Module 3 - Delaney Dillard

Write your thoughts about what the author says in Sousa’s “How the Special Education Brain Learns” on the graphic organizer for Chapter Eight and
Armstrong's “Neurodiversity in the Classroom” Chapters Two, Five, Six, and Seven.

In Sousa's "How the Special Education Brain Learns," Chapter Eight highlights the significance of creating a strength-based school environment that
supports inclusive practices for neurodiverse students, stressing the need to recognize and leverage their unique strengths and abilities. Similarly,
Armstrong's "Neurodiversity in the Classroom" across Chapters Two, Five, Six, and Seven emphasizes embracing the diversity of neurological profiles
among students and adopting inclusive practices that cater to their individual needs. Both authors advocate for offering multiple means of
representation, engagement, and expression to accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities, as well as fostering inclusive classroom cultures that
celebrate diversity and foster a sense of belonging for all students. Together, their works underscore the importance of recognizing and embracing
neurodiversity in educational settings, promoting the success of all students through strength-based approaches and inclusive practices.

Common Characteristics of Children With Adaptations Strategies

Disabilities

- Varied neurological or sensory-based - Implementing strength-based - Developing trusting relationships

disorders, including language and
communication delays, cerebral palsy,
epilepsy, etc.
- Higher likelihood of experiencing
emotional and behavioral disorders
- Tendency to exhibit strengths and
interests in specific areas, which may not
align with traditional educational norms
- Diversity in neurological profiles,
encompassing a wide range of strengths
and challenges
- Potential for creativity and high
achievement, often linked to mental
approaches to education, recognizing
and capitalizing on students’ unique
strengths and abilities
- Providing augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) programs to
support students with communication
difficulties
- Creating inclusive classroom
environments that welcome students
with diverse backgrounds and abilities,
minimizing barriers to learning
- Offering multiple means of
representation, engagement, and
between students with disabilities and
supportive individuals who champion
their cause
- Observing and leveraging students’
passions and interests to enhance their
learning experiences
- Promoting high expectations for all
students, pushing them beyond their
comfort levels to achieve academic and
non-academic success
 illness or neurodiversity
- Varied responses to learning
environments and instructional
approaches, requiring personalized
support
Sousa - Chapter 8 - Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (pg. 181-197)
Quotations
- “Students are not going to care about
the curriculum unless they feel
physically safe and emotionally secure.”
(pg 184)
- “The onset of depressive disorders is
occurring earlier in life today than ever
before. Depressed children do not
necessarily look like depressed adults.
They are more often irritable rather
than sad and withdrawn.” (pg 189)
- “All students- especially those with
emotional and behavioral disorders -
need to be in an emotionally secure
setting before they can be expected to
give attention to curriculum.” (pg 197)
expression to accommodate diverse
learning needs
Connection I do NOT want to forget
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: emphasizing the - Emotion drives attention and attention
foundational level of physiological and safety drives learning
needs before higher-order needs like - Meeting students’ emotional needs
belongingness and esteem can be addressed - Anxiety Disorders
- Social anxiety
Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory: emphasizes - Generalized anxiety (GAD)
the role of social interaction and cultural context - Panic
in cognitive development - Obsessive-compulsive (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
- Depressive Disorders
- Other Emotional and Behavioral
Disorders
- ADHD
- Oppositional-Defiant
- Conduct
- Eating Disorders
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Binge-eating
- Autism
- Impact of Child Abuse
Armstrong - Chapter 2 - The Multiple Talents of Students with Learning Disabilities (pg. 28-47)
Quotations
- “Learning disabilities are the most
common reason that children are
referred for special education services in
the United States.” (pg 29)
- “An important component … is the
provision of a trusting relationship
between a student with learning
disabilities and at least one other person
who can encourage that student’s gifts
and support [them] through the process
of learning …. What is most important is
for the role model to believe in the
student and champion [their] cause.”
(pg 35)
- “The least restrictive environment for a
student with learning disabilities is a
setting where difficulties with the
printed word are minimized and
strengths are maximized.” (pg 40)
Armstrong - Chapter 5 - The Strengths of Intellectual Disabilities (pg. 92-115)
Quotations
- “Among the chief obstacles faced by
people with intellectual disabilities are
the limiting expectations that others
have for them.” (pg 93)
Connection
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
- focusing on the role of observational
learning and modeling in shaping
behavior
- individuals learn not only through
direct experiences but also by observing
others and imitating their actions
Constructivism (Piaget)
- Emphasizes the active role of learners in
constructing their understanding of the
world through experiences and
interactions
- Learners actively build their knowledge
through accommodation, continually
adapting their mental structure based on
new information and experiences
Connection
Growth Mindset (Dweck)
- Contrasts the belief in fixed intelligence
with the belief in intelligence that can be
developed through effort and learning
I do NOT want to forget
- Strength awareness
- Artistic ability
- Mechanical puzzles
- Building models
- A lot of options for assistive technology
- Choose your materials with your
students’ interests in mind
- Dyslexia
- Forced to develop soft skills like
problem solving, perseverance,
capacity to delegate, and oral
communication
I do NOT want to forget
- <11% of students with intellectual
disabilities are included in GenEd
classrooms FULLY
- Embrace a model of intelligence
 - “Augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) programs are
particularly important for many
students with intellectual disabilities
who struggle with communication and
articulation problems.” (pg 99)
- “... It is not how intelligent you are, but
how you are intelligent. Once we begin
to understand this maxim, we can start
to fundamentally transform our
perspectives of students with intellectual
disabilities.” (pg 112)
Armstrong - Chapter 6 - The Bright Side of Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (pg. 116-135)
Quotations
- “Great thinkers have often made the
connection between mental illness and
creativity or high achievement.” (pg
118)
- “The single-most important ingredient
.. is the provision of a nurturing
network of supportive human beings
who can champion and promote their
students’ emotional well-being and
appropriate behavior.” (pg 121)
- “The students who were causing the
most havoc in their academic classes
would enter the arts resource room and
immediately become totally absorbed in
Inclusive Education Principles
- Advocate for providing equitable access
to education for all students, regardless
of their abilities or disabilities
Connection
Trait Theory of Creativity
- Suggests that certain personality traits
can contribute to creativity and high
achievement
- Proposes that characteristics such as
openness to experience, divergent
thinking, and sensitivity to emotions
can be conducive to creative endeavors
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
- Emphasizing the role of social influences
and supportive relationships in shaping
behavior and emotional well-being
- Special Olympics participation has a
formative role in helping athletes achieve
physical health, self-confidence,
self-esteem, and socialization skills
- Make sure your aides aren't isolating
students
- Play into students’ strengths
I do NOT want to forget
- Once placed in special education
programs, fewer than 10% of students
with emotional and behavioral disorders
will return full-time to regular
classrooms.
- Emotional and behavioral disorders
aren’t limited to those in the arts - there
are positive role models everywhere
- Teacher responsibilities:
- Support development
- Positive learning environment
- Clear expectations
- Communicated procedures
- Well-designed transitions
 the activity of the day.” (pg 124)
Armstrong - Chapter 7 - The Strength-Based School (pg. 136-161)
Quotations
- “A strength-based school that practices
positive niche construction with
neurodiverse students is essentially one
that supports inclusive practices.” (pg
136)
- Classrooms in strength-based schools
welcome students with other
neurological or sensory-based disorders
such as language and communication
delays, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina
bifida, cystic fibrosis, blindness,
deafness, multiple sclerosis, muscular
dystrophy, stroke, brain injury, and
multiple disabilities.” (pg 143)
- “Watch what the student does when she
is most passionate about learning, or
when she has the opportunity to choose
among a variety of learning options.”
(pg 145)
Connection
Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)
- Emphasizes the influence of various
environmental systems on individuals’
development
Inclusive Education Principles
- Advocate for providing equitable access
to education for all students, regardless
of their abilities are disabilities
- Fairly implemented
consequences
- Specific and immediate praise
- Opportunities to respond
- Peer opportunities!!
I do NOT want to forget
- Saw children flourishing academically
and non academically alongside their
typically developing peers
- High expectations for all students to be
pushed beyond their comfort level -
whatever that looks like for them
- Important to look at the impact that
access to resources can have on a school
(ability to co-teach, access to assistive
technology, outside support structures)
- A strength-based classroom is a place
where students with all sorts of labels
come together as equals