PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
SpEd 117n: - Followed by the Philippine Association for the Deaf (PAD) in 1976,
Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education
Diversity
Defined as the state or quality of being different or varied. It is
further defined as the inclusion of people's differences, which may relate to their
race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, culture,
and class. It means looking at each student's unique prole – their biological
challenges, family patterns, and where they are on the developmental ladder.
Learner Diversity
The uniqueness of each one that is the root of diversity. Learner
Diversity can be attributed to culture, gender, language, socioeconomic status,
and learning style in a typical classroom, as shown in the figure below.
Culture - is an essential factor for understanding diversity amongst
learners. You carried with you a collection of routines and principles that you
acquired from home and community when you started school. Some kids carry
along with a culture of resistance. There are attitudes, ideals, and actions, not in
line with the norm. That kind of culture will challenge the teacher's management
skills.
Gender difference - is another consideration in understanding
diversity. Teachers have to be careful in assigning tasks based on role identities
that may result from stereotyping threats.
Dialect - is also another factor that makes students different from
others. The speech intonation, pronunciation, and rhythm will remain a trace of
the students' mother tongue.
Socioeconomic - status has also been considered concerning the
students' school performance. Differences in behavior are also attributed to the
extent the parents are involved and have supported the child's development, how
the basic needs are met, and stimulating developmentally appropriate
experiences.
Learning Styles - the students' preferences on how they concentrate,
process, internalize and retain information. Recognizing the learning styles of
the students will help teachers create ways for students to become effective
learners.
Diversity in the Special Education Setting
The classroom of students with special needs is a natural setting of
diverse needs and characteristics. Aside from the sources mentioned previously,
their individual differences can be explained in terms of:
 how the child reacts to sensations, processes information, plans actions,
and sequences, behavior, and thought,
 the level of functional, emotional, social, and intellectual capacities,
 typical and necessary interaction patterns, and
 family patterns.
Education Act of 1982 and Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,
Article XIV, Section 5, par. 5 (1987)
- mandates that all people regardless of sex, age, creed, socioeconomic
status, physical and mental condition, social and ethnic origin, political and
other affiliations should be given to access to quality education in line with
the national goals and conducive to their full development.
ADDRESSING DIVERSITY
Three general categories of models of disability:
 the medical model, where disability is seen as a consequence of a health
condition;
 the social model, where disability is a product of environmental conditions;
and
 the functional/rehabilitation model where disability is seen as an
impairment or deficit.
Special Education
- educational programs and practices designed for handicapped or gifted
students, whose mental ability, physical ability, emotional functioning, and
others require unique teaching approaches, equipment, or care within or
outside a regular classroom.
- Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically
monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and
materials, and accessible settings.
- The birth of the Special Education Program in the Philippines was when
the School for the Deaf and Blind in the Philippines was established in
1907.
spearheaded the Hearing Conservation Week through the Presidential
Proclamation 1587, duly signed by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
- In 1991, this time initiated by the Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD)
and the Philippine Institute for the Deaf (PID),
- then President Corazon C. Aquino signed Presidential Proclamation 829
declaring November 10-16 as Deaf Awareness Week (DAW).
Inclusive Education
- an educational practice that places students with disabilities in the general
education classroom typically developing children.
- anchored on the philosophy that every child has an inherent right to be
educated equally with his peers, no matter the differences.
- the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school,
learn, and develop the skills they need to thrive.
- means all children in the same classrooms, in the same schools. It means
real learning opportunities
Philippine Laws for PWDs BP 344 (1983) –Accessibility Law
It is an act to enhance the mobility of persons with disability by
requiring buildings, institutions, establishments, and other public utilities to
install facilities and other devices to cater the PWDs.
RA 7277 (1992) – Magna Carta for Disabled Persons
It an act providing for the rehabilitation, self-reliance, and self-
development of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of
society and other purposes.
Administrative Order 35 (2002) – National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation (NPDR Week)
It is an order directing all departments, bureaus, government-owned
and controlled corporations, government financial institutions, local government
units, state universities/colleges and schools, and other government
agencies/instrumentalities to promote and conduct relevant activities during the
annual observance of the national disability prevention and rehabilitation week.
RA 9442 (2007) – Amendment of RA 7277 (Privileges of PWDs)
Amendment of RA 7277 (Privileges of PWDs)
It provides persons with a disability and participates fully into
society's mainstream by granting them at least twenty percent (20%) discount in
all basic services. It also changed the name from Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons to Magna Carta for PWDs and added a clause on deliverance from
public ridicule and slander.
NCDA Administrative Order No. 001, s. 2008 –Guidelines on the Issuance
of PWD ID Cards
Identification Cards shall be issued to any bonafide PWD with
permanent disabilities due to any one or more of the following conditions:
psychosocial, chronic illness, learning, mental, visual, orthopedic, speech, and
hearing conditions. This includes persons suffering from disabling diseases
resulting in the person's limitations to do day to day activities
RA 10070 (2010) – Amendment of RA 7277
Local government units shall promote the establishment of
organizations of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in their respective territorial
jurisdictions.
RA 10366 (2013) – Accessible Polling Places for PWDs and Senior Citizens
It is an act authorizing the commission on elections to establish
precincts assigned to accessible polling places exclusively for persons with
disabilities and senior citizens.
RA 10524 (2013) – Amendment of RA 7277 (An Act Expanding the
Positions Reserved for Persons with Disability)
It states that no person with disability shall be denied access to
opportunities for suitable employment. A qualified employee with a disability
shall be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment and the same
compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives, or allowances as a
qualified, able-bodied person. Private companies with over 100 employees are
encouraged to reserve at least 1% for the PWDs.
RA 10754 (2016) – An act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs
At least twenty percent (20%) discount and exemption from the
value-added tax (VAT), if applicable, on the subsequent sale of goods and
services for the exclusive use and enjoyment or availment of (1) admission fees,
(2) purchases of medicine, (3) medical and dental services, (4) fare, (5) funeral
and burial assistance, and others.
Civil Service Commission MC No. 20, s. 2017
A memorandum to all heads of constitutional bodies, departments,
bureaus and agencies of the national government, LGUs, government-owned
corporations, state universities and colleges, and all government agencies to
provide express lanes for PWDs or in the absence thereof, priority shall be given
to PWDs in all the transactions therein.
RA 11228 (2019) – Amendment of RA 7277
An act providing for the mandatory PhilHealth coverage for all
PWDs. The PhilHealth shall develop an exclusive package for PWDs that will
address their specific health and development needs.
 Key Components of Classroom Management These are the common manifestations of gifted and talented learners:

Key Components of Classroom Management and Organization

Physical Dimension
- Setting up your classroom space is the first job when a new school year
starts. It is essential that you make an inventory of your classroom size and
shape, the type and quantity of your furniture and equipment, and the
availability of wall spaces before classes begin. A well-organized
classroom space can help preserve order, increase pupil engagement,
decrease distraction levels, and decrease undesirable behaviors.
Psychosocial Dimension
- The psychosocial dimension determines the classroom climate or the
classroom atmosphere. It is affected by factors specific to the student,
teacher factors, peers, and family factors. Student attitudes about school
and their relationship with their teachers or other school authorities may
significantly impact their behavior and responsiveness to classroom Gifted students routinely exhibit academic and emotional traits that may be
management demands. described as intense and, at times, even extreme.
Behavioral Dimension
- The behavioral dimension is about handling inappropriate behaviors that
can interfere with the learning environment either on the individual pupil
or group. This is considered the most challenging component, especially in
special educational settings where students' inappropriate behavior will just
"come from nowhere." Teachers are expected to address frequently
observed problem behaviors in schools such as off-task talking,
noncompliance, inattention, and bullying. You can face destructive,
impulsive, aggressive, or self-injurious actions and temper tantrums that
can test your patience and preparedness as a Special Education Teacher.
Instructional Dimension
- The first principles of classroom management have placed less concern for
instruction management. Today, the amount and standard of training in
children with special needs have taken center age. Parents expect the
school to provide socialization training for their children, self-help skills,
daily life activities, and academic tasks.
Procedural Dimension Being aware of their root causes of gifted students’ behaviour will help
- If there are two words often used to describe a classroom, they are chaos teachers to adjust and fully meet their needs and build positive relationships
and order. Rules and procedures are necessary to maintain order within vital to meaningful classroom experiences.
acceptable limits for a classroom event to be realized in the situation.
When children recognize behavior standards, there will be fewer
misbehavior problems, and work will run smoothly and efficiently. A
chaotic classroom produces confused learners, while an orderly one
produces organized, efficient learners.
Organizational Dimension
- A teacher is expected to establish and maintain a healthy relationship with
other teachers and school staff in a traditional educational setting, attend to
the immediate work area, perform numerous administrative duties, and the
instructional and personal time management.

GIFTED AND TALENTED LEARNERS

Learners who are gifted and talented are students with higher abilities
than average and are often referred to as gifted students.
Giftedness - refers to student with extraordinary abilities in various academic
areas.
Talent - focuses on student with with extraordinary abilities in a specific area.

Gardner (1993)
- According to him, intelligence is multifaceted and suggested that strengths
in many areas more aptly define giftedness in individuals.
LEARNERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Visual impairment
- term used to describe the loss of sight that can be a consequence of a
number of different medical conditions.
- Some common causes of visual impairment are glaucoma, retinopathy of
prematurity, cataracts, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, diabetic
retinopathy, cortical visual impairment, infection and trauma.
- It may be classified as congenital or adventitious.
 Congenital blindness refers to loss of vision present at birth caused
by prematurity, genetic diseases, prenatal infections, and etc.
 Adventitious blindness refers to loss of vision acquired after birth
resulting from an illness or an accident.
- Students are also classified according to their level of functional vision:
 Low vision – students use their vision as their primary sensory
channel
 Functionally blind – students can use limited vision for functional
tasks but need their tactile and auditory channels for learning
 Totally blind – students use tactile and auditory channels for
Figure 2 . Multiple Intelligences learning and functional tasks.
Learning Characteristics
- Visual impairments, whether mild, moderate, or severe, affect the student’s
ability to participate in normal classroom activities.
- Students with visual impairments sometimes have fewer natural learning
experiences because they are not able to observe objects and interactions.
- The areas of learning which are particularly affected are:
 concept development;
 interpersonal communication skills;
 life skills;
 orientation and mobility skills; and
 academic development.
- The presence of a visual impairment can potentially impact the normal
sequence of learning in social, motor, language and cognitive
developmental areas.
- Visually impaired students often manifest low motivation in exploring the
environment, initiate social interaction, and manipulate objects.
- The limited ability to explore the environment may affect early motor
development.
- These students cannot share common visual experiences with their sighted
peers, and therefore vision loss may negatively impact the development of
appropriate social skills.
- As a result, these students may experience low self-esteem that limits their
sense of mastery over their own lives.
General Educational Adaptations
- Children with visual impairments must be taught compensatory skills and
adaptive techniques in order to be able to acquire knowledge from methods
other than sight.
- Modification in teaching is needed to accommodate students with
difficulty seeing.
- The following general strategies may be considered:
 Portions of textbooks and other printed materials may be recorded so
that visually-impaired students can listen instead of focusing on the
visual presentation
 If a student with low vision requires enlarged texts, recordings, need
their material brailled, these should be ordered or prepared ahead of
time.
 Provide students access to textbooks and instructional materials in the
appropriate media and at the same time as their sighted peers. For
students who are blind this may mean braille and/or recorded media.
For the student with low vision, this may mean large print text or the
use of optical devices to access text and/or recorded media while in
class.
 Verbalize the words written on the board clearly.
 Students with difficulty seeing should be seated near the board so that
they can easily move close to the instructional materials used during
the lesson.
 Teachers should be aware of terminology that would require visual
acuity (such as over there or like this one) which the impaired student
may not possess.
- It is not enough to just provide instruction in the general core curriculum.
- Students with visual impairments also need specialized instruction in a
number of other essential skill areas including communication skills, social
interaction skills, orientation and mobility, independent living skills,
recreation and leisure skills, use of assistive technology, visual efficiency,
and career education skills, and self-determination.
- Mastery of these skills is essential for students’ long-range educational and
life outcomes.
LEARNERS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Hearing Impairment
- A hearing loss below 90 decibels is called hearing impairment.
- Deafness is considered when hearing loss is above 90 decibels.
- Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines it as “an
impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance but is not included under the
definition of ‘deafness’.”
- The main challenge of hearing-impaired students is communication since
most of them have varying ways of communicating.
- The factors affecting the development of communication skills include
intelligence, personality, the degree and nature of deafness and residual
hearing, family environment, and the age of onset.
- The latter plays the most crucial role in the development of language as
those who have hearing loss present at birth are more functionally disabled
than those hearing after language and speech development.
Learning Characteristics
- Since much of learning is acquired through hearing, students with hearing
problems have deficiencies in language and in their experiences.
- Since they may miss out on daily conversations, they may miss crucial
information that non-hearing impaired students learn incidentally.
- Students may overcome these problems by investing time, energy, and
combined effort by both parents and educators.
- Most learners with hearing difficulty use various methods of
communication. The most common is the use of hearing aids, signed
language, and lip-reading.
- The learning process of students may be affected in the following
ways:
 Language abilities are often affected by the students’ age they had
hearing loss. Students who acquired their hearing loss early in life
may have literacy issues.
 Deaf and hard of hearing students may prefer to learn visually. This
can be a challenge for teachers especially when essential information
could be delivered exclusively by word of mouth.
 Students with hearing loss may need to use assistive technology to
participate in class. This assistive technology can be the laptop where
software like interpreters or captioning may be used.
 Students with hearing loss may have limited social interaction with
other students, which may result to isolation and separateness.
 Students’ communication difficulties may lead to a level of anxiety
about performing in front of others. This may affect one’s
participation in discussions, tutorials, and other learning activities.
General Educational Adaptations
- Accommodations and modifications should always be chosen purposefully
based on the child’s needs. If properly implemented in the classroom, these
accommodations and modifications may help minimize the social,
educational, and emotional hardships that many students who have hearing
impairment.
- Below are useful classroom tips in dealing students with hearing
impairment.
 Be mindful to face the class at all times when presenting information
 Directions, as well as important parts of the lesson, should always be
written on the board.
 Teachers should be more patient when waiting to hear a response
from a hearing-impaired student which may take longer than usual.
 Encourage students to seat themselves toward the front of the lecture
theatre where they will have an unobstructed line of vision, and in
close proximity to captioning, visual cues, and/or lip-reading.
 Use assistive listening devices and technologies.
 Ensure that background noise is minimized.
 Be aware that moustaches, beards, hands, books or microphones in
front of your face can add to the difficulties of lip-readers.
 Provide written materials to supplement all lectures, tutorials,
announcements, and laboratory sessions.
 Any videos or films used should be captioned.

LEARNERS WITH SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DISORDER
Communication is the interactive exchange of information, ideas,
feelings, needs, and desires between and among people. Communication is used
to serve several functions, particularly to narrate, explain, inform, request, and
express feelings and opinions.
Speech is the expression of language with sounds, or oral production.
Speech is produces through precise physiological and neuromuscular
coordination: (1) respiration (act of breathing), (2) phonation (production of
sound by the larynx and vocal folds), and (3) articulation (use of lips, tongue,
teeth, and hard and soft palates to speak).
Language is used for communication, a formalized code used by a
group of people to communicate with one another, which is primarily arbitrary.
People decide on symbols, their corresponding meaning, and rules that make up
a language.
Voice Problems with the quality or use Phonation Disorder
Disorder of one’s voice resulting from (breathiness, hoarseness)
disorders of the larynx. Voice Hypernasality
may be excessively hoarse,
breathy, or too high-pitched
Three types of language disorder:
An expressive language disorder interferes with the production of
language. Fluency disorders such as cluttering or stuttering are disorders which
affect the ability to speak in a fluid and clear way. A child may have very limited
vocabulary that impacts communication skills or misuses words and phrases in
sentences
On the other hand, a receptive language disorder interferes with the
understanding of language. A child may have a difficulty understanding spoken
sentences or following the directions a teacher gives. It affects the child’s ability
to make sense of or identify sounds and words. One examples of this are
"Processing Disorders" in which the person has difficulty recognizing what is
being said to them, making sense of what is making sense to them, and repeating
back what they have heard. These people will often have to guess what they
have heard to fill in gaps between segments of properly understood speech.
Some children may be found to have a combination of receptive
and expressive language disorder.

Learning Characteristics
Children with communication disorders frequently struggle across social
settings, whether at home, school, or in other places in the community. Some of
the difficulties that characterize communication disorders are presented in the
following table:
There are five dimensions of language that describe its form:
Components Description
Phonology Phonology refers to the sound system of a language. A Expressive Language Difficulties Receptive Language Difficulties
phoneme is the smallest unit of sound within a language. For  Limited Vocabulary  Following oral directions
instance, the word dog is made up of three phonemes,  Incorrect grammar of syntax  Understanding humor or
namely /d/-/o-/g/ while beans has four elements,  Expressive repetition of figurative language
/b/-/e/-/a/-/n/-/s/. information  Comprehending compound
Morphology Morphology of a language refers to the smallest unit of  Difficulty in formulating and complex sentences
language that has meaning and which are used to combine questions  Responding to questions
words. Sounds, syllables, or whole words are examples of  Difficulty constructing appropriately
morphemes sentences
Syntax Syntax is a system of rules governing the meaningful
arrangement of words, which is also include grammar rules. General Educational Adaptations
For instance, the sentence, Ready get for the exam does not Different strategies and accommodations may be used to provide a
make sense until arranged in the right sequence as Get ready level playing field for children with communication difficulties or disorders.
for the exam. This section discusses the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and
Semantics Semantics refers to the meaning associated with words and practical tips to be used in the classroom.
combination of words in a language. This is also includes  Use of UDL in the classroom allows children to learn information,
vocabulary, concept development, connotative meanings of demonstrate understanding, and stay engaged in multiple ways. Because of
words, and categories weaknesses resulting from communication difficulties or disorders,
teaching and learning practices as well as assessment should be presented
Pragmatics Pragmatics revolves around the social use of language, in different modalities, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-motor or
knowing what, when, and hoe to communicate and use tactile.
language in specific context. There are three kinds of  there are practical tips and techniques that teachers can use to provide
pragmatic skills: (1) using language for different purposes students with communication difficulties the support they need in order to
(e.g., narrating, explaining, requesting, etc.), (2) changing be successful. The following list provides practical suggestions that
language according to the context (e.g., talking to a peer as teachers can use in the classroom. These suggestions are best implemented
compared to speaking to a well-respected professor), and (3) in a classroom that promotes a supportive and respectful culture, one that
following rules for conversations and story-telling (e.g., taking acknowledges and accepts diversity, and allows accommodations for
turns, rephrasing when unclear, how to use facial expressions learners with difficulties.
and eye contact, etc.)

Speech Impairments are communication disorders such as stuttering, impaired
articulation, and language or voice impairment. Such disorders are significant
enough that they can adversely affect a student’s academic, phonological,
fluency, and voice disorder.
Speech Description
Impairment
Articulation A child is unable to produce a
Disorder given sound physically. Severe
articulation disorder may render
a child’s speech unintelligible.
Examples are substitutions,
omissions, distortions, and
additions of speech sounds.
Phonological A child produces multiple
Disorder patterns of sound errors with
obvious impairment of
intelligibility. There is also noted
inconsistent misarticulation of
sounds.
Fluency Difficulties with the rhythm and
disorder timing of speech. Stuttering is an
example marked by rapid-fire
repetitions of consonant or vowel
sounds especially at the
beginning of words,
prolongations, hesitations,
interjections, and complete
verbal blocks.
LEARNERS WITH ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT
Orthopedic Impairment
- When a child has difficulty moving and/or walking, the physical domain of
Examples development is affected.
- Developmental coordination disorder refers to significant and persistent
“I want a blue lollipop deficits in coordinated motor skills that are significantly below expected
“I want a boo wowipop” typical development.
“Can I get three bananas?” - Difficulties are manifested as clumsiness, slowness, and inaccuracy of
“An I et tee nanas?” motor skills (e.g., catching an object, using scissors or cutlery,
handwriting, riding a bike, or participating in sports)
- Examples:
 Dyspraxia, used synonymously with developmental coordination
“That pie is good.” disorder, is a term often used by occupational therapists.
 Stereotypic movement disorder, is characterized by repetitive,
“Cat bye is tood.” seemingly driven, and non-functional motor behavior (e.g., hand
shaking or waving, body rocking, head banging, selfbiting, hitting
own body)
 Cerebral palsy refers to a disorder of movement and posture that
Blocks results from damage to the areas of the brain that control motor
“I want a …banana.” movement. This damage to the brain can occur before, during, or
Prolongations
after birth due to an accident or injury.
“I waaant a bbbaanana”
Repetitions - There are different classifications of cerebral palsy, depending on
“I want a ba-bbabanana.” which parts of the body are affected and the nature of the effects on muscle
tone and movement.
Classification Description
Monoplegia Only one limb is affected (upper body or lower)
Hemiplegia Two limbs on the same side of the body affected
Triplegia Three limbs are affected
Quadriplegia All four limbs, both arms and legs, are affected;
 movement of the trunk and face may also be impaired
Diplegia Legs are affected, less severe involvement of the arms
Double Impairment primarily involves the arms, less severe
hemiplegia involvement of the legs

LEARNERS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Learning Disabilities
- A learning disability is a neurological disorder which results from a
difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." It is neurologically-based
problem that affected their learning in different ways.
- The international Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health of
the World Health Organization (2001) provide definitions of specific
mental functions and focusing.
- Memory functions include short-term memory, long-term memory, and
retrieval, while attention functions include sustaining, shifting, dividing,
and sharing attention.
- Understanding these concepts is necessary to have a clearer picture of how
to enable learners with such difficulties to succeed and how to provide LEARNERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
support in an inclusive setting.
Memory Functions Intellectual Disabilities
Involves encoding, storage, and retrieval of information over time Intellectual Disability, formerly referred to as mental retardation, is a
Short-term memory Mental resources that allow for storing information developmental disorder that includes deficits in intellectual and adaptive
temporarily, for only approximately 30 seconds, after functioning across domains of conceptual, social, and practical that occur during
which is lost if strategies are not used to integrate them the developmental period. To be diagnosed with ID/IDD, a student must have
into long-term memory (e.g., remembering a 7-digit deficits in both the cognitive and adaptive domains. Children with Down’s
landline number for a moment to be able to write it syndrome with moderate to severe disability may also have problems with self-
down care.
Long-term Memory Mental resources that allow for storing information for
a long time Identification
Retrieval Mental resources used to recall information stored in
long-term memory
Attentive Functions
Involves focusing of mental resources on a stimulus for a required time
period
Sustained Attention Mental resources used to maintain attention for an
extended period also called vigilance (e.g., staying
focused while reading a chapter in a classical novel
without any interruptions until it is finished.
Selective Attention Mental resources that allow for focusing on a specific
stimulus that is important while ignoring others (e.g.,
focusing on the voice of a lecturer amidst the noise of Learning Characteristics
a group of used to refocus concentration from one
stimulus to another).
Dividing Attention Mental resources that involves focusing on one or
more activities or tasks simultaneously (e.g., listening
to music while driving).

1. Learning Disability
The term Learning Disability is differentiated from Specific Learning
Disability which focuses on difficulties in one or more basic psychological
processes. The term “SLD” includes a specific group of learning challenges.
These conditions distress a child’s capability to read, write, listen, speak, reason,
or do the math. Here is what could belong in this category:
 Dyslexia - a learning disability in reading. Children with dyslexia have
difficulty in reading at a good pace and without mistakes. They may also
have a tough time with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing.
However, these encounters are not a related problem with intelligence.
 Dysgraphia - incapability to write coherently, as a sign of brain disease or
damage. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor
handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper
 Dyscalculia - is a learning disability or incapacity in math. Kids with
dyscalculia can have trouble with quantities and concepts like bigger and
smaller. They may also struggle with math symbols and more complex
math. Having dyscalculia doesn’t mean kids are not smart. However, they
may have a difficult time relating what they know to solve or answer math
problems.
2. ADHD
The American Psychiatric Association provides the diagnostic
criteria for ADHD, which include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and
a combination of the two. For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, the observed
behaviors should meet the following criteria:
 Display a persistent pattern for at least 6 months that significantly
interferes with functioning or development
 Observed in two or more setting (e.g., at home, school, work; with friends
or relatives; and in other activities)
 Several of the symptoms were present before the age of 12 years.
 The behaviors are not insulting from other disorders (e.g., schizophrenia,
anxiety disorder, personality disorder, etc.)