Chapter 4: Teaching Students with Lower Incidence Disabilities
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Upon completion of this chapter the learner will:
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Go to Part 2- Summary of Ideas
Part
2: Summary of Ideas
Lower incidence disabilities cover a
wide range of disabilities which can be present at birth or
acquired later in life.
Lower-incidence disabilities occur less frequently in the
general population than other disabilities areas.
Disabilities include visual impairments, hearing
impairments, physical disabilities, other health
impairments, severe and multiple disabilities, and
autism. Individuals with visual impairments represent one of the
smallest categories of exceptionality. Students may have
very low vision to no vision. These students may exhibit
learning difficulties unless adaptations are made, including
arranging the physical environment for easy accessibility,
enhancing printed materials, using Braille and oral formats,
and using concrete tactile and 3-dimensional examples. Students with hearing impairments have mild to severe
hearing losses. Individuals with mild to moderate hearing
impairments usually wear hearing aids, while individuals who
are deaf may use sign language or total communication.
Students may require instruction in language and
communication skills. Students with physical disabilities may exhibit
difficulties using their arms, legs, or both arms and legs.
Some of these students may exhibit problems with
communication. Specific adaptations for increasing mobility,
assisting with fine motor control, and improving
communication skills help students become more independent
and successful. Students with other health impairments may have serious
medical needs that require special attention and that
restrict their learning in school. Coordination with medical
professionals while monitoring health and educational needs
helps these students with school success. Students with severe disabilities have severe mental
retardation and exhibit difficulties in cognition, adaptive
behavior, academic, social, self-help, problem-solving,
attention, and memory areas. Students with autism may have mild to severe
difficulties, but usually have serious difficulties with
social behavior. Students with more severe autism have
difficulties with language, communication, cognitive,
attention, memory, and basic skills. Arrange special classroom procedures for emergency
situations for classrooms containing individuals with
lower-incidence disabilities. These individuals may miss the
usual safety alert systems, tire more easily, have special
medical needs, or have mobility needs that require special
preparation.
Go to Part 3- Chapter Activities
Chapter
Activities
1. Read Chapter 4. Use the Chapter
4 Graphic Organizer to "see" the big ideas in the
chapter. Fill in blank sections of the graphic organizer.
Add the graphic organizer to your class notebook. 2. Examine the following World Wide Web links and consider
their perspectives based on information from Chapter 4.
Print out useful information and add it to your class
notebook.
Some lower incidence
disabilities are temporary; others are permanent or even
life threatening.