the mainstream in ethnicity, primary language spoken at home, and social class. To be eligible for special services, their school performance must suffer as the result of those characteristics. Reflected problems may be academic, social, or behavioral. One difficulty delineating characteristics is that this particular category refers to the ability of the child to relate to others. The child may have a diverse background but the disability might well be the teacher or other children. Characteristics might be secondary to the cultural issues such as, “kids can become angry and become troublemakers; kids can simply withdraw; kids start to believe they 'can't do it anyway' or the teacher doesn't think they can do it”.
Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning
The primary effect of a learning disability is contained within its definition. Children are unable to perform consistent with their intelligence. Learning disabilities tend to be diagnosed when children reach school age. This is because school focuses on the very things that may be difficult for the child — reading, writing, math, listening, speaking, reasoning. Teachers and parents notice that the child is not learning as expected. problem.
There is no one sign that shows a person has a learning disability. Experts look for a noticeable difference between how well a child does in school and how well he or she could do, given his or her intelligence or ability. There are also certain clues that may mean a child has a learning disability. We've listed a few below. Most relate to elementary school tasks, because learning disabilities tend to be identified in elementary school. A child probably won't show all of these signs, or even most of them. However, if a child shows a number of these problems, then parents and the teacher should consider the possibility that the child has a learning disability.
When a child has a learning disability, he or she: · may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds; · may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often; · may not understand what he or she reads; · may have real trouble with spelling; · may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly; · may struggle to express ideas in writing; · may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary; · may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words; · may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm; · may have trouble following directions; · may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar; · may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation; · may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
· may confuse math symbols and misread numbers; · may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or · may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.
Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): ·Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said. ·Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering). ·Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking. ·Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing. ·Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive: ·Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language. ·Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way. http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/speech_therapy.html#
The preferred term today appears to be Intellectual Disability rather than Mental Retardation. Unlike many other disabilities, the underlying characteristic is limited ability to learn rather than a barrier to learning. Consequently the effect is similarly direct – the child cannot learn at the rate other children do. About 87% of people with intellectual disability will only be a little slower than average in learning new information and skills. When they are children, their limitations may not be obvious. They may not even be diagnosed as having intellectual disability until they get to school. As they become adults, many people with intellectual disability can live independently. Other people may not even consider them as having an intellectual disability. The remaining 13% of people with intellectual disability score below 50 on IQ tests. These people will have more difficulty in school, at home, and in the community. A person with more severe intellectual disability will need more intensive support his or her entire life. Every child with intellectual disability is able to learn, develop, and grow. With help, all children with intellectual disability can live a satisfying life.
Many children with an intellectual disability need help with adaptive skills, which are skills needed to live, work, and play in the community. Teachers and parents can help a child work on these skills at both school and home. Some of these skills include: ·communicating with others; ·taking care of personal needs (dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom); ·health and safety; ·home living (helping to set the table, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner); ·social skills (manners, knowing the rules of conversation, getting along in a group, playing a game); ·reading, writing, and basic math; and ·as they get older, skills that will help them in the workplace.
Autism is a brain disorder that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the environment. Some people with autism are relatively high functioning, with speech and intelligence intact. Others are mentally retarded, mute, or have serious language delays. For some, autism makes them seem closed off and shut down; others seem locked into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking. Although people with autism do not have exactly the same symptoms and deficits, they tend to share certain social, communication, motor, and sensory problems that affect their behavior in predictable ways. Isolated in worlds of their own, people with autism appear indifferent and remote and are unable to form emotional bonds with others. Although people with this baffling brain disorder can display a wide range of symptoms and disability, many are incapable of understanding other people's thoughts, feelings, and needs. Often, language and intelligence fail to develop fully, making communication and social relationships difficult. Many people with autism engage in repetitive activities, like rocking or banging their heads, or rigidly following familiar patterns in their everyday routines. Some are painfully sensitive to sound, touch, sight, or smell.http://www.crescentlife.com/disorders/autism.htm
Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs
The disability itself may interfere with the child’s ability to regulate behaviors and so may fall into a broad range of academically or socially unacceptable behaviors. They may range from disruptive to withdrawal, aggressive to passive, or may just appear inappropriate. Communication may or may not be impacted based on the specific emotional disorder. The educational programs for children with an emotional disturbance need to include attention to providing emotional and behavioral support as well as helping them to master academics, develop social skills, and increase self-awareness, self-control, and self-esteem.
Although there are difficulties in definitively characterizing these frequently co-occurring disabilities, the following definitions may apply. Students with co-occurring emotional/behavioral disabilities are described as displaying inappropriate, disruptive, aggressive behaviors that interfere with learning. Students with hearing loss and intellectual disabilities are characterized by a generalized delay in development across all areas of learning with limited problem-solving abilities and lowered adaptive or functional skills. Students diagnosed with learning disabilities and hearing loss are generally found to be in the average or above average range of intelligence displaying skills and abilities in many different ways while displaying specific learning deficits that restrict accomplishments. They are described as exhibiting unusual learning characteristics considered atypical of students who are deaf and hard of hearing in general; these greatly affect their progress. These students are not progressing academically in comparison to the documented parameters of delayed language and concept learning found in the general population of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (Bunch & Melnyk, 1989). In an effort to recognize this subgroup's uniqueness, the field appears to be moving away from using the label "learning-disabled hearing- impaired" and, instead, is beginning to label these students "deaf or hard of hearing with additional mild disabilities," "atypical learners with hearing loss," and "deaf or hard of hearing learners with additional learning problems."
Common health problems associated with mental retardation
Many children and adults with mental retardation are otherwise physically and mentally healthy, except that they have lower intelligence. Several others, however, frequently have other problems. The common health problems associated with mental retardation are as follows: Behavior problems: Symptoms like restlessness (continuously moving around; unable to sit in one place), poor concentration, impulsiveness, temper tantrums, irritability and crying are common. Other disturbing behavior, like aggression, self-injurious behavior (such as head banging) and repetitive rocking may also be seen. When such behavior is severe and persistent, it can become a major source of stress for families. Therefore, attention should be paid to reduce such behavior while providing treatment and care. Other developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, speech problems and autism, can occur along with mental retardation. Persons with many disabilities, or multiple disabilities, pose a big challenge in terms of providing care.
This is a catch-all phrase that can include a multitude of health issues with impacts that range from the ability to attend school to behavior in school itself. The best way to assess behavior and communication needs is to look at the definition and how the child qualified for services. The deficits specified should reflect behavior and comminication issues related to the disability.
Referral characteristics for the student with an other health impairment (OHI) do not fall
into specific intellectual, academic, behavioral, language or physical categories.
Indicators of an other health impairment may or may not be observable. The following
conditions may indicate the presence of an OHI: (1) a long period of absence due to a
chronic or acute health problem; (2) an inability to attend to task for the same length of
time as peers due to a chronic or acute health problem; (3) an inability to attend to task
as a result of medication being taken for a chronic or acute health problem; and/or (4)
an inability to attend school for more than a few hours per day due to limited strength or
vitality. In addition, the primary features of students with ADD include developmentally
inappropriate degrees of inattention, impulsivity and overactivity.
Communication between teachers and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students need serious consideration especially in recognizing potential sources of miscommunication and misinterpretation. Within verbal communication, several sources of miscommunication include: cultures as collectivistic or individualistic; uses of basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency skills, negations and fat/muscle words and cooperative transactions. From a nonverbal communication perspective, several potential sources of misinterpretation include: communication environments as polychronic or monochromic-, and personal space between speakers.
Blind/Vision
(mild/moderate)
Linguistically Diverse (CLD)
The term learning disability according to OSEP and the US Department of Education (Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability), means" a child evaluated in accordance with Sec. Sec. 300.304 through 300.311 as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as "emotional disturbance"), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services".
According to the federal and state definition of learning disabilities, a learning disability is a problem that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, analyze, or store information. These problems can make it difficult for a student to learn as quickly as someone who isn't affected by learning disabilities. Having a learning disability can affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or direct attention. Learning disabilities is a lifelong condition, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and adults across our country. Having a learning disability is not like having a contagious disease; yet, a learning disability can be genetic. Which means the disability can be passed down in families through genes. Even though a learning disability may hinder ones ability to process information, many professionals are there to help c help figure out what a kid's learning problem is and find solutions to make it better.
Speech-Language Impaired. A pupil who has a speech-language impairment has a disorder in articulation, language, voice, and/or fluency. A speech-language impairment may range in severity from mild to severe. It may be developmental or acquired, and pupils may demonstrate one or any combination of the four parameters listed above
Incidence
More than 1.4 million students served in the public schools’ special education programs in the 2002-2003 school year were categorized as having a speech or language impairment (//Twenty-sixth Annual Report to Congress//, U.S. Department of Education, 2006). This estimate does not include children who have speech/language problems secondary to other conditions such as deafness. Language disorders may be related to other disabilities such as intellectual disability, learning disability, autism, or cerebral palsy. It is estimated that communication disorders (including speech, language, and hearing disorders) affect one of every 10 people in the United States.
Incidence
Information from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that between 2 to 6 per 1,000 children (from 1 in 500 to 1 in 150) have some form of autism/PDD. These disorders are four times more common in boys than in girls, although Rett’s Disorder has only been reported and diagnosed in girls.
Etiology
The causes of autism or PDD are unknown. Currently, researchers are investigating areas such as brain development, structure, genetic factors and biochemical imbalance in the brain as possible causes. These disorders are not caused by psychological factors.
Health Issues
There is considerable agreement about general patterns or types of disordered behavior. Achenbach suggests two discrete patterns that he calls "externalizes" (aggressive, disruptive, acting out) and "internalizes" (withdrawn, anxious, depressed). Quay identifies the following dimensions: CONDUCT DISORDERS (aggression, disobedience, irritability); PERSONALITY DISORDERS (withdrawal, anxiety, physical complaints; IMMATURITY (passivity, poor coping, and preference for younger playmates); and SOCIALIZED DELINQUENCY (involvement in gang subcultures).
http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Behavior_Disorders_Emotional_Disturbance
Conduct disorder: Students may seek attention, are disruptive and act out.
Socialized aggression: Students join a subculture group of peers who are openly disrespectful to their peers, teachers, and parents. Common are delinquency, truancy, and dropping out of school.
Attention problems -- Immaturity: These students may have attention deficit disorders, are easily distractible and have poor concentration. They may have the tendency to be impulsive and may not think about the consequences of their actions.
Anxiety/Withdrawal: These students are self-conscious, reticent, and unsure of themselves. They typically have low self-esteem and withdraw from immediate activities. They are also anxious and frequently depressed.
Psychotic behavior: This student displays more bizarre behaviors than others do. They may hallucinate, may deal in a fantasy world, and may even talk in gibberish.
Motor Excess: Students with motor excess are hyperactive. They cannot sit still nor listen to others nor keep their attention focused.
http://www.slc.sevier.org/emoclass.htm
The effect of visual problems on a child's development depends on the severity, type of loss, age at which the condition appears, and overall functioning level of the child. Many children who have multiple disabilities may also have visual impairments resulting in motor, cognitive, and/or social developmental delays.
A young child with visual impairments has little reason to explore interesting objects in the environment and, thus, may miss opportunities to have experiences and to learn. This lack of exploration may continue until learning becomes motivating or until intervention begins.
Because the child cannot see parents or peers, he or she may be unable to imitate social behavior or understand nonverbal cues. Visual handicaps can create obstacles to a growing child's independence.
Deafness
It is useful to know that sound is measured by its loudness or intensity (measured in units called decibels, dB) and its frequency or pitch (measured in units called hertz, Hz). Impairments in hearing can occur in either or both areas, and may exist in only one ear or in both ears. Hearing loss is generally described as slight, mild, moderate, severe, or profound, depending upon how well a person can hear the intensities or frequencies most greatly associated with speech. Generally, only children whose hearing loss is greater than 90 decibels (dB) are considered deaf for the purposes of educational placement.
There are four types of hearing loss. Conductive hearing losses are caused by diseases or obstructions in the outer or middle ear (the conduction pathways for sound to reach the inner ear). Conductive hearing losses usually affect all frequencies of hearing evenly and do not result in severe losses. A person with a conductive hearing loss usually is able to use a hearing aid well or can be helped medically or surgically.
Sensorineural hearing losses result from damage to the delicate sensory hair cells of the inner ear or the nerves which supply it. These hearing losses can range from mild to profound. They often affect the person's ability to hear certain frequencies more than others. Thus, even with amplification to increase the sound level, a person with a sensorineural hearing loss may perceive distorted sounds, sometimes making the successful use of a hearing aid impossible.
A mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural loss and means that a problem occurs in both the outer or middle and the inner ear. A central hearing loss results from damage or impairment to the nerves or nuclei of the central nervous system, either in the pathways to the brain or in the brain itself.
- are likely to need only intermittent to limited support;
- typically do not "look" different from their non-disabled peers;
- often have only mild or moderate developmental delays, except in academics, which is often the major area of deficit;
- therefore, they are often not identified until they enter the school setting, where their cognitive disability is most apparent;
- in Minnesota, students with mild MR spend most of the school day in the regular classroom;
- they typically attain 3rd- to 6th-grade academic achievement levels by the time they finish high school;
- as adults, many, though not all, with mild MR will be able to obtain independent employment;
many will marry, have children, and blend rather indistinguishably into the community; for those who achieve total independence, the label of mental retardation is no longer appropriate.http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/mrcharacteristics.htm
Characteristics of students with TBI vary widely. They may have learning, social, and/or behavioral difficulties; and their abilities may vary from time to time. The conditions of students with physical disabilities may be relatively mild to more severe. Different body parts may be affected. Disabilities may be due to central nervous system damage or muscle or orthopedic impairments. Students with other health impairments may be weak and sometimes in pain. Lack of stamina may often be a debilitating factor. They may miss a lot of school due to their illnesses.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/faq-TBI-physical-health-impairments/
Learning disabilities tend to be diagnosed when children reach school age. This is because school focuses on the very things that may be difficult for the child — reading, writing, math, listening, speaking, reasoning. Teachers and parents notice that the child is not learning as expected. problem.
There is no one sign that shows a person has a learning disability. Experts look for a noticeable difference between how well a child does in school and how well he or she could do, given his or her intelligence or ability. There are also certain clues that may mean a child has a learning disability. We've listed a few below. Most relate to elementary school tasks, because learning disabilities tend to be identified in elementary school. A child probably won't show all of these signs, or even most of them. However, if a child shows a number of these problems, then parents and the teacher should consider the possibility that the child has a learning disability.
When a child has a learning disability, he or she:
· may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;
· may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;
· may not understand what he or she reads;
· may have real trouble with spelling;
· may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly;
· may struggle to express ideas in writing;
· may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;
· may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;
· may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;
· may have trouble following directions;
· may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;
· may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;
· may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
· may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;
· may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or
· may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.
Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):
· Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.
· Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).
· Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.
· Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing.
· Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:
· Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language.
· Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/speech_therapy.html#
About 87% of people with intellectual disability will only be a little slower than average in learning new information and skills. When they are children, their limitations may not be obvious. They may not even be diagnosed as having intellectual disability until they get to school. As they become adults, many people with intellectual disability can live independently. Other people may not even consider them as having an intellectual disability.
The remaining 13% of people with intellectual disability score below 50 on IQ tests. These people will have more difficulty in school, at home, and in the community. A person with more severe intellectual disability will need more intensive support his or her entire life. Every child with intellectual disability is able to learn, develop, and grow. With help, all children with intellectual disability can live a satisfying life.
Many children with an intellectual disability need help with adaptive skills, which are skills needed to live, work, and play in the community. Teachers and parents can help a child work on these skills at both school and home. Some of these skills include:
· communicating with others;
· taking care of personal needs (dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom);
· health and safety;
· home living (helping to set the table, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner);
· social skills (manners, knowing the rules of conversation, getting along in a group, playing a game);
· reading, writing, and basic math; and
· as they get older, skills that will help them in the workplace.
Autism is a brain disorder that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the environment. Some people with autism are relatively high functioning, with speech and intelligence intact. Others are mentally retarded, mute, or have serious language delays. For some, autism makes them seem closed off and shut down; others seem locked into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking.
Although people with autism do not have exactly the same symptoms and deficits, they tend to share certain social, communication, motor, and sensory problems that affect their behavior in predictable ways.
Isolated in worlds of their own, people with autism appear indifferent and remote and are unable to form emotional bonds with others. Although people with this baffling brain disorder can display a wide range of symptoms and disability, many are incapable of understanding other people's thoughts, feelings, and needs. Often, language and intelligence fail to develop fully, making communication and social relationships difficult. Many people with autism engage in repetitive activities, like rocking or banging their heads, or rigidly following familiar patterns in their everyday routines. Some are painfully sensitive to sound, touch, sight, or smell. http://www.crescentlife.com/disorders/autism.htm
The educational programs for children with an emotional disturbance need to include attention to providing emotional and behavioral support as well as helping them to master academics, develop social skills, and increase self-awareness, self-control, and self-esteem.
Although there are difficulties in definitively characterizing these frequently co-occurring disabilities, the following definitions may apply. Students with co-occurring emotional/behavioral disabilities are described as displaying inappropriate, disruptive, aggressive behaviors that interfere with learning. Students with hearing loss and intellectual disabilities are characterized by a generalized delay in development across all areas of learning with limited problem-solving abilities and lowered adaptive or functional skills. Students diagnosed with learning disabilities and hearing loss are generally found to be in the average or above average range of intelligence displaying skills and abilities in many different ways while displaying specific learning deficits that restrict accomplishments. They are described as exhibiting unusual learning characteristics considered atypical of students who are deaf and hard of hearing in general; these greatly affect their progress. These students are not progressing academically in comparison to the documented parameters of delayed language and concept learning found in the general population of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (Bunch & Melnyk, 1989). In an effort to recognize this subgroup's uniqueness, the field appears to be moving away from using the label "learning-disabled hearing- impaired" and, instead, is beginning to label these students "deaf or hard of hearing with additional mild disabilities," "atypical learners with hearing loss," and "deaf or hard of hearing learners with additional learning problems."
Common health problems associated with mental retardation
Many children and adults with mental retardation are otherwise physically and mentally healthy, except that they have lower intelligence. Several others, however, frequently have other problems. The common health problems associated with mental retardation are as follows:
Behavior problems: Symptoms like restlessness (continuously moving around; unable to sit in one place), poor concentration, impulsiveness, temper tantrums, irritability and crying are common. Other disturbing behavior, like aggression, self-injurious behavior (such as head banging) and repetitive rocking may also be seen. When such behavior is severe and persistent, it can become a major source of stress for families. Therefore, attention should be paid to reduce such behavior while providing treatment and care.
Other developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, speech problems and autism, can occur along with mental retardation. Persons with many disabilities, or multiple disabilities, pose a big challenge in terms of providing care.
http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1174/Section1199/Section1567/Section1825_8090.htm
Referral characteristics for the student with an other health impairment (OHI) do not fall
into specific intellectual, academic, behavioral, language or physical categories.
Indicators of an other health impairment may or may not be observable. The following
conditions may indicate the presence of an OHI: (1) a long period of absence due to a
chronic or acute health problem; (2) an inability to attend to task for the same length of
time as peers due to a chronic or acute health problem; (3) an inability to attend to task
as a result of medication being taken for a chronic or acute health problem; and/or (4)
an inability to attend school for more than a few hours per day due to limited strength or
vitality. In addition, the primary features of students with ADD include developmentally
inappropriate degrees of inattention, impulsivity and overactivity.
Communication between teachers and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students need serious consideration especially in recognizing potential sources of miscommunication and misinterpretation. Within verbal communication, several sources of miscommunication include: cultures as collectivistic or individualistic; uses of basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency skills, negations and fat/muscle words and cooperative transactions. From a nonverbal communication perspective, several potential sources of misinterpretation include: communication environments as polychronic or monochromic-, and personal space between speakers.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87078951.html
*OSEP – Office of Special Education Programs (Federal)
*NCDPI – North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (State)