Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
WEBSITES
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/
 This website gives all the needed information on ADHD. It explains the
different types of medication and their effects as well as the symptoms . It
also gives statistics and explains possible reasons why it is becoming so
prevalent in adolescents.
 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-
disorder/complete-index.shtml
 This website discusses the causes of ADHD and how to treat it and how it
is diagnosed. Additionally it talks about the different medications and
dosages for them. It also discusses possible strategies for working with the
school in order to give your child the best chance to a proper education .
STRATEGIES & FACTS
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Practice Relaxation techniques
Develop an organization system that works for you and can keep you focused.
Exercise Daily to help exert extra energy
Have the student with ADHD sit in the front of the classroom to help reduce the amount
of distractions.
Facts For School:
 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common
neurobehavioral disorders of childhood.
 Having a large support system between the parents and the teacher will help a student
with ADHD succeed better in school.
 Be patient with the students with ADHD, it may take them a few more tries to complete
the project or activity, and make sure they know you care and are willing to take the time
to ensure they get what they need.
Sources:
 http://www.drpaul.com/behaviour/adhdclas.html
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/
 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml
Autism and Asperger’s
Syndrome
WEBSITES
 http://www.aspergerssyndrome.org/
 This website discusses how Aspergers is a condition found on the autism spectrum.
It goes into detail on how it is diagnosed and how help your child deal with this
disorder. It has great ideas for how to make the teacher and parent a unit when
dealing with Aspergers. It also has a great story of a boy who suffers from Aspergers
but has beat the odds and is extremely successful. Additionally, it has a list of
websites that you can go to that show different organizations and groups of people
that either have or are dealing with Aspergers in their family.
 http://www.autism-help.org/
 This is a great website that goes in detail on the symptoms, treatments, and
statistics of Autism, especially Aspergers. It defines autism and explains
how Aspergers is a condition of it. It also discusses how to deal with this
disorder in the classroom as well as everyday life. There is also a list of
other websites that are easily accessible through this website.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Be patient and do research to ensure you understand all there is to know about
your child’s disorder.
 Consult with doctors and professionals (Therapist) to help you and your child
deal with this disorder.
Facts:
 Do not worry about the critical period for learning with a child with Autism or
Aspergers, they will learn when they are ready.
 Keen in on a child with Autism or Aspergers special gifts and help them focus
on their talent. This will help them complete projects and stay on task,
especially if their talent is incorporated in all the activities.
 Early screening can help detect whether a child has Autism or a condition of
Autism and will help get the child on the program them need to be.
Sources:
http://www.aspergerssyndrome.org/
http://www.autism-help.org/
http://www.specialed.us/autism/asper/asper11.html
Behavior Disorders/ Emotional
Disturbances
WEBSITES
 http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance
 This website focuses on emotional disturbances and how if undetected at an early
age can cause serious problems in adult hood. It discusses the different emotional
disturbances such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorders, and
obsessive compulsive disorders. It talks about the characteristics of these disorders
as well as strategies to help with in school.
 http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Behavior_Disorders_Emotion
al_Disturbance
 This website focuses on both emotional disturbances as well as behavior disorders.
It discusses the typical patterns of disordered behavior and the educational
implications. Additionally, it gives examples of what to do when you see a student,
or child displaying disturbed behavior. Certain situations may require an expert
such as a counselor in the school or a therapist.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
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Create classroom rules because they create structure for self-discipline.
Be positive and motivating
Create a classroom structure and routine to minimize unstructured free-time.
Have test retakes, praise them often, and allow them to share their feelings toward their
personal academic standards.
Facts:
 Watch out for triggers throughout the day. Make sure as a teacher your transitions
between classroom activities is smooth. Disturbances in the day can cause a great deal of
stress for students suffering from ED disorders.
 Children with ED disorders are very sensitive and may have low self-esteem. Ensuring a
lesson is full of components that they are familiar and have confidence in is a great tool to
use. ED disorders are hard for children to work with for they may not be able to explain
why they are having an anxiety attack over a test or peer confrontation.
Sources:
http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance
http://www.insidetheschool.com/articles/teaching-strategies-that-work-for-students-whohave-emotional-and-behavioral-disorders/
Blindness / Visual Impairments
WEBSITES
 http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment
 This website defines all forms of blindness, partially sighted, low vision,
legally blind, and totally blind. It gives examples of how visual
impairments could occur if not onset at birth. Additionally, it gives
examples of educational implications. It gives suggestions such as using
brail or giving less worksheets and doing more auditory learning when
your classroom has a student that is visual impaired.
 http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/sight/visual_impaired.html
 This website has tutorials and examples of how to deal with students with
various forms of blindness. It gives strategies on how to help students in
the classroom as well as with social interaction. It gives examples of
specific devices that can be used to enhance the level of learning for
students who are visually impaired. Additionally, it discusses that
importance of doctors and what they can do.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
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Make sure the student is comfortable in the classroom and is well aware of where everything is
located.
Get to know the student and make sure you are aware of their special needs especially if they have a
particular learning need.
When teaching make sure to use descriptive words and have the student sit in the front of the
classroom.
When using videos make sure the descriptions are detailed and easy to understand.
When using PowerPoint or any type of presentation make sure the print is large and easy to read.
Facts:
 Partially sighted indicates some type of visual problem has resulted in a need for special education.
 Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal
viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses.
 Legally blind indicates that a person has less than 20/200 vision.
 Totally blind students learn via braille or other non-visual media
Sources:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/sight/visual_impaired.html
http://sds.ucsf.edu/assets/Visual_Impairment.pdf
http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/archive/strategies.html
Communicative Disorders
WEBSITES
 http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Communicative_Disorders&T
emplate=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=37&ContentID=5626
 This website defines communicative disorders and gives examples on how to detect
if your child or student has trouble with communication with others whether it be
through traditional language , hearing, and or speech. It discusses the
characteristics of communicative disorders and gives strategies for teachers and
parents for dealing with children with this disorder.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_disorder
 This website has excellent information on communicative disorders. It goes in great
detail on how to determine if your child or student is suffering from this disorder as
well as how to help them get the best life and education possible. It also discusses
the different categories if communicative disorders.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Allow more time for the student with communication impairments to
complete tests in their optimal mode of communication.
 Check to be sure that test instructions are completely understood by the child
and provide any additional assistance that may be needed.
 Keep up-to-date on the student's accomplishments in therapy.
Facts:
 Giving students with speech impairments opportunities to speak in class can
boost self-esteem.
 Allowing students to tape or record lectures can be helpful in their learning.
Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/14717-classroom-strategies-for-inclusion-ofstudents-with-communication-and-learning-disorders/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_disorder
WEBSITES
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_disorder
 This website contains a lot of great information pertaining to
developmental disorders. It discusses the causes as well as the
characteristics of different developmental disorders. Additionally, it
talks about the various treatments as well as signs and symptoms.
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/default.htm
 This website is a government site that has a lot of information on
developmental disorders. It breaks them down into more specific
disorders such as Autism, and Cerebral Palsy.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Look to the state programs that are created to help students who
have developmental disorders.
 Assistive Technology can help students with developmental
disorders.
Facts
 13% of students under 18 are effected by developmental
disorders.
 New treatments are currently being studied through trials
conducted by the national government.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/default.htm
http://www.macmh.org/publications/ecgfactsheets/PDD.pdf
Learning Disability
WEBSITES
 http://www.ncld.org/
 The National Center for Learning Disabilities website
is packed with useful information. Everything from
resources for home, school, and work to the latest
information on studies and case laws.
 http://www.ldonline.org/
 The website provides the basic information about
learning disabilities along with specific information
for parents and teachers. Also, there are some ideas to
help students with this disability.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Using assistive technology in the classroom helps students with
learning disabilities.
 Distributing reminder sheets at the end of a lesson can help with
retention.
 Give clear and appropriate assignments
 Teach study skills
 Use homework calendar
Facts:
 Students with learning disabilities are being included in general
education classes now more than ever.
 These students are often intimidated by asking questions in large group
scenarios.
Sources:
http://www.ncld.org/
http://www.ldonline.org/article/202/
Mental Retardation
WEBSITES
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdf
s/IntellectualDisability.pdf
 This is a fact sheet on mental retardation. Information
is provided on the disability as well as what to do if you
expect your child is affected.
 http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/me
ntal-retardation/overview.html
 This overview goes into great length about the
disorder. It talks about what areas of the person’s life
may be affected by the disability and how we can help
people like this.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 These students sometimes do not know how to interact with peers
appropriately so social interaction should be taught.
 A structured environment proves to be most successful.
 Use charts and graphs to display information
 Give feedback right away and continue to praise them all day
 Be postive
Facts:
 1-3% of the population are affected.
 Certain injuries later in life such as head injury or serious infection can
cause this disability.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/IntellectualDisab
ility.pdf
http://www.best-teaching.com/09101838-teaching-strategies-formentally-retarded-students/
Multiple and Severe Disabilities
WEBSITES
 http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/multiple
 This is a good resource because it defines the
condition and gives the characteristics and
implications.
 http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/EC/severeandm
ultipledisabilities.html
 I like this resource because it is a collection of research
done by a professor at a university on the disability. It
has a summary, characteristics, links, and data.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Encourage your school to create professional development days about multiple
and severe disability.
 Repetition of skills is important due to the easy loss of skills through disuse.
 Use aides and volunteers
 Have physical activities incorporated into the lessons but be sure they are able
to achieve them on their own
Facts:
 About 0.1 8% of the population is covered under IDEA for this disability.
 Complications before, during, and after birth can cause this disability.
Sources:
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/EC/severeandmultipledisabilities.html
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-inclusion-strategies/42000students-with-severe-or-multiple-disabilities/
Other Health Impairments
WEBSITES
 http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/ohi/
 This is a good resource because it outlines the
disability and also provides help options for medical
issues and schooling issues.
 http://www.personal.psu.edu/aec5115/blogs/spled_por
tfolio/article2.pdf
 This is another resources from a university that I liked
because it gives specific examples of other health
impairments and explains them in detail. It builds off
of the first website and goes more in depth.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
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Early intervention is essential to recognizing the disability.
Consult with the school nurse for classroom activity considerations.
Build a caring classroom environment
Hands on learning
Flexible seating
Facts:
 To qualify for IDEA the conditions must have a negative affect on
educational performance.
 Examples include Tourette Syndrome and Epilepsy.
Sources:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/aec5115/blogs/spled_portfolio/article2.pdf
http://akuehnel3.tripod.com/id9.html
Physical Disabilities
WEBSITES
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_disability
 This resource provides examples of prenatal and
perinatal conditions along with different types of
physical disabilities.
 http://www.csun.edu/~sp20558/dis/physical.html
 This is yet another university sponsored document
that outlines the disability. It also lists issues and
considerations to make when working with these
students.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Make the classroom safe and accessible for students with visual
impairments.
 Be sensitive to words like “walking” and “running”
 Have a buddy system
Facts:
 Disability can be congenital or be onset after birth by accident or
injury.
 Visual, Moblity, and Hearing are the three most common types
of physical disabilities.
Sources:
http://www.csun.edu/~sp20558/dis/physical.html
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-physicaldisabilities/51778-teaching-strategies-for-students-withphysical-disabilities/
Traumatic Brain Injury
WEBSITES
 http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/
 This website contains a lot of information on the
causes and effects of traumatic brain injury. It also
provides long term outcomes for those who suffer.
 http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/tbi.htm
 This website links to other organization with
information along with what they have posted. Some
key facts that this site offers include diagnosis and
communication problems.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Slow down the rate of conversation to allow
comprehension.
 Eliminate distracting stimuli to enhance the ability for
students to focus on what is important.
Facts:
 Cognitive damage may make it difficult for students to use
appropriate tone of voice or read body language.
 Pre-injury memory is usually not affected.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/
http://sds.ucsf.edu/assets/brain_injury.pdf
Twice Exceptional
WEBSITES
 http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Twic
e_Exceptional&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay
.cfm&TPLID=37&ContentID=5634
 This resource clearly defines and addresses the situation
that is twice-exceptional. It discusses a brief history and
the complications that occur when being gifted with a
disability.
 http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/newsletter/spring98/s
prng984.html
 Although this document is dated, it gives a good insight to
characteristics of twice exceptional students. Also provided
is their curricular needs.
STRATEGIES & FACTS
 Focus on preventing the disability becoming a barrier for
their special talents.
 Teach them to use charts and diagrams
 Need a challenging, but structured environment.
Facts:
 May use high level vocabulary in speech, but not in writing.
 Often use their intelligence to circumvent the disability.
Sources:
http://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/download/pdf/twiceexception
alresourcehandbook.pdf
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/newsletter/spring98/spr
ng984.html