Educating Exceptional Learners

1. Educating Exceptional Learners Workshop #4 Rachel Karlsen http://xlearners.wordpress.com

2. Approximate Schedule • 6:00-6:30 Greeting, Overview of Class, Assignments Due, Perplexing Questions • 6:30-7:15 Empathy building activity, Visual/hearing/disability notes • 7:15-8:00 Two Presentations • 8:00-8:20 Break • 8:20-9:00 Two Presentation • 9:00-9:20 Empathy-building activity, Water Cycle activity, Capturing Kids’ Hearts Management Plan • 9:20-9:40 Video (How Difficult Can This Be?, Inclusion or Management ideas), Basic Skills Activity • 9:40-10:00 Group work

3. Learning goals, activities and discussions • Discuss and identify causes, characteristics, and accommodations of developmental disabilities • Discuss characteristics and accommodations for students with physical disabilities, visual and hearing impairments • Discuss characteristics of students with other health impairments and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)

4. Focus Questions • Who are students with developmental disabilities? • What is the prevalence of developmental disabilities? What is your role in the identification process? • What are some general guidelines that you, as a classroom teacher, can follow to plan for the needs of students with developmental disabilities in your classroom?

5. Focus Questions • How are visual impairments defined? How can you provide accommodations for students with visual impairments in your classroom? • How are hearing impairments defined? How can you provide accommodations for students with hearing impairments in your classroom? • How are physical disabilities, health impairments, and traumatic brain injury defined? What are some areas to consider when developing an education plan for these students?

6. Greeting James 1: 2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let the endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Classroom connection: Students may be a lot of trouble to deal with, but the more we deal with issues, the more patient and knowledgeable we become.

7. Greeting…How R U? • Step 1: Draw something that represents your day on yellow sheet. Note to self. • Step 2: Give yellow sheet to members of learning team. • Step 3: Write something you appreciate about the person on the yellow sheet (your learning team only)

8. Perplexing Questions: • Are all schools (elementary – high school) required to have a psychologist on staff? • Techniques to use with students with behavior issues • How are teachers truly able to teach all students, considering the diversity and amount of education required? • What signs should we watch for to identify disorders and disabilities?

9. Perplexing Questions: • How do I accommodate all of my students? • Over diagnosis versus under diagnosis of disabilities? • Who determines if a student moves from special ed to general ed classes? • Individual Education Program/Plan process

10. Perplexing Questions: • Does the resistance to modify a classroom for a student with a behavior disorder reflect a general attitude against adaptations for other students? • Why is the majority of students diagnosed with emotional/behavioral disorders boys?

11. Papers in folders • Discuss each handout and importance • Purple “Important Moments” sheet: Please turn all of these in to me. This is a change-I want to see your purple “Importance Moments”, so I can learn and share what is important to this class. • Yellow “Exit Sheet”

12. Assignments due tonight Wkshp #4 • Choose topics for final paper/presentation • Read chapters 10 and 11 • Read Curtis, S. E. (2005) • Midterm Exam • Learning Team teach (follow format of lesson plan, intro, group activity, information, wrap up. No write up necessary) • Developmental Disabilities • Physical Disabilities • Health impairments and TBIs • Time/Space Organizational Ideas

13. Assignments due next week • Reflection journal (3 page paper) • Read chapters 5, 6, and 7 • Read two of the following articles: • Winebrenner, S (2000) “Gifted students need an education, too.” • Winebrenner, S. (2003). “Teaching strategies for twice-exceptional students. Intervention in School and Clinic” • Winebrenner, S. (2006) “Effective teaching strategies for open enrollment honors and AP classes” • Be prepared for debate/discussion, with references and examples (Use 3 X 5 cards) • Inclusion • IDEIA, NCLB • Civil Rights • Referral Process • Least Restrictive Environment • IEPs • Adapting Instruction • Cost of special education • State Wide testing (high stakes); impact on students with disabilities and teaching

14. Debate Overview • The class will be divided into two equal teams • Participants will hear the topics and are given positions (pro/con, etc) by instructor  • Teams discuss the given topic and come up with five points to support their position • Teams deliver their statements and offer main points • Students discuss the opposition’s argument and come up with rebuttals • Rebuttals delivered • Closing statements made • Everyone will participate. The only way not to be successful is not to participate.

15. Final presentation (Case Study)Individual • CHOOSE TOPIC TONIGHT, IF READY • About 10 to 15 minutes • Intro/Concl • Diagnosis/behavior/treatment • Teaching techniques • Annotated reference page for each person in class • Disability from any category • Physical • Psychological • Learning • developmental, • Other

16. Final paper (same topic as presentation) • 8 to 10 pages, APA • Diagnostic criteria • Behaviors associated with criteria • School’s legal responsibility • Assessments that would aid student • Helpful teaching techniques and tips • Ideas to assist and educate parents of disabled children • Least Restrictive Environment • Create a hypothetical Case Study, which combines these components

17. Case Study Example: TBI http://www.nvcc.edu/home/elanthier/methods/case-study-samples.htm • Phineas Gage • railroad worker in 1848 • accident at work. • forcing gun powder into a rock with a long iron rod • gun powder exploded. • iron rod shot through cheek and out through top of head • damaged frontal lobe. • did not appear very hurt. • memory and mental abilities were intact • could still speak and work. • personality totally changed (ill-tempered, dishonest) • drove coaches; worked on a farm

18. Visual, hearing, fine motor impairment:Group work (Empathy building activity) • Break into five groups of three people each • Supplies for each group: 40 straws, 1 ping pong ball, 3 meters of tape • In each group, people will choose and role play from the following disabilities: one deaf or blind, one with fine motor impairments (tape four fingers together) and one without a disability. • Rules: Create a tower using only the supplies given. The tower must be as high as possible, free standing and hold a ping pong ball at the highest point. All members must be active participants. NO TALKING. • Ten minutes. • Follow up discussion: Thoughts? Reactions? Feelings?

19. Types of Developmental Disabilities • Developmental disabilities (DD) are mental or physical disabilities that impair the person’s functioning in language, learning, mobility, self-care, or other important areas of living

20. Intellectual Disabilities • Students with intellectual disabilities (also referred to as mental retardation) have limited cognitive functioning, which affects their learning. • Students with intellectual disabilities have slower rates of learning and are challenged by complex and abstract tasks.

21. Five Assumptions of AAMR Definition • Limitations in present functioning must be considered within the context of community environments. • Valid assessment considers cultural and linguistic diversity, differences in communication, sensory, motor, and behavioral factors. • Within an individual, limitations often coexist with strengths. • An important purpose of describing limitations is to develop a profile of needed supports. • With appropriate personalized supports the life functioning of the person with mental retardation will improve.

22. Five Dimensions of AAIDD Definition • Individual with intellectual disabilities may need support: • Intellectual functioning in school and daily living • Adaptive behavior • Participation in social, educational, and professional arenas • Environmental and personal contextual factors

23. Physical Causes of Intellectual Disabilities • 50 potential causes of intellectual disabilities • 40% to 50% of individuals with intellectual disabilities may not know the cause • Most causes of intellectual disabilities are:

24. Severe Disabilities • Severe disabilities are described as conditions in which typical life activities are significantly affected. • Those individuals considered to have severe disabilities include: • Students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities • Students with multiple disabilities • Students with dual sensory impairments

25. Prevalence of Students with Developmental Disabilities • Prevalence is difficult to determine due to different definitions and methodologies used • Estimated prevalence is about 1% of the school population. • Federal government identified 487,854 students being served under the mental retardation category. • Federal government identified 13,347 students being served under the multiple disabilities category.

26. Identification of Students with Developmental Disabilities • Initial identification is usually a medical diagnosis at or shortly after birth. • Mild mental retardation initial identification occurs during preschool • Areas to be assessed include: • General intelligence • Adaptive behavior

27. Teacher’s Role in Identifying Students with Developmental Disabilities • Document your observations of students you have concerns about • Follow procedures in school district for whom to contact first • Participate in prereferral interventions • Provide input on adaptive behavior assessments • Provide anecdotal records, student test scores, and work samples • Communicate and collaborate with parents in positive ways.

28. Role of the General Education Teacher • Three key roles general education can do to guide students with disabilities: • Take ownership of students with disabilities by demonstrating students are members of the class and are valued. • Become familiar with the full range of goals and objectives on the student’s IEP. • Plan the curriculum and adaptations for students collaboratively with special educator. Paraprofessionals should not be in charge of planning curriculum.

29. Planning Systems • Planning systems include: • Planning Pyramid • McGill Action Planning System (MAPS) • Choosing Outcomes and Accommodations for Children (COACH) • Person-Centered Planning

30. Functional Assessment, Discrepancy Analysis, and Task Analysis • In a functional assessment, each goal or activity is broken into steps or subskills, and the student’s present level of performance is determined for each subskill • A discrepancy analysis reviews each specific step or skill and determines how the student performs the skill in comparison to nondisabled peers • A task analysis is a further breakdown of each individual step or skill

31. Authentic and Alternate Assessment • Authentic assessments – makes a link between goals and objectives for students and documentations of progress toward meeting goals and objectives. • Types of authentic assessments: • Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) • Portfolio assessment • Alternate assessments – are based on alternate achievement standards for students with disabilities

32. Additional Instructional Guidelines

33. Definition and Types of Visual Impairments • Legal definitions: • Legal blindness – defined as a visual acuity of 20/200 with best correction in the best eye or a visual field loss in a visual field of 20 degrees or less • Visual acuity – the ability to see detail clearly • Visual field – how well a person can see using peripheral or side vision

34. Definition and Types of Visual Impairments • Legal definitions: • Total blindness – a very small minority of individuals who are unable to see anything. • Partial sight – individuals who have a visual acuity in the range of 20/70 to 20/200. • Low vision – individuals with visual acuity in the above range who have difficulty with vision even with corrective lenses.

35. Definition and Types of Visual Impairments • Educational definition: • Emphasizes academic tasks, particularly reading more and visual acuity less. • Visual impairment including blindness – means an impairment in vision that even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance (IDEA 300.8 [c][13].

36. Causes of Visual Impairments • Structural impairments • Damage to one or more parts of the visual system • Refractive errors • Inability of the eye to focus the light rays onto the retina correctly • Cortical visual impairments • Problem with the neurological pathways

37. Characteristics of Students with Visual Impairments • Possible delays in development include: • Concept development • Communication • Motor skills and mobility • Self-help • Social skills

38. Prevalence of Visual Impairments • Visual impairments are a low-incidence disability • During 2005-2006 school year 25,855 school-age students (ages 6-21) with vision impairments were served under IDEIA • 1,310 deaf-blind students also received services • 25% of visual impaired students are visual readers • 7% of visual impaired students auditory readers • The remaining visual impaired students are prereaders or nonreaders.

39. Identification and Assessment of Students with Visual Impairments • Common physical characteristics that indicate visual impairments include:

40. Identification and Assessment of Students with Visual Impairments • Assessments used by visual impairments teacher include: • Functional vision assessment • Learning media assessment • Compensatory skills

41. Instructional Guidelines and Accommodations for Students with VI • Some of the accommodations include: • General accommodations • Use of Braille and Braille devices • Orientation and mobility skills • Optical, nonoptical, and instructional aids • Testing accommodations

42. Examples of Nonoptical Aids • Nonoptical aids include: • Lamp • Reading stand • Bold-line paper • Hats and visors • Color acetate • Cranmer abacus • Raised-line paper • Writing guides • Measurement tools

43. Testing Accommodations • Modifications may include: • Assigning alternative items • Orally reading sections of the test • Using large-print or braille answer sheets • Providing real objects for items shown in pictures • Coloring pictures to make them easier to see

44. Definitions and Types of Hearing Loss • Hearing loss can result from several factors: • Heredity • Illness or disease • Excessive prolonged exposure to loud noises • Prelingually deaf – children who lose hearing prior to learning language • U.S. federal government definition of hearing loss

45. Definitions and Types of Hearing Loss Type of Hearing Loss Definition Loss of hearing in one ear Loss of hearing in both ears Outer and middle ears do not transfer enough acoustic energy to inner ear fluids When there is damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve Loss is both sensorineural and conductive • Unilateral • Bilateral • Conductive • Sensorineural • Mixed

46. Characteristics of Students with Hearing Loss • Normal hearing falls within the range 0-15 dB.

47. Characteristics of Students with Hearing Loss • Hard of hearing – person with a mild to moderate loss • Deaf – person with severe or profound loss • Residual hearing – amount of hearing remaining after a hearing loss • American Sign Language (ASL) – primary mode of communication for deaf students • Finger spelling – system for representing the English alphabet manually

48. Prevalence of Hearing Loss • In a survey of 37,352 hard of hearing students: • 42.4% received instruction in the general education setting, and • 12.1% received instruction in a resource setting. • The remainder received services in self-contained, special schools or were home-schooled • In the 2005-2006 school year 71,332 students with hearing impairments received special education services.

49. Identification and Assessment of Students with Hearing Loss • Mild to moderate loss detected during kindergarten screening or by teacher • Moderate, severe, and profound losses detected prior to school • Identification and intervention are key to development of language and learning • Infants should be screened for hearing loss before hospital discharge

50. Identification and Assessment of Students with Hearing Loss • Warning signs to look for in classroom: