Definitions, Characteristics, and Accommodations for Disabilities

Mental Disability or Cognitive Delay
definition- a person with a mental disability or cognitive delay will likely be limited in intellectual capabilities and in behavioral and social skills. They may lack or exhibit delays in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills.

Ten Possible Characteristics of Mentally Disabled or Cognitively Challenged Students:
1. Impaired cognitive functioning
2. Attentional deficits
3. Problems attending to relavent stimuli
4. Inefficient rehearsal strategies
5. Inability to generalize skills to novel settings/tasks
6. Difficulty in all subject areas, especially reading
7. Deficiencies in arithmetic, while performing more in line with their mental age
8. Often exhibit an external locus of control
9. Exhibit learned helplessness
10. Difficulty generalizing knowledge

Classroom Accommodations:
1. Since many students experience great difficulty with reading, I will be sure to include oral directions as well as written directions with all activities.
2. I will take into consideration the mental age of the student when establishing expectations in mathematics. I will modify topics/assignments to be within their realm of proximal development and provide the resources they might need to complete tasks (ie calculators, manipulatives, etc). 3. I will try to build self-esteem in these students so that learned helplessness will not play such an active role in day-to-day learning.
4. I will try to help these students to generalize their knowledge by providing them with opportunities to use their knowledge in different ways. For example, we will not just discuss money and complete worksheets on currency and exchange. Students may also physically exchange pretend currency or set up shops in order to "buy and sell" things to each other. Extra guidance and assistance for these students would be anticipated and would be provided as needed.
5. Children who exhibit attention deficits will be placed close to me so that I can provide extra encouragement to help students stay on task. External distractions will be minimized.

Learning Disabled
definition- a learning disability is a disorder in understanding or using language. This disorder may cause difficulties in an individual's ability to listen, speak, read, spell, write, or utilize mathematics. Conditions that qualify as learning disabilities include perceptual handicaps and dyslexia; disabilities resulting from sensory handicaps or mental retardation are not included under this category of disability.

Ten Possible Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities:
1. Hyperactivity
2. Disorders of attentions
3. Impulsivity
4. Language deficits
5. Academic difficulties
6. Poor motor abilities
7. Reading difficulties
8. Social skill deficits
9. Oral language deficits
10. Written language problems

Classroom Accommodations:
1. Because many students with learning disabilities have social skill deficits, I would encourage social interaction in the classroom. I would provide many opportunities for group work and would monitor interaction within those activities.
2. Reviewing appropriate social behavior periodically in addition to addressing problematic social behavior as it arises will help the student to adopt better social skills.
3. Allowing breaks (for a drink of water, to run an errand, to get up and stretch) can help a hyperactive student handle some of their excess energy; I would make such accommodations as needed for students who exhibited hyperactivity. I would also try to incorporate some structured, physically active learning throughout the day.
4. To help address the issue of language and reading difficulties, I would provide extra resources that targeted such skills in a fun and engaging way. Computer programs that focus on reading and language should be available, and flashcard games (which could be modified to include physical actions, like leap frog or around the world) could be utilized to help teach these skills.
5. Consistent encouragement and recognition of improvements and achievement must be present, especially because many of these students struggle academically. Helping establish positive self-esteem about a student's abilities will help them have a positive attitude towards work and school.

Gifted
definition- gifted students possess learning characteristics that enable them to learn quickly and accurately without much exposure to a topic.

Ten Possible Characteristics of Gifted Students:
1. Early reader
2. Highly verbal
3. Excellent memory
4. Highly inquisitive
5. Acquire information easily
6. Highly motivated
7. Good problem solver
8. Risk taker
9. Self-confident
10. Concern for social issues

Classroom Accommodations
1. Provide reading materials that will appeal to advanced readers. Children who are gifted readers and can process more challenging reading should have the resources to do so.
2. Giving gifted students a chance to exercise their verbal skills will help them to further develop this skill.
3. Problem-solving is a key part of learning; gifted students who are good problem solvers should be given the opportunity to problem solve as much as possible to develop this skill further. Problem solving is also a great way to learn material more deeply. I will help my students develop and utilize these skills through problem-based learning.
4. All students should be encouraged to participate in socially responsible behavior. Gifted students who exhibit concern for social issues should be encouraged to research topics of social importance, participate in volunteer activities, and share their concerns with their peers. I will serve as a facilitator for students who have these interests, providing them with resources and opportunities for social involvement.
5. I will utilize tiered assignments and paced instruction to keep gifted students engaged and working within their zone of proximal development. It is critical that gifted students do not get bored with material that is too easy; this denies them the same quality of education that their peers are receiving.

Emotional/Behavior Disorders
definition- a disability that is characterized by behavioral or emotional responses in school programs so diffrent from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic norms that the responses adverselly affect educational performance, including academic, social, vocational, and personal skills. These behavioral/emotional responses are more than a temporary reaction, and are consistently exhibited at school. The behavior is not responsive to direct intervention through general education

Ten Possible Characteristics:
1. May exhibit difficulty building/maintaining relationships
2. Deficits in pragmatics
3. May use fewer words per sentence
4. May have difficulty staying on topic
5. Might use language that is inappropriate to social conversation
6. Typically score in the low-average range on measures of intelligence
7. May exhbit chronic school failure despite average intellectual abilities
8. May be less likely to graduate high school/be chronically absent
9. May exhibit aggressive behaviors
10. May exhibit lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, and high activity levels.

Classroom Accommodations:
1. Provide the fewest possible number of rules while still covering all important bases.
2. Check for understanding of rules and review rules regularly.
3. Mix up assignments and activities; break up challenging tasks with easier, more diverting ones.
4. Consider students' attentional, developmental, and ability levels when planning activities and schedule.
5. Provide resources for the student to self-monitor, ie utilize the Academic Self-Monitoring Checklist.

Speech and Language Disorders
definition- problems in communication and related areas, like oral and motor functions. There can be a wide range in severity of the disorder.

Ten Possible Characteristics:
1. Limited use of vocabulary
2. Frequent hesitations
3. Repetition of information over and over in same conversation
4. Have trouble finding right word
5. Uses social language poorly
6. Inappropriate repsonse to questions
7. Difficulty following oral instructions
8. Difficulty with humor and figurative language
9. Misses parts of material presented verbally
10. Cannot recall sequences of ideas presented orally

Possible Classroom Accommodations:
1. Use visual aids and written instructions in addition to information presented verbally.
2. Encourge the student to ask questions anytime they need clarification.
3. Be sensitive to periods of fatigue and stress by allowing breaks when indicated.
4. Seat the child away from auditory and visual distractions to help them maintain focus.
5. Work to understand the student without calling attention to disfluent speech. Ask extra questions to get the message if the student isn't communicating an idea clearly. Exhibit patience!

Hearing Impaired
definition- disordered hearing

Ten Possible Characteristics:
1. Possible performance difficulties associated with speaking, reading, and writing language
2. Articulation discrimination problems
3. Voice quality discrimination problems
4. Tone discrimination problems
5. May prefer groups of 2 to larger groups
6. Have less language interaction during play
7. Spend less time involved in cooperative peer play
8. May exhibit significant delays in educational achievement
9. May exhibit differences in maturity, awareness of social mores and attitudes, and social interactions
10. Likely to have significant difficulties with reading.

Possible Classroom Accommodations:
1. seat student close to sound source (teacher, television, stereo, etc)
2. provide extra emphasis on vocabulary and language development
3. repeat instructions and provide them in multiple forms (ie written and spoken)
4. face the student while talking to help the student hear better and to allow for lip reading
5. assign a buddy to assist the student during the day; the student can alert the child to important verbal cues or instructions.

Health or Physical Challenges
definition- physical impairments include orthopedic impairments, multiple disabilities, traumatic brain injury, or other health concerns (like illness)
Characteristics will vary and depend on the condition and circumstances, but may include:
1. abnormal, involuntary uncoordinated motor movements
2. difficulty walking
3. require the use of various equipment
4. may experience shunt failure (signs include headache, changes in vision, vomiting, seizures)
5. visual perception problems
6. fatigue, lack of stamina
7. use of prosthetic devices
8. seizures
9. may exhibit a range of cognitive impairments, from mild cognitive impairment to mental retardation
10. impairments in social and behavioral functioning

Possible Classroom Accommodations:
1. Students with JRA or limb deficiencies can have access to technology that allows them to perform necessary tasks with a minimum of discomfort.
2. The classroom will be accessible for students with assistive equipment.
3. Class will be taught the basics aobut the disabilities in the class in a sensitive way. That will allow the class to become aware of possible problems, and enable them to be helpful and alert the teacher if they notice a problem (like a seizure).
4. Activities that involve active movement will have modifications that allow all students to be actively engaged.
5. Students with chronic illnesses and frequent absences will be accomodated. Work will be sent home along with an informational sheet for parents to enable them to assist their child with the material. Extra help will be available to the student upon returning to school, including review of the material that has been missed and any intensive preparation that needs to happen to prepare the student to participate in current classroom lessons.