Students with Disabilities and Other Special Learning Needs

Question 1

What is a medical disability?

Answer 1

issues related to disease, illness, trauma, and genetic conditions

Question 2

What is a physical disability?

Answer 2

issues related to fine and gross motor skills, body movement, and sensory input and sensory perception

Question 3

What is a low-incidence disability?

Answer 3

disability that accounts for 20% of student disabilities; a person with such a disability received help at an early age; examples include OHI, significant developmental delay, issues with vision, hearing, and movement, deafness and blindness

Question 4

What is a high-incidence disability?

Answer 4

disability accounts for 80% of student disabilities; a person with such a disability may have the same expectates as typically developing peers, but may struggle with reading, writing, math, controlling their emotions, and learning. Ex. include ADHD, speech and language impairments, cognitive delays, emotional problems, behavioral problems, certain ASD, and learning disabilities

Question 5

What strategies should be used when working with a child with a physical disability?

Answer 5

Teach them so that it’s easy for them to learn; provide them with enough space to move; provide them with partners that can help them take notes; provide accommodations and modifications such as text-to-speech software for those who cannot use a keyboard

Question 6

An _________ very much impedes mobility or motor activity

Answer 6

orthopedic impairment

Question 7

What are indicators that a student has a learning disability?

Answer 7

struggle to follow directions; struggle to appropriately socialize; struggle to speak and/or acquire speech; struggle with focusing; behavioral problems; academic delays

Question 8

What strategies should be used when instructing a student with a learning disability?

Answer 8

Direct instruction (teacher teaches specific skills), learning strategy instruction (teach different skills and tools to learn), and multi-sensory approach (interacting with new information and skills using more than one sense)

Question 9

What is dyslexia?

Answer 9

Difficulty with reading, reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. It can also affect spelling, math, decoding, and phonemic awareness skills

Question 10

What strategies can be used to help students with specific learning disabilities read better?

Answer 10

teaching them how to identify words using a basal reading program (which focuses on word identification and phonics) and a supplemental instructional program. Also, teaching them about the alphabet, matching sounds and letters, how to read, phonemic awareness, spelling, writing, and reading fluency

Question 11

What are traits of a person with a sensory processing disorder?

Answer 11

not handling change well; very anxious; easily upset; throwing tantrums; difficulty with understanding physical space so they are clumsy; over-sensitive or under-sensitive to stimuli and their environment

Question 12

What are characteristics of a student with ASD?

Answer 12

preoccupation with a few activities; repetitive behaviors that are distracting; delayed or inappropriate speech patterns; issues with understanding facial expressions and body language; use of inappropriate facial expressions and body language; difficulties understanding social communication

Question 13

What are early signs of a child having ASD?

Answer 13

repetitive behaviors; abnormal eating habits; impairments or delays in social communication; may not show that they are listening to someone; vocal patterns; compulsive behavior; interested in a limited range of foods; difficulty in pretend play; repetitve language or echolalia; avoiding eye contact; focusing on one to three conversational topics; trouble

Question 14

What are early communication and social skill delays of a child having ASD?

Answer 14

Early communication delays: no eye contact; does not respond to their name; does not engage in pretend play; repeats words that they hear; delayed speech and language skills; Early social skill delays: prefer to play alone; does not show their interests; issue with understanding other people’s feelings and emotions

Question 15

What method is used when working with students with ASD?

Answer 15

The Socratic Method (i.e., teacher guide students to seek and learn new information through dialogue in class discussions and group work); this method ensures that students with ASD practice cognitive flexibility, communication, sharing of ideas, and social skills

Question 16

How can a teacher help a student with ASD develop communication?

Answer 16

ABA (i.e., provide an intervention and see if it works or not); DTT (i.e., district trial training: teaching and reinforcing skills in smaller increments); PRT (pivotal response treatment: targeting behaviors categorically and providing rewards based on the targeted behavior, such as giving a child candy for asking for it politely)

Question 17

How can one facilitate learning for students with speech or language impairements?

Answer 17

use pictures and repetition of words to teach vocabulary; speak slowly; check for understanding constantly; combine action and motion with pictures to emphasize meaning; model conversational and social skills

Question 18

What are some early indications of a communication disorder?

Answer 18

stuttering; hearing loss; issues in reading and writing; infants do not coo or babble; not smiling at people; poor comprehension skills; issues with syntax; uses the wrong sound to begin and/or end a word; unintelligible speech

Question 19

What are signs that a child has an intellectual disability?

Answer 19

a child who is under 18 and struggles to complete tasks of daily living (e.g., self-care) and has issues with abstract thinking, problem solving, language development, learning new skills, and retaining information

Question 20

What is the diference between a mild to moderate, severe, and profound intellectual disability?

Answer 20

mild to moderate: can learn practical life skills and adaptive behaviors; participate in independent daily living activities
Severe: struggle to express themselves, perform simple routines and self-care skills
Profound: Cannot live independently and need help from other people and resources

Question 21

What are the educational implications for a student with an intellectual disability?

Answer 21

Under an IEP, such a student would be taught skills in communication, social skills, and self-care as well as in any academic areas they struggle in. Instruction would be performed in the least restrictive environment and depends on the students’ needs as stated in the IEP.

Question 22

What intervention strategies are used when instructing students with multiple disabilities?

Answer 22

Patiently waiting for them to respond, consider how they will respond to questions, collaborate with paraprofessionals, set long-term goals, obtain feedback from paraprofessionals that they work with; know how the student communicates; design curriculum based on how the child learns best; create group goals with other professionals and keep them;

Question 23

What role does cultural competence play in special education and schools?

Answer 23

Helps educators avoid cultural and linguistic bias; informs their practice and teaching; helps them appreciate cultural and linguistic backgrounds; helps better understand the context for a referral and decide whether an issue is a learning disability or a cultural and linguistic difference

Question 24

What are strategies for teaching ELLs and students with disabilities?

Answer 24

using sentence frames to help them write in structured and formal formats; allow them to work in groups with peers to practice communication and social skills; allow them to read and write in their 1st langauage; use visual supports

Question 25

How can one teach appropriate communication to ELL with disabilities?

Answer 25

Pairing visuals with words consistently and/or using sign language and gestures paired with words to help them connect the written words with the pictures. Ensuring that students in the classroom communicate consistently and serve as models of communication

Question 26

What is an accommodation?

Answer 26

a change to how a student learns informatio; they are used to provide interventions without time and location boundaries and remove barriers from learning for children. They don’t change what the student is expected to learn.

Question 27

What is a modification?

Answer 27

a change to what a student is taught or expected to learn

Question 28

What are the two kinds of modification?

Answer 28

Curriculum modification (i.e., changing the material that is taught to them such as readings to a different level) and assignment modification (i.e., changing the assignment to fit the student’s needs such as fewer problems to answer or an excuse from a certain project

Question 29

Students with disabilities can also benefit from what kind of modification?

Answer 29

environmental modifications (i.e., allows for a student to move and live more independently, such as hand rails and ramps). They are provided in the community to help them not get discriminated.

Question 30

What are some forms of accommodations?

Answer 30

accommodations to seating (special seating, use of sensory tools, and special lighting); presentation accommodations (e.g., present info orally or in writing);
Response accommodations: use dictionaries or spell-checkers during writing; response orally or pre-record responses

Question 31

What are three types of accommodations?

Answer 31

scheduling accommodations (e.g., taking a test in chunks over a period of time; organizational skills accommodaions (e.g., help with time management or marking text with highlighters or maintaining daily assignments; timing accommodations (e.g., giving the students more time to complete the test).

Question 32

If a parent believes accommodations will help their children, then they can ask the child’s teacher for _______

Answer 32

informal supports (i.e., strategies teachers can put into place to help students learning)

Question 33

How can a teacher support a nonverbal student?

Answer 33

visuals; accommodations and modifications to classwork and tests; teaching strategies to understand concepts; provide materials to accommodate their needs; changing the environment; take steps to make sure that nonverbal students do not misbehave.

Question 34

How to teach a student with a social skill deficit?

Answer 34

Role-playing scenarios when the student misbehaved; model appropriate social skils; social stories can be used as well, where the student respond to particular situations; social skill instruction in groups or 1 on 1 sessions

Question 35

What is the difference between an informal support and a formal accommodation?

Answer 35

Informal supports are given to students who are struggling to learn but do not qualify for special education services (e.g., frequent breaks, special seating, teacher cues, and quiet areas and help with basic organizational skills). Formal accommodations are given to students who qualify for an IEP or a 504 plan.

Question 36

Why is assistive technology used?

Answer 36

To help students with disabilities access the curriculum as much as their peers.

Question 37

What are the different types of assistive technology?

Answer 37

Text to speech software (let students see and hear words simultaneously, thereby improving fluency, decoding, and comprehension skills), audio recorders (record lectures and learn at their own pace), noise-cancelling headphones (limit distractions and triggers for students who are focusing), sound field systems (make teachers’ voice louder), Personal listening devices or PLDs (make teachers words clear)

Question 38

How can a teacher use AT to teach a student with a learning disability effectively?

Answer 38

It can address issues in reading, writing, math, organization, listening, and memory; AT for listening can help a student hear a teacher’s voice clearer; AT for organization and memory can help students with self-management tasks; AT for reading can help students with reading fluency, decoding, and comprehension; AT for writing help with handwriting or writing development.

Question 39

One of the best ways to support the participation of a student with fine motor delays is

Answer 39

creating large sheets or pieces of a given item used for an activity.

Question 40

The best information source to use to make a case to refer a child for special education services is

Answer 40

data from multiple sources that support the likelihood that a child’s underachievement is not due to not receiving enough scaffolding instruction

Question 41

If a teacher suspects that a child is struggling in their class, then they should

Answer 41

refer the child for an evaluation, especially since it is their ethical responsibility to do so as the issue may affect the child’s ability to learn

Question 42

What are the legal rights of parents and guardians with regards to the IEP?

Answer 42

ask for an IEP mtg anytime of the year; have a say in all processes related to the student; can participate in IEP mtgs; get an independent evaluation for their child as well as an evaluation provided by the school; give or deny conset for an IEP; argue against a school’s decision; get private education that the school pays for either at the school or at a different school.

Question 43

What are public school responsibilities to parents and legal guardians of studets on IEPs?

Answer 43

public schools must invite parents or legal guardians to meetings and provide advanced notice; they can have the meeting even if the parent is unable to attend; they can accept or refuse a parent’s request (via a prior written notice) for a meeting

Question 44

How can teachers develop intrinsic motivation in students with disabilities?

Answer 44

give them opportunities to experience success and to demonstrate their strengths; offer them choices with what activities they can do; teach them self-management and how to break up tasks; have them pracice self-reflection and do not criticize when they make a mistake.

Question 45

How can teachers help students with disabilities, especially developmental disabilities, develop critical thinking skills?

Answer 45

Encourage them to be creative; do not help them complete a task but rather guide them. Provide them opportunities to make connections, make inferences, and to brainstorm. Incorporate strategies in the home and school.

Question 46

What are the educational implications for a student with ADHD?

Answer 46

They may receive special education if a formal school evaluation indicates that the student has a disability in which ADHD is a symptom. In that case, they would qualify under OHI. If they do not, then they receive accommodations and modifications through a 504 plan.

Question 47

How can a teacher support a student with a visual impairment?

Answer 47

They can provide modifications such as Braille, magnified text, auditory recording, and text-tracking software

Question 48

How can a teacher support a student with emotional disturbance?

Answer 48

They can use positive behavioral intervention supports to alter the environment to promote good behavior. Scaffolded support in self-esteem and self-control is needed as is social and emotional support. If this is not provided, then their behavior may impeded their students or themselves from learning.

Question 49

What tool can be used to determine what educational placement is best for a child with a developmental delay?

Answer 49

norm-referenced test

Question 50

When determining if a child needs special education, the first step is

Answer 50

giving them a screening test

Question 51

What does a local education agency do in IEP meetings?

Answer 51

ensures that information presented in IEPs is compliant with procedures in IDEA and that students are receiving FAPE

Question 52

How can a teacher set up a classroom using UDL?

Answer 52

Focus on encourage students with and without disabilities to succeed; they know the characteristics of students with different disabilities and their learning needs; they provide different assignments and/or different ways of completing assignments; they provide flexible workspaces for individual and group work; they provide many ways to access information too, such as through audition or physical models.

Question 53

How can a teacher create a curriculum and materials based on UDL?

Answer 53

Ensure that the curriculum and materials meets the specific needs of each student. They should regularly check if each student understands the material. They should provide different options for completing assignments as well as variety of ways to access information.

Question 54

What is guided learning?

Answer 54

an instructional design where a teacher and students work together during instruction and on completing activities. It allows students to get involved in the learning process and discover how they best learn information. Guided practice allows students to understand and ask questions about the activity before working on it independently. For a teacher, guided practice is beneficial for students with and without disabilities because it allows them to gauge how they learn and what instructional methods help them learn. Also, a teacher can see what information they have learned and what content is still unclear to them.

Question 55

How can a teacher work with a student with intellectual disability?

Answer 55

provide specialized instruction to address gaps in academic, behavioral, and social skills; work with an SLP to address communication deficits; communicative interventions such as AAC, computer-based instruction, visual schedules, and visual activities and behavioral interventions to promote good behavior or decrease bad behavior; increased social interactions with peers so that they can learn proper communication. Data and observations should be collected to promote a positive educational performance

Question 56

To help a student with ADHD succeed in the classroom, the best way to do so is

Answer 56

promote active listening and following directions, especially since students with ADHD lack good listening skills

Question 57

To help a student with a visual processing disorder, a teacher can

Answer 57

provide activities that focus on oral responses since their brain struggles to use feedback from their eyes to coordinate the movement of other body parts

Question 58

What are early indications of specific learning disabilities?

Answer 58

delays in speech and academics; struggle with learning social skills as well as displaying social skills that are not age appropriate; struggle to follow directions and displays hyperactivity; medical factors; struggle to acquire speech; delays in developmental milestones

Question 59

What is one method to help a student with disabilities complete a word-building activity?

Answer 59

word cards that includes pictures of each prefix, root word, and suffix

Question 60

What are social stories?

Answer 60

stories of specific scenarios with appropriate responses; this is used to teach appropriate social skills

Question 61

What are strategies to help individuals with working memory deficits?

Answer 61

reduce workload, give them extra time, provide positive feedback and visual cues, give alternative testing assignments