Students with

Physical
Disabilities
and Gifted
Students
Kim, Sean, Sierra, and Jeremy
Students with Physical
Disabilities
Physical Disabilities

Students with physical disabilities can include (but are not limited to) students who…

- Have limited mobility (wheelchair, crutches, or some sort of brace might be

needed)
- Have Multiple Sclerosis or a similar condition and are losing mobility in some
areas
- Have an acquired physical disability such as diabetes, arthritis, epilepsy, or
paralysis
- Have a born physical disability such as deafness, blindness, or many others
- Amputations or missing limbs
Physical disabilities in the instrumental
classroom

Adapted instruments

- These are one of the biggest concerns of teachers. Most instruments have ways
they can be adapted to suit the needs of a physically disabled child.
- New technologies are appearing all the time: one-handed recorders and
saxophones, instruments with apparatuses that make them easier to hold, and
tactile keys or fingertapes are all examples of modifications and advancements
in instrument technology that cater to physically disabled students
- However, there will be some instruments that it is physically impossible for
some students to play
Physical disabilities in the choral classroom
Students with physical disabilities will often get put in choir classes if they are seen
as being unable to function physically in an instrumental classroom. Talk to the
student and make sure they want to be there, and figure out instrument
modifications if you can.

Movement modification DON’T DO THIS --->

- “Choralography” adjustments-
most movement can be done seated
- Risers and helpers
- Music stands
Teaching suggestions
- Obviously: treat students with physical disabilities the same way you would any
other student. Don’t call excess attention to the student’s disability or make
them feel ostracized.
- Helpers: have an able-bodied student that both you and the student with a
disability trust act as a helper (getting materials, helping with getting up/down,
helping with getting onstage/offstage, helping put an instrument together, etc).
This person should sit/stand next to the student with a disability. You can also
have more than one helper!
- Modifications: think outside the box. There should be a way to incorporate
students with physical disabilities into any and all music activities.
- Environment: ideally, your music classroom will be a safe space where students
will want to help and include everyone!
Unique concerns
Singing:

- Singing in a wheelchair or other sitting position can drastically affect breathing.

Posture and technique must be discussed.

Motor skills:

- Students with little control over their fine motor skills or large motor skills can
have unique challenges. To accommodate these students, individual
conversations are often best.
Activity
Call and response

- Eyes closed
- Everyone put your earbuds in (I know you have them)
- Everyone sitting
- Everyone standing, but with no limb motion (hands in pockets, feet together)
 Gifted Students
and Gifted Students with
Disabilities
What does “gifted” mean?
Giftedness can be described as a rapid rate of development usually beyond their
standard age group progression. Examples are as such; counting to high numbers by
age 3, early reading comprehension of longer texts, and playing musical instruments
with proficiency at an early age.

They can: express curiosity about many things, ask thoughtful questions, have extensive vocabularies and
use complex sentence structure, solve problems in unique ways, have good memories, exhibit unusual talent
in art, music, or creative dramatics, exhibit especially original imaginations, use previously learned things in
new contexts, discuss and elaborate on ideas, are fast learners, desire to work independently and take
initiative, exhibit wit and humor, have sustained attention spans and are willing to persist on challenging
tasks, are very observant, show talent in making up stories and telling them, are interested in reading.
Identifying Gifted Students
● Historically (1940s to mid-1990s)
○ Over the course of the latter half of the 20th century, Gifted Students were given IQ tests and
were placed into specific categories depending on their score, however this would only give
teachers ideas on the aptitude of their students and would normally would not change their
teaching styles very much unless the majority of the class swung one way or the other.
○ The IQ tests also were not inclusive of all subject matters and would often exclude creativity and
art and focus primarily on reading comprehension and mathematics.
○ Even after these tests were done, if the classroom had students ranging from and IQ or 60 to an
IQ of 150 AND exhibited a standard bell curve, the teacher would not change their lessons to
cater to the higher and lower end of the curve as to make it so everyone would pass standardized
tests in reading and mathematics.
○ Another aspect, gifted students were also lumped into the category of disabled students as it
was not always clear if a student was doing poorly in a subject due to a learning disability or if
they were bored
Identifying Gifted Students cont.
● A More Modern Approach (mid-1990s to now)
○ Creating this determination from a more holistic analysis
■ observations of behavior and verbal ability in different classroom
settings
■ anecdotal information from parents
■ portfolio/child products (artwork, diagrams, inventions, lego buildings,
stories-written or told)
Accommodations/Modifications
● Create a room that invites inquiry (pictures, books, areas for music, art, and a
variety of materials)
● Use thematic instruction to connect content areas
● make a wide range of materials available
● arrange for activity centers for self-initiated projects; have flexible seating
arrangements
● offer lesson-related activity options for students who finish work early
● vary the atmosphere of the room through music as well as opportunities for
creative movement, mime, dance, singing.
Connor
“Connor’s music teacher cannot figure out Connor’s ability level or what motivates his learning.

Connor is: quite musical and bright, interested in a variety of musical genres, plays guitar, composes, and
researches music at home, he makes insightful, albeit sometimes odd, connections.

Connor also: lacks skills and knowledge that his peers have already mastered, consistently does not recall
information that other students easily remember, has studied trombone for three years but still moves the
slide with his left hand if not corrected, disorganized, often does not complete assignments, when he does
the work appears sloppy and rushed, often loses practice log, practice habits are inconsistent, frequently
unmotivated and off-task, usually joking around with other students, does not remember simple directions,
often walking around the room when other students on task.

His music teacher thinks: “He’s smart; he really could be successful if he weren’t so lazy, just applied himself,
and stopped wasting his talent.”
“Twice Exceptionality”
“Students like Connor who possess stark strengths and areas of challenge are what
special educational experts call “twice-exceptional,” often abbreviated as “2e.”
Although twice exceptionality can designate giftedness coupled with any disability,
including physical disabilities, it most often refers to gifted students with specific
learning disabilities (SLD), behavioral disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).”

Modification must be made twice: for both their giftedness and their disabilities.

Composition assignment? But the student struggles with music notation while
excelling in piano improvisation? Allow for audio recording to be turned in
Activity
1. You have a student who has been playing violin since 3, and is miles ahead of the
other students in your 7th grade orchestra. The student is obviously frustrated with
the class’ lack of comparable skill. What do you do to help the student?

2. You have another student in your 8th grade choir class who has played guitar their
whole life and is very skilled. But they cannot sing in tune at all, and they do not
understand written notation, despite having been taught it over the last 3 years of
middle school. They also get frustrated when you try to teach them notation, and
seem to shut down. What do you do?

For each question, do you agree with your colleague’s approach? Would you adjust
their answer?
 “A sensitivity to the special needs of young
gifted children can make a significant difference
to their future development and happiness.”
Bibliography
Cohen, P. ( 1987). The one handed saxophone. Saxophone Journal , 11(4), 4-8.

Chadwick, D.M. , & Clark, C.A. ( 1980). Adapting music instruments for the physically handicapped . Music Educators Journal, 67(3), 56-59.

Charles, D. , James, K. , & Stein R. ( 1988). Rehabilitation of musicians with upper limb amputations . Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development,
25(3), 25-32.

Dickeson, B. ( 2004). The one-handed recorder. Recorder Magazine , 24, 82-86.

Hayasaki, E. , & Moore, S. ( 2002, January 31). L.A. to integrate disabled pupils. Los Angeles Times, p. A-1.

Hughes, J. E., Rice, B. R. (2006). Strategies for serving the special needs for individuals in public school music settings. In Humpal, M. E., Colwell, C. (Eds.),
Early childhood and school age educational settings: Using music to maximize learning (pp. 144–152). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy
Association.

Mazur, K. (2004). An introduction to inclusion in the music classroom. General Music Today, 18(1), 6–11.

McLaughlin, B. (2006). Using technology, adaptations, and augmentative tools. In Humpal, M. E., Colwell, C. (Eds.), Early childhood and school age
educational settings: Using music to maximize learning (pp. 174–191). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association.

Abramo, J. (2015). Gifted Students with Disabilities: “Twice Exceptionality” in the Music Classroom. Music Educators Journal.