Who are exceptional learners?
any individual whose physical, mental, or behavioral performance deviates from the norm

Types of Exceptionalities
Mental retardation
Learning disabilities
Communication disorders
Emotional & behavioral disorders
Sensory, physical, and health impairments
Gifted & talented

Mental retardation
low IQ scores
inability to maintain personal independence & social responsibility
causes
classifications
intellectual functioning & adaptive skills

Learning disabilities
identification
performance vs. prediction?
characteristics
ADD/ADHD

Communication disorders
speech disorders
articulation, stuttering
psychological damage
language disorder
understanding & expressing

Emotional & behavioral disorders
inability to learn, relate to others, act or feel appropriately, depressed or unhappy, physical symptoms
causes may be biological or environmental
conduct disorder, anxiety-withdrawal, immaturity, socialized-aggressive disorder
hyperactivity, autism

Sensory, physical & health impairments
vision loss
hearing loss
cerebral palsy
convulsive disorders
traumatic brain injury

Gifted & talented
definition
education programs
acceleration
enrichment

What is special education?
Public law 94-142
school districts must provide spec. ed.
extended to infants-5 year olds
transition for adolescents
least restrictive environment
IEP

Special-education services:
general education classroom placement
collaboration with teachers & other professionals
resource room placement
spec-ed. class with PT mainstreaming
self-contained special ed.
other special services

Mainstreaming & Inclusion
controversy
challenges
research
better performance
less stigmatism
need close coordination

adapting instruction
teaching strategies & awareness
prevention & early intervention
computers
buddy systems & peer tutoring
special education teams
social integration

Review Questions:
Who are exceptional learners?
What is special education?
What are mainstreaming & inclusion?