Exceptional Psychology

• Impairment


  Low or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function (unique per individual). ex: blindness, mutism, paralysis
• Disability


  A measurable impairment or limitations that interferes with a person's ability. Subset of inability. (being deaf, vision impairment)
• Inability


  A state of not being able to do something. (Inability of a 6-month old to walk)
• Handicap


  Disadvantage that occurs as a result of disability. Might or might not be caused by a disability. (In the dark, a person who has sight is the one who is handicapped)
• Exceptional Learners


  Learners who are different from "normal" or "average" learners
• Article XIV, Section 2 - Provide adult citizens, the disabled and out of school youth training
• Categories of Exceptionalities (Omrod, 2000)

  • Cognitive or Academic Difficulties
  • Social, Emotional, Behavioral Difficulties
  • Sensory Impairment
  • Giftedness
  • Physical Difficulties and Health Impairment
• Federal legislations specifies that to receive federal funds, every school system must provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) for every student, regardless of any disabling condition
• The cause of disabilities are not known, although progress is being made in pinpointing why many disabilities occur, More is known about the treatment of most disabilities than about their causes
• No two people are alike. People with disabilities are unique individuals, just like everyone else
• Disability


  The inability to do something, while a handicap is a disadvantage that is imposed on an individual
• Most exceptional learners are average in more ways than they are not
• Many people with disabilities have abilities that go unrecognized because their disabilities become the focus of concern and distract attention from what the individual can do
• The most important characteristics of exceptional learners are their abilities, not their disabilities
• Exceptional learners


  Those who require special education and related services if they are to realize their full human potential. They may have intellectual disabilities, learning or attention disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, disorders of communication autism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), impaired hearing, impaired sight, or special gifts or talents
• Two concepts of exceptional learners

  • Diversity of characteristics
  • Need for special education
• About 10 of every 100 students were receiving special education in the early 21st century

  
• Most of the children and youths who are served by special education are between the ages of 6 and 17
• High-Incidence disabilities


  • learning disabilities
  • communication disorders
  • emotional disturbance
  • mild intellectual disabilities
  • autism or autism spectrum disorder
• Low-Incidence disabilities


  • low vision and blindness
  • deafness
  • deaf-blindness
  • severe intellectual disabilities
  • traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Special education


  Specially designed instruction that meets the unusual needs of an exceptional student and that might require special materials, teaching techniques, or equipment and/or facilities
• Early 19th century – first systematic attempts were made to educate "idiotic" and "insane" children – those who today are referred as intellectual disabilities and emotional behavioral disorders (or emotional disturbance)
• Prerevolutionary era – society offered most children with disabilities be put in an asylum to protect them from a cruel world in which they didn't fit in
• 1800s – Contemporary educational methods for exceptional children can be traced directly to techniques that pioneered during this time
• People and Ideas


  • Jean-Marc-Gaspar Itard
  • Philippe Pinel
  • Edouard Seguin
  • Samuel Gridley Howe
  • Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
• Deinstitutionalization - Breaking down barriers to participation of people with disabilities in activities with non-handicapped individuals was one of the ideas leading to the deinstitutionalization movement of the late 20th century
• Inclusion - also referred as integration, has long been an issue with all exceptional students, including those with special gifts or talents. Although historically, educators built educational programming for students with disabilities on the assumption that a variety of service delivery options need to be available inclusion of exceptional learners in ordinary classrooms with their nonexceptional peers has become the single most important issue for some advocates
• The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - is a professional organization founded in 1922 by Elizabeth Farrell and a group of educators from the United States and Canada. Its establishment marked a significant milestone in the development of special education as a profession
• Elizabeth Farrell - a prominent figure in early special education, played a crucial role in integrating information from child development, social work, mental testing, and instruction to address the needs of students who were underserved or excluded from mainstream education. Her advocacy paved the way for the establishment of the CEC, which remains a leading professional organization in the field of special education
• Contemporary special education - a professional field rooted in various academic disciplines, requiring specialized training programs. While it shares concerns with mainstream education, it maintains a distinct focus on addressing the needs of students with disabilities or exceptionalities
• Individuals, Parents, and Organization

  • Eunice Kennedy Schriver
  • Parent organizations, primarily comprised of parents of exceptional children
• Legislation and Litigation

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA)
  • No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
• PL 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act


  to ensure that all children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and to provide students with disabilities appropriate educational services in the setting that maximizes their potential (the least restrictive environment)
• Prereferral teams (PRTs)


  a group of professionals (e.g., special education teachers, counselors, administrators, psychologists) convened to work with the general education teacher to help identify alternative educational strategies for the student before making a referral for special education evaluation

  
• Response to intervention (RTI)


  also known as response-to-treatment approach, refers to a student's change (or lack of change) in academic performance or behavior as a result of instruction; a way of determining whether a student has a learning disability; increasingly intensive levels of instructional intervention are delivered, and if the student does not achieve, at some point, he or she is determined to have a learning disability or is referred for special education evaluation
• RTI identification model


  1. receive quality instruction in the general education classroom before a formal evaluation for special education services. Teachers gather data to determine whether the student is benefiting from that instruction

  2. Only after (2) educators determine that a student is nonresponsive to quality, research-based instruction by a general educator would a formal evaluation to special education occur
• Multitiered Model for Identification


  • Tier 1: screening of students who may be at risk of academic failure; implementation of quality, research-based instruction; and weekly monitoring of student progress
  • Tier 2: the student usually receives small-group instruction by a teacher or highly-trained assistant three to four times per week with a research-validated program in the areas of difficulty
  • Tier 3: more intensive intervention provided by a special educator in an appropriate placement

  
• Screening instruments


  used to identify those students who may be at increased risk of school failure; are typically administered to an entire group of students and may be given to a large number of students in a short period of time
• Progress monitoring assessments


  frequent, quick-and-easy measures that teachers administer at regular intervals and that provide information on whether a student is learning as expected
• Curriculum-based measurement (CBM)


  involves students' responses to their usual instructional materials; it entails direct and frequent samples of performance from the students' curriculum