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Block 2 Unit 4 Identification of Problems in School Children and Remedial Measures

1. Write the specific learning difficulties that the following terms denote:

• a) Dyslexia: A learning disability that primarily affects reading, including difficulties with word recognition, spelling, and decoding.
• b) Dysgraphia: A learning disability that affects writing, including difficulties with handwriting, spelling, and organising thoughts on paper.
• c) Dyscalculia: A learning disability that affects mathematical abilities, including difficulties with numbers, calculations, and mathematical reasoning.

2. Write four strategies used to identify problems of students.

• Administering and collecting rating scales from relevant persons
• Interviewing the student
• Administering standardised tests, such as IQ, achievement, and continuous performance tests
• Conducting direct observations in several settings including school, community and home

3. What is the difference between inattentive and hyperactive impulsive children?

Children with inattentive ADHD have difficulty focusing, are easily distracted and may seem forgetful. Children with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD show excessive movement, fidgeting, restlessness, difficulty remaining seated, and often act or speak without thinking.

4. What do you understand by individualised educational programs?

Individualised educational programs (IEPs) are customised plans designed to address the unique needs of students with disabilities, ensuring they receive tailored instruction and support to help them succeed in their education.

5. What help can be taken from computer-assisted instruction for children with various disabilities. Would you recommend it for all the students without discrimination?

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can provide various forms of support for students with disabilities: for example, it can be used for drill and practice, or to present new material with adaptations tailored to the student’s abilities. Yes, such methods should be available to all students without discrimination, ensuring that those with disabilities can learn with their peers.

6. What do you mean by learning disability? What are the instructional procedures used for students with learning disability?

A learning disability (LD) is a condition where an individual has difficulties in one or more basic learning processes, such as reading, writing, or mathematics, despite having normal intelligence.

Instructional procedures for students with LD include:

• Direct instruction: A structured teaching strategy with clear goals and feedback.
• Cognitive instruction: Emphasising attending, responding, rehearsing, recalling, and transferring information
• Multisensory instruction: Involving seeing, hearing, touching, and movement.
• Study skills training: Helping students with note-taking, test preparation, and organisational skills.
• Social skills training: Assisting children in getting along with peers and adults.
• Inclusion strategies: Integrating students with LD into general education classrooms.
• Peer mediated instruction and computer assisted instruction: These can further help in the learning process.

7. What is cerebral palsy? What kind of instructional scheme could be followed for the student who finds it difficult to read and write?

• Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture, caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth.
• Instructional strategies for students with CP who have difficulty reading and writing could include:
  • Familiarising with the student's condition.
  • Allowing the use of computers, calculators, recorders, and other equipment.
  • Organising classroom furniture for easy movement.
  • Pacing lessons with rest times.
  • Ensuring clear instructions.
  • Providing necessary assignments, avoiding extra drill and practice.
  • Seeking advice from counselors or mental health professionals.

8. What do you mean by mental retardation? How can MR children be integrated into a normal school? What would be specific things that a teacher should take care of?

• Mental retardation (MR), now often referred to as an intellectual disability, involves significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.
• Integration of MR children into a normal school can be done through:
  • Early intervention programs focusing on family guidance.
  • Preschool programs for school readiness and socialisation.
  • Individualised academic and functional programs in regular classrooms.
  • Resource room programs for remedial help.
  • Self-contained classrooms for moderate to severely retarded children.
  • Full inclusion programs and individualised education programs can be used together.
• Specific things a teacher should take care of include:
  • Using instructional programs similar to those for non-retarded children but allowing more time and effort.
  • Focusing on functional tasks.
  • Designing programs based on the individual’s abilities.
  • Structuring the learning situation to reduce distractions.
  • Presenting material clearly and sequentially.
  • Providing positive reinforcement for correct responses.

9. What is ADHD? Write an essay explaining the specific programs for such children in school and in families.

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition characterised by distractibility, impulsiveness, lack of concentration, restlessness, and inappropriate talking.
• Specific programs for children with ADHD in school:
  • Individualised education programs designed to address specific needs.
  • Behaviour management instruction to help the child recognise disruptive behaviour.
  • Behaviour modification techniques to encourage appropriate activities.
  • Creating structured and predictable learning environments.
• Specific programs for families can include:
  • Consistent routines and clear expectations to manage the child’s behaviour
  • Positive parenting techniques to reinforce good behaviour
  • Support groups and counseling to cope with the stresses of managing children with ADHD.

10. How societies on the whole can be made responsible to take care of children and to provide all the children equal opportunities to grow, develop and learn?

Societies can promote responsibility by:

• Promoting inclusive education policies that ensure all children, regardless of their abilities, receive quality education.
• Increasing awareness about exceptional children’s needs and abilities to foster greater understanding and acceptance.
• Providing adequate resources and support for special education programs, including trained professionals and suitable learning environments.
• Encouraging collaboration among schools, families, and communities to create a network of support for all children.

11. How could inclusion programs benefit students with hearing and visually impaired children?

Inclusion programs can benefit students with hearing and visual impairments by:

• Allowing them to learn alongside their peers, promoting social interaction and reducing isolation.
• Enhancing their social and communication skills in a general environment.
• Providing them with access to the same curriculum and opportunities as other students.
• Fostering a greater understanding and acceptance of diversity within the school community.
• Promoting the development of adaptive skills and strategies as they are exposed to real-life settings.
• Educators developing a flexible approach that accommodates visual and hearing impairments.

12. What kind of enrichment programs can be designed to benefit gifted and talented children?

Enrichment programs for gifted and talented children can include:

• Providing access to advanced and resource materials.
• Allowing them to express their interests within the subject.
• Providing opportunities to display their work and share it with others.
• Encouraging divergent thinking and creativity.
• Inviting guest speakers to talk on topics of interest.
• Praising novel ideas and alternative ways of doing things.
• Allowing them to go to advanced classes on topics of interest.
• Providing training in the arts.
• Ensuring that they grasp core material in addition to enrichment curricula.

13. Write short notes on the following:

• Enrichment: Activities and resources designed to extend and deepen the learning of gifted and talented children beyond the standard curriculum.
• Integration: The process of including children with disabilities in regular classrooms and school activities alongside their non-disabled peers.
• Special Education: Individualized instruction and support services tailored to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.

Important Points

1. Special educational programs will be required for:
   • Children with learning disabilities, 
   • Physically impaired children, and 
   • Emotionally and behaviourally impaired children)
2. Exceptional children are those who can not profit from the regular school program and the deviations can be positive or negative
3. An educator should aim at carefully observing the degree and kind of individual differences and designing individual programs to suit the needs of children.
4. LD is defined as one or more significant defects in essential learning processes. LD children are normal in intellectual functioning. LD mainly lies in their way of learning and in their perceptual systems.
5. Students may show problems in one area, not in another.
6. LD is a chronic condition of probable neurological origin.
7. WISC-III is used for the assessment of cognitive abilities, while the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-III) is used for reading, writing and math.
8. Inclusion strategy should not be emphasised by an educator.