Sousa Chapter 1

● Notes/Thoughts
○ This is why the phenomenon of “teaching for the test” is detrimental to students.
● Quotes
○ “Retention, however, requires that the learner not only give conscious attention
during learning but also build conceptual frameworks that have sense and
meaning for eventual consolidation into long-term storage networks”(Sousa 15).
○ “It becomes increasingly important, then, for teachers of these students to
emphasize why they need to learn certain material”(Sousa 16).
○ “Researchers suggested that the external focus of attention improves the
efficiency of body movement and reduces the noise signals in the motor system
that hamper the movement control and make it less reliable”(Sousa 19).
○ “Is it possible that some children are referred for special education evaluation not
because they have true learning difficulties but because a school has not adapted
to their changing brains?” (Sousa 22).
● Connections
○ The comparison of today’s children and children of the past reminded me of an
article I read about the “growth” of autism that claims that it’s not that there are
more autistic people today, but that there are just more obstacles for autistic
people. When you grow up on a silent farm without technology and loud noises,
you’re less likely to realize you have sensory issues.
● Characteristics/Adaptations/Strategies
○ Give time for a “secondary rehearsal”
○ Connect material to their personal lives
○ Students have difficulty focusing for long periods of time because there is too
much or too little stimuli
Sousa Chapter 2
● Notes/Thoughts
○ 2-5% of students are likely to be gifted and have a learning disability
● Quotes
○ “Children are particularly susceptible to environmental toxins because, pound for
pound, they drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults.
Thus children have substantially heavier exposure than adults to the toxins lurking
in water, food, and air. Furthermore, their hand-to-mouth behavior and their
preference for playing close to the ground only add to the risk of exposure”(Sousa
30).
○ “Learning is an active process of acquiring and retaining knowledge so it can be
applied in future situations”(Sousa 38).
 ○ “Researchers found that interventions using both skill development and
self-enhancement succeeded in raising self-esteem because these focused on the
value of intrinsic effort”(Sousa 43).
● Connections
○ In my psychology class, we discussed the differences in diagnoses between girls
and boys. It’s likely that girls are underdiagnosed because girls are underestimated
and expected to be quiet and behave. For example, while autism often appears in
boys as being loud and “obviously autistic,” it often appears in girls as making
them quiet and unsociable, which appears as a girl just being quiet and gentle like
a mother, as she should be.
● Characteristics/Adaptations/Strategies
○ Combine direct instruction with teaching techniques
○ Have students correct their own work
○ Provide high structure and clear expectations
Armstrong Intro
● Notes/Thoughts
○ Why would you teach a special education class if you think all the students are
doomed to be “slow” and helpless forever?
○ Education for all handicapped children act
● Quotes
○ “As one former special education student, now an adult, told me, ‘They thought I
was bad at something, so they tested me to find exactly how bad I was at it, and
then spent the next years of my life making me do what I was bad at as much as
possible’”(Armstrong 2).
○ “It is my hope that this book will help change the conversation about students
with special needs from a disability discourse to a diversity discourse”
(Armstrong 6).
○ “As I look back on these developments in special education, I see that it is far
better for a child to have her special learning needs identified and addressed in
school rather than to languish unrecognized in a regular classroom or be excluded
from school entirely” (Armstrong 3).
● Connections
○ Though I have never experienced this on such a grand level, I have experience
being told that I can’t do something and then I lose any will do try to do it. For
example, I was told that I was a bad singer when I was young, so I accepted this
as fact and quit singing and trying to improve. This is what students experience in
special education classrooms, but to a much larger extent with their whole
academic career.
● Characteristics/Adaptations/Strategies
○ Highlight strengths
 ○ Stop identifying students on what they can’t do
○ Celebrate differences
Armstrong Chapter 1
● Notes/Thoughts
○ Educators should provide opportunities for neurodiverse students to showcase
their strengths
● Quotes
○ “Neurodiversity urges us to discuss brain diversity using the same kind of
discourse that we employ when we talk about biodiversity and cultural
diversity.”(Armstrong 9).
○ “Disorders such as autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and learning disabilities have
been in the gene pool for a long time. There must be a reason why they’re still
there”(Armstrong 12).
○ Those with intellectual disabilities can take pride in identifying with individuals
like them who have accomplished great things….Neurodiverse adults who have
become successful in their local communities should be invited to visit schools,
share stories, and provide inspiration for all students, not just those with special
needs”(Armstrong 16).
● Connections
○ I am a part of Bulldogs for Universal Design (BUD) on campus, which strives to
help make Butler more accessible. They work on a lot of things mentioned in this
chapter, like highlighting strengths, working with students to get proper
accommodations, and making Bulter more physically accessible.
● Characteristics/Adaptations/Strategies
○ Use strength-based learning
○ Children with disabilities often score low on tests
○ Bring in neurodiverse adults