How does a hearing loss limit a student’s direct learning experience? What is an
example of a concept or skill you have learned through direct experience?
What are the options for resolving disagreements regarding special education?
CASE STUDY:AJ is a second-grade student who is deaf in his right ear (sensorineural
hearing loss) and due to a physical deformity (conductive hearing loss) is hard of
hearing in the left ear. However, he is scheduled for surgery on his left ear because
doctors are hopeful that once the physical problem is corrected, he may have partial
hearing in that ear. He uses sign language to communicate, but neither his mother nor
his siblings know or use sign language. He attended preschool, kindergarten, and first
grade at a residential school for the deaf, but he is being transferred to a public school
due to the closing of the residential school. Mr. Hanks is the second-grade teacher who
will have AJ in his class. This school has never had a student with hearing loss as
significant as AJ’s. Prior to AJ’s arrival, a team of professionals met in order to make his
transition as smooth as possible. The following questions were the topic of the meeting:
How might AJs hearing loss affect his reading ability?
What makes a student with physical disabilities eligible for services?
CASE STUDY: You have just moved across the United States due to your spouse’s
transfer. As you look for a new job within the public school system, you are surprised at
the overwhelming diversity within your new community. Feeling very confident as you
go to your first interview in this new community, you notice that many of the messages
and writings on the school walls are written in various languages. As you introduce
yourself to the secretary, she hands you a list of questions to preview before the
interview begins. As you scan the list of questions, you begin to feel very nervous about
this interview. The questions are as follows:
What are some alternative assessment strategies for diverse learners with special needs
and which of these have you had personal experience implementing?
How did the beliefs about autism and the causes of autism change from the early 1940s
until the 1990s?
What are some of the nonverbal forms of communication students with multiple
disabilities use?
CASE STUDY: You are a professional who is routinely involved in the educational
process of children with disabilities. As you chat with your new next-door neighbor, he
mentions that his son is 10 years old and is struggling academically and socially in
school. He has real concerns that his son might have some learning differences but does
not know where to begin or to whom he should discuss these issues with. In order to
assist your neighbor in making decisions about his son, you give him a quick course in
special education. In doing so, you answer the following questions:
If your neighbor’s child is identified as having a disability, who decides where the
setting in which the child will receive their education services?
How does the preparation of teachers affect the academic success of diverse learners?
What are some of the academic, social, and behavior characteristics of students with
speech and language disorders? Which of these categories of characteristics do you feel
has the most affect on students’ academic success? Support your answer with
information from the text and from personal experiences.
Research indicates that 90 percent of children with ADHD outgrow the disorder.
Although legally enforced segregation is no longer practiced, racial isolation is still
common.
The current criteria for identifying students with learning disabilities have been a source
of great scrutiny. Individuals who oppose the current criteria for identifying students
with learning disabilities have recommended alternative criteria for identifying students
with learning disabilities. Which method do you feel is most appropriate for accurately
identifying students with learning disabilities? Support your decision with facts from
information from the text.
CASE STUDY: Brandi is a fourth grader who has a severe communication disorder.
Her articulation is so severe that her speech is unintelligible 90 percent of the time.
However, she is not embarrassed about her communication difficulties and is very
outgoing and friendly. She does not have a lot of friends because her peers often tease
her because she talks “like a baby.” Brandi ignores this and continues to have a very
positive attitude. Surprisingly, Brandi has never been referred for testing. Her math
skills seem to be comparable to those of her peers but her reading and written language
skills seem to be a challenge for her. As her teacher, you schedule an informal meeting
with your school’s speech/language pathologist to get answers to the following
questions:
How are students with suspected speech and language disorders assessed to determine
if they are eligible to receive special education services?
CASE STUDY: Kendall was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. Kendall’s parents
knew he was different from their other children at very young age and as a result they
never allowed Kendall to attend preschool, playgroups, or even Sunday school class.
Kendall’s parents chose to keep him at home under the care of his mother or
grandmother where he could be protected from children and other adults who would not
understand his differences. Although Kendall’s parents home-schooled him for
kindergarten and first grade, they now have turned to their neighborhood school for
assistance. Kendall has minimal communication skills and often hits or bites when he
becomes frustrated or overstimulated. As Kendall’s parents’ reluctantly enroll their son
in school, they have many questions about the education he will receive.
What issues are likely to arise when it is time to create a transition plan for Kendall’s
post-school options?
One example of a visual representation of knowledge is a semantic map.
Compare and contrast the traditional approach to early speech and language
intervention with inclusive practices. Which approach do you feel is more effective in
treating students with communication disorders? Why?
How do ADHD-predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type and ADHD-combined
type differ? How are these two conditions similar?