John just doesn’t seem to get it, Sue stutters while talking, and Chris can solve Algebra problems in the 6th grade. What do all of these students have in common in the education setting? They are all special needs children. John is learning disabled, Sue has a communication disorder and Chris is gifted. Although the definitions, characteristics and causes of each are different, the responsibilities schools have to these children are the same. They all require needs that the average student does not need.
The definition of learning disabilities that relates the most to education is the definition that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) uses:
In General—The term “specific learning disability” means a disorder in 1 or more of the
basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, which disorder may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.
Disorders Included—Such term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain
injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
Disorders Not Included—Such term does not include a learning problem that is primarily
the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. (P.L. 108-466, Sec. 602[30])
There are two different types of assessments that are used to determine if a child has a learning disability. The first is when there is a severe discrepancy between a student’s IQ and their academic achievement. The second method used is the responsiveness to intervention (RTI). In this method intervention is used...
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...ry. There are a lot of times the children can be diagnosed with two or more disabilities; this is known as dual diagnosis.
When looking at learning disabilities, communication disorders and giftedness, you would not normally think a gifted student as needing special services. Unfortunately so much time is spent on disabilities that the gifted student can be forgotten about. That is why the federal government does include the gifted with special education. In all three situations, intervention is needed to ensure that the students get the most out of their educational experience. Hopefully, as schools get more accustomed to dealing with inclusion and meeting the needs of the disabled, they will spend more time, identifying and helping the gifted.
Works Cited
Heward, W. L. (2009). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. Columbus: Pearson.
In the article titled Responsiveness to Intervention: Evidence and implications for learning Disability, this article also focused on responsiveness to intervention. The article speaks on the functions and how to properly set up , analyze data and instruct RTI’s. From 1977 to 1994 children with learning disabilities increased from 3.7 million to 5.3 million (Hanushek, Kain & Rivikin, 2001, p.7). The growth of learning disabilities RTI’s were advocated to help children with early learning disabilities.
In conclusion, it seems as though all the positives of the response to intervention program outweigh any negatives about it. The RTI program is extremely helpful in identifying any student that is having academic difficulties at an early age. Whether these students should be considered in the special education program or not can also be determined by using the RTI program. There is no reason to allow students to fail before any intervention is even considered. Anything that is beneficial in helping students succeed in their academic achievements should be viewed as a
In general, disproportionality refers to the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a minority group within special education programs and services. The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has been an ongoing and significant matter in education for decades. More and more minority children are being identified as disabled or having an intellectual disability and/or learning disability. However, in most cases the children are being misdiagnosed and, consequently, are being discriminated and penalized in a variety of ways. Some of the leading causes of disproportionate identification are incorrect evaluations, poor assessment practices, and lack of instruction and assistance f...
Whitney, C. S. & Hirsch, G. (2011). Helping Gifted Children Soar. A Practical Guide for
Dyslexia is a disorder in which someone has difficulty reading, which is not caused from a physical handicap, or emotional disorder. Many people with dyslexia have bad handwriting and have a tendency to read letters backwards. Those who have a high or even normal IQ, but have a reading level lower than it is supposed to be, may have dyslexia. They might need to have a better form of being taught. (http://www.cdipage.com)
Federal regulations for implementing the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act use the term "specific learning disabilities" disorders in one or more central nervous system processes involved in perceiving, understanding, and using verbal or nonverbal information (Gerber and Reiff 1994). "Specific" indicates that the disability affects only certain learning processes. Although adults with LD consistently describe being labeled as stupid or slow learners (Brown, Druck, and Corcoran in Gerber and Reiff 1994), they usually have average or above average intelligence.
Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology (2008). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://www.sage-ereference.com/educationalpsychology/Article_n139.html
Children in Special Education classes are described as people who were born with a problems in speech, communication, paying attention, communicating with others,
It can be a tough task to correctly diagnosis some students with a high incidence disability. Henley, Roberta, and Algozzine (2009) state “Because there are no standard state criteria,...
specific learning disabilities in the United States of America. The Journal of International Association of Special Education, 10(1), 21-26.
The classroom is a diverse place where learners from all different genres of life meet. Included in these learners are those that display learning disabilities. According to the British Columbia School Superintendent’s Association, ‘learning disabilities refer to a number of conditions that might affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning’. They also posit that ‘learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to language processing,
Before developing an opinion on the matter of inclusion, one must first fully comprehend what a learning disorder is. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (2009), a Learning Disorders (LD) is a “specific neurological disorders that affect the brain's ability to store, process or communicate information”. To understand this, Kemp, Segal & Cutter (2010) used the example of a landline telephone. If the phone has faulty wiring, one has trouble communicating with someone they are trying to reach. If there is faulty wiring in the brain, the normal lines of communication are disrupted therefore making it difficult to process information. LDs vary in severity in each individual situation and effect everyone differently. Although LDs are often connected with other disabilities, it’s important to not get LDs confused with other disorders, like autism and down syndrome. Just because a child has a learning disability, one can not assume...
Meeting the needs of academic diverse learners is the responsibility of their instructor. These diverse learners may include students who are one or more grade levels below classmates and the gifted student who is that much above. How can educators meet the needs of these students when their learning abilities are found at opposite ends of the instructional spectrum? The answer is planning successful lessons involving engaging activities, a variety of texts, technology implementation, and flexible grouping. The following is a lesson I implemented covering these key components.
In this response, I will define learning disabilities and general characteristics of individuals with learning disabilities. I will also discuss the eligibility criteria that is required for an individual to receive placement in special education. Finally, I will discuss the impact that tiered systems have had on the category learning disabilities. According to Smith, Polloway, Patton & Dowdy (2012), learning disabilities are defined as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written,” which might affect an individual’s ability to “listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculation” (p. 154).
Every year, many children in the United States who have disabilities or other difficulties receive special services at school, which are designed uniquely to their needs. These services that they receive are a part of their daily routine in school. The students that receive these services face many problems in school, these problems include: behavior, motor skills, speech, difficulties reading, writing, comprehension, and saying focused. Other children face problems such as learning disabilities and emotional troubles. In America, by law, children with disabilities have the right to receive special education and continuous support from the school system to further their education.