Learners with Exceptionalities

Who are learners with exceptionalities?

Honestly, every child is exceptional. However, if exceptionality fits the majority of students then they can be put in groups. According to Slavin, Learners with exceptionalities can be described as "any individuals whose physical, mental, or behavioral performance is so different from the norm—either higher or lower—that additional services are required to meet their needs" (2021, pg. 313).

Exceptionalities can include but are not limited to: 

  • Autism
  • Deaf-blindness
  • Deafness
  • Developmental delay
  • Emotional disturbance
  • Hearing impairment
  • Intellectual disability
  • Multiple disabilities
  • Orthopedic impairment
  • Other health impairment
  • Specific learning disability
  • Speech or language impairment
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Visual impairment, including blindness
Impairment, Disability, and Handicap:




How are individuals with exceptionalities included?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ’04 (IDEA ’04) is the national law that guarantees an appropriate education to students with disabilities. IDEA was formally known as Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) enacted in 1975 "to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families" (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). It was reauthorized in 1990 and 2004. 1990 is when they changed the name to IDEA and 2004 was when they changed some regulations.

Almost every general education classroom includes students with exceptionalities. Students with disabilities (ages 6–17) make up 11% of the total school population. Of these students, three out of four spend all or part of their day in the general education classroom (IRIS, 2023).

Teachers are not alone in making specific instructional decisions for students with disabilities. A multidisciplinary team develops an IEP for every student who receives special education services. These IEPs outline needed supports and services. The teacher can turn to members of this team, especially based on their specific expertise like special education, occupational therapy, assistive technology, and speech to help them implement appropriate instructional techniques, interventions, and supports.


What's an IEP and 504?

IEP: IEPs are annual and provide additional intentional interventions through specialized instructional goals and objectives.

504: 504 plans provide accommodations without the need for specialized instruction and do not need to be updated every year. They don't really address learning goals, the main thing for this plan is to ensure that students are not being discriminated because of their disability. 

Effective strategies for students with disabilities in general education:

  1. Adapting instruction
  2. Teaching learning strategies and metacognitive awareness
  3. Prevention and early intervention 
  4. Tutoring and small-group intervention
  5. Buddy systems and peer tutoring
  6. Special education teams
  7. Social integration of students with disabilities 

Why do exceptionalities matter?

Students with exceptionalities can contribute a lot to their classrooms. 

They are all on different social skills and academic levels. Because of that, the teacher can see what works for them and the students can gain more knowledge. It is important for teachers to learn about all aspects (e.g., motivations, experiences, goals, strengths) of their students.  


This teacher does an awesome job differentiating her instruction for her small groups. She has moderate to severe special education students. Her small group rotations, and visual aides including a timer, first-then board, and sensory room help her classroom run smoothly. The majority of her students are non-verbal, 9 out of 10, so using her communication and pictures can help them progress with using words. She keeps the students engaged by using the Premack principle where she says that they need to do work first and then get an iPad.

Based on students Individualized Educational Plan, they can receive
  • Direct or indirect consultation and support for general education teacher
  • Special education up to 1 hour per day
  • Special education 1 to 3 hours per day; resource program
  • Special education more than 3 hours per day; self-contained special education
  • Special day school
  • Special residential school
  • Home/hospital
to meet their unique needs (Slavin, 2021).
Sources

A history of the individuals with disabilities education act. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2023, November 29). https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#:~:text=Congress%20enacted%20the%20Education%20for,with%20disabilities%20and%20their%20families.

Slavin, R. E. (2021). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Pearson.

What should teachers understand in order to address student diversity in their classrooms?. IRIS Center. (n.d.). https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/div/cresource/q2/p05/

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