DIFFERENT
CATEGORIES OF
LEARNERS WITH
DISABILITIES,
GIFTEDNESS AND
TALENT
LEONARD VINCENT
REGALADO
BSE-II
CATEGORY
01
LEARNERS WITH
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
Definition
Intellectual Disability is a condition
diagnosed before age 18 that includes
below-average intellectual function and
a lack of skills necessary for daily
living. In the past, the term mental
retardation was used to describe this
condition.
Intellectual Disability is a condition
diagnosed before age 18 that includes
below-average intellectual function and
a lack of skills necessary for daily
living. In the past, the term mental
retardation was used to describe this
condition.
Causes
• Genetic Factors – those
resulting from some damage
to genetic material such as
chromosomal abnormalities
those due to hereditary
transmission.
• Brain Damage – infections
and environmental hazards.
• Cultural-Familial Factors –
due to an unstimulating
environment .
Symptoms
• Lack of or slow development of
motor skills, language skills,
and self-help skills, especially
when compared to peers
• Failure to grow intellectually or
continued infant-like behavior
• Lack of curiosity
• Problems keeping up in school
• Failure to adapt (adjust to new
situations)
• Difficulty understanding and
following social rules
Classification 1:
Definition
Cerebral palsy refers to a
group of neurological disorders
that appear in infancy or early
childhood and permanently
affect body movement and
muscle coordination. The term
cerebral refers to the brain;
palsy refers to the loss or
impairment of motor function.
Causes
Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by damage to or abnormalities
inside the developing brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control
movement and maintain posture and balance. Cerebral palsy
affects the motor area of the brain’s outer layer (called the cerebral
cortex), the part of the brain that directs muscle movement. In
some cases, the cerebral motor cortex hasn’t developed normally
during fetal growth. In others, the damage is a result of injury to
the brain either before, during, or after birth. In either case, the
damage is not repairable and the disabilities that result are
permanent.
Symptoms
• lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements
(ataxia);
• stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity);
• weakness in one or more arm or leg;
• walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait;
• variations in muscle tone, either too stiff or too floppy;
• excessive drooling or difficulties swallowing or speaking;
• shaking (tremor) or random involuntary movements;
• delays in reaching motor skill milestones; and
• difficulty with precise movements such as writing or buttoning a
shirt
Classification 2:
Definition
Down syndrome is a
genetic condition in
which a person has 47
chromosomes instead
of the usual 46.
Causes
In most cases, down syndrome occurs when there is an
extra copy of chromosome 21. This form of Down syndrome
is called trisomy 21. The extra chromosome causes
problems with the way the body and brain develop. Down
syndrome is one of the most common causes of birth
defects.
Symptoms
(Physical Signs)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Decreased muscle tone at birth
Excess skin at the nape of the neck
Flattened nose
Separated joints between the bones of the skull (sutures)
Single crease in the palm of the hand
Small ears
Small mouth
Upward slanting eyes
Wide, short hands with short fingers
White spots on the colored part of the eye (Brushfield
spots)
Symptoms
(Delayed Mental and Social Development)
• Impulsive behavior
• Poor judgment
• Short attention
span Slow learning
Symptoms
(Medical Conditions)
• Birth defects involving the heart, such as an atrial septal defector
ventricular septal defect
• Dementia may be seen
• Eye problems, such as cataracts (most children with Down syndrome
need glasses)
• Early and massive vomiting, which may be a sign of a gastrointestinal
blockage, such
• as esophageal atresia and duodenal atresia
• Hearing problems, probably caused by repeated ear infections
• Hip problems and risk of dislocation
• Long-term (chronic) constipation problems
• Sleep apnea (because the mouth, throat, and airway are narrowed in
children with Down syndrome)
• Teeth that appear later than normal and in a location that may cause
problems with chewing
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Classification 3:
Definition
Autism Spectral Disorder is
a pervasive developmental
disability affecting verbal and
non-verbal communication
social interaction and
intellectual and educational
performance initially evident
between ages 2 and 3 and
confirmable at 3 to 4.
Causes
• It is a brain disorder present from the birth which affects the way the
brain uses information but the cause of autism is still unknown
• Some researchers suggest a physiological problem affecting those
parts in the brain that process language and information coming in
from the senses- prenatal and/or postnatal infections, chromosomal
disorders, CNS dysfunction, seizures, vaccines, brain injury
• There may be some imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain
• Genetic factors may sometimes be involved. In many families there
appears to be a pattern of autism or related disorders which suggest
a genes-based cause, however, at this time NO GENE has been
directly linked to autism.
• Autism may also result from a combination of several causes.
Indicators of Autism
• Physical Health
⚬ generally healthy
⚬ generally good looking
⚬ a peaky-eater, tends to smell food/objects and put things
in
the mouth
⚬ exhibits disturbed sleeping patterns
⚬ does not seek attention when hurt; has high pain
threshold;
unable to locate pain.
Indicators of Autism
• Gross Motor
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
walks in tiptoe especially during early years
hyperactive, disinhibited
fast and strong and does not tire easily
well balanced, generally coordinated but lacks
impulse
control
⚬ exhibits repetitive movements; body rocking, hand
wiggling, whirling, “ritual” of walking to end from etc.
⚬ either echopraxic or non-imitative of gestures
Indicators of Autism
• Fine Motor
⚬ may either have good or poor perceptual-motor skills
depending on level of attention span
⚬ absorbed by some objects with tendency to get attracted
to spin round/whirling objects
⚬ self-stimulates by touching surfaces/edges,
arranging/aligning objects precisely/repetitively
Indicators of Autism
• Psychosocial
⚬ exhibits limited/fleeting eye contact
⚬ aloof, passive; prefers solitary activities to group
activities
⚬ manifests inappropriate emotional responses
⚬ demonstrates unusual fears
⚬ socially immature and handicapped
⚬ maladaptive to changes in food, clothes, routine, routes
or
arrangements or things
⚬ tends to self-injurious
Indicators of Autism
• Self-help
⚬ delayed in performing eating, dressing and grooming
tasks
⚬ unable to assume age-appropriate responsibilities
⚬ lags behind in discriminating and avoiding dangers
Indicators of Autism
• LanguageCognitive/Intellectual/Achievement
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
⚬
shows deficit in the use of language
under-reacts to language and visuals
under-reacts or overreacts to sounds
demonstrates role learning
exhibits pronouns reversals
echolalic
exhibits inappropriate recall of experience
delayed in language-conceptual abilities-reasoning,
inferential thinking, problem solving, deductive and
inductive thinking, etc.
⚬ is delayed in overall intellectual response
CATEGORY
02
LEARNERS WITH LEARNING
DISABILITY
Definition
A learning disability refers to
retardation, disorder or delayed
development in one or more of
the processes of speech,
language, reading, writing,
arithmetic or other school subject
resulting from a psychological
handicap caused by possible
cerebral dysfunction and/or
emotional or behavioral
disturbances.
Causes
• Environmental/Ecological
Model – poor learning
environment, inappropriate
school instruction, lack of
motivation, ingestion of load,
drug abuse, school
suspension.
• Brain Damage Model –
sustained brain damage,
impairment of the CNS,
minimal brain dysfunction,
complications surrounding
pregnancy and birth, maternal
illness.
• Organic and Biological Model
–
chemicals found in
specific food
colorings or
flavorings, vitamin
deficiencies, imbalances in
neurotransmitters, malnutrition,
allergies to natural chemicals
found in food; developmental or
maturational lag – the child is
cognitively unprepared for
certain academic task as
certain
times.
• Genetic Model – inherited
genetic
influence
General Characteristics
• Intelligence – average or near average intelligence
• Perception & Motor Skills
⚬ shows deficit in the use of language
⚬ under-reacts to language and visuals
⚬ under-reacts or overreacts to sounds
⚬ demonstrates role learning
⚬ exhibits pronouns reversals
⚬ echolalic
⚬ exhibits inappropriate recall of experience
⚬ delayed in language-conceptual abilities-reasoning, inferential
thinking, problem solving, deductive and inductive thinking, etc.
⚬ is delayed in overall intellectual response
General Characteristics
• Metacognition skills
⚬ Consists of an awareness of the skills, strategies and
resources needed to
⚬ perform a task effectively.
⚬ It requires the ability to use self-regulatory mechanisms
such as planning movements, evaluating effectiveness
of ongoing strategies, checking the outcomes of efforts
and mediating difficulties.
⚬ It ensures the successful completion of tasks.
General Characteristics
• Behavior & Affective Characteristics
⚬ May be hyperactive (with excessive body activity) or
hypoactive (lethargic)
⚬ Easily distracted, have short attention spans, show
memory deficits, act impulsively, overreact with intense or
surprising emotion.
⚬ Have serious difficulties in social adjustment
⚬ Unable to predict the consequences of their behavior and
lack social comprehension skills
⚬ Provoke negative reactions from others
⚬ Inability to interact effectively with others frequently
results
in low self-esteem.
General Characteristics
• Academic Learning
⚬ Lag behind in reading achievement,
comprehension, fluency and spelling
⚬ Experience number, letter, word and sound
reversals
⚬ Poor handwriting, spelling, sentence structure and
composition skills
⚬ Poor math performance
General Characteristics
• Communication
⚬ Difficult time learning to articulate the sounds of language
⚬ Repeat sounds, stumble words and have halting speech delivery
⚬ Have difficulty grasping the pragmatic or social aspects of
language – taking turns, sharing information needed for
meaningful conversation
⚬ Problems in language comprehension, processing and
formulation (expression)
• Memory and Thinking
⚬ Difficulty memorizing words and remembering the sounds that
constitute words
Classification 1:
Dyslexia
Definition
A symbolic language disorder
where there is poor ability to
learn, to interpret and retain
symbols needed for reading in
the absence of major mental
ability defect or perceptual
aberration and where the child
has been exposed to an
organized attempt to teach him
to read over a minimum period
of year.
Types
• Visual – refers to the individual’s inability to process visual
stimuli accurately.
• Auditory – refers to the individual’s inability to prove
auditory
stimuli accurately.
• Visio-Auditory – a combination of both visual and auditory
dyslexia.
Signs and
Symptoms
• Reading ability does not commensurate with mental
age.
• Poor ability to relate letter and letter sounds and spelling
– lack of awareness of phonemes that make up words.
• Problems with understanding what is read.
• Difficulty with spelling correctly.
• Visual hyperactivity.
• Right-left discrimination problems.
• Visual-motor connection problems.
• Difficulties in sequencing.
• Spontaneous and creative writing is poor.
• General language deficit.
• Audio-visual/visual-auditory integration impaired.
Classification 2:
Definition
• A difficulty in automatically
remembering and
mastering sequence of
muscle motor movements
needed in writing letters
and numbers.
• It is neurologically based
and exists in varying
degrees ranging from mild
to moderate.
• It can involve difficulties
Signs and
Symptoms
• Cramped fingers on a writing tool; awkward pencil grip
• Bad or illegible handwriting
• Problems involving the steps of putting together a written
document.
• Avoidance of tasks that involve writing
• Inconsistence in the way letters and words look – mix of
upper and lower case letters; mix of print and cursive letters;
inconsistent letter formations and slant; irregular letters and
shapes.
• Difficulty in writing within the margins or line spacing and
inconsisten spacing.
• Decreased speed in writing
• Inattentiveness about details when writing.
Classification 3:
Definition
• A learning
disability wherein
a child has
difficulty in
performing math
calculations and
math difficulty.
Signs and
Symptoms
• Poor mental math ability, often with difficulty in common use
of money, making change.
• Difficulty in math processes (ex. addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division) and concepts (ex. sequencing of
numbers)
• Poor sense of direction; easily disoriented
• Difficulty with abstract concepts of time and direction,
schedules, sequence of past and future events.
• May have difficulty learning musical concepts
• Math phobia
• Interchanging numbers
CATEGORY
03
LEARNERS WITH VISUAL AND
HEARING IMPAIRMENTS, SPEECH
COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
AND/OR MULTIPLE HANDICAPS
Introduction
There are students who have
health impairments and acute
health problems caused by
asthma, heart diseases,
rheumatic fever, and other
diseases. Certain cases of health
impairments affect the child’s
strength and vitality and may
require hospitalization and long
absences from
school.
Classification 1:
Definition
Visual impairment is the
consequence of a functional less
of vision. A visually handicapped
child is one where visual
impairment interferes with his/her
optimal learning and achievement
unless adaptations are made in
the methods of presenting
learning experiences, the nature
of the materials used and/or in the
learning environment (Barriga,
1983).
Causes
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•
•
•
•
•
Eye injuries
Neoplasms (Tumors)
Malnutrition (Vitamin A Deficiency)
Substance Abuse
Systemic Diseases (Diabetes)
Infectious Diseases (Measles, Trachoma, AIDS,
Gonorrhoea)
• Poisoning and excess oxygen
Indicators of Visual Impairment in
Children
BEHAVIOR
• Rubs eyes excessively
• Shuts or covers one eye, tilts head or thrusts head forward
• Has difficulty in reading or in other work requiring close use
of the eyes
• Blink more than usual or is irritable when doing close work
• Holds books close to eyes
• Unable to see distant thongs clean
• Squints eyelids together or frowns
Indicators of Visual Impairment in
Children
APPEARANCE
• Crossed eyes
• Red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen
eyelids
• Inflamed watery Eyes
• Recurring sties
Indicators of Visual Impairment in
Children
•
•
•
•
Eye-itch, burn or feel scratchy
Cannot see well
Dizziness
Headaches following close eye
work
• Nausea
• Blurred or double vision
COMPLAINTS
Indicators of Visual Impairment in
Children
NINE WARNING SIGNS
Does the child exhibits:
• Clumsiness and trouble walking in unfamiliar settings?
• Holding the head in an awkward position or holding material
• close to the eyes to see it?
• Lack attention to written information on blackboards or other visual
presentations?
• A constant need for explanation of what is happening at events?
• Extreme sensitivity to glare, or loss of vision in different types of
light?
• Extreme squinting?
• Excessive eye rubbing?
• Poking the eyes with fingers or knuckles?
• Physical anomalies such as swollen eyes or strabismus?
Characteristics of Visual Impaired
Children
Academic Skills
• Does not usually seriously affect intellectual functioning
• Intelligence is notably affected by cumulative experiences
Sensory Compensations and Adjustment
• If one sense of deficient, other senses are strengthened
or
enhanced in part for greater use
Characteristics of Visual Impaired
Children
Language
• Usually do not interfere with everyday language usage or
communication abilities
• Slower than sighted children in forming hypothesisabout
word meaning
• Restricted experiences lead to lack of linguistic
experiences that are only related to their lack of interaction
with the environment
• May indulge in verbalism – a tendency to use words which
they have no first-hand knowledge
Characteristics of Visual Impaired
Children
Personal and Social Adjustments
• Restricted mobility and consequent limited experiences of visually
impaired children appear to cause, in some children, a state of
passivity and dependency
• Some may become socially immature, self-conscious, isolated,
passive, withdrawn and dependent
• Appropriate smiling and facial expression are difficult for people with
visual impairments
• Presence of stereotypical behaviour - body rocking, eye rubbing and
inappropriate hand and finger movements are all distracting to
peers
and interfere with attempts at social interactions.
Classification 2:
Definition
Hearing Impairment is a
genetic term indicating
hearing disability which may
range in severity from mild
to profound; it includes as
the subsets of deaf and
hard hearing.
Causes
Conductive Hearing Impairment
• Otitis Media (Middle ear Fluid)
• Otitis edema
• Congenital malformation of the outerand middle era
• Genetic Syndromes
• Impacted Cerumen (wax)
• Blockage of the external auditory meatus by a
foreign
object
• Cleft Palate
• Traumatic Head injury
Symptoms
• Tilting the head at an angle in order to receive a better sound
• Listless or inattentive behavior
• Failure to respond when questioned
• Defective articulation, particularly when sounding of word is
important
• Peculiar voice quality, often high-pitched and flattish in nature
• Tendency to avoid association with other people
• Tendency to run words together
• Poor Oral reading ability
• Discrepancy between academic performance and IQ scores
• Louder speech than would be indicated by the situation
• Tendency to watch the face of speaker with considerably
greater attention
Classification 3:
Definition
• A speech disorder is
characterized by any impairment
of vocal production (voice),
speech, sound production
(articulation), fluency (stuttering
and related disorders) or a
combination of these
impairments.
• Communication disorders
include both language disorders
(understanding and formulating
language) and speech disorders
(producing language)
Causes
• clefts of the palate,
• cerebral palsy,
• traumatic brain
injury
Characteristics
• ARTICULATION
DISORDERS
– difficulty in producing speech
sounds of their language.
• VOICE DISORDER – are
characterized by abnormalities of
pitch, loudness, and quality of
vocal production.
• FLUENCY DISORDER – is
the
smooth flow of speech that most
speakers experience when
talking.
Classification 4:
Definition
Physical Disability is a
condition that interferes with the
child’s ability to use his/her body.
A person is handicapped if
he/she has a mental or physical
impairment that substantially
limits participation in one or more
life activities.
Causes
• Mainly Plegia
(Quadriple gia,
Paraplegia,
Hemiplegia, Diplegia,
Monoplegia, Triplegia,
and Double
Hemiplegia)
Classifications
• Orthopedic Impairmentinvolves the skeletal system.
• Neurological Impairmentinvolves the nervous system
affecting the ability to move
Characteristics
• Learn much more slowly than any other group of
children
• Have of both obvious and and not-so-obvious
disabilities which require special additions or adaptation
in their education.
• Exhibit extreme deficits in intellectual functioning and
may
also need special services
• A tendency toward self-inquiry or abuse
• Long term medical needs
CATEGORY
04
LEARNERS WHO ARE GIFTED AND
TALENTED
Definition
Children capable of high
performance include those with
demonstrated achievement
and/or potential abilities. Those
who have an exceptional level
of IQ are considered gifted
Cases
Genetic factors (mainly
inheritance), Environmental
factors (mainly an assistive and
engaging environment)
Characteristics
• Cognitive domain -extraordinary quantity of information.
⚬ Advance comprehension
⚬ Unusually varied interests and curiosity
⚬ High level of verbal, visual and spatial ability
• Affective domain- advanced level of moral judgement
• • Unusual sensitivity to the expectations and feeling for
others
• Physical domain- Unusual discrepancy between physical
and intellectual development
• Intuitive domain- early involvement and concern for
intuitive knowing psychic and metaphysical ideas and
phenomena
• Social domain- advance cognitive and affective capacity for
conceptualizing and solving societal problems
CATEGORY
05
LEARNERS WITH SOCIO- EMOTIONAL
DISORDER
Definition
Social/Emotional disabilities in
students can present some of the
most difficult
challenges to teachers. Emotional
disabilities
may manifest themselves in behavior
ranging from indifference to
disruptiveness. Such conduct may
make it difficult to remember that
students with emotional and social
impairments have little
control over their disabilities.
Classification 1:
Definition
Definitions are varied, however
accepted characteristics are as
follows; exist to a marked extent and
are notably serious; are chronic or
exist a long period of time; high rate
or frequency of exhibited behavior;
an intense, dramatic, or
overwhelming behavioral
response.Genetic factors (mainly
inheritance), Environmental factors
(mainly an assistive and engaging
environment)
Causes
Biological Influence (Pre-natal
and post-natal influence),
Environmental Influence (
Cultural, Home, Schools and
Peers influence)
Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Avoidance of contact with others
Ritualistic behavior
Chronic disobedience
Covert and overt hostility
Temper Tantrums
Emotional isolation
Poor attention
Exaggerated or bizarre mannerisms
Hyperactivity
Inconsistency in academic
performance
Classification 2:
Definition
A neurologically-based
developmental disability which
revolves around in attentiveness,
impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
AD/HD is characterized by
forgetfulness, poor impulse control
or impulsivity, and distractibility.
Causes
AD/HD does not have an exact
causes, however there are
researches that shown reasons
this includes; Hereditary, Brain
Physiology, Neurobiological
and Environmental Factors.
Characteristics
• Inattention- focus, select, sustain and resist shift
• - difficulty in concentrating a tasks
• Hyperactivity- often "on the go" or acts as if "driven
by
a motor"
- often runs or climb, and talks excessively
• Impulsivity- cognitive impulsivity