1.

Differentiate the following common terms used in the special education

Impairment

any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or

function.

Disability

any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in

the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

Handicap

a disadvantage for a given individual that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is
normal

As traditionally used, impairment refers to a problem with a structure or organ of the

body; disability is a functional limitation with regard to a particular activity;
and handicap refers to a disadvantage in filling a role in life relative to a peer group.

Examples to illustrate the differences among the terms "impairment," "disability,"

and "handicap."

CP example

David is a 4-yr.-old who has a form of cerebral palsy (CP) called spastic diplegia.
David's CP causes his legs to be stiff, tight, and difficult to move. He cannot stand or
walk.

Impairment

The inability to move the legs easily at the joints and inability to bear weight on the feet
is an impairment. Without orthotics and surgery to release abnormally contracted
muscles, David's level of impairment may increase as imbalanced muscle contraction
over a period of time can cause hip dislocation and deformed bone growth. No
treatment may be currently available to lessen David's impairment.

Disability

David's inability to walk is a disability. His level of disability can be improved with
physical therapy and special equipment. For example, if he learns to use a walker, with
braces, his level of disability will improve considerably.

Handicap

David's cerebral palsy is handicapping to the extent that it prevents him from fulfilling a
normal role at home, in preschool, and in the community. His level of handicap has
been only very mild in the early years as he has been well-supported to be able to play
with other children, interact normally with family members and participate fully in family
and community activities. As he gets older, his handicap will increase where certain
sports and physical activities are considered "normal" activities for children of the same
age. He has little handicap in his preschool classroom, though he needs some
assistance to move about the classroom and from one activity to another outside the
classroom. Appropriate services and equipment can reduce the extent to which cerebral
palsy prevents David from fulfilling a normal role in the home, school and community as
he grows.

LD example:

Cindy is an 8-year-old who has extreme difficulty with reading (severe dyslexia). She
has good vision and hearing and scores well on tests of intelligence. She went to an
excellent preschool and several different special reading programs have been tried
since early in kindergarten.

Impairment

While no brain injury or malformation has been identified, some impairment is presumed
to exist in how Cindy's brain puts together visual and auditory information. The
impairment may be inability to associate sounds with symbols, for example.

Disability

In Cindy's case, the inability to read is a disability. The disability can probably be
improved by trying different teaching methods and using those that seem most effective
with Cindy. If the impairment can be explained, it may be possible to dramatically
improve the disability by using a method of teaching that does not require skills that are
impaired (That is, if the difficulty involves learning sounds for letters, a sight-reading
approach can improve her level of disability).

Handicap

Cindy already experiences a handicap as compared with other children in her class at
school, and she may fail third grade. Her condition will become more handicapping as
she gets older if an effective approach is not found to improve her reading or to teach
her to compensate for her reading difficulties. Even if the level of disability stays severe
(that is, she never learns to read well), this will be less handicapping if she learns to
tape lectures and "read" books on audiotapes. Using such approaches, even in
elementary school, can prevent her reading disability from interfering with her progress
in other academic areas (increasing her handicap).

At risk

The term at-risk is often used to describe students or groups of students who are
considered to have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school.
The term may be applied to students who face circumstances that could jeopardize their
ability to complete school, such as homelessness, incarceration, teenage pregnancy,
serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in the case of migrant-worker
families), or other conditions, or it may refer to learning disabilities, low test scores,
disciplinary problems, grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could
adversely affect the educational performance and attainment of some students. While
educators often use the term at-risk to refer to general populations or categories of
students, they may also apply the term to individual students who have raised concerns
—based on specific behaviors observed over time—that indicate they are more likely to
fail or drop out.

When the term is used in educational contexts without qualification, specific examples,
or additional explanation, it may be difficult to determine precisely what “at-risk” is
referring to. In fact, “at-risk” can encompass so many possible characteristics and
conditions that the term, if left undefined, could be rendered effectively meaningless.
Yet in certain technical, academic, and policy contexts—such as when federal or state
agencies delineate “at-risk categories” to determine which students will receive
specialized educational services, for example—the term is usually used in a precise and
clearly defined manner. For example, states, districts, research studies, and
organizations may create at-risk definitions that can encompass a broad range of
specific student characteristics, such as the following:
 Physical disabilities and learning disabilities
 Prolonged or persistent health issues
 Habitual truancy, incarceration history, or adjudicated delinquency
 Family welfare or marital status
 Parental educational attainment, income levels, employment status, or
immigration status
 Households in which the primary language spoken is not English
In most cases, “risk factors” are situational rather than innate. With the exception of
certain characteristics such as learning disabilities, a student’s perceived risk status is
rarely related to his or her ability to learn or succeed academically, and largely or
entirely related to a student’s life circumstances. For example, attending a low-
performing school could be considered a risk factor. If a school is underfunded and
cannot provide essential services, or if its teaching quality and performance record are
poor, the school could conceivably contribute to higher rates of student absenteeism,
course failures, and attrition.
 2. Identify causes and effects of children with special needs.
A. Mental Retardation
What is the cause of mental retardation?
There are various known causes of mental retardation, including genetic disorders,
maternal infections, psychosocial conditions, drug exposure, and environmental
chemical exposure. The established risk factors for MR include: [3]

 Various genetic disorders (e.g. Down’s Syndrome, phenylketonuria)

 Certain maternal infections during pregnancy (e.g. rubella)
 Mother who abuses substances such as alcohol during pregnancy
 Certain psychosocial conditions (e.g. problems with caregiving, low
socioeconomic status, low parental education)
 Maternal exposure to various drugs (e.g. thalidomide, valproic acid)
 Maternal exposure to environmental chemicals (discussed in detail later)
The expanding scientific knowledge base has led to a rejection of the simplistic debate
over "organic" versus "environmental" causes of retardation. There is a growing
recognition of the interactive contributions of nature and nurture to the development of
all children.
Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of mental illness can vary, depending on the disorder,
circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts
and behaviors.

Examples of signs and symptoms include:

 Feeling sad or down

 Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
 Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
 Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
 Withdrawal from friends and activities
 Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
 Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
 Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
 Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
 Problems with alcohol or drug use
 Major changes in eating habits
 Sex drive changes
 Excessive anger, hostility or violence
 Suicidal thinking
Sometimes symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as
stomach pain, back pain, headaches, or other unexplained aches and pains.
 B. Learning Disability

What causes a learning disability? Learning disabilities are caused by

something affecting the development of the brain. This may occur before birth
(prenatally), during birth, or in early childhood. Learning disabilities can be
caused by any one of a variety of factors, or by a combination.
Age is often associated with a decline in cognitive abilities that are important for
maintaining functional independence, such as learning new skills. Many forms
of motor learning appear to be relatively well preserved with age,
while learning tasks that involve associative binding tend to be negatively
affected.
C. Gifted and Talented
The potential for giftedness or a high level of intellectual development begins very early
in a child's life. Studies since the early 1970s consistently show that such development
is the result of an interaction between the child's genetic endowment and a rich and
appropriate environment in which the child grows.
The Future of Gifted Education
Although being identified as gifted can lead to unrealistic expectations, it can also help
a student reach their potential. Evidence suggests that gifted programs
help students with academic achievement, socialization, and future success.
Below are some biological factors that can contribute to emotional disturbance:
 Prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol.
 A physical illness or disability.
 An undernourished or malnourished lifestyle.
 Brain damage.
 Hereditary factors

D. Emotional and Behavioral

Behavior is different from emotions but is very strongly influenced by them. One way

that behavior is affected by emotions is through motivation, which drives a
person's behavior. ... Emotions can also affect our behavior directly, as in the case of
aggression, or behavior that is focused on hurting others. What are 7 causes of
blindness?
A. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Legal blindness can be caused by age-
related macular degeneration (AMD) because this disease affects the central vision
provided by the macula (the specialized central part of the retina). ...
B. Retinitis Pigmentosa. ...
C. Diabetic Retinopathy. ...
D. Glaucoma. ...
E. Cataract
E. Blind or have a poor vision
Visual impairment can limit people's ability to perform everyday tasks and can affect
their quality of life and ability to interact with the surrounding world. Blindness, the most
severe form of visual impairment, can reduce people's ability to perform daily tasks,
and move about unaided.
F. Hearing Impairment
Causes of hearing loss include: Damage to the inner ear. Aging and exposure to loud
noise may cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that send
sound signals to the brain.
 Potential health impacts from hearing loss can include headaches, muscle tension,
and increased stress and blood pressure levels. Some studies have linked untreated
hearing loss in adults to depression, fatigue, social withdrawal and impaired memory.
G. Speech and Language Disorder
Some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss,
neurological disorders, brain injury, intellectual disabilities, drug abuse,
physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, and vocal abuse or misuse.
Adults: Signs of Speech & Language Disorders
 Struggles to say sounds or words (stuttering)
 Repetition of words or parts of words (stuttering)
 Speaks in short, fragmented phrases (expressive aphasia)
 Says words in the wrong order (expressive aphasia)
 Struggles with using words and understanding others (global aphasia)

H. Physical Disability, Health Impairment and Severe Disability

These may also be caused due to genetic disorders or accidents. Post-
natal disabilities are gained after birth. They can be due to accidents, injuries, obesity,
infection or other illnesses. These may also be caused due to genetic disorders.
A physical disability is a physical condition that affects a
person's mobility, physical capacity, stamina, or dexterity. This can include brain or
spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, respiratory disorders, epilepsy,
hearing and visual impairments and more.

EMANNE RAY D. ORO

BEED-I