Chapter 1 The Foundation for Educating Students with Special Needs
Multiple Choice
1. When schools refer to students with disabilities, they mean students who_____.
a. demonstrate difficulty with specific learning tasks
b. could benefit from mandated special education services
c. receive special education services according to federal/state guidelines
d. require assistance to benefit from special education
2. Which of the following is not a related service?
a. specialized transportation
b. physical therapy
c. speech/language therapy
d. assistive technology
3. Least restrictive environment is a student’s right to be educated in an environment ____.
a. where he/she is most likely to be socially accepted and successful
b. most like that for peers without disabilities
c. that supports his/her special physical, emotional or cognitive needs
d. that is equivalent to his/her peers in a general education classroom
4. In order to identify a least restrictive environment other than a general education setting ____.
a. students must demonstrate an emotional or behavioral disability
b. the need for extensive supports must be demonstrated
c. students must demonstrate a need for intensive medical care
d. intensive supports must have been provided without success
5. Which of the following is true about mainstreaming?
a. If the student requires even minimal assistance to be academically successful, he/she should be
removed from the general education classroom.
b. Only students with mild disabilities should participate in some of the activities of a general
education classroom.
c. Students should be placed in a general education setting only when they can meet traditional
academic expectations with minimal assistance.
d. All students are considered mainstreamed when they receive special education assistance for no
more than thirty minutes during a school day.
6. Advocates of inclusive practices believe that ____.
a. if traditional academic expectations cannot be met, expectations should be changed, not the setting
b. students should be routinely moved from general education classrooms to receive special
assistance
c. instruction of students with disabilities should be based on the special needs defined by the
diagnosed disability
d. it is wrong to provide instruction in a separate setting, especially for students with milder
disabilities
7. In the first half of the twentieth century, a student with a relatively mild learning disability was most likely
to receive instruction ____.
a. in a special education classroom
b. in a general education classroom
c. with a private tutor
d. in an institution
8. The court decision in Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley stated that ____.
a. schools may not exclude students with intellectual disabilities
b. the law does not require optimum services for special education
c. services cannot be withheld regardless of potential financial hardships
d. teachers are required to make good-faith efforts to provide accommodations
9. The court decision that established the student is mainstreamed to the maximum extent appropriate when
the general education setting is not successful is ____.
a. Diana v. State Board of Education
b. Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.
c. Daniel R.R. v. State Board of Education
d. Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley
10. Which of the following legal cases was crucial in establishing the principles of inclusive practices?
a. Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.
b. Oberti v. Board of Education of Clementon School District
c. Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia
d. Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley
11. Which of the following introduced the concept of integration into public education?
a. Brown v. Board of Education
b. P.L. 94-142
c. Doe v. Withers
d. Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley
12. One of the outcomes of the civil rights movement of the 1960s directly led to the passage of ____.
a. the Americans with Disabilities Act
b. the Education of the Handicapped Act
c. the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
d. Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act
13. Which of the following is a provision of Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act?
a. Employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities
b. Buildings, transportation and other public places must be accessible to people with disabilities.
c. Classroom teachers must be a member of the team writing the Individualized Education Program.
d. Some students not eligible for special education services may be entitled to receive specific types
of assistance to be academically successful.
14. P.L. 94-142 led to the mandating of ____.
a. the concept of least restrictive environment
b. the removal of culturally biased items on tests used for placement
c. fully-funded in-service training in special education for general education teachers
d. access to public places for people with disabilities
15. Which piece of legislation mandated the concept of least restrictive environment?
a. P.L. 101–476
b. P.L. 94-142
c. P.L. 105–17
d. P.L. 99-457
16. Which revision of P.L.94-142 added two new categories of disability, traumatic brain injury and autism, to
those originally outlined?
a. 1975
b. 1990
c. 1997
d. 2004
17. Which is not an accountability requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001?
a. adequate yearly progress (AYP)
b. highly qualified teachers in specific content areas
c. teaching strategies based on rigorous research
d. assessment results must be reported only in terms of percentiles
18. Generally, parents of special education students view inclusion as ____.
a. less beneficial than having the child in an exclusively special education setting
b. beneficial for academic achievement, but not of help socially
c. beneficial for both academic and social reasons
d. an outdated idea
19. Which of the following does your book identify as an area of concern regarding inclusion?
a. student participation in the typical activities and lessons of the classroom
b. social skill development of all students within a given classroom setting
c. adequate personnel for the strong collaborative relationships among educators
d. support for parents
20. When a student has extraordinary difficulties communicating for reasons other than maturation, they are
typically diagnosed with ____.
a. speech or language impairments
b. autism
c. orthopedic impairments
d. severe intellectual disability
21. A majority of students receiving special education services in public schools have ____.
a. learning disabilities
b. autism
c. emotional disturbances
d. speech or language disorders
22. Which of the following is not true of students with learning disabilities?
a. They often encounter significant problems learning how to read.
b. They may take longer to answer a question or comment directed at them.
c. They can have difficulty picking out important features of a picture.
d. They are typically unmotivated to do their assigned school work.
23. Which of the following is not a disability defined by IDEA?
a. emotional disturbances
b. developmental disabilities
c. obesity
d. traumatic brain injury
24. The term intellectual disability is sometimes used instead of ____.
a. learning disability
b. developmental delays
c. autism
d. mental retardation
25. A student whose behavior is characterized in part by a lack of appropriate social responsiveness from a
very early age is likely to be diagnosed with ____.
a. severe intellectual disability
b. autism
c. hearing loss
d. emotional disturbance
26. A student who has demonstrated persistent, pervasive aggressive behavior would most likely receive
special education services under this category.
a. other health impairments
b. emotional disturbance
c. traumatic brain injury
d. learning disability
27. Students who have difficulty in social interactions and communication are referred to as ____.
a. Asperger syndrome
b. mentally retarded
c. hard of hearing
d. emotionally disturbed
28. Which of the following is not a disease or disorder protected under the other health impairments category?
a. severe asthma
b. sickle-cell anemia
c. cerebral palsy
d. severe ADHD
29. Which category protected under IDEA includes students with characteristics that may include short-term
memory loss, developmental delays, vision loss and needs that may change over time?
a. autism
b. traumatic brain injury
c. orthopedic impairments
d. developmental disabilities
30. Because of the unique learning, especially in the domain of communication, these students are likely to
receive special education services beginning at birth.
a. speech or language impairment
b. autism
c. deaf-blindness
d. intellectual disability
31. This category is used only when a student’s disabilities are so serious and interrelated that none can be
identified as a primary disability.
a. developmental disabilities
b. orthopedic impairments
c. traumatic brain injury
d. multiple disabilities
32. Which of the following is a high-incidence disability?
a. moderate intellectual disabilities
b. orthopedic impairments
c. developmental delays
d. emotional disturbances
33. The cross-categorical approach means ____.
a. more attention is paid to a student’s learning needs than to specific labels of the disability
b. a teacher has unique, specialized teaching techniques for each category of disability and does not
stray from those methods
c. a student with autism could not benefit from the same techniques used to teach a student with a
traumatic brain injury
d. students will have multiple individualized programs
34. Which of the following is not a characteristic of ADHD?
a. inability to attend to the assigned task
b. aggressive behavior
c. excessive motor activity
d. impulsivity
35. In which situation would the student between the ages of 3–9 be eligible for special education, assuming no
other circumstances or disabilities exist?
a. English is not the student’s primary language.
b. The student lives in extreme poverty.
c. The student is identified by a teacher as a slow learner.
d. The student exhibits significant developmental delays.
True/False
1. Special education does not include instruction in a general education classroom.
2. For many students, the least restrictive environment is full-time or nearly full-time participation in a
general education classroom.
3. Proponents of inclusive practices believe that the setting should dictate the type and intensity of special
education services.
4. Malik, a student diagnosed with multiple disabilities, is placed with Mrs. Harmon’s class during art,
physical education and recess. This is an example of mainstreaming.
5. At the turn of the 20th century, even students with mild disabilities were typically educated outside of
public schools.
6. By the end of the 1960s, special education authorities generally agreed that segregated special education
classes were not the most appropriate educational settings for many students with disabilities.
7. The term inclusion does not appear in federal laws governing special education.
8. Although the court decision in Brown v. Board of Education referred primarily to racial segregation, it has
been used to extend equal educational opportunities to students with disabilities.
9. Doe v. Withers extended special education law to children from birth to 5 years of age.
10. P.L. 94–142 established the standard of using person-first language.
11. The complexities of inclusive practices often arise due to the confusion about the meaning of the term
inclusion.
12. Inclusiveness is based solely upon the location of the student’s education.
13. The challenges of inclusive practices often relate to instruction.
14. Students with learning disabilities have average to above-average intelligence even though they
demonstrate difficulty with language related tasks.
15. The terms slow learner and learning disability describe the same group of characteristics.
16. Federal legislation clearly distinguishes mild, moderate and severe intellectual disability.
17. The key to whether a student’s depression or aggression meets the requirements for special education
services as an emotional disturbance is if the behavior is pervasive and long-term.
18. Assistive technology is categorized according to its cost.
19. Mild intellectual disability is a high incidence disability.
20. Section 504 ensures equal opportunities for all adults with disabilities.
Short Answer
1. Explain the meaning of ‘highly qualified teacher’ according to NCLB.
2. Explain ‘accommodations’ and describe one example of how you would apply this concept to teaching a
student with disabilities.
3. Describe Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and how it applies to school students.
4. Identify two major components included in ‘transition services’ and provide the required age when this
information must appear in the IEP.
5. Describe the criteria used when a student’s behavior indicates an ‘alternative interim placement’ must be
implemented, including length of time and required educational services.
6. Explain one core principle of ‘RtI.’
7. Describe the impact of failing to meet the ‘AYP’ will have by 2014.
8. Explain one common concern schools may have regarding implementing inclusive practices.
9. Explain the role of the general education teacher in ‘co–teaching.’
10. Discuss why some states may choose to use the term ‘intellectual disability.’
11. Discuss two advantages of using the IDEA category ‘developmental delays.’
12. Explain ‘high–incidence disabilities’ and give one example.
13. Explain the general term ‘at risk’ and give one example.
14. Explain ‘person-first language’ as it applies to special education.
15. Define ‘cultural competence’ and provide two factors that contribute to cultural competence.
16. Describe the criteria used for determining a student is a ‘slow learner.’
17. Identify one example of a ‘modification’ you could make for a special needs student with a significant
intellectual disability.
18. Identify two ‘related services’ a student with a disability may receive.
19. Explain one example of ‘over–represented in special education.’
20. List the three dimensions of inclusive practices.
Essay
1. Compare and contrast the educational settings of ‘full-day in the general education setting v. the general
education classroom with a resource room for part of the day v. home school setting for the full day.’
Discuss in your explanation which students each setting would be most appropriate for as defined by
federal legislation.
2. Many educators continue to use the terms mainstreaming and inclusive practices interchangeably. How
would you explain the distinction between the two terms to a colleague?
3. How has legislation defined and amended the idea of least restricted environment since P.L. 94–142?
4. What role did the civil rights movement have in contributing to new approaches in special education?
Include pertinent court cases and legislation to support your discussion.
5. How did the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments
(ADAA) improve upon Section 504 as it applies to students, places open to the public, employers and
school settings?
6. How can a ‘highly qualified’ teacher increase the likelihood that a student with a disability in their
classroom may be more successful both academically and socially?
7. What is the difference between the categories high-incidence disability and low-incidence disability?
Provide in your explanation examples of the disabilities that fall into each of these categories.
8. What is a cross-categorical approach to special education? Explain why some educators use this approach
in providing special education services.
9. Explain the impact education laws, court cases, civil rights laws, advocacy and research have had on
special education. Provide in your explanation one example of each category.
10. What are the components of developing cultural competence? Provide in your explanation three examples
of how valuing diversity can be implemented in the classroom setting.
Answer Key
Chapter 1
Multiple Choice
True/False
Short Answer
Essay
