Learners with Mild Disabilities: A Characteristics Approach, 3rd Edition

Learners with Mild Disabilities focuses on four high-prevalence disabilities; mild mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and ADHD, as well as briefer consideration of other mild conditions such as Asperger Syndrome.  This text looks first at disability from conventional categorical perspectives, and then focuses on the perspective of alternative, non-categorical frameworks. 

 

This text describes students with disabilities with respect to their individual strengths and needs, considering their cognitive, perceptual, language, academic learning, and social/emotional characteristics. The reader is encouraged to apply these conceptual frameworks though analysis of the numerous vignettes and extended case studies throughout the text, stories drawn from the experiences of real children and teachers. The separate categorical approaches around which other texts are organized tend to reinforce the notion of discrete disabilities, which current experience and philosophical discussions in the field of special education increasingly do not support and which do not prepare new special educators for the complex nature of services for students with mild disabilities. 

Learners with Mild Disabilities is designed as a primary text for use in undergraduate and graduate courses addressing the characteristics of learners with high prevalence or milder levels of disability and is useful as a text for the first specialized course in a special education program. It supports programs in “generic special education,” a growing area of study as a number of states move toward generic or non-categorical certification.

 

New to this Edition:

 

• Presents IDEA 2004 and its regulations in a clear and concise manner.

• The chapters on learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders have been significantly revised to reflect the impact of IDEA 2004’s response to intervention framework.

• New material has been added on English Language Learners (Ch. XYZ).

• Presents updated child count data from the most recent Annual Report of the Implementation of IDEA (2006) to help readers understand the magnitude of the numbers of students served in special education currently.

• Thinking and Discussion questions added to the opening Vignettes and closing Case Studies in Chapters 3, 6, 7.

Contents

Boxes  

Preface 

 

Unit I  Setting the Stage  

Chapter One

Perspectives on Disability  

Meet Clarence  

Studying High-Prevalence Disabilities  

Mild Does Not Mean “Not Serious”  

The Power of Language  

Labeling, Classifying, and Identification  

To Classify or Not to Classify  

Thoughts on Labeling  

Prevention of Disabilities  

Overview of the Principles of the Idea  

Amendments to P.L. 94-142  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Ed Murphy: A Case Study  

Chapter Two

Historical Perspectives and Contexts  

Meet Victor  

The Historical Context of Disability  

Early History  

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance  

The Enlightenment  

Disabilities in the United States: 1800—1900  

Residential Services  

Public Special Education  

Disabilities in the United States: The Early Twentieth Century  

Eugenics in Europe and the United States  

The Testing Movement in Europe and the United States  

Serving Children Identified as Having Disabilities  

Special Education as a Profession  

Disabilities in the United States from 1950 to the Present  

General Education Initiative and Inclusion  

Legislative and Governmental Initiatives  

History of Rights Won in United States Courts  

Trends in History  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Patty: a Case Study  

Chapter Three

Issues in Assessment and Identification  

Meet Jeffrey  

IDEA 1997 and 2004: Assessment and Evaluation Requirements  

Purposes of Assessment of Students with Special Educational Needs  

Types of Assessment Instruments and Techniques  

Norm-Referenced Assessment  

Criterion-Referenced and Curriculum-Based Assessment  

Performance Assessment  

Portfolio Assessment  

Functional Behavioral Assessment  

Reporting on Student Progress: Grading  

State and District Assessment and IDEA 1997/2004  

Best Practices in Assessment of Children and Youth with Disabilities  

Issues in Identification  

Categories as Social Constructions  

Noncategorical Models of Service: An Alternative  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Sharon: A Case Study  

Chapter Four

Issues in Curriculum and Instruction  

Meet Enrico  

IDEA 2004: Curriculum and Instruction Requirements  

Curriculum and Students with Disabilities  

Alternatives to Making Accommodations  

Instructional Strategies to Enhance Curriculum Access  

Direct Instruction  

Peer Tutoring  

Cooperative Learning  

Cognitive Strategies  

Positive Behavioral Supports  

Instruction and Individualized Education Program Planning  

Alternative Curricula Assessments  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Angie: A Case Study  

Chapter Five

Issues in Placement  

Meet Tamika  

IDEA 2004: Location of Services  

Concept of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)  

Models of Service Commonly Used for Students with Mild Disabilities  

Inclusion: A Continuing Issue in Special Education  

Learning from the Research on Inclusion  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Benny: A Case Study  

Unit II  Who Are the Learners with Mild Disabilities?  

Chapter Six

Learners with Mental Retardation  

Meet Caroline  

Historical Foundations of Mental Retardation  

Development of the Definition of Mental Retardation in the United States  

IDEA Definition of Mental Retardation  

Additional Perspectives on Defining Mental Retardation  

Other AAMR Definitions  

Developmental Disabilities and Delay  

An Alternative Definition with an Instructional Perspective  

Levels of Severity  

Educational Terminology  

2002 AAMR Intensities of Support  

Prevalence of Mental Retardation  

Typical Characteristics of Persons with Mental Retardation  

Conditions Associated with Risk of Mental Retardation  

Biomedical/Physiological Risk Factors  

Environmental Risk Factors  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Jennie: A Case Study  

Chapter Seven

Learners with Learning Disabilities  

Meet Peter  

Historical Development of the Learning Disabilities Concept  

Medical Phase  

Learning Disability Phase  

IDEA Phase  

IDEA Definition of Specific Learning Disabilities  

Assessment and Identification Issues  

Problems with the Discrepancy Criteria  

IDEA and Changes to Identification Procedures  

Response to Intervention Identification Mode  

Alternative Definitions of Learning Disabilities  

National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities Definition (1988)  

Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities (ICLD) Definition (1987)  

Issues Raised by the Alternative Definitions  

Conditions Associated with Learning Disabilities  

Prevalence of Learning Disabilities  

Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Bobby: A Case Study  

Chapter Eight

Learners with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  

Meet Nicki  

Terms to Refer to this Group of Learners  

Historical Foundations  

Current IDEA Definition  

Social Maladjustment: Definition and Exclusion  

An Alternative Definition of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  

Assessment and Identification Issues  

Response to Intervention  

Prevalence of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  

Levels of Severity  

Conditions Associated with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  

Biological Factors  

Family Factors  

Environmental, Social, and School Factors  

Types of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Carter: A Case Study  

Chapter Nine

Learners with Other Disorders and Conditions  

Meet Nancy  

Children and Youth with Attention Disorders  

Historical Development of the Concept of ADHD  

ADHD and IDEA  

Current Definition in the DSM-IV-TR  

Types of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  

Levels of Severity  

Identification of Learners with ADHD  

Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  

Conditions Associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  

Characteristics of Individuals with ADHD  

Should ADHD Be a Separate Category in the IDEA?  

Autism Spectrum Disorders  

Physical and Sensory Disabilities  

Physical and Health Disabilities  

Sensory Disabilities  

Traumatic Brain Injury  

Communication Disorder

Medication: A Persistent Issue  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Frank: A Case Study  

Sara: A Case Study  

Unit III  What Are Learners with Mild Disabilities Like?  

Chapter Ten

Cognitive and Perceptual Characteristics  

Meet Robert  

Cognitive Theory and Approaches to Mild Disabilities  

Constructivist Perspectives  

Piaget  

Vygotsky  

Cognitive Styles Research  

Field Dependence and Field Independence     

Impulsivity and Reflectivity  

Information-Processing Approaches  

Structural Storage Components  

Strategic Control Components  

Executive Control Functions  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Charlene: A Case Study  

Jeanne: A Case Study  

Chapter Eleven

Language Characteristics  

Meet Tom  

Definition of Language  

Which Learners Have Language Difficulties/Disorders  

Language Components and Skills  

Phonology  

Morphology  

Syntax  

Semantics  

Pragmatics  

Language Channels: Comprehension and Production  

Language Functions  

Listening  

Speaking  

Reading  

Writing  

Common Language Characteristics of Learners with Mild Disabilities  

Language Difference or Language Disability?  

Implications of Language Characteristics for Thinking and Learning  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Clark: A Case Study  

Chapter Twelve

Academic Learning Characteristics  

Meet Barbara  

What is Learning?  

Stages of Learning  

Acquisition and Reversion  

Proficiency and Automaticity  

Maintenance  

Generalization  

Adaptation  

Critical Learning Needs of Students with Disabilities  

The role of Motivation  

Extrinsic Motivation  

Intrinsic Motivation  

Locus of Control and Attribution of Success or Failure  

External Attributions and Locus of Control  

Internal Attributions and Locus of Control  

Spirals of Failure or Success  

Learned Helplessness  

Adolescents with Disabilities in Behavior and Learning  

Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences  

Learning Styles  

Multiple Intelligences  

Universal Design for Learning  

Instructional Needs of Learners with Disabilities  

Time Allowed for Instruction  

Persistence or Motivation  

Pupils’ Aptitude for Instruction  

Ability to Understand Instruction  

Quality of Instruction     

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Allison: A Case Study  

Chapter Thirteen

Social—Emotional Characteristics  

Meet Eddie  

Perspectives on Social—Emotional Development  

Developmental Perspectives  

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development  

Emotional Development  

Development of Social Perspective Taking  

Social Competence and Cognitive Development  

Social Intelligence  

Emotional Competence  

Social Cognitive Delay  

The Relationship between Problems in Behavior and Problems in Learning  

Behavior from an Ecological Perspective  

Risk and Resilience  

Maladaptive Behavior  

Patterns of Maladaptive Behavior  

IDEA 2004 and Serious Discipline Problems  

Focus on Culture and Diversity  

Resources on the Web  

Summary  

Sammy: A Case Study  

Appendix A

Policy Statements  

Council for Exceptional Children

Labeling and Categorizing of Children  

Inclusive Schools and Community Settings  

National Association of School Psychologists

Rights Without Labels  

Council for Learning Disabilities

Measurement and Training of Perceptual and Perceptual-Motor Functions  

Appendix B

Legislation and Litigation  

Glossary  

References  

Index