Module 6: Learners with Exceptionalities

Learners with a common exeptionalities as a person who are different in some way from the normal or average.

Who Are Exceptional Learners?

 Autism
 Deaf-blindness
 Deafness
 Hearing Impairment
 Mutliple Disabilities
 Orthopedic Impairment
 Speech or Language Impairment
 Visual Impairments including blindness
 Development Delay
 Gifted and Talented

I. It is necessary to have both the right information and proper attitude in dealing with special learners.
II. Disability refers to the measurable impairment or limitation that interferes with a person to walk, see, lift,
hear, or learn.
III. The word disability has become the more accepted term, having the replace of the word handicap in federal
laws in the US, Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Provides service and support for
exceptional learners.
IV. Handicap is a disadvantage that occurs as a result of a disability or impairment. Two person may have the
same disability but not the same degree of being handicapped. For example both children have hearing
impairment, one knows sign language but the other one cannot. The first would not have as much as
handicap as the second one.

Categories of Exceptionalities.

Specific Cognitive or Academic Difficulties

 Learning Disabilities- involves difficulties in specific cognitive process like perceptions, language,
memory.
 ADHD- difficulty in focusing and maintaining attention/ hyperactive or impulsive behaviour.
 Speech and Communication Disorders – difficulty in spoken language including voice disorder, inability
to produce sounds

Social/Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

 Autism- have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognising or understanding others' feelings and
intentions - and expressing their own emotions.
 Mental Retardation- include seizures, mood disorders (anxiety, autism, etc.), motor skills impairment,
vision problems, or hearing problems.
 Emotional/Conduct Disorders- have a difficult time following rules and behaving in a socially
acceptable way. Their behavior can be hostile and sometimes physically violent. In their earlier years,
they may show early signs of aggression, including pushing, hitting and biting others.