Module 5: Developmental Barriers to Learning and Performance Flashcards
A fifth-grade student appears shy and withdrawn and does not typically participate in individual or classroom activities.
Which area of development is most closely related to the characteristics this student is displaying?
A) Cognitive development
B) Physical development
C) Language development
D) Social and emotional development
D) Social and emotional development
Characteristics such as shyness, withdrawal, and lack of participation are often related to social and emotional development needs.
True or False
Students typically experience barriers to learning in only one significant area.
False
Students can experience any combination or quantity of cognitive, social and emotional, physical, or language-related barriers or challenges to learning.
True or False
Physical barriers to learning are intrinsic or innate to the student, while social and emotional barriers are extrinsic or environmental.
False
Any category of barriers (physical, cognitive, language-related, or social and emotional) can include challenges that are within the student, or intrinsic, or challenges that are created by the environment or circumstances, or extrinsic.
Determine whether the description represents an intrinsic barrier or extrinsic barrier.
A student is born with numerous health needs and a mobility impairment.
Intrinsic
This physical barrier to learning may be impacted by whether the student is in an accessible environment. But the barrier itself is intrinsic.
Determine whether the description represents an intrinsic barrier or extrinsic barrier.
A student’s family recently became homeless and moved into a shelter where the student has no place to study.
Extrinsic
The student and family are homeless (a physical barrier), but this quality is not innate or unchangeable; it is a function of circumstances and environment.
Determine whether the description represents an intrinsic barrier or extrinsic barrier.
A student is slow to speak and understand language.
Intrinsic
The student’s atypical language development is a language-related barrier that is intrinsic, or innate, to the student.
Determine whether the description represents an intrinsic barrier or extrinsic barrier.
A student is having difficulty relating to peers because she has experienced trauma due to violence in her neighborhood.
Extrinsic
This student’s social and emotional challenges constitute a barrier, but they are a function of her environment (her neighborhood) rather than being innate or intrinsic.
What is the learning disability Dyslexia?
Affects reading and related language-based processing skills
common characteristics include difficulty reading, including decoding, fluency, rate of reading, rhyming, spelling, vocab, comprehension, and written expression
What is the learning disability Dyscalculia?
affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts
common characteristics include difficulty with counting, learning number facts, and doing math calculations
What is the learning disability Dysgraphia?
affecting a person’s handwriting and fine motor skills.
common characteristics include tight, awkward pencil grip and body position, tiring quickly while writing and avoiding writing or drawing tasks
What is Auditory Processing Deficit/Disorder?
Deficits in ability to understand and use auditory information
Disorders differ from loss of hearing in that they are within the brain, rather than the ears or elsewhere in the body
What is Visual Processing Deficit/Disorder?
Deficits in the ability to understand and use visual information
Disorders differ from low vision in that they are within the brain, rather than the eyes or elsewhere in the body
What is Executive Functioning Deficits?
Deficits in the ability to plan, organize, strategize, remember details, describe and control emotions, and manage time and space efficiently
common characteristics in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are often seen in those with learning disabilities
What is an important cognitive skill?
A) Remembering information
B) Developmental communication
C) Writing information down
D) Social interaction
A) Remembering information
Successfully retaining information requires cognitive ability.
True or False
Students with learning disabilities may have difficulty with handwriting.
True
Messy handwriting, transcriptions, or uneven letter formation and spacing can indicate a learning disability.
What are the two Genetic causes of intellectual disabilities?
Down Syndrome: caused by an extra chromosome which leads to physical features and developmental challenges
-usually have an IQ in the mildly-to-moderately low range
-slower to speak than other children
-experience hearing loss, ear infections, eye diseases, and heart defects
Fragile X Syndrome: caused by the mutation of a single gene and is genetically inherited
-related to female chromosomes, but occurs in both male and female children
-experience ear infections, strabismus (crossed eyes), seizures, sensory processing challenges, speech and language delays, and motor delays
Having the daily living, social, and communication skills to function independently is known as
A) Choice Based Behavior
B) Adaptive Behavior
C) Intellectual Capacity
D) Applied Behavior
B) Adaptive Behavior
These skills, collectively, are referred to as adaptive behavior or adaptive functioning.
Explain Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the main characteristics
often exhibit problems with social communication and interaction and exhibit restricted or repetitive behaviors
Problems with social communication and interaction:
-inability to make or keep eye contact
-decreased facial recognition
-limited ability to share interests or achievements
-difficulty initiating social interactions or maintaining friendships
Explain Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
brain based disorder that results in significant inattention, hyperactivity, distractibility, or a combination of these.
characteristics are attributed to neurochemical imbalances that can be treated effectively with a combination of behavioral therapy and medication
A student in your class struggles with social understanding and communication. He also exhibits repetitive routines and narrow interests.
Which cognitive development barrier is associated with the behaviors the student displays?
A) Learning disability
B) Autism
C) Intellectual disability
D) ADHD
B) Autism
The student’s narrow interests and repetitive behavior distinguish autism from other development issues such as ADHD.
True or False
ADHD does not impact a student’s self-esteem or mental health.
False
ADHD can impact self-esteem and mental health, as students’ perceptions of themselves can be impacted if they are struggling with academics or behavior.
A student is returning to school after a mild concussion due to a bicycle accident.
What is one way the student’s performance may be impacted?
A) Unwillingness to complete work, socialize, or comply with directions
B) Mood changes, headaches, and occasional confusion
C) Challenges with adaptive behavior and independent living
D) Constant confusion and fatigue
B) Mood changes, headaches, and occasional confusion
Students with mild concussions (mild TBI) may exhibit mood changes, headaches, and some confusion.
What are potential signs of atypical social or emotional development
-appearing withdrawn, shy, or anxious
-demonstrating weakened self-esteem or self-concept
-reduced self-confidence in ability to succeed
-unusual hesitancy to try new experiences
-disruptive (oppositional, defiant, or angry) behavior
-yelling, cursing, engaging in violence, or using drugs or alcohol
Signs a student may be being bullied
-depression
-anxiety
-sadness and loneliness
-changes in sleep and eating patterns
-loss of interest in activities that used to bring joy
-health complaints
-drop in GPA and standardized test scores
Signs a student might have trouble with social skills
-miss social cues
-trouble following social rules
-say inappropriate things
-talk too much
-not recognize when people look or sound annoyed
-poor listener
-not wait their turn to talk
-not understand sarcasm
What are the different names for behavioral disorders
-Emotional and Behavior Disorders (EBD)
-Emotional Conflict (EC)
-Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)
Signs a student might have behavioral disorders
-initiation of aggressive behavior and reacting aggressively towards others
-a display of bullying, threatening, or intimidating behavior
-being physically abusive of others
-deliberate destruction of others property
-showing little empathy and concern for the feelings, wishes, and well-being of others
-showing callous behavior towards others and lack of feelings of guilt or remorse
What is a typical sign or symptom of trauma in a school-aged child?
A) Experiencing difficulty with forming relationships or conversing with peers
B) Responding to events with a disproportionate or hypervigilant reaction
C) Getting a specific kind of math problem wrong over and over
D) Displaying repetitive behaviors or obsessive interests
B) Responding to events with a disproportionate or hypervigilant reaction
Hypervigilance, or overreliance on the fight-or-flight response, is typical of students who have experienced traumatic events.
True or False
Children exposed to trauma may develop negative self-concept and inappropriate conflict resolution and self-monitoring skills.
True
Exposure to trauma affects neurodevelopment and also places a child under stress—two factors that can manifest in undesirable behaviors.
True or False
Risky behavior and social or emotional challenges can be observed in students who bully others and those who are bullied.
True
Both students who bully and those who are bullied need social and emotional supports, as they typically have social and emotional challenges of varying natures.
A teacher has a student who has difficulty paying attention to others, carrying on conversations without raising her voice, and controlling her emotions.
What should the teacher consider first as a possible reason for the student’s social difficulties?
A) Insufficient discipline at home
B) Too much television
C) Stressors at home or school
D) Poor parenting
C) Stressors at home or school
Stress is often a cause of social and emotional challenges, and it is appropriate to begin by considering whether the student is experiencing any new stressors.
True or Fasle
Social and emotional challenges may be caused by mental health difficulties and may manifest with challenging behavior.
True
Mental health needs are one cause of social and emotional barriers, and students often exhibit challenging or atypical behavior.
Behavioral and social challenges involve a(n) (A/B/C) pattern of behaviors that (1/2/3) a student’s functioning or that of the class.
A) Temporary
B) Unpredictable
C) Persistent
1) Improve
2) Disrupt
3) Stabilize
C) Persistent
Behavioral and social challenges are typically disruptive to a student’s performance or the smooth functioning of the classroom.
2) Disrupt
Behavioral and social challenges remain over time, even if their intensity fluctuates, and they are typically disruptive to a student’s performance or the smooth functioning of the classroom.
Which condition may result directly from exposure to trauma?
A) Positive self-concept
B) Food insecurity
C) Poor self-regulation
D) Dysgraphia
C) Poor self-regulation
Trauma may affect a student’s self-control and ability to regulate emotional responses due to the stress placed on his or her brain.
True or False
Trauma impacts students in a consistent and predictable way.
False
While trauma has measurable impact on a student’s brain, the resulting behaviors and support needs may vary significantly from student to student and case to case.
Language Barriers are classified as:
Communication disorders or language disorders
(Usually intrinsic)
Definition of Language
the ability to encode ones ideas into language forms and symbols
Definition of comprehension
the ability to understand the meanings that others have expressed using language
definition of speech
sound produced orally
what is the term used for “stuttering”
childhood-onset fluency disorder
Definition of communication disorder
persistent problems related to language and speech
Definition of language disorder
persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language across modalities (spoken, written, sign language, or other) due to deficits in comprehension or production
What are the communication disorders
Articulation difficulties
Voice disorders
central auditory processing disorder
What is articulation difficulties
problems forming and combining sounds, usually by omitting, distorting, or substituting them
what is voice disorders
trouble with the way their voices sounds, and listeners may have trouble understanding a person with this speech pathology
what is central auditory processing disorder
characterized by impairment of the auditory processing, resulting in deficiencies in the recognition and interpretation of sounds by the brain
What are the 3 main types of language disorders?
Expressive Language disorder: not able to get their message out
Receptive Language disorder: not able to correctly understand what others mean
Mixed receptive expressive language issues: have both expressive and receptive language disorder
How does language development barrier affect learning
Difficulty
-understanding and processing verbal info
-following instruction
-learning how to read, write, and spell
True or False
Pragmatic communication disorder was formerly known as stuttering.
False
Pragmatic communication disorder affects social use of language; fluency disorders were formerly known as stuttering disorders.
What are the challenges in forming and using sounds so that they are intelligible characterized as?
A) Articulation difficulties
B) Fluency difficulties
C) Auditory processing difficulties
D) Pragmatic difficulties
A) Articulation Difficulties
Articulation difficulties are related to challenges in pronouncing words understandably.
What is a potential sign of a language disorder in the area of speech or expressive language?
A) Reduced vocabulary when compared to peers
B) Difficulty following directions
C) Difficulty with mathematics
D) Inability to comprehend written information
A) Reduced vocabulary when compared to peers
Having fewer vocabulary words than peers might indicate atypical language development.
True or False
Language barriers can impact students’ abilities to resolve conflict.
True
Verbal and social skills are an important part of conflict resolution. Students whose verbal or social communication skills are delayed may experience more conflicts with peers because they are unable to resolve them proactively.
What is one way that language barriers can impact students’ writing skills?
A) Students with language barriers are less motivated than peers.
B) Students with language barriers may struggle with vocabulary.
C) Students with language barriers often struggle with critical thinking.
D) Students with language barriers may often lack parental support.
B) Students with language barriers may struggle with vocabulary.
Vocabulary, a central component of language, may be affected by a language barrier.
Students with language barriers may struggle to (A/B/C) and (1/2/3) verbal information such as directions and lecture notes.
A) Hear
B) Listen
C) Understand
1) Care about
2) remember
3) be interested in
C) Understand
Students with language barriers may have difficulty processing and understanding information provided orally.
2) remember
Students with language barriers may have difficulty retaining information provided orally.
What is one reason students with language barriers may have difficulty with spelling?
A) Writing the words down correctly is challenging because they cannot form letters accurately.
B) Correct spelling requires attention, commitment and focus, and skills typically lacking with language barriers.
C) Trauma and chronic stress can make it challenging to focus and remember.
D) Correct spelling requires students to remember and reconstruct sounds associated with each letter.
D) Correct spelling requires students to remember and reconstruct sounds associated with each letter.
Students with language impairments may have difficulty associating sounds with letters, a critical skill in spelling.
Which condition can result in physical barriers to learning?
A) ADHD
B) Anxiety
C) Spina bifida
D) Expressive language disorder
C) Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a congenital condition that can cause physical challenges including mobility impairments.
Which statement about physical barriers is accurate?
A) Physical barriers cannot be accommodated in a general education classroom.
B) Physical barriers do not typically interfere with learning.
C) The impact of physical barriers is stable over time.
D) Physical barriers can cause fatigue.
D) Physical barriers can cause fatigue.
Physical disabilities or barriers can require additional effort from students.
Students with physical disabilities often experience A/B and difficulty with 1/2 to their school environment.
A) anger
B) fatigue
1) access
2) bonding
B) fatigue
Students with physical disabilities may use more energy in getting around during the day.
1) access
Access to the classroom or school environment can be physically challenging if buildings are not designed with accessibility in mind.
Which behavior is characteristic of a student with a mild visual impairment?
A) Significant and debilitating headaches and dizziness
B) Holding books and papers closer than normal to the eyes
C) Inability to participate in discussions and activities
D) Inability to complete work without specialized magnifying lenses
B) Holding books and papers closer than normal to the eyes
Students with mild visual impairments often hold material close in order to read it, particularly if they have not yet received treatment with glasses.
True or False
The cause of hearing loss is not typically relevant in determining how it affects the student.
True
The degree and nature of hearing loss is more important than the cause in determining how this barrier affects the student or manifests in school.
What are intrinsic physical development barriers
visual impairment
orthopedic impairment: fine/gross motor skill impairment (clubfoot, poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, cerebral palsy, amputations, fractures, ataxia, burns)
neuromotor impairment: typically occurs at or before birth (abnormality/damage to the brain, spinal cord, nervous system)(cerebral palsy, spina bifida)
What are some extrinsic physical development barriers
poverty
trauma
hunger/food insecurities
lack of nutrition
homelessness
sleepy students
access to transportation
access to technology
peer pressure
How can poverty create physical barriers to learning?
A) Students experiencing poverty may become discouraged about the possibility of improving their socioeconomic situation.
B) Parents of students experiencing poverty may not be engaged in their children’s education.
C) Students experiencing poverty may be at disproportionate risk for ADHD.
D) Students experiencing poverty are at risk for poor nutrition, housing insecurity, and exposure to pollution.
D) Students experiencing poverty are at risk for poor nutrition, housing insecurity, and exposure to pollution.
Lack of food, housing, and clean air are all physical barriers that can impact learning.
A student has difficulty listening and paying attention and takes a long time to complete tasks and homework. The student also struggles to recall learned facts and has problems with abstract concepts, all of which make her feel insecure about her abilities.
Which type of barrier might this student be experiencing?
A) Cognitive
B) Language
C) Social and emotional
D) Physical
A) Cognitive
Difficulties with organization and planning, remembering directions or instructions, understanding abstract concepts, and completing tasks on time are all indications of a cognitive barrier.
A child has difficulties with fine motor skills, such as properly holding a pencil, which results in very messy handwriting.
Which type of barrier might this student be experiencing?
A) Cognitive
B) Physical
C) Language
D) Social and emotional
B) Physical
Characteristics of physical barriers may include difficulties with fine motor skills, gross motor skills, or access to supports.
A student often experiences slower mental, verbal, and physical responses than his peers, experiences headaches and mental fatigue, needs more time to understand the course material, and has difficulty expressing himself in speech and writing.
Which barrier does this student likely have?
A) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
B) Autism
C) Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
D) Intellectual disability (ID)
C) Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Students who have suffered a traumatic brain injury often experience slower mental, verbal, and physical responses, have headaches and mental fatigue, need more time to understand the course material, and have difficulty expressing themselves in speech and writing.
While talking with friends, a child has a hard time articulating ideas and communicating thoughts.
What is this an example of?
A) Receptive language disorder
B) Expressive language disorder
C) Voice disorder
D) Fluency disorder
B) Expressive language disorder
An expressive language disorder is characterized by difficulty speaking or writing your thoughts.
A teacher has observed a student come to class late, hungry and tired, for several days in a row.
Which type of physical barrier might this student be experiencing?
A) Peer pressure
B) Autism
C) Homelessness
D) Bullying
C) Homelessness
Experiencing homelessness means being unable to acquire and maintain consistent, safe, secure, and adequate housing or lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Thus, students miss out on sleep, regular meals, and time management tools (like clocks).
Recently a student has been increasingly absent from school. When calls home are made to check on the student, the mom explains they are experiencing mechanical issues with their car, and it is a long walk to the bus line.
Which kind of barrier is causing the frequent absences?
A) Intrinsic
B) Cognitive
C) Language
D) Extrinsic
D) Extrinsic
Extrinsic barriers result from the student’s environment or circumstances, in this case the broken-down car.
A middle-school student has experienced increases in mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, decreased academic achievement, health complaints, loss of interest or decreased participation in school activities, and increased absenteeism.
Which physical issue is the student likely experiencing?
A) Juvenile diabetes
B) Puberty
C) Bullying others
D) Being bullied
D) Being bullied
Victims of bullying may experience mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, decreased academic achievement, health complaints, loss of interest or decreased participation in school activities, and increased absenteeism.
Which three responses are characteristics of a student struggling with an expressive language disorder?
Choose 3 answers.
A) Difficulty using the correct tenses of verbs
B) Difficulty conveying information in writing
C) Difficulty understanding what others are saying
D) Difficulty with reading books
E) Difficulty communicating with different people
F) Difficulty with behaving well
A) Difficulty using the correct tenses of verbs
B) Difficulty conveying information in writing
E) Difficulty communicating with different people
Students with an expressive language disorder often have difficulty conveying information in writing, using the correct tenses of verbs, and communicating with different people.
A student’s family has endured some difficult circumstances over the past month. His teacher notices he is showing signs of suffering from inadequate sleep.
Which learning and performance impact would be consistent with this situation?
A) Decreased rate of physical growth
B) Difficulty with social interactions
C) Decreased ability to classify and organize
D) Decreased ability to focus
D) Decreased ability to focus
A decreased ability to focus due to fatigue caused by external circumstances is an extrinsic physical barrier.
An intelligent second-grade student tends to be argumentative and defiant. The teacher has noticed that the student often engages in passive-aggressive behaviors such as hugging a peer yet causing them pain. There have also been reports of the student bullying other students, which the teacher has seen firsthand on the playground.
Which area of development is the student struggling with?
A) Cognitive
B) Social and emotional
C) Language
D) Physical
B) Social and emotional
Passive-aggressive behaviors and bullying are characteristics of a conduct disorder, which creates a social and emotional barrier.
A child in a third-grade class displays poor social skills with adults and peers, has difficulty communicating with others, and rarely shows emotion.
Which cognitive barrier to learning does this child show characteristics of?
A) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
B) Traumatic brain injury
C) Autism
D) Dyslexia
C) Autism
Characteristics of autism include the inability to make or keep eye contact, decreased facial recognition, a limited ability to share interests or achievements, and difficulty initiating social interactions or maintaining friendships.
An inclusion student in high school has an IQ of 65, reads at a fourth-grade level, and is very popular with classmates.
With which cognitive disability has this student likely been diagnosed?
A) Autism
B) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
C) Dyslexia
D) Intellectual disability (ID)
D) Intellectual disability (ID)
A child may be diagnosed with an intellectual disability if their IQ is below 70. Characteristics of an ID may include sensory processing challenges, speech and language delays, and motor delays, but there is no correlation to peer relationships.
Which three behaviors are indicative of a conduct disorder?
Choose 3 answers.
A) Frequent lying or theft
B) Reduction in cognitive function
C) Violent or cruel behavior
D) Difficulty understanding directions
E) Overeager to engage with peers
F) Hesitancy to follow school rules
A) Frequent lying or theft
C) Violent or cruel behavior
F) Hesitancy to follow school rules
These are all characteristics of a conduct disorder.
