Special Educational Needs for Educators Presented by Dr. Kay Bartosz and Dr. Maureen Brustkern

2 Special Needs often seen in Mainstream Classrooms Learning Disabilities Attention Deficit Disorder Behavior or Emotional Problems Physical Disabilities Mental or Brain Processing Disability Speech or Communication Difficulty Sensory Impairment

3 Children with Learning Disabilities Often have difficulties with basic reading and language skills May have a family history of LD problems Are as smart or smarter than their peers Cannot be cured or fixed Can be successful students and professionals when provided with support and intervention.

4 Common Learning Disabilities Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding written words.Dyslexia Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.Dyscalculia Dysgraphia – a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.Dysgraphia

5 Common Learning Disabilities Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

6 What Learning disabilities are not Mental retardation, autism, deafness, blindness, and behavioral disorders. Caused by family situations, changing schools, poverty and attendance problems. To be confused with difficulties students face when learning a second language.

7 Signs and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) difficulty focusing and maintaining attention in academic and/or social situations chronically disorganized poor memory consistently loses things procrastination

8 Signs and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Impulsiveness: a child who acts quickly without thinking first. Hyperactivity: a child who can't sit still, walks, runs, or climbs around when others are seated, talks when others are talking. Inattention: a child who daydreams or seems to be in another world, is easily distracted.

9 Treatment of ADD and ADHD Medical Treatment Behavior Therapy Combination of Both

10 Behavior or Emotional Disorders Bullying Eating Disorders Lying Phobia Stealing Temper Tantrum Truancy Vandalism Withdrawal

11 Physical Disabilities Cerebral Palsy Cystic Fibrosis Muscular Dystrophy Poliomyelitis Spina Bifida

12 Physical Disabilities May be something a child is born with or may be a result of accident or illness. May be mild or severe

13 Medical Conditions Asthma Cancer/Leukemia Diabetes Epilepsy Heart Defect Rubella

14 Speech or Communication Difficulty Autism Asperger Syndrome Stuttering

15 Sensory Impairment Deafness Blindness Deaf/Blind Rubella