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.
Table of Contents:
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
Review :
“I find this text to be an excellent source of information. It is well planned and provides a clear layout of the characteristics approach to individuals with different learning styles and needs.” —Barbara Wert, BloomsburgUniversity
