Exceptional Psych

• Exceptional children - Physical, intellectual or behavioral performance differs substantially from what is typical, either higher or lower. Due to these, they require additional support and specialized educational services or physical accommodations to benefit fully from schooling.
• The disabilities or impairments of exceptional children are subsumed by psychiatry and psychology under the category of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
• Why is it important to understand their exceptionality?

  • Specialized education programs
  • Inclusive education
  • Development is possible
• Inclusive education


  Having all the children in the same classroom, as opposed to the traditional exclusion or segregation of exceptional children, allowing these individuals a fair chance in attending school.
• Mainstreaming


  A model where students with special needs could remain in the general education class program for a given portion of the school day and also receive special education when and where needed.
• The expression mainstreaming dates back to the very beginnings of the field of special education. It didn't gain much attention until the 1960s, however, with the growth of public school classes for children with disabilities, most of which separated students with disabilities from their peers without disabilities. The validity of separating students in different programs was then put into question by professionals.
• Despite the implications that mainstreaming would allow students with disabilities to receive individual planning and support from both general and special educators, it still became associated with placing students with disabilities in general education classes without providing additional support, as a means to save money and limit the number of students who could receive additional specialized services.
• Mainstreaming


  Physical placement of students with special needs in the same classroom setting as students without disabilities
• Inclusive education


  Students with disabilities receive the services and support appropriate to their unique needs within the general education setting.
• Regular schools with this inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all.
• 1.6M Filipino children with disabilities in 2022
• 232,975 mainstreamed into regular classes (2016-17)
• R.A. No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 - "…basic education curriculum shall, among others, be learner-centered, inclusive and developmentally appropriate."
• Every Filipino citizen has a right to a high-quality education that will help them reach their full potential and actively contribute to the development of their country. DepEd is tasked with upholding and advancing this right. The primary goal of the K–12 Basic Education Program, which acknowledges the variety of the nation's students, schools, and communities, is to actualize this fundamental right. K–12 encourages the development of programs that cater to students' unique requirements in terms of their physical, intellectual, psychological, and cultural demands in a variety of settings.
• The principle of inclusion in RA 10533 requires the Department to proactively address issues through the curriculum and other interventions, thus promoting institutional sensitivity and responsiveness to the nature, circumstances, and realities of our nation's learners. K–12 Inclusive Education, a policy perspective implemented through the creation and execution of learner-centered and context-responsive programs, institutionalized this.
• This strategy is being adopted to guarantee that every component of the K–12 curriculum support system, across the Department's governance levels, is responsive to the needs and demands of diverse learners. It also serves as an overall framework for implementing programs that directly promote inclusive education.
• Characteristics of evidence-based inclusive schools

  • Promote the values of diversity, acceptance, and belonging
  • Ensure the availability of formal and natural supports within the general education setting
  • Provide services and supports in age-appropriate classrooms in neighborhood schools
  • Ensure access to the general curriculum while meeting the individualized needs of each student
  • Provide a multidisciplinary school-wide support system to meet the needs of all students
• Formal supports


  Those available through the public school system, including teachers, related services personnel, paraprofessionals, and access to instructional materials designed for, or adapted to, individual needs.
• Natural supports


  The student's family, classmates, and community members that form a network of mutual support and caring that encourages access to quality education, the growth of social ties, and increased inclusion in the classroom, school, and community.
• Students, regardless of the degree of their disability, should receive necessary customized teaching and related assistance in an age-appropriate general education classroom in the school where they would like to attend.
• A student must be able to make a meaningful participation within the subject matter content areas identified in the general curriculum
• Role of the school principal in implementing inclusive education


  • Vocal and active in supporting the inclusion of all students in the school activities, promote meeting the necessary student needs, and strongly encourage cooperative learning and peer support programs.
• Inclusive classrooms are characterized by a philosophy that celebrates diversity, rewards collaboration among professionals, and teaches students how to collaborate with and support one another.
• Early Intervention


  Comprehensive services for infants and toddlers who are disabled or at risk of acquiring a disability, focusing on the identification and provision of education, health care, and social services as a means to enhance learning and development, reduce the effects of a disability, and prevent the occurrence of future difficulties for young children.
• When it comes to implementing early intervention, timing is important, because the earlier, the better. Not only cost efficient, but also more effective.
• Moreover, early interventions are implemented not only for the child, but also for their family members, aiming to inform, support, and empower family members.
• In the Philippines, the national Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) system is led by the ECCD Council composed of representatives from the sectors of social welfare, health, nutrition and a union of local units.
• The Early Years Act of 2013 (Republic Act 10410) established the ECCD Council as the lead government agency for implementing the National ECCD System. This system encompasses a comprehensive set of programs and services – health, nutrition, early education, and social support – designed to meet the holistic needs of young children from birth to age four.
• Early Childhood Interventions in the country include a wide range of interventions, including maternal health programmes, newborn screening, identification of developmental risks, nutrition, disability prevention, immunization, rehabilitation programmes, parent education, and early learning.
• Special education teachers' roles in an inclusive classroom

  • Coordinator
  • Co-teacher
  • Consultant
  • Collaborator
• Coordinator role of special education teachers

  1. Take the lead responsibility for organizing the activities of the school team in developing, implementing, and evaluating student individual education plans (IEPs)

  2. Organize school resources, spearhead professional development activities, supervise paraprofessionals, peer support, and facilitate positive communication with parents.
• Co-teacher role of special education teachers

  Enter a direct partnership with general education teachers to meet the unique learning needs of their students.
• Special education teachers


  • Have multiple roles that may be referred to as the "four C's": coordinator, co-teacher, consultant, collaborator
• Coordinator role of special education teachers

  1. Take the lead responsibility for organizing the activities of the school team in developing, implementing, and evaluating student individual education plans (IEPs)

  2. Organize school resources

  3. Spearhead professional development activities

  4. Supervise paraprofessionals

  5. Facilitate positive communication with parents
• Co-teacher role of special education teachers

  1. Enter a direct partnership with general education teachers

  2. Collaborate to meet the unique learning needs of their students

  3. Teach specific content

  4. Share responsibility for the success of their students
• Consultant role of special education teachers

  1. Serve as a resource to general educators and parents on effective instructional practices for students with disabilities

  2. Provide guidance in finding the appropriate and most effective practices for the children with disabilities
• Collaborator role of special education teachers

  1. Work with schools to assess student needs

  2. Determine appropriate accommodations

  3. Deliver intensive instruction in academic, behavioral, and/or functional areas
• General educators


  • Able to identify and refer students who may be in need of additional support
  • Understand each student's strengths and limitations
  • Implement an appropriate individualized instructional program focusing on student success
  • Maintain ongoing communication with special education teachers and parents
• Instructional focuses for career readiness

  • Teaching self-determination skills
  • Teaching academic skills
  • Teaching adaptive and functional life skills
  • College preparation
  • Employment preparation
• Inclusive Education is a changing era in the lives of students with disabilities