Characteristics+Group+Grid

**Learning Disabilities** By: Vivian Elizabeth Howard ||
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –

Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || **Definition**: “Specific learning disability” means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include children who have learning problems which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, of mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.


 * Incidence**: Currently, almost 2.9 million school-aged children in the United States are classified as having specific learning disabilities and receive some kind of special education support. Learning disabilities is by far the largest category of special education.


 * Etiology**: A learning disability is a developmental disorder that is usually present from birth, although it may go undetected until later in life. While genetic predisposition, perinatal injury, and various neurological or other medical conditions may be associated with the development of learning disabilities, the presence of such conditions does not invariably predict an eventual learning disability.

Some individuals with learning disabilities have no familial, medical, or environmental history that would predict a learning disorder. || Health Issues || Learning disabilities usually first show up when a person has difficulty speaking, reading, writing, figuring out a math problem, communicating with a parent, or paying attention in class. Some kids' learning disabilities are diagnosed in grade school when a parent or a teacher notices the kid can't follow directions for a game or is struggling to do work he or she should be able to do easily.
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability

Learning disabilities fall into one of two categories: verbal and nonverbal. People with verbal learning disabilities have difficulty with words, both spoken and written. The most common and best known verbal learning disability is dyslexia. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || People with nonverbal learning disabilities may have difficulty processing what they see. They may have trouble making sense of visual details like numbers on a blackboard. Someone with a nonverbal disability may confuse the plus sign with the sign for division. ||
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || Some students who have been diagnosed with a learning disability work with a special teacher or tutor for a few hours a week to learn certain study skills, note-taking strategies, or organizational techniques that can help them compensate for their learning disability.

Some schools develop what is called an Individualized Education Program (or IEP), which helps define a person's learning strengths and weaknesses and make a plan for the learning activities that will help the student do his or her best in school. A student's IEP might include sessions with a tutor or time in a specialized classroom for a certain subject, or the use of special equipment to help with learning, such as books on tape or laptop computers for students who have dyslexia.

Medication is often prescribed to help students with ADHD. Several medicines on the market today can help improve a student's attention span and ability to focus and help control impulses and other hyperactive behavior.

There's no cure for a learning disability. And you don't outgrow it. But it's never too late to get help. Most people with these disabilities adapt to their learning differences and find strategies that help them accomplish their goals and dreams. || http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/learning_disabilities.html# http://www.education.com/reference/article/prevalence-learning-disabilities/ || **Emotional /Behavioral** By: Holly Jones || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || **Definition:** Emotional or behavioral disorders does not have a specific universally accepted definition. This disability includes individuals who often exhibit a wide range of behaviors including acting out, aggressive behaviors, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and conduct disorders. This disability is also used in terms as emotionally disturbed, behaviorally disordered, emotionally conflicted, socially handicapped, personally impaired socially impaired, and various others as well. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 or also known as IDEA their definition of the disability is when the condition of the person is exhibited over a long period of time and affects their educational performance.
 * References: || http://www.asha.org/docs/html/RP1991-00209.html
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –

Characteristic that to a degree adversely affect a child's educational performance are an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, and a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.


 * Incidence:** According to the U.S. Department of Education report from 2011, during the school years of 2009 through 2010 around 405,000 students between the ages of 6 and 21 were receiving a special education or related services because of an emotional or behavioral disorder. It is categorized as 7 percent of the total number of people in special education, which causes it to be the 5th largest disability for students of the ages between 6 and 21.

About 1/2 of students with emotional or behavioral disorders leave school before graduation, which is the highest dropout rate among all individuals with disabilities!

Health Issues || There is no universal accepted system for classifying physical characteristic of the disabilities health concerns, however the two widely used classification schemes are clinically derived classification systems and statistically derived classification systems. The clinically derived classification systems characteristics of the disability included descriptions or symptoms, indicators of severity, prevalence estimates, and other information about each emotional or behavioral disorder. The statistically derived classification systems characteristics often include patterns common among children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. However some typical characteristics of the emotional and behavioral disorders are inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, and a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || Those with an emotional or behavioral disorder often score in the low-average range on measures of intelligence and typically perform two or more years below grade level expectations in reading, math, and spelling. Therefore poor grades, chrionic absenteeism, and grade retention are frequent characteristics of those with a emotional or behavioral disorder. ||
 * Etiology:** Most emotional or behavioral disorders have no known cause, but the suspected factors can be grouped into two categories known as biological and environmental. The emotional and behavioral disorders that most likely fit into the biological group include depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, child temperament, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The emotional and behavioral disorders that most likely fit into the environmental group include the follow risk factors domestic violence, dysfunctional childrearing practices, parental mental illness, overcrowding, adverse school experiences, child abuse, child neglect, and poverty. No single cause is contributed to the development of a emotional or behavioral disorder, however the more risk factors and the longer the person is exposed to these circumstances the greater chance for developing these challenging behaviors characterized as an emotional or behavior disorder. ||
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || Emotional and behavioral disorders fall into one of two categories: externalizing disorders and internalizing disorders. Externalizing disorders are known as the disorders that are "under controlled". These disorders are characterized by aggressiveness, temper tantrums, acting out, hostile, defiant, and compliant behaviors. These externalizing disorders are disturbing to others and generally result in disruption in the educational classroom. Internalizing disorders are known as the disorders that are "over controlled". These disorders are characterized by social withdrawal, depression, phobias, excessive shyness, and anxiety. These internalizing disorders are far less likely to be identified because they typically do not create disruption to the general educational classroom. ||
 * References || Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. //Teaching in today’s inclusive classroom//. (2 ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

[] [] || **Deaf/Hard of Hearing** By: Holly Jones || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || **Definition:** A hearing impairment is a general statement describing ones disordered hearing abilities. There are two different ways to classify hearing loss. The first way is by the location of the disorder. A conductive hearing loss which is caused by a barrier to the transmission of sound through the outer or middle ear. Also a sensorineural hearing loss which is caused by disorders of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or both. The second way to classify a hearing impairment is by degree.
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –

The IDEA definition states that deafness is a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that effects the child's educational performance.


 * Incidence:** According to the U.S. Department of Education in 2011, around 71,000 students between the ages of 6 and 21 were defined as having a hearing impairment.

Genetic or hereditary factors is one of the leading causes of deafness. 57 percent of instances of hearing loss in children the cause is unknown. Infections are common causes of hearing impairments. These infections include rubella, german measles, CMV, herpes virus. || Health Issues || Low birth weight, prematurity, anoxia, meningitis, head injuries are all possible characteristics associated with a hearing impairment. Also daydreaming, impaired speech, limited vocabulary, lethargic, often turning head to one side, mouth breathing, difficult following verbal commands, non-responsive to environmental noise, complains of earaches, recurring ear infections, pulling of ears, excessive volume when listening to audio, frequent requests to repeat verbal information, and difficulty hearing telephone conversations are all indicators of possible hearing impairments in children. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || The ability to hear allows individuals to gain information about the world around them, and also is important for developing their speech and language abilities. Therefore those who are deaf or are hard of hearing have a dramatic impact that affects their speech and language abilities, academic achievement, literacy performance, and the social skills.
 * Etiology:**
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or

Those who have a hearing impairment or considered deaf have a difficult time succeeding in a educational environment primarily based on spoken word or written language to transmit knowledge. Also they on average are three or four years below their apge-appropriate grade level.

Reading is the academic area most negatively affected for students with a hearing impairment. ||
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || Deaf children often have a difficult time developing language and speech skills. Mild or Moderate hearing impairments speech and language skills may only be effected a minimal amount. Also children with hearing impairments often have difficulties with social emotional development, which cause them to have a heard time developing friendships and other social interactions. This causes the individual to express feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression.

A hearing aid may be needed to aid children's hearing abilities and also so their communication skills can improve! || **Blind/Vision** By: Jessica Lawrence || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || **Definition:** according to IDEA of 2004, legally blind“an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects an individual’s educational performance; includes both partial sight and blindness” //refractive errors//: myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism //defects of the ocular muscle//: strabismus, nystagmus //disorders of the cornea, iris, or lens//: cataracts, glaucoma //other condition//: retinitis pigmentosa, retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, cortical visual impairment || Health Issues || Visually impaired individuals often engage in repetitive behaviors: rubbing their eyes, head weaving, hand flapping, and body rocking. Individuals that suffer from visual impairments of any severity show characteristics such as: holding objects close to eyes, tilting their head when reading, sensitivity to light, frequent headaches and dizziness, blurred or double vision, poor hand-eye coordination, inward or outward rotation of the eyes, and difficulty seeing from a distance. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || Students with visual impairments often experience academic delays because they are not able to acquire information visually. They aren’t able to learn from interacting from their environment. They learning relies on their touch. Depending on the severity of a persons impairment, they need mobility skills. They usually use long canes, human guides, or guide dogs to help with their orientation and mobility. || **Intellectual Disabilities** **(mild/moderate)** By: Jessica Lawrence || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || **Definition:** according to IDEA of 2004 “significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviors and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” approximately 8% of all pupils with disabilities and about 1% of total school-age population most intellectual disabilities are discussed according to their pre-, peri-, and post-natal contributions, Down syndrome results from an inborn error of metabolism Other causes are low birth weight, and prematurity while meningitis, malnutrition, and environmental deprivation || Health Issues || Most of the physical characteristics of a person with an intellectual disability is underdevelopment in physical growth, average weight and height usually less that peers their same age, physical deformation, and altered movement and balance. People with intellectual disabilities are often emotionally imbalanced, have early or late reactions, have excessive movement, and primitive reactions. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || Most of the intellectual disability population is believed to have mild cases (of the 4 levels). Many different factors influence each individual with a intellectual disability. These include: chronological age, severity of the disability, the etiology, and educational opportunities. The biggest characteristic of an individual with an intellectual disability is impaired cognitive functioning. Learning for students with intellectual disabilities is made of many interrelated cognitive processes. Our textbook states that "students with intellectual disabilities are more like their typical classmates than they are different, sharing many of the same social, emotional, and physical needs". Students with minor cases learn the same way an average student would, just at a slower rate. ||
 * References || Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. //Teaching in today’s inclusive classroom//. (2 ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ||
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –
 * Incidence**: 26,000 children ages 6-21 received services in the 2009-2010 school year, approximately 0.43% of students with disabilities
 * Etiology**: damage to eye; pre-, peri-, and postnatal factors
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || There is a wide range of visual impairments (blind, low vision, residual vision). Some students have no vision and learn through Braille, other students may be able to read prints with modifications like enlarged print, other students may use a combination. Visually impaired children are often excluded from group activities. They often feel isolated and feel a lack of acceptance. They have low self-esteem and self-concept. ||
 * References || Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. //Teaching in today’s inclusive classroom//. (2 ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ||
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –
 * Incidence:** 461,000 between ages 6-21 received special education in the 2009-2010 school year,
 * Etiology:** only about half of intellectual disability cases can be sited
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || People with intellectual disabilities often behave and communicate differently than average people. They have low self-esteem, are often aggressive, irresponsible, lack interests and orientations, and haven't developed social adjustment. They tend to stick around people that also have intellectual disabilities because they feel they aren't accepted or included in other groups. ||
 * References || Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. //Teaching in today’s inclusive classroom//. (2 ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

//Characteristics of intellectually disabled//. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.somena.org/showpage.aspx?PID=371 || **TBI** By: Kristen Gaudioso || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || Definition: A temporary or permanent injury to the brain from acquired causes such as accidents, accidental falls, and gunshot wounds the head; it does not include congenital or degenerative conditions or birth trauma. Traumatic Brain Injuries are acquired after birth. The extent of disability depends on the cause of the injury and its severity. The leading causes of TBI are sports injuries, accidental falls, and car accidents. || Health Issues || **Physical Characteristics** The physical characteristics of TBI differ depending on the injury. Problems such as, headache, fatigue, distractibility, memory problems, and perceptual motor slowing can occur. These issues may last months, years, and in some cases they can become permanent. Health issues will appear in moderate to severe brain injuries. In these cases a hospital stay is usually needed. People with severe injuries often enter the hospital in a coma and slowly regain some or most of their abilities. Severe traumatic brain injuries can sometimes lead to permanent disabilities. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || TBI can have many different affects on learning. Some issues that may arise are; long and short term memory problems, attention disorders, organizational and planning difficulties, uneven academic abilities, impaired oral and written language, problem solving and abnormal reasoning deficits, and continual repetition of an action or thought. || **Autism** By: Kristen Gaudioso || Major Components, Including Incidence and etiology || Definition: Autism is one of the five discrete childhood disorders falling under the umbrella term pervasive development disorders. Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects educational performance.
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –
 * Incidence/Etiology:**
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability
 * Health Issues**
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || Behavior issues are common among people with TBI. They can experience mood swings, depression, heightened irritability, diminished motivation, increased aggressiveness, difficulty responding appropriately to social cues, decreased impulse control, and difficulty adapting to changes in routines or schedules. The needs and issues that arise also depend on the injury ||
 * References ||  ||
 * Federal Definition of the Disability –

The exact cause of autism is not known. However, research has implicated neurological, genetic, and environmental factors as possible agents. There is strong evidence for genetic contribution to ASD. ASD has multiple biological causes. || Health Issues || **Physical Characteristics:**Physical characteristics for ASD can include self injurious behaviors like head banging, biting, and excessive rubbing or scratching. Other characteristics like a high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or touch, exaggerated responses to lights or colors, and hypersensitive hearing are also common.
 * Incidence/etiology:**
 * Typical Physical Characteristics of the Disability

Eating and sleeping abnormalities are the main health issues that arise with ASD. A limited diet and ingestion, ingestion of non edibles, difficulty falling and staying asleep, early morning awakening, and bed wetting can occur. || Effects Of The Disability On Development And Learning || When it comes to learning a full range of intellectual abilities is possible. However, a great amount of people with ASD experience intellectual disabilities. Some of these struggles may include impaired verbal and reasoning skills, poor reading comprehension, hyperactivity, a short attention span, impulsivity, and impaired concentration. ||
 * Health Issues:**
 * Typical Learning Characteristics and/or
 * Common Communication and/or Behavior Issues & Needs || For ASD they are multiple issues that may be prevalent when it comes to behavior and communication. Giggling or weeping for no apparent reason, depression, and lack of an emotional reaction are common. Also, as stated previously, impaired verbal and reasoning skills are an issue when it comes to communication. ||
 * References || Garguilo, R.M & Metcalf, D. (2013). //Teaching in Today’s Inclusive Classroom: A Universal Design for Learning Approach (2////nd// //Ed.).// Belmont: Wadsworth. ||