Dauto 1

Objective: To show the different categories of disabilities you could encounter while in the
classroom. We will also cover what Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is, and
how it has help change the way that the public school system is run.

Materials/Equipment: Handout sheets on different types of disabilities.

Videos:

Instruction:
Start with video: Beethoven
State objective: To show the different categories of disabilities you could encounter while
in the classroom. We will also cover what Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) is, and how it has help change the way that the public school system is run.

PowerPoint Presentation
Slide 1 - Autism
Slide 2 - Deafness
Slide 3 - Physical development
Slide 4 - Traumatic Brain Injury
Slide 5 - Social / Emotional Development

What are the benefits to the teacher of being aware of the students disabilities? To the students?
What are some other ways, that we havent covered, that we can help these students? What are
some common traits? Educational Challenges? Tips?

Outline for Lesson Plan:

Section 1
Introduction
 Dauto 2

Section 2

Autism - is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal

communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a
childs educational performance.

Asperger's Disorder
This type of autism is something that you hear more and more about. These children are
often misdiagnosed at first, and are thought to have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or
perhaps Attention Deficit Disorder. These children are very unskilled with social interactions
and have problems with communicating. They have repetitive motions, and are fixated on
patterns of all types. They can have above average language skills, though they don't use
them well in social situations. They are often clumsy, as motor skills are under developed.
Those with Asperger's are thought to have a talent that they focus on almost exclusively,
and are considered to be highly intelligent. Recent findings indicate that Albert Einstein may
have had this condition.

Kanner's Syndrome (classic autistic disorder)

This particular type of autism was named after a Dr. Kanner. He described and studied it in
the 1930s and into the 1940s. This is the well-known type of this condition that is very
common. Those with Kanner's have very limited emotional connection with anyone, and
they are very into their own little world. They want everything to be the same all of the
time, and this includes routine (sometimes down to the exact minute) clothing, food, and
television shows or movies. They can be deeply effected by noises, bright lights and smells.
They are generally considered to be low functioning, but how well their mind works is
largely unknown because of extremely poor social and communication skills.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder--Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).

This term is used to describe children who have most of the same symptoms as classic
autism. They will need the same interventions and help that autistic children require. The
differences between PDD-NOS and autism are minor and usually only obvious to researchers
and doctors.

Rett's Syndrome
Rett's is a rare and relatively little-known type of autism, and it seems to only happen in
girls. This branch of autism was first described by Dr. Rett. These patients often have
problems with muscle atrophy, and tend to do repetitive hand motions. They area almost
always mentally retarded to some degree. These girls are very low functioning and will need
care for most of their lives. This particular type of autism has been diagnosed since the
sixties, but in the late 1990s a gene that might cause this condition was found.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

This is also thankfully pretty rare and something that strikes children who appear to have
normal development from birth. Usually between two and four years of age this changes.
These children begin to regress, and often do not potty train. They will lose the will and the
ability to interact with other children, and will lose an interested in play. They will also have
problem with the motor skills that were something they at one time had mastered. They will
stop talking, or their communication skills will regress to some degree.
 Dauto 3

Common Traits:
Unusual fixation (for instance, only playing with round toys)
Inability to focus without first completing a routine
Disruptive behavior when ordinary schedule is interrupted
Unusual communication habits (from not talking at all to repeating certain phrases)
Difficulty understanding social interactions

Educational Challenges:
Trouble following directions
Hampered ability to communicate
Disinterest
Disruptive behavioral problems

Tips for Teachers:

Giving directions one step at a time, utilizing various cues to reiterate instructions. For
example, give directions on how to fold a piece of paper by verbalizing the steps while
demonstrating how to do so; do each step individually, followed by the student imitating each
step; do not integrate all the steps until each is mastered.

Assistive technology can reduce communication issues. Teachers, to combat disinterest, learn
what intrigues your student so that you can grab his or her attention. For instance, if a student
is heavily fixated on airplanes but uninterested in math, write word problems that incorporate
situations relating to airplanes.

Teachers, getting to know a student can help you avoid disruptive behavior. Find out what
calms your student and what riles up him or her. Parents you can assist here by providing such
knowledge to your kids teachers.

Section 3
Deafness is an inability to comprehend verbal language due to an inability to hear characterizes
deafness. The official definition of deafness from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) is a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing
linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification. The phrase with or
without amplification is significant as it indicates that a hearing aid will not provide sufficient
accommodation so that the student can succeed in the classroom.

Educational Challenges:
 Dauto 4

Learning by lectures
Participating in classroom discussions
Giving oral presentations
Taking oral exams
Note taking
Watching educational films

Tips for Teachers

A sign language interpreter can also be of assistance during classroom discussions. The same
goes with lip reading, although that may prove more difficult depending on the proximity of the
classmate speaking. Text-to-speech assistive technology offers a deaf student the ability to
share comments with the class if he or she does not use a sign language interpreter.

The same text-to-speech assistive technology can enable a student to give oral presentations and
take oral exams.

Section 4
Physical / Orthopedic Impairment means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a childs
educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments
caused by disease, and impairments from other causes.
Cerebral Palsy- The term cerebral palsy refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy
or early childhood and permanently affect body movement, muscle coordination, and balance. CP affects
the part of the brain that controls muscle movements.

Muscular dystrophy - is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In
muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form
healthy muscle.

Parkinson's disease - is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops
gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) - is a group of genetic disorders that mainly affect the bones. The term
"osteogenesis imperfecta" means imperfect bone formation. People with this condition have bones that
break easily, often from mild trauma or with no apparent cause. Multiple fractures are common, and in
severe cases, can occur even before birth.

Paraplegia is the result of damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots, or severe injury to the nerve
roots
Quadriplegia is when the damage is located in the cervical region of the spine

Educational Challenges:
Non-accessible transportation
 Dauto 5

Trouble maneuvering around the classroom

Difficulty navigating school hallways
Earning mandated physical education credit
Communicating effectively

Tips for Teachers

Teachers, you will want to keep in mind mobility devices (such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches
and canes) when arranging classroom furniture and assigning seats. For example, placing a
student who uses a walker close to your rooms entrance is usually more practical than placing
him or her in the middle of the classroom. Individualized education program (IEP) can
indicate that a students schedule should be arranged to eliminate excessive walking back and
forth. In addition, students can be granted access to the schools elevator to allow them to travel
safely between floors.

Section 5
Traumatic Brain Injury is an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force,
resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that
adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head
injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory;
attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and
motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech.

Contusion - A contusion can be the result of a direct impact to the head. A contusion is a bruise (bleeding)
on the brain. Large contusions may need to be surgically removed.

Diffuse Axonal -A Diffuse Axonal Injury can be caused by shaking or strong rotation of the head, as with
Shaken Baby Syndrome, or by rotational forces, such as with a car accident.

Penetration - Penetrating injury to the brain occurs from the impact of a bullet, knife or other sharp object
that forces hair, skin, bones and fragments from the object into the brain.

Anoxia - Anoxic Brain Injury occurs when the brain does not receive any oxygen.

Hypoxic - A Hypoxic Brain Injury results when the brain receives some, but not enough oxygen.

Common Traits:
Memory difficulties, both short-term and long-term
Problems concentrating
Trouble maneuvering, maybe even paralysis
Struggles with relating to peers

Educational Challenges:
Difficulty taking tests and exams
 Dauto 6

Problems with following complex directions

Difficulty learning new skills

Tips for Teachers

Giving students with TBIs extra time to complete tests, as well as breaking down complex
directions into smaller steps, providing directions in writing and teaching a student to use a day
planner. Using a day planner to keep track of assignments and schedules can help the student
stay organized and avoid confusion.

Perhaps the most important tip for teachers and parents to consider is to take the time to get to
know each child as an individual. Parents, TBI assessment offers an ideal opportunity for such a
process. Before your son or daughter returns to the classroom after a traumatic brain injury he or
she should go through an evaluation process to create an individualized education plan (IEP) and
identify which special education services might prove beneficial.

Section 6
Social/Emotional Disabilities means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following
characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects
a childs educational performance: (a) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by
intellectual, sensory, or health factors. (b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory
interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. (c) Inappropriate types of behavior or
feelings under normal circumstances. (d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or
depression. (e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or
school problems. The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are
socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they
have an emotional disturbance.

Common Traits:
Six most common types of emotional disturbances: anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder,
conduct disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and psychotic
disorders; however, they note that this list isnt all-inclusive.

Educational Challenges
Given the behavioral issues related to the disability category at hand, educating students
diagnosed with emotional disturbances can prove challenging. The challenge often stems from
potential classroom disruptions; for instance, imagine the trouble created when a student begins
crying uncontrollably or starts throwing a wild temper tantrum, panic attack.

Tips for Teachers

 Dauto 7

Avoiding disruptive behavior may entail behavior modification. Behavior modification can
involve strategies such as positive reinforcement and incentives to help students learn
behaviors that are less disruptive and more socially acceptable.

One final tip is likely to benefit both parents and teachers. Collaborate with other professionals
who work with your child or student (psychotherapist, behavioral therapist, etc.) to determine
specific ways to effectively educate the individual.

Closure:
What are the benefits to the teacher of being aware of the students disabilities? To the students?
What are some other ways, that we havent covered, that we can help these students? What are
some common traits? Educational Challenges? Tips?