Daniela Pearl Jumuad

ED 004 FOUNDATION OF SPECIAL NEEDS

Behavioral and emotional disorders fall under the rubric of "Emotional

Disturbance," "Emotional Support," "Severely Emotionally Challenged," or
other state designations. "Emotional Disturbance" is the descriptive
designation for behavioral and emotional disorders in the Federal Law, the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Emotional disturbances are those that occur over an extended period and
prevent children from succeeding educationally or socially in a school
setting. They are characterized by one or more of the following:

 An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory,

or health factors.
 An inability to create or sustain reciprocal relationships with peers and
teachers.
 Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings in typical situations or
environments.
 A pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
 Frequent occurrences of physical symptoms or fears attached to
personal or school problems.

Children with Special Needs and Learning Disabilities

Children with special needs or learning difficulties often have

difficulties with communication. Some children require speech and
language therapy to improve, and others need greater intervention
and perhaps the addition of some form of communication system or
device. However, no matter what the level of communication difficulty,
there are many ways to help most children to communicate more
effectively. Even children with profound difficulties have the potential
to increase their levels of communication, allowing them to initiate,
respond and make choices.

Communication and Behaviour

Many individuals with special needs exhibit behavioural problems.

These difficulties are often associated with a communication difficulties
to read more about behaviour and communication – Click here to see
the Behaviour & Communication.
 Syndromes

Many children have communication difficulties as a result of a genetic

syndrome. There are hundreds of known syndromes, some of which
are extremely rare. A genetic syndrome, may have little or no effect
on communication skills, but often there are communication difficulties
due to physical or cognitive delay.

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can

manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble
putting thoughts on paper. Because writing requires a complex set of motor
and information processing skills, saying a student has dysgraphia is not
sufficient.

Dyscalculia is a learning disability in math. Kids with dyscalculia have trouble

with quantities and concepts like bigger and smaller. Having dyscalculia
doesn’t mean kids aren’t smart. But they may have a hard time applying
what they know to solve math problems.

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a medical

condition. A person with ADHD has differences in brain development and
brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control.
ADHD can affect a child at school, at home, and in friendships.

A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning

disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired."
Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers.

Includes Diseases: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder