72 F a c ilita t in g L e a rn in g

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Watch any of the following films they I
The Rain Man read 1
I am Sam much
Son-rise a Miracle of Love move
The Life of Helen Keller wheel
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Categories
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1. Describe the main character in the movie you watched. Specii
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found
2. What was his/her exceptionality? Describe. Sped
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3. What problems/difficulties did the main character experience? in spt
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4. Who provided support? What support did he/she get from his/her o f lea
environment? ______________ operal
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From the movie you watched you saw the challenges that confront a
sound
person with special needs. The person’s adjustment entails the support of
that s:
the people around him. As a future teacher, you would probably encounter
learners with special needs, more so if special education is your major. It Social
is therefore necessary that you have both the right information and proper A
attitude in dealing with special learners. This will help you perform your impai
task to facilitate learning. Let us begin by differentiating the words disability limite
and handicap. routin
Disability. A disability is a measurable impairment or limitation that b
“interferes with a person’s ability, for example, to walk, lift, hear, or learn. sub-a
It may refer to a physical, sensory, or mental condition” (Schiefelbusch diffic
Institute, 1996). The word disability has become the more accepted thems
term, having replaced the word handicap in federal laws in the US, one E
o f which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). emoti
IDEA is the law that provides comprehensive service and support for amoui
exceptional learners. Our very own 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article schoo
XIV, Sec. 2, uses the word “disabled” in paragraph (5) “Provide adult
citizens, the disabled, and out-of-school youth with training... Physical
H andicap.The word handicap does not have the same meaning P
as disability. A handicap is a disadvantage that occurs as a result of a medic
disability or impairment. The degree of disadvantage (or the extent of (1) lh
the handicap) is often dependent on the adjustment made by both the (3) lit
 Module 6 - Learners with Exceptionalities 73
person and his environment. Therefore, the extent to which a disability
handicaps an individual can vary greatly. Two persons may have the same
disability but not the same degree of being handicapped. For example,
they both have a hearing impairment, one knows sign language and can
read lips while the other cannot. The first individual would not have as
much handicap as the second one. Another example, two persons who
move around on a wheel chair, the one studying in a school campus with
wheelchair accessibility in all areas would be less handicapped than one
in a school without wheel chair accessibility.
Categories of Exceptionalities
There are different ways of presenting categories of exceptionalities.
Special education practitioners would have varying terms and categories.
For this short introduction of categories, we are basing it on the categories
found in Omrod’s Educational Psychology (2000).
Specific Cognitive or Academic Difficulties
Learning Disabilities. Learning disabilities involve difficulties
in specific cognitive processes like perception, language, memory or
metacognition that are not due to other disabilities like mental retardation,
emotional or behavioral disorders, or sensory impairments. Examples
o f learning disabilities include dyslexia (reading), dyscalculia (number
operations) and dysgraphia (writing).
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD is manifested in
either or both of these: (1) difficulty in focusing and maintaining attention
and (2) recurrent hyperactive and impulsive behavior.
Speech and Communication Disorders. There is difficulty in
spoken language including voice disorders, inability to produce the
sounds... correctly, stuttering, difficulty in spoken language comprehension
that significantly hamper classroom performance.
Social/Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties
Autism. Autism is a condition manifested by different levels of
impaired social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviors and
limited interests. Individuals with autism usually have an intense need for
routine and a predictable environment.
Mental Retardation. M ental retardation refers to significant
sub-average intelligence and deficits in adaptive behavior. There is
difficulty in m anaging activities o f daily living and in conducting
themselves appropriately in social situations.
Em otional/Conduct D isorders. This involves the presence o f
emotional states like depression and aggression over a considerable
amount o f time that they notably disturb learning and performance in
school.
Physical Disabilities and Health Impairments
Physical and health impairments. This involves physical or
medical conditions (usually long-term) including one or more of these:
(1) limited energy and strength, (2) reduced mental alertness, and/or
(3) little muscle control.
L e a r n in g

Severe and Multiple Disabilities. This refers to the presence of

two or more different types of disability, at times at a profound level.
The combination o f disabilities makes it necessary to make specific
adaptations and have more specialized educational programs.
Sensory Impairments
V isual Im pairm ents. These are conditions when there is
malfunction of the eyes or optic nerves that prevent normal vision even
with corrective lenses.
Hearing Impairments. These involve malfunction o f the ear or
auditory nerves that hinderS perception of sounds within the frequency
range of normal speech.
Giftedness
Giftedness. This involves a significantly high level o f cognitive
development. There is unusually high ability or aptitude in one or
more of these aspects: intellectual ability, aptitude in academic subjects,
creativity, visual or performing arts or leadership.

People-First Language
W hat is People-First Language? Just as the term would imply,
this language trend involves putting the person first, not the disability
(e.g., a person with a disability, not a disabled person). Thus, people-
first language tells us what conditions people have, not what they are
(Schiefelbusch Institute, 1996). This is similar to saying “person with
AIDS, rather than “AIDS victim”. Other suggestions for referring to
those with disabilities include:
• avoiding generic labels (people with mental retardation is preferable to
the mentally retarded);
• emphasizing abilities, not limitations (for instance, uses a wheelchair
is preferable to confined to a wheelchair);
• avoiding euphemisms (such as physically-challenged) which are
regarded as condescending and avoid the real issues that result from a
disability; and
• avoiding implying illness or suffering (had polio is preferable to is
a polio victim, and has multiple sclerosis is preferable to suffers from
multiple sclerosis) (Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
2000; Schiefelbusch Institute, 1996).
Using people-first language and applying the guidelines above will
remind you to have a more respectful and accepting attitude toward
learners with exceptionalities. The presence of impairments requires them
to exert more effort to do things that others like us find quite easy to do.
They are learners who may turn to you for assistance. Beginning with
the right attitude, one of compassion (not of pity nor ridicule), will make
you a more effective teacher, one with the hand and the heart who can
facilitate their learning and adjustment.