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An Intellectual disability is a condition characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior that originates before the age of 22.

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A learning disability is a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes that may manifest itself as an imperfect ability in certain areas of learning, such as reading, written expression, or mathematics.

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ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

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IDEA defines emotional disturbance as follows: “…a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

1. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

2. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

3. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

4. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.”

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Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees.

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The diagnosis of an intellectual disability is typically made through a test of intelligence or cognition, often assessed by the range of scores on an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. This type of test will help the health care provider examine the abilities of a person to learn, think, solve problems, and make sense of the world. Average IQ test score is around 100, and 85% of children with an intellectual disability score in the range of 55 to 70. More severe cases of intellectual disability generally have lower IQ scores.

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A comprehensive assessment must include procedures to determine levels of performance in the following domains: motor, sensory, cognitive, communication, and behavior. When a learning disability is suspected, the following areas should be assessed: listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, mathematics, and social skills. However, the assessment must focus on the presenting problem(s) and possible correlate(s).

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The first step is to talk with a healthcare provider to find out if the symptoms fit the diagnosis. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that healthcare providers ask parents, teachers, and other adults who care for the child about the child’s behavior in different settings, like at home, school, or with peers.

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Rating scales are used to identify characteristics of emotional disturbance, to identify the extent of behaviors (intensity, frequency), and to reflect the observations of those who regularly engage with the individual (e.g., teacher, parent).

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Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be difficult because there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorder. Doctors look at the child’s developmental history and behavior to make a diagnosis.

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1. Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children

2. Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking

3. Find it hard to remember things

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1. Problems reading and/or writing

2. Problems with math

3. Poor memory

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1. Having a short attention span and being easily distracted

2. Being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings

3. Appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions

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1. Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness)

2. Aggression or self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting)

3. Withdrawal (not interacting socially with others, excessive fear or anxiety)

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1. Does not show facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, and surprised by 9 months of age

2. Lines up toys or other objects and gets upset when order is changed

3. Has obsessive interests

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Browder and Snell (2000) recommend that the individualized education program (IEP) team consider the following six factors when selecting an instructional approach:

1. The student’s preferences

2. The parents’ preferences

3. The student’s chronological age or number of years left in school

4. The student’s current and future settings

5. The student’s rate of learning academic skills

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1. Capitalize on the student’s strengths

2. Provide high structure and clear expectations

3. Use short sentences and a simple vocabulary

4. Provide opportunities for success in a supportive atmosphere to help build self-esteem

5. Allow flexibility in classroom procedures (for example, allowing the use of audio recorders for note-taking and test-taking when students have trouble with written language)

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1. Give extra time to complete tasks (especially for students with slow motor tempo)

2. If reading is weak: Provide additional reading time; use “previewing” strategies; select text with less on a page; shorten amount of required reading; avoid oral reading

3. Encourage student to have notebook with dividers and folders for work

4. Frequently compliment positive behavior and work product

5. Conference frequently with parents to learn about student’s interests and achievements outside of school

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1. Students should be seated in locations that provide teachers with easy visual and physical access at all times

2. Use rows for direct instruction, circular patterns for discussions, and clustered arrangements for group work

3. Place disruptive students in the “action zone” in the classroom

4. Disruptive students should be seated near the teacher to allow for proximity control and frequent monitoring

5. The teacher’s desk should have a barrier-free view of all students and be positioned to allow the teacher to move quickly if a situation necessitates

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1. Avoid abstract ideas whenever possible

2. Avoid speech students might misinterpret

3. Prepare students for change

4. Make adjustments for auditory and visual distractions

5. Facilitate group work

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High Tech: iPads
Low Tech: Picture Symbols

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High Tech: Audiobooks or Text-to-Speech Devices

Can help students compensate for reading challenges.

Low Tech: Calculators

Can aid students with learning disabilities who struggle with calculation or the processing of basic mathematics facts.

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High Tech: Smart Phones/iPod
Low Tech: Fidget Spinner

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High Tech: WatchMinder®

Programmable sports watch, includes 30 alarms and 65 preprogrammed messages

Low Tech: A pager for Self Monitoring

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High Tech: Speech-Generating Devices (SGDs) or Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs)

Frequently used by individuals with autism spectrum disorders who do not possess verbal communication skills

Low Tech: Picture Exchange Communication System®

PECS® involves the presentation or selection of a picture as a means of communication

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My initial belief about Intellectual Disabilities was that I didn't really know anything about Intellectual Disabilities. Now I'm more knowledgeable about the signs that show in people with Intellectual Disabilities and what supports can be put in place to help them learn in and out of the classroom.

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My initial belief about Learning Disabilities was that some people just had more difficulty learning certain things. Now I know that it's more than that, but with the proper supports a student with a learning disability can still learn the subjects they struggle with, just with more help.

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My initial belief of ADHD was that people who were diagnosed just had difficulty focusing. Now I realize that it's not just about having difficulty focusing, but a range of other characteristics that can make life and simple tasks more difficult.

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My initial belief about Emotional & Behavioral Disorders were that some people just had trouble controlling their emotions. Now I know that having this disorder makes many aspects of life more difficult when the proper support isn't there.

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My initial belief about Autism Spectrum Disorder was based on what is typically shown in media, like the non-verbal, subject fixation type. Now, I know that Autism Spectrum Disorder is much more complex and is indeed a "spectrum".

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A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

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Speech-language assessment is a complex process. Assessing, describing, and interpreting an individual's communication ability requires the integration of a variety of information gathered in the evaluation process.

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1. Articulation-speech impairments where the child produces sounds incorrectly.
2.Voice-speech impairments where the child’s voice has an abnormal quality to its pitch, resonance, or loudness.
3. Language | language impairments where the child has problems expressing needs, ideas, or information, and/or in understanding what others say.

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies 

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies 

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1. Early literacy success is critical to these children's academic achievement.
2. Incorporating the importance of cultural identity, resilience, a sense of place, bicultural education, and the importance of family.
3. Speech–language therapists and teachers can advance children's phonological awareness development in ways that maximize the benefits for their early reading and spelling development.
4. Allowing sufficient time for the student to respond Being patient.
5. Modeling correct speech.

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High Tech: With high-tech AAC, a pupil selects symbols or words to produce synthesized (digital) speech.

Low Tech: Picture Communication Symbols (PCS)

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I used to have a speech impediment so my initial belief was that it makes things more challenging. Now I know that there are many things that can allow for our students to still be successful in the classroom.

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An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

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Any kind of vision loss, whether it's someone who cannot see at all or someone who has partial vision loss.

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Physical disability indicates any physical limitations or disabilities that inhibit the physicalfunction of one or more limbs of a certain person.

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Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming.

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An audiologist, who is an expert trained to test hearing, will do the full hearing test. In addition, the audiologist will also ask questions about birth history, ear infection and hearing loss in the family.

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There are two key assessments the teacher of students with visual impairments conducts that help form the basis of your child’s educational program. These are the functional vision assessment (FVA), which explores how your child uses any vision he may have, and the learning media assessment (LMA), which examines the way in which your child uses his senses to obtain information and indicates the most effective ways in which he can be taught reading and other skills.

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A child’s initial evaluation must be full and individual, focused on that child and only that child. The evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent.

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Testing provides an objective and systematic way for identifying gifted children.   Ability and achievement tests provide numbers or scores to describe a student's performance in relation to others. Tests are often used as benchmark requirements for entrance into specific programs or if a discrepancy in learning is suspected. However, formal assessments are only one tool in determining giftedness.  Tests should be used in conjuction with subjective assessment tools.

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1. Muffling of speech and other sounds.

2. Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd.

3. Frequently asking others to speak more slowly, clearly and loudly.

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1. Not be able to see objects at a distance.
2. Not be able to focus on objects or follow them.
3. Have chronic eye redness or sensitivity to light.

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1. May have problems related to movement.
2. Some students have difficulty actually receiving information by hearing or sight, while others can see or hear, but cannot process the information they receive.
3. Students with a neurological condition, and who may also have a physical disability, may have speech and language difficulties, along with students who are deaf, or who have partial hearing, may have difficulty communicating through speech.

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1. Gifted children respond to life with greater emotion than the average person. They tend to be very passionate about an area of interest to them and have the ability to sustain that passion for long periods of time.
2. Gifted children see the world in a different way. They have an unusual perspective on life and experiences, and sense earlier than the average child, what’s going on around them. They can see beyond the moment, recognize patterns and have the ability to abstract and problem solve.
3. Gifted children are able to retain great amounts of information and for longer periods of time. They have a keen sense of observation, cataloguing body language, voice inflections and other details that most don’t.

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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1. Promote acceptance of your students. Your student will benefit from a classroom where he or she feels accepted and where modifications are made without undue attention.
2. Be sure hearing aids and other amplification devices are used when recommended. This will enable your student to use his or her hearing maximally.
3. Provide preferential seating. Appropriate seating will enhance your student’s ability to hear and understand what is said in the classroom.
4. Increase visual information. Your student will use speechreading and other visual information to supplement what he or she hears.
5. Minimize classroom noise. Even a small amount of noise will make it very difficult for your student to hear and understand what is said.

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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1. The academic curriculum must be modified to meet the individual needs of each student so that progress is based on skill level and successful completion of expectations in each subject area.
2. Specialized areas of the regular curriculum, such as art, music, and family and consumer sciences are also considered appropriate for pupils with visual impairments.
3. Adaptations of materials and the environment may be necessary to enable students who are visually impaired to participate in the educational program and derive maximum benefit from the experience.
4. Students with visual impairments require instruction in orientation and mobility (O&M).
5. Opportunities for exploration must be provided for good posture, good health, and flexible muscles.

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1. Decreased writing speed and accuracy: Give more time on tests.
2.  Memory problems: Teach verbal rehearsal strategies.
3. Decreased stamina and endurance: Allow rest breaks.
4. Impulsive behavior: Encourage “thinking time.”
5.Poor attention: Decrease distractions.

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies: 

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1. Research suggests that most classroom teachers make no or only minor modifications to meet the unique needs of learners who are gifted.
2. Children who are gifted and talented need opportunities to work hard on challenging learning tasks.
3. Instructional practices need to be modified in order to address the cognitive and social/emotional needs of students with unique talents and gifts.
4. In order to know what content and skills to preassess, the teacher must first have a well-planned unit of study, including content and skills recommended by local and state guidelines as well as by national standards.
5. Match learner experiences to the preassessment data (level of readiness and/or interests).

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High Tech: Digitized Speech AAC Devices - Smartphone applications and communication boards can produce digitized speech when the user either types a message or presses on images and words.
Low Tech: Picture Boards - Can be carried to aid communication with those who are hearing. Users can point to images or words in order to communication their message.

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High Tech: Text to speech technology
Low Tech: A large font size book to braille

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High Tech: Specialized devices, software, smartphone applications, electronic communication boards, and keyboards.
Low Tech: Low tech assistive technology in the classroom includes printing assignments in larger fonts, pencil grips, adapted pencils, and using colored highlighters to better organize information.

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High Tech: WebQuests, simulations, video games, wikis, learning management systems like Moodle
Low Tech: Audio tapes & CDs

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My initial belief was that students with hearing impairments couldn't learn as quickly. Now I know that with the right supports in place, they can learn and be as successful as their hearing counterparts.

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I used to think that having a visual impairment would've made life really difficult. Now, after knowing someone with a visual impairment, I realize that life is more challenging but it doesn't hold people back.

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My initial belief was that people with physical disabilities needed someone with them 24/7. Now I realize that those with physical disabilities just need more help than others.

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My initial belief was that students who are talented and gifted didn't need help from anyone. However, they're still students/children and need someone to challenge them and provide the right material.