CHAPTER 2
LEARNING AND BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS WITH
PHYSICAL, HEALTH, OR MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter provides a broad overview of the impact of physical and health disabilities on
learning, behavior, and performance. The Physical and Health Disabilities Performance Model
illustrates the interrelatedness of the disability type, functional effects of the disability, and
psychosocial and environmental factors. Physical and health disabilities are divided into six
categories that closely follow chapter one and the contents of the book. Functional effects of the
disabilities include: 1) atypical movements and motor abilities, 2) sensory loss, 3)
communication impairments, 4) fatigue and lack of endurance, 5) health factors, 6) experiential
deficit, and 7) cognitive impairments and processing issues. The psychosocial and environmental
factors include: 1) motivation, 2) self-concept, 3) self-advocacy, 4) behavioral and emotional
functioning, 5) social environment and social competence, 6) physical and technological
environments, and 7) learning and attitudinal environments. It is the combination of the type of
disability, the functional effects of the disability, and the psychosocial and environmental factors
which creates a student's unique response to his situation and shapes how he will perform in an
academic setting. Although there is no control over the type of impairment that a student has,
functional effects and psychosocial and environmental factors can be addressed to improve
student functioning. Teachers should take into account each aspect of this model and provide
appropriate interventions. Teachers and the other members of the team should work together to
address the specific areas found in this model to promote optimal performance.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Physical and Health Disabilities Performance Model
Types of Disability and Student Performance
Functional Effects of the Disability Affecting Learning and Performance
Atypical Movements and Motor Abilities
Sensory Loss
Communication Impairments
Fatigue and Lack of Endurance
Health Factors
Experiential Deficits
Cognitive Impairments and Processing Issues
Psychosocial and Environmental Factors Affecting Behavior and Performance
Motivation
Self-Concept
Self-Advocacy
Behavioral and Emotional Functioning
Social Environment and Social Competence
Physical and Technological Environments
Learning and Attitudinal Environments
Summary
References
CHAPTER 2 EXAM QUESTIONS
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Developmental milestones may be reached more slowly by students with physical, sensory, or
health disabilities due to:
a) a genetic predisposition
b) their lack of growth hormone
c) decreased opportunities to interact with the environment and peers
d) their developmental milestones are different than those of nondisabled peers
2. Students with physical, health, or multiple disabilities have intellectual levels:
a) only within the moderate, severe, profound intellectual disabilities range
b) from profound intellectual disabilities to gifted abilities
c) equal to the discrepancy in their motor development
d) show no intellectual disability
3. Communication may be affected in students with severe spastic cerebral palsy due to:
a) dysphagia
b) infections in the esophagus
c) dysarthria
d) all of the above
4. A student's impairment may impact upon their learning and behavior due to the characteristics of
the impairment, and:
a) nutrition and cognitive level
b) environmental variables and absenteeism
c) psychological factors and ability to self advocate
d) functional effects of the disability and psychosocial and environmental factors
5. Atypical movements or atypical motor abilities may affect learning though:
a) decreases in active participation
b) insufficient or inadequate adaptations to compensate for atypical movements or motor
ability
c) inability to manipulate items
d) all of the above
6. Students may experience fatigue and limited stamina from such impairments as:
a) sickle cell anemia
b) osteogenesis imperfecta
c) asthma
d) arthrogryposis
7. Students with spina bifida have been found to have deficits in:
a) working memory
b) attention
c) memory span
d) all of the above
8. An example of a negative attitudinal barrier is:
a) only providing tasks commiserate with IQ to students with severe physical disabilities
b) providing more wait time for students with physical or multiple disabilities
c) dispelling unrealistic positive attitudes
d) assuming that adaptations change over time
9. A student's diminished ability to concentrate may be due to:
a) insufficient vitamins
b) fatigue
c) a substitute teacher
d) absenteeism
10. Learned helplessness may result from:
a) task analyzed activities
b) parental or teacher performing tasks for the student
c) discrepant mental age
d) augmentative communication devices
Short Answer Questions
1. Three major areas of the Physical and Health Disability Performance Model that can affect
student performance are _____________________, ___________________________,
____________________________.
2. Student with low vision may experience fatigue due to
___________________________________.
3. Many children with physical disabilities can associate the name of their disability with at least
one affect by what age?
4. A student's willingness to inform others of his needs in order to affect change is known as
__________________.
5. A lack of persistence at tasks that could be mastered is known as ____________________.
6. The immediate and initial registration of stimuli that are received from sensory systems are
known as: ____________________________.
7. How is information moved from short term memory to long term memory?
8. __________________________ is a general term that refers to control processes of each aspect
of information processing.
9. What should teachers do for students who exhibit fatigue?
10. Students with physical, sensory, or health impairments may have incomplete concept
development due to:
Discussion Questions
1. Discuss the Physical and Health Disabilities Performance Model and how it may impact on
student learning. Provide examples using two students with different physical, health, or multiple
disabilities.
2. Describe how a physical disability may affect memory, using Atkinson and Shiffrin’s memory
model.
3. When a teacher recognizes that a student is in pain or discomfort she may address this situation
in a variety of ways. Discuss through example three ways in which this may be done.
4. Discuss how a lack of meaningful experiences due to a physical, health, or multiple disability
may impact on a student's knowledge base.
5. Discuss how societal beliefs and the reaction of nondisabled individuals affect the performance
and self-concept of individuals with physical, sensory, and health impairments.
CHAPTER 2 ANSWER KEY
Multiple Choice
1-c
2-b
3-c
4-d
5-d
6-a
7-d
8-a
9-b
10-b
Short Answer
1. type of disability, functional effects of the disability, psychosocial and environmental factors
2. reading print for a protracted period of time
3. three or four years of age
4. self-advocacy
5. learned helplessness
6. sensory register
7. rehearsal of information or encoding of information
8. executive function
9. observe for fatigue, change activity or motor movement, schedule breaks or a rest time
10. lack of experiences