Exam Monday - Education of exceptional child
Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
· Exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics
o Over a long time
o To a marked degree
o Educational performance is adversely affected
· Characteristics
o Inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or other health factors
o Inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers
o Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
o The general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
o Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears
· Under IDEA, children are included in the breaking of social rules as a direct result of their disability
· Children who are antisocial, socially maladjusted, and responding to peers and environment are considered
o Blameworthy
o Worthy to be controlled, contained, and/or punished
o Ineligible for services
· As early as first grade, learning problems predict depression, and aggression predicts antisocial behavior, criminal, and early substance abuse
· Behavioral characteristics
o Externalizing behaviors
o Persistent aggressive acting-out and noncompetent behaviors
o Behavioral earthquakes
§ High-intensity but low-frequency events
o Subject to zero-tolerance policies
o The IEP team must make a manifestation determination
· To suspend a student is to deprive them of what they need most which is education in a caring environment
· Internalizing characteristics
o Withdrawal, depression, anxiety, obsessions, and compulsions
o Poorer social skills and are less accepted than their peers
o They tend to blend into the background to the point that they are forgotten
o Less likely to be identified for special education services
o The level of social withdrawal of second-grade students can serve as a predictor of low self-regard and loneliness when they are ninth-graders
· A child’s biggest fear is that he or she will cease to exist
· Cognitive and academic characteristics
o Most have low average range IQs
o Over half have concurrent learning disabilities
o Damaged goods
§ Learned helplessness
§ Pygmalion in the classroom
o Approximately 60% drop out of school
o Approximately 71% have expressive and/or receptive language disorders
· Causes
o Biological factors
§ Brain disorders
§ Genetics
§ Temperament
o Environmental factors
§ Adverse early rearing environment
§ Aggressive pattern of behavior when entering school
§ Peer rejection
o Frequent exposure has adverse effects on the balance of brain chemicals
o Young people cannot develop a sense of their own value unless they have an opportunity to be of value to others
· Settings where environmental causes take place
o Home
§ Need a stable, significant relationship with an adult to develop resilience
§ Stressful living conditions
§ Poverty and low-income
§ Single parent household
§ Emotional or behavioral problems
§ Child abuse
· Legal responsibility
· Possible behaviors
o Poor self-image
o Inability to trust
o Aggressive and/or destructive
o Passive and withdrawn
o School failure
o Serious drug and alcohol abuse
o School
§ Ineffective instruction resulting in academic failure
§ Unclear rules and expectations
§ Inconsistent and punitive discipline practices
§ Infrequent teacher praise and approval for academic and social behavior
§ Failure to individualize instruction
o Community
§ Peer group
· Types of disorders
o Anxiety disorder
§ Most common
§ Associated with significant impairments in academic, social, and familial functioning
§ Teachers need to understand that the behaviors of students with anxiety disorders are not willful
§ Excessive fear, worry, or uneasiness
o Mood disorder
§ Extreme mood deviation either depressed or elevated
§ Can lead to suicide
§ Characteristics
§ Bipolar disorder
o Oppositional defiant disorder
§ Persistent and purposeful breaking of social norms with blaming others
§ Purposefully attempts to irritate others
§ If not intervened, will develop into a conduct disorder
§ We need to determine if this is a problem with the child or with the parenting skills
§ Requires a family intervention
o Schizophrenia
§ Remember the area of the brain affected is the same area affected by ADHD, OCD, and Autism
§ Generally, begins in late adolescence or early adulthood
§ Two or more of the following
· Hallucinations
· Withdrawal
· delusions
· inability to experience pleasure
· loss of contact with reality
· disorganized speech
o conduct disorder
§ a persistent pattern of antisocial behavior that significantly interferes with school, family, and social functioning
§ violate basic rights of others and societal rules and norms
§ school truancy and running away
§ little empathy of others
§ very low or overly inflated self-esteem
§ categories
· aggressive conduct
o physical harm to people or animals
· non-aggressive conduct
o property loss or damage
· deceitfulness or theft
· serious rule violations
· discipline technique
o tagging
§ telling the student “I’d like to discuss this at a later time when both of us are calm” and ending this discussion
Autism
· Autism Spectrum Disorder
· Includes a cluster of 5 disorders
o Autism
o Rett’s disorder
o Childhood disintegrative disorder
o Aspergers disorder
o Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
· Rett’s disorder
o Primarily girls
o Early development (first 5 to 6 months) is normal
o Head and brain growth decelerate
o Poor social interaction
o Impaired communication
§ Both receptive and expressive
o Loss of purposeful hand movements
o Profound intellectual disability
o Characteristic hand-washing and hand-wringing
· Childhood disintegrative disorder
o Usually occurring in 3 to 4 year olds
o Loss of social skills
§ Lack of play
§ Inability to form relationships
o Loss of bowel and bladder control
o Loss of expressive and/or receptive language
§ Affect relationships and conversation ability
o Loss of motor skills
o Impaired nonverbal behaviors
o Delay or lack of spoken language
o Increased EEG abnormalities
o Seizure disorder
o More boys than girls
· Aspergers disorder
o Normal or above-average intelligence
o Normal early language acquisition
o Delayed later language skills
o Repetitive behaviors
o Young Children—difficulty learning social cues
o Elementary Age—Cannot use the right tone and volume of speech; Poor social cues; Poor ability to understand humor and slang; Clumsy; Visual perceptual difficulties; May become fixated on a topic; Difficulties tolerating changes in daily routine
o Adolescents—Maybe the most difficult time because of the social impairment; Can turn to oppositional or aggressive behavior and may be especially vulnerable to manipulation and peer pressure
· PDDNOS
o Impairment of social interaction
o Impairment of communication
o Repetitive behavior
o Fixation on topic
· General characteristics in autism spectrum
o 7 Distinct Characteristics
§ Impaired language
§ Impaired social skills
§ Repetitive behavior
§ Problem behavior
§ Need for environmental predictability
§ Sensory and movement disorders
§ Impaired intellectual functioning
· Language development
o Ranges from no verbal communication to complex communication
o Two common impairments
§ Delayed language
· 85 to 90% can learn language skills if they begin their education before age 5
· Focuses attention on one topic only
· Uses limited gestures to supplement their verbal skills
· Reverses pronouns (“You want to have a snack now” meaning “I want a snack now”
· Difficulty maintaining eye contact
§ Echolalia
· This is a typical pattern of early childhood that usually disappears around age 3.
· Can be an immediate response
· . Can be a delayed response with no communicative intent
· Reasons
o Desire for attention
o Fill silence
o Make a request
o Indicate affirmation
o Protest actions of others
o Provide information
· Social Development—A hallmark of Autism
o Impaired use of nonverbal behavior
o Lack of peer relationships
o Failure to spontaneously share enjoyment, interests, and achievements
o Lack of reciprocity
o Particularly problematic for those with Asperger’s Disorder
§ Hyperactivity
§ Verbal aggression
§ Withdrawal
§ Depression
· Repetitive Behavior
o Obsessions
§ thoughts, impulses, and images that create anxiety
o Tics
§ involuntary, rapid movements that occur without warning
o Perseveration
§ inappropriate, persistent, and repetitive behaviors or verbalizations
· Rocking
· Twirling objects
· Waving fingers in front of face
o Indicates boredom, agitation, or awareness of self
Problem Behavior
1. IDEA requires using positive behavior support
2. Four categories:
1. Self-injurious behavior:
a. Head banging; Scratching; Biting
b. May cause permanent damage
c. Can be life-threatening such as pica— eating nonedibles
2. Aggression
a. Behavior directed toward others
b. Serves as communication
1. attain something
2. avoid something
3. increase or decrease sensory stimulation
3. Tantrums
4. Property destruction
Need for Environmental Predictability
1. Source of security
2. Can cause great anxiety
3. Schedules and routines
4. Strategies for accepting change
5. Prepare child in advance
Unusual Responsiveness to Sensory Stimuli
1. 70% - 80% rate of occurrence
2. Under or over-responsive to sensory stimuli
a. Overresponsive (hypersensitive)
b. Under responsive (hypersensitive)
Intellectual Functioning
1. Can range from gifted to intellectually disabled
2. 20%--normal intelligence
30%--mild to moderate intellectual impairments
42%--severe to profound
3. Asperger Disorder tend to have higher intellectual functioning
4. Savant Syndrome—extraordinary abilities such as calendar calculating, musical ability, mathematical skills, memorization, and mechanical abilities
Causes
In the past—high socioeconomic status who were “cold”; “refrigerator mother”
Brain or biochemical dysfunction before, during, or after birth
a. Neuro-chemistry and genetic factors
b. Atypical development of the central nervous system
c. Formation of brain structures including pathways and synaptic connections
Currently there is not a reliable diagnosis instrument of Autism prior to age two.
Some research techniques being tested:
Eye Tracker---assesses interest; less likely to follow a change of direction.
Viewing images on a computer screen
Interest in a face and other images of eyes and mouth----at risk if less drawn to faces
Two balls that appear to be playing together---no interest shown
Modifications, and Accommodations
Functional Assessment—for problem behavior
A. Precisely describe
B. Gather information from all sources
C. Determine the purpose of problem behavior
D. Hypothesize the relationship between the problem behavior and the events occurring before, during, and after
E. Incorporate into IEP—focus on changing environment and circumstances
F. Develop alternative behaviors and new skills
Inclusion - Most recent statistics from U.S. Department of Education (2010)
• Approximately 36% were educated in general education classrooms
• 18% were served in a resource room
• 36% were placed in separate classes
• 10% attended special schools or residential facilities
Augmenting Curriculum and Instruction
a. Rearrange environment rather than expecting the child to change to fit the environment
b. Positive behavior support
1. Universal Support
2. Group Support
3. Individual Support
Universal Support
1. For all students
2. Clearly defined behavioral expectations
3. Teach behavioral expectations
4. Acknowledge appropriate behaviors—at least four times as many positive affirmations as negative sanctions
5. Involve students in evaluation of system
6. Target support for those who need more intense development and practice…..
Group Support
1. Helping each other be accountable
2. Working together to accomplish improvement
3. Problem areas tend to be hallways, cafeteria, and playground
Individual Support
1. Teach appropriate behavior to child
2. Teach others ways to aid
Collaboration is a key
1. School
2. Home
3. Occupational therapists
4. Speech and language therapists
5. Physical therapists
6. Child
Early intervention is critical
Side Notes:
*88% of the Autistic children live in single parent homes
*A mother or father diagnosed with schizophrenia are about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with Autism.
*Mothers of Autistic children have a high rate of depression and personality disorders