Disability Awareness

Introduction

Each person is unique within the range of development.  Everyone is different but, essentially, all people are more alike than they are different.  It is a mistake to identify a person with a label such as he/she is mentally disabled but there are some areas of disability that can be described in a general way.

Causes of Disabling Conditions

There are several major causes that contribute to the majority of disabling conditions: the problem may occur genetically; it may occur during the pre-natal, natal or post-natal period. 

Genetic Causes

A person is shaped by his/her genes; that is the specific parts in the cells of the body that determine, for example, black hair or blonde, tallness or shortness and so on.  A person’ s genes are inherited from a combination of genes that were in his/her parent’s cells.  Sometimes disabilities have been inherited as a result of the combination of genes.  Many times, the parents themselves are not disabled; they “carry the genes” from past generations in their bodies, but are not affected because of the combination in their own bodies.  Genetic causes can lead to mild or severe disabilities. 

Prenatal simply means before birth.  Medical personnel believe that many disabilities are the result of something happening to the fetus while it is still within the mother’s uterus.  If the mother did not eat properly, had hepatitis or measles or used drugs and alcohol, her child might be born with a disabling condition.  Other factors that have been linked to these conditions are: medicine taken during pregnancy, and food additives. 

Natal means at the time of birth.  Some disabilities result from conditions at the time of birth.  Being born prematurely, having a loss of oxygen, excessive hemorrhaging or loss of blood for the mother, early separation of the placenta (the part of the tissue that is attached to the womb) and direct injury to the head if instruments are used are some causes of disabilities. 

Postnatal means after birth.  In some cases a child becomes disabled after birth.  Injury to the central nervous system of an infant may happen in many ways including severe blows to the head as a result of an accident or child abuse, the inability to breathe, poisoning, tumors, and infectious diseases.  An injury to the brain from infection may also occur. 

Environmental Causes  Sometimes conditions in the environment cause disabilities.  An example is the child who is reared in a home where little or no stimulation was provided.  Often, such a child is limited in his/her intellectual capabilities, because he/she has not had an opportunity to learn like other children.  Additionally, toxins in the air, water pollution caused by chemicals and other environmental factors may result in physical disabilities or mental disabilities.

Autism

Autism is a developmental disability characterized by difficulties in several areas: communication skills, social relationships, cognitive functioning, sensory processing, and behavior.  Approximately 10-15% of individuals with autism have average or above average intelligence (including some whose IQs measure in the superior range); 25-35% function in the range of the developmentally disabled.

 There are diagnoses closely related to autism such as PDD-NOS (pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified), Asperger’s syndrome, and Rett’s syndrome that are included in the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

 Every student with autism is different.  However, there are some common characteristics of individuals with autism that may occur. 

• Difficulty in using and understanding language
• Poorly developed social skills
• Over or under sensitivity to sound, sight, taste, touch, or smell
• Repetitive behaviors such as spinning objects or rocking
• Certain behaviors exhibited to stimulate the senses, such as switching a light on and off repeatedly, or humming loudly
• Difficulty with changes to surroundings or routines
• Very high levels of activity for long periods of time
• Uneven skill development
• Challenging behaviors such as aggression, self injury or severe withdrawal

Thinking

 Lack of concept of meaning.  The primary problem that characterizes the thinking of individuals with autism is the inability to impose meaning on their experiences.  They can act on their environment, they can learn skills, some can learn to use language, but they have no independent capacity to understand what many of their activities mean.  They don’t draw relationships between ideas or events.  Their world consists of a series of unrelated experiences and demands, while the underlying themes, concepts, reasons, or principles are typically unclear to them.

 Excessive focus on details.  Students with autism are often very good at observing minute details, particularly visual details.  They frequently notice when objects in their environment have been moved.  They may see tiny scraps of trash to be picked up or ceiling tiles to be counted etc.  Some also notice other sensory details, such as the sounds of fans or machinery.  What students with autism are less capable of is assessing the relative importance of all the details they have noted.  They might focus on the sight of the string they are dangling while crossing the street, and miss the approach of an oncoming bus.

Distractibility.  It is frequently difficult for students with autism to pay attention to what their teachers want because they are focusing on sensations which to them are more interesting or important.   

Concrete thinking.  Individuals with autism, regardless of their cognitive level, have relatively greater difficulty with symbolic or abstract language concepts than with straightforward facts and descriptions.  In the culture of autism, words mean one thing; they do not have additional connotations or subtle associations.

 Difficulty with integrating ideas.  It is easier for students with autism to understand individual facts or concepts than to put concepts together or to integrate them with related information.

 Difficulty with organization and sequencing.  Related to the general difficulty integrating multiple information are the problems with organization and sequencing.  Organization requires the integration of several elements to achieve a predetermined end.  Organizational skills are difficult for students with autism because they require the ability to focus on both the immediate task and the desired outcome at the same time. 

Difficulty with generalizing.  Students with autism often learn skills or behaviors in one situation but have great difficulty generalizing these to a different situation.  For example, they might learn to wash plates but not realize that the same basic procedure is used to wash glasses. 

Strong impulses.  Students with autism are often extraordinarily persistent in seeking out the things they desire, whether these are favorite objects, experiences, or established behavioral patterns. 

Excessive anxiety.  Because of their cognitive deficits, students with autism often have difficulty understanding what is expected of them and what is happening around then; anxiety and agitation are understandable reactions to this constant uncertainty. 

Sensory/perceptual abnormalities.  The field of autism has known for many years that the sensory processing systems of people with autism are unusual.  We see people with very unusual food preferences, people who spend their time watching their fingers flick, or rubbing textures against their cheeks, or listening to unusual sounds very close to their ears so that they can also feel the vibrations.  In many different ways, people with autism show us that their differences begin at the level of processing some or all the sensations that impinge on their body every waking minute.

Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

A hearing impairment is a hearing loss of thirty (30) decibels or greater, pure tone average of 500, 1000, 2000 Hz, ANSI, unaided in the better ear. 

Hard-of-hearing individuals are those whose residual hearing is adequate for learning speech, language, and academic skills through normal channels, provided that classroom and instructional modifications are made. 

Deaf individuals are those whose hearing impairment is so severe that they cannot learn speech and language through normal channels and who need extensive instruction in order to develop language, communication and academic skills. 

Who are they?  Hearing impaired students have a communication problem to some degree either in understanding language or in expressing ideas.  Most hearing impaired students have developed lipreading, speech and language skills.  However, not all hearing impaired students:

• Use sign language
• Can see well enough to compensate for their hearing loss
• Lipread or speechread
• Use understandable speech
• Wear hearing aids

Methods Of Communication 

Sign Language:  is a system of expressing and receiving language.  Various hand and body movements have been standardized to convey various words, phrases and concepts. 

Fingerspelling or Manual Alphabet:  consists of various finger configurations which form individual letters of the alphabet that can be combined to make words. 

Lipreading or Speechreading:  is an acquired skill.  It is used to comprehend the spoken language by recognizing the meaning of the speaker by watching the movements of the face, lips, throat muscles and placement of the tongue. 

Total Communication:  is a system of expressing and receiving language by using a combination of speech, residual hearing, sign language and finger spelling. 

Hearing impaired students often have a great deal of difficulty in comprehending unwritten activities of skills.  So it is necessary to explain more graphically.  By observing the activity first, the student will better understand what is expected of him/her. 

Do not assume the hearing impaired student has understood everything you have explained.  They may nod or say they understand but you need to ask them to relate what you have taught

 

Emotional / Behavioral Disabilities

An emotional disability is defined as a condition resulting in persistent and consistent maladaptive behavior, which exists to a marked degree, which interferes with the student’s learning process. 

Who are they?  Students with average or above average  intelligence who have an emotional instability which disrupts their learning process and who have difficulty in identifying and expressing appropriate feelings and behaviors. 

·        Feelings of inadequacy

·        Respect for authority is often lacking

·        Unusual language content

·        Short attention span

·        Temperamental, overly sensitive

·        Reacts hyperactively or passively

·        Aggressive or abusive to self or others

·        Tense, anxious

·        Easily distracted

·        Distant and withdrawn

·        Lacks confidence

·        Exhibits bizarre behavior

·        Anti-social

·        Rebellious

·        Needs understanding

·        Erratic learning rate

·        Resists discipline and direction

·        Inappropriate conduct behavior

·        Does not complete tasks

·        Physical complaints 

There is no single list of characteristics that would appropriately describe the student.  The types of behaviors associated with emotional disabilities vary from one student to another and they are behaviors often displayed by normal students.  The difference is primarily the frequency, intensity, and duration of certain behaviors, and the setting in which the behavior occurs.  Lying, aggression, and fears are behaviors that may be exhibited by anyone, but if they occur too frequently, with a high intensity and over a long period of time, then the behavior is not normal. 

Students need support from structure.  Routine is very important to the students in that it offers guidelines for their actions and it also provides them with a sense of security.

 

Developmental Disabilities

Students with developmental disabilities are impaired in intellectual and adaptive behavior and their development reflects a reduced rate of learning. 

·        Difficulty with abstract concepts

·        Lack of creativity and originality

·        Overlearning – requires many repetitions before learning takes place

·        Expressive ability is limited

·        Attention span is short

·        Relating academic skills to everyday life is difficult

·        Retention level is poor

·        Low tolerance for frustration

·        Work skills need to be taught – they are not learned incidentally

It is better if skills are presented sequentially, in small steps, with each new skill built on those previously learned.  Use a task analysis approach whenever possible.  Skills must be over learned in order to be retained.  Practice a task often.  Even after you are convinced that the student has mastered a particular skill, practice and reinforce periodically, varying the activities as much as possible.


Physically Impaired

A physical impairment is a physically disabling condition or other health impairment which requires an adaptation to the student’s school environment or curriculum. 

Who are they?  They are students with some physical or health impairment:

·        Which affects their learning

·        Who may have average or above average intelligence

·        Who may have fine or gross motor difficulties

·        Who often have other sensory impairments

·        Who may have medical complications as a result of their physical impairment 

There is no one term to describe students who are physically impaired.  They range in ability academically and physically, just like the normal population.  Some physical problems don’t change, others have deteriorating conditions, and others flare up occasionally. Physically handicapped students represent a variety of crippling conditions and level of ability.  Some visibly apparent physical disabilities you might encounter include: 

Specific Learning Disabled

Specific Learning Disability is defined as a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language.  Disorder may be manifested in listening, thinking, reading, talking, writing, spelling, or arithmetic.  Such disorders do not include learning problems which are due primarily to visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, to mental disability, to emotional disturbance, or to an environmental deprivation. 

Who are they?  Students with average or above average intelligence who:

Ø      who encounter difficulty in one or more of the basic psychological processes necessary for using spoken or written language

Ø      which may be manifested in disorders of listening, thinking, talking, reading

Ø      and show academic deficits in a specific academic area, i.e., arithmetic. 

·        Mirror  reading and/or writing

·        Over learning of facts needed

·        Attention span is short

·        Learns new concepts slowly

·        Distractible

·        Attention span is short

·        Learns new concepts slowly

·        Individualized instruction

·        Level of frustration is high

·        Early detection means a better educational chance

·        Auditory learning through tapes or tutorettes

·        Reversals, inversions and omissions of letters and words

·        Neurologically impaired (Medical label for SLD)

·        Ranges of behavior from lethargic to hyperactive 

In the classroom, the learning disabled student may be unable to process information for learning to take place.  The student may have difficulty discriminating between letters, similar sounds, or between letter sequences.  Clumsy, awkward coordination and poor handwriting with letter reversals or “mirror” writing are common problems. 

The learning disabled student may become easily confused in written and/or oral directions and often needs to have directions repeated. 

Some learning disabled students may also have difficulty regulating their own behavior.  The student may be hyperactive, distractible, or uncooperative.  A low frustration level is often apparent.  The student may have difficulty completing assignments and seem disorganized, with a poor concept of space and directions.  Adjusting to change may be difficult. 

Despite these difficulties, a student with a specific learning disability can succeed if programs are adapted or created for him/her. 

Some of the in-school behaviors you might observe in students placed in SLD program include: 

• Difficulty discriminating between letters (b,d), similar sounds (e,i), or between letter sequences (was, saw).
• Clumsy, awkward coordination, difficulty with handwriting.
• Difficulty repeating and understanding written or oral directions.
• Behavior may be hyperactive, distractible, or uncooperative.
• Makes reversals, inversions; and/or omissions in writing
• Difficulty completing assignments
• Disorganized with a poor concept of space and directions
• Difficulty adjusting to change.

After years of failure, many SLD students also show some of the characteristics of EH students.   

Overall, the methods to be used in instruction are similar to those used with children with other learning problems, namely, reduce distractions, teach in a step-by-step manner, reward success, give one-step directions, use a multisensory approach, and use the student’s strengths to work on weaknesses.

 

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS

Speech and language Impairments are defined as disorders of language, articulation, fluency, or voice which interfere with communication, pre-academic or academic learning, vocational training, or social adjustment. 

Communication Disordered Students.  Who are they?

Students who have difficulty attending to, processing, expressing or writing language and who may have other areas of difficulty (EH, SLD) 

• Memory may be poor
• May lack problem-solving skills
• Causes vary
• Understanding their thoughts may be difficult
• Need to give clear, concise directions
• IQ varies – low to high
• Cannot describe objects or events well
• Attention span is short
• Inconsistent comprehension of spoken language
• Trouble expressing self
• Often seem defensive
• Need extreme patience and understanding
• Difficulty discriminating sounds
• Is easily distracted
• Social language may be poor

Communication Disorders may also include articulation (speech), dysfluency (stuttering), hearing, and/or voice problems.  Language problems are characterized by deficits in one or more of five basic categories.

1)  Listening Deficits: poor auditory memory and/or ability to discriminate sounds or comprehend oral language.  Students often cannot follow a series of oral directions of any length or complexity. 

2)  Expressive Deficits: difficulty finding correct words, concepts or phrases to express oneself, illogical ordering of thoughts and topic maintenance problems. 

3)  Social Language: difficulty expressing feelings, asking questions, and/or sharing personal information 

4)  Written Language: deficits in spelling, writing simple sentences and phonic and word attack skills. 

5)  Cognitive Skills: poor problem solving and reasoning, difficulty with generalizations and logic and cause and effect relationships. 

Causes vary for all communication problems and individualized instruction is necessary in assisting these students.  It is imperative that all instruction is clear, concise and begins with limited steps.  Many communication disordered students will pretend understanding when they haven’t understood, causing frustration for both student and teacher.  Utilize all learning styles (auditory, visual and kinesthetic) and build self-esteem through patience and understanding.

Speech Impaired Students.  Who are they?

Students who have a communication disorder in fluency, articulation language or voice which adversely affects their educational performance.

Fluency: rhythm at which speech occurs

Articulation: pronunciation of sounds

Language: delayed use of words, sentences, and concepts as well as alterations in the way these items are typically used

Voice: quality or resonance of speech 

A variety of characteristics are displayed by students with speech disorders.   Students with speech impairments tend to have slightly more problems academically, emotionally, intellectually and motorically.

 

Visually Impaired

Visual impairments are defined as disorders in the structure and function of the eye that, even with best correction and treatment, interfere with learning. 

Who are they?  Students who are partially sighted or blind who have to rely primarily on touch and hearing for learning and who can lead relatively normal lives. 

• Delayed motor development
• Normal basic speech and language development
• Non-verbal communication problems (facial expressions, hand and body gestures)
• Need training to minimize affect of limited interaction with the environment on cognitive and psychosocial development
• Do compensate for their handicap with improved use of other senses
• Usually not completely without sight