Notes: Identifying and Addressing Disabled | Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET Preparation - CTET & State TET PDF Download

A disability is a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that hinders or restricts a person’s ability to perform certain tasks or engage in typical daily activities. Learning disabilities can arise from various causes, making it crucial to identify them and determine whether they can be addressed with a simple plan or if a specialized method is required. Inclusive education is considered complete when it effectively incorporates children with disabilities into its framework.

Definition and Types of Physical Disabilities

A physical disability refers to a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, or stamina. Individuals with such disabilities are also referred to as 'differently-abled.' Types of impairments include:

• Visual (related to seeing)
• Aural (related to hearing)
• Physical (related to movement)
• Language and other related (speaking, listening, reading, writing)
• Paying attention
• Mathematical
• Motor
• Intellectual (related to brain function)

While many children may experience difficulties with reading, writing, or other learning-related tasks at some point, these do not necessarily indicate learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often exhibits several persistent signs over time, which vary from person to person.

Identifying and Addressing Disabled Learners

Visually Disabled Learners

Learners with visual impairments may be born with the condition or acquire it later due to illness, malnutrition, or accidents. They can be partially or fully blind, facing various life challenges. Partially blind students may:

• Frequently rub their eyes
• Struggle to read the class board

Teachers can help by:

1. Moving them to the front row of the classroom
2. Advising parents to consult an optician for corrective measures like spectacles
3. Providing textbooks with larger print sizes
4. Arranging suitable counseling for the student and their family

Fully blind children should be trained to use Braille books, which need to be made available to them.

Aurally Disabled Learners

Partial or full deafness can be congenital or result from illness or accidents. Signs include:

• Lack of response unless called loudly or multiple times
• Imitating others' actions
• Increasing the TV volume to high levels

Teachers can assist by:

1. Placing them in the front row of the classroom
2. Recommending a hearing specialist consultation for possible use of a hearing aid
3. Providing training on proper and efficient use of hearing aids
4. Arranging appropriate counseling for the student and their family

Physically Disabled Learners

Physical disabilities, affecting mobility and movement, can result from birth defects, diseases, aging, or accidents. These conditions may change over time and contribute to other disabilities such as impaired speech or memory loss. Physically disabled learners may face social and physical barriers but often show great courage and a desire for independence. Teachers should:

1. Engage with them as they would with any other student, recognizing that a physical disability does not imply intellectual or hearing impairment
2. Create situations that help maintain their self-respect and avoid embarrassment
3. Ensure they participate in classroom activities, acknowledging their contributions
4. Show compassion, sensitivity, and respect the learner's wishes, balancing assistance with fostering independence

Language and Other Learning Disabilities

Learners with significant difficulties in speaking, listening, reading, writing, paying attention, or performing mathematical or motor tasks face various challenges. Specific strategies for addressing these issues include:

Speaking Disabilities

Common speech disorders include stammering, stuttering, pronunciation defects, and incorrect sentence formation. Early intervention can often cure these issues. Teachers should:

1. Recommend parents to check for physical defects in vocal cords and related structures
2. Introduce and explain new words
3. Engage in frequent interactions with the student
4. Avoid criticizing faulty language and gently encourage correct speech.

Approaches for Addressing Different Learning Disabilities

Teachers can support disadvantaged learners through various strategies:

• Focus on interactive communication
• Use active listening
• Incorporate the student’s interests into their speech
• Ensure that the student can express their wants and needs appropriately
• Reinforce communication attempts (e.g., gestures, partial verbalizations)
• Paraphrase back what the student has said or indicated
• Use storybook sharing and ask for responses, praising appropriate comments
• Ask open-ended, appropriate questions
• Use linguistic scaffolding techniques involving a series of questions
• Use language for social interaction and conflict resolution
• Emphasize achievable goals and tasks
• Work at the student’s pace
• Present one concept at a time
• Encourage daily reading and writing
• Use tactile and visual cues (e.g., pictures, 3D objects)
• Incorporate relevant vocabulary into the unit being taught
• Provide functional and practical activities
• Be aware of the student’s auditory skills, semantics, word recall, syntax, phonology, and pragmatics, and how these affect academic performance

Listening Disabilities (Auditory Processing Disorder - APD)

Students with APD struggle to process auditory information, leading to poor listening comprehension and sensitivity to sounds. Teachers can help by:

1. Showing rather than explaining items
2. Supplementing explanations with visual cues, signals, and handouts
3. Reducing or spacing directions and giving cues such as "ready?"
4. Rewording or helping decipher confusing oral or written directions
5. Teaching abstract vocabulary, word roots, and synonyms/antonyms
6. Varying pitch and tone of voice, altering pace, and stressing key words
7. Asking specific questions to ensure understanding
8. Allowing 5-6 seconds for students to respond
9. Encouraging students to verbalize concepts, vocabulary words, and rules

Reading Disabilities (Dyslexia)

Students with dyslexia struggle with accurate and fluent word recognition, phonological processing, fluency, and comprehension. Teachers can assist by:

1. Providing a quiet area for activities like reading and answering comprehension questions
2. Using audio-recorded books
3. Selecting books with large print and big spaces between lines
4. Providing a copy of lecture notes
5. Disregarding spelling errors in subjects like science
6. Allowing alternative forms for book reports
7. Using multi-sensory teaching methods
8. Teaching students to use logic rather than rote learning
9. Presenting material in small units

Writing Disabilities (Dysgraphia)

Students with dysgraphia may have poor handwriting and difficulty with writing tasks. Teachers can help by:

1. Avoiding criticism for sloppy or careless work
2. Using oral exams
3. Allowing the use of a tape recorder for lectures
4. Providing a note-taker
5. Giving notes or outlines to reduce writing load
6. Reducing copying tasks by providing pre-printed questions
7. Allowing the use of wide rule paper and graph paper
8. Suggesting the use of pencil grips or specially designed writing aids
9. Providing alternatives to written assignments, such as audio-recorded reports

Language Disabilities

Language disorders involve difficulties in understanding or using words in context. This includes expressive, receptive, or mixed language disorders. Teachers can assist by:

1. Speaking slowly and clearly, using simple sentences
2. Referring students to a speech pathologist
3. Allowing the use of a recorder for note-taking
4. Writing main concepts on the board
5. Providing a support person or tutor of a similar age
6. Using visualization techniques to enhance listening and comprehension
7. Using story starters for creative writing assignments
8. Drawing out details with questions and visualization strategies.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is characterized by problems with attention, excessive activity, and difficulty controlling behavior, inappropriate for the learner’s age. Signs include:

• Becoming easily distracted, missing details, and frequently switching activities
• Having difficulty maintaining focus on tasks
• Becoming bored with tasks quickly, unless they are enjoyable
• Having trouble organizing and completing tasks or learning new things
• Struggling with homework completion and frequently losing items
• Appearing not to listen when spoken to
• Daydreaming, becoming easily confused, and moving slowly
• Having difficulty processing information quickly and accurately
• Struggling to follow instructions
• Having trouble understanding minute details

Teachers can support learners with ADHD by:

1. Seating them away from windows and near the teacher's desk
2. Creating quiet areas free from distractions for test-taking and study
3. Giving instructions one at a time
4. Ensuring they have a system for writing assignments and important dates
5. Keeping instructions simple and structured using charts and visual aids
6. Allowing for frequent breaks

Logical and Mathematical Disabilities (Dyscalculia)

Students with dyscalculia struggle with basic arithmetic concepts and often show other signs, including:

• Difficulty with math-related word problems
• Trouble making change in cash transactions
• Disorganization in writing math problems
• Difficulty recognizing logical sequences
• Problems understanding the time sequence of events
• Difficulty verbally describing math processes

Teachers can support learners with dyscalculia by:

1. Allowing the use of fingers and rough paper to solve problems
2. Using diagrams and drawing math concepts
3. Providing peer assistance
4. Suggesting the use of graph paper
5. Using colored pencils to differentiate problems
6. Drawing pictures of word problems
7. Using mnemonic devices to learn steps of a math concept

Motor Disabilities (Dyspraxia)

Students with dyspraxia struggle with motor tasks like hand-eye coordination. Signs include:

• Problems organizing themselves and their possessions
• Frequently breaking things
• Trouble with tasks requiring hand-eye coordination
• Poor body balance
• Sensitivity to loud or repetitive noises
• Sensitivity to touch, including irritation from certain clothing

Teachers can support learners with dyspraxia by:

1. Disregarding poor handwriting
2. Allowing students to dictate creative stories
3. Providing alternatives to written assignments
4. Suggesting the use of pencil grips and specially designed writing tools
5. Restricting copying tasks
6. Providing tracking tools like rulers
7. Using large print books
8. Experimenting with different paper types (e.g., pastel colors, graph paper)

Understanding Intellectual Disability

Intellectually disabled learners, also known as mentally disadvantaged or challenged, were once placed in reform institutions. Today, they are encouraged to live with their families, participate with peers, and strive for independence. This shift reflects a better understanding of intellectual disabilities.

Characteristics of intellectually disabled learners include:

• Slow learning pace
• Delayed thought processing
• Impaired adaptive abilities
• Slower physical development

These children often have significantly low IQs (75 or below) and face serious challenges in daily functioning. Awareness of their intellectual limitations can lead to low self-esteem, emotional, and behavioral issues.

Emotional and Behavioral Impact

Younger children may exhibit withdrawal, anxiety, anger, or attention-seeking behaviors. Addressing these issues is crucial for their progress.

Degrees of Intellectual Disability

There are four degrees of intellectual disability based on functioning levels:

1. Mild

IQ score: 50 to 75

• Can acquire academic skills up to elementary level
• May live independently with community and social support

2. Moderate

IQ score: 35 to 55

• Can perform work and self-care tasks with moderate supervision
• Can develop communication skills in childhood and live in a supervised environment

3. Severe

IQ score: 20 to 40

• May master basic self-care and communication skills
• Often live in group homes

4. Profound

IQ score: Below 20 to 25

• May develop basic self-care and communication skills with support
• Often have accompanying neurological disorders and require high levels of structure and supervision

Addressing Intellectual Disability

Early training in independent living and job skills is crucial for intellectually disabled learners. The extent of training depends on the degree of disability:

• Mildly disabled individuals can often learn to live independently and hold jobs.
• Moderate to profoundly disabled individuals usually need supervised community living.

Family therapy can help relatives develop coping skills and manage feelings of guilt or anger. A supportive, warm home environment is essential for helping intellectually disabled individuals reach their full potential. However, there is no cure for intellectual disabilities.