Veronica Spikes

Exceptionalities Chart

Exceptionality

Characteristics

Effective
Educational Setting Differentiation
Methods

Legislative
Stipulations

A disorder that Depending on the

Graphic
students abilities, organizers,
Learning Disabilities may manifest
Students with
itself in an
they can be
models and
learning
imperfect ability successful in a
demonstrations, disabilities have
to listen, think, general education
gestures,
a disorder in one
speak, read,
classroom with
scaffolding, and or more of the
write, spell, or do accommodations
manipulatives are basic
mathematical
based on their
great ways to
psychological
calculations.
unique learning
differentiate for processes
These students needs. If a student students with
involved in
can have high
has more needs than learning
understanding
quality
can be provided,
disabilities. Oral or in using
friendships,
inclusion services in Administration is language,
higher levels of the general
a useful tool for spoken or
anxiety,
education classroom students with
written. The
behavioral or
can be helpful along learning
disorder may
emotional
with individual
disabilities. Tools manifest itself
problems, and
services provided
that can be used in an imperfect
high levels of
based on their
are tape
ability to listen,
social and
specific needs.
recorders, reading think, speak,
emotional
Resource classes
apps for
read, write,
challenges.
may be necessary for electronic devices spell, or do
the students
and computers, or mathematical
success. If
peer and teacher calculations and
necessary,
readings.
includes
supplemental aids Chunking
perceptual
and services can also information and disabilities,
be used by students instructions is
brain injury,
with learning
helpful and
minimal brain
disabilities.
highlighting
dysfunction,
specific
dyslexia, and
instructions for developmental
focus to eliminate aphasia. The
extraneous
learning
information for problem may
these students.
not be the result
of visual,

hearing, or
motor
disabilities of
intellectual
disability, or
emotional
disturbance, or
of environment,
cultural, or
economic
disadvantage.
Students with
communication
Differentiation
disorders can
for a
typically work well communication
with
disorders could
accommodations in include written
the general
versus verbal
education classroom. responses, as well
In some cases a
as the use of apps
speech language
for verbal
Disorders with
A speech or
therapist can be
responses for
speech, language,
language
helpful to a student different
phonology,
impairment
Communication
with a
technologies.
morphology,
must be
Disorders
communication
Peer
syntax,
diagnosed and
disorder with pulling collaboration is a
semantics,
cause an
them out of the
great way to help
pragmatics, and
adverse effect
general education
students with
social interaction
on educational
setting for one on
communication
theories.
performance.
one attention to
disorders.
helping a student
Attention to how
with their disability. the student
Supplemental aids receives and
and other services gives information
can be used in
is important and
collaboration with should be taken
inclusion in the
into consideration
general education
during planning
classroom.
Inability to learn Students with
Differentiation Negative
emotional/behaviora can include
characteristics
Emotional/Behavioral that cannot be
explained by
l disorders can be
computer based of mood and
Disorders
intellectual,
successful in the
programs,
behavior that
sensory, or health general education
classroomhappen over a

Attention Deficit
Disorder ADD)

factors, inability
to build or
maintain
relationships with
peers or teachers,
inappropriate
classroom with
feelings or
specific and
behaviors,
necessary
general mood of
accommodations.
depression or
Inclusion services
unhappiness,
can be implemented
physical
to help with lessons.
symptoms or
Some students will
fears that are
not be successful in
associated with
the general
personal or
education classroom
school problems.
and have to be
Aggressive
placed in alternative
behavior,
schools where they
bullying,
receive support for
withdrawal,
their disorder to
depression,
improve their
anxiety, OCD,
opportunities to
reading
learn.
difficulties,
previous
retention, and
potential for
language
disorders.
Predominately ADD students work
inattentive: lacks well in the general
attention to
education
details, difficulty environment with
sustaining
accommodations.
attention, does
not seem to
listen, does not
follow through
on instruction,
difficulty
organizing,
avoids tasks that
require sustained
mental effort,
loses things,

long period of
time and to a
centered
marked degree
intervention,
that adversely
service learning,
affects a childs
teaching conflict
educational
resolution
performance.
strategies.
Includes
Providing time
diagnoses of:
for frequent
anxiety
breaks,
disorders, mood
preferential
disorders,
seating, and
bipolar disorder,
chunking
oppositional
information can
defiant disorder,
help students with
conduct
EBD.
disorder, or
schizophrenia.

Differentiation Predominately
for ADD can
inattentive and
include
Must show six
multimodal
or more of the
treatments and
following for at
errorless learning. least six month
Computer
and must
Assisted
adversely affect
Instruction works the childs
well with ADD ability to learn:
students.
lacks attention
Accommodations to details,
can include:
difficulty
preferential
sustaining
seating, agendas attention, does
and other
not seem to

easily distracted,
forgetful.
Difficulty
perceiving social
cues or
interpreting and
processing
emotions.

ADHD

Predominately ADHD students

Hyperactivework well in the
Impulsive Type: general education
fidgets and
environment with
squirms, does not accommodations.
stay seated when
expected to, runs
around or climb
excessively when
inappropriate,
difficulty staying
quiet, excessive
energy, talks
excessively,
blurts out and
interrupts,
difficulty waiting
their turn.
Difficulty
perceiving social
cues or
interpreting and
processing
emotions.

organizational
listen, does not
tools, chunking follow through
material to allow on instruction,
focus. Create
difficulty
lesson plans with organizing,
different activities avoids tasks that
to provide
require
stimulation
sustained mental
mentally and
effort, loses
physically for
things, easily
students with
distracted,
ADD.
forgetful
Differentiation Predominately
for ADHD can
Hyperactiveinclude
Impulsive Type:
multimodal
Must show six
treatments and
or more of the
errorless learning. following for at
Computer
least six month
Assisted
and must
Instruction works adversely affect
well with ADHD the childs
students.
ability to learn:
Accommodations fidgets and
can include:
squirms, does
preferential
not stay seated
seating, agendas when expected
and other
to, runs around
organizational
or climb
tools, chunking excessively
material to allow when
focus. Create
inappropriate,
lesson plans with difficulty
different activities staying quiet,
to provide
excessive
stimulation
energy, talks
mentally and
excessively,
physically for
blurts out and
students with
interrupts,
ADHD.
difficulty
waiting their
turn. Difficulty
perceiving
social cues or
interpreting and
processing

emotions.
Prelinguistic
milieu teaching
can be used by Significantly
Students with down
students with
subaverage
syndrome can be a
intellectual
general
part of the general
disabilities for
intellectual
education classroom
Limitations in
communication functioning,
with inclusion
intellectual
purposes in lieu existing
support, the help of
functioning,
of verbal/written concurrently
supplemental aids,
Intellectual
memory
responses. Peer with deficits in
and other
Disabilities*
impairments,
interaction can be adaptive
personalized
issues with
used to help
behavior and
accommodations. If
generalization,
students with
manifested
Down Syndrome
their abilities are not
and limitations in
down syndrome during the
supported in the
adaptive
in the classroom. developmental
general education
behavior.
Provide
period that
classroom, resource
opportunities for adversely
and special
these students to affects a childs
education classes are
interact with
educational
recommended.
peers and to learn performance.
based on their
skill level.
Impairments with Students with
Digital books and Student has
multiple disabilities recorded lessons more than one
Multiple Disabilities* intellectual
functioning,
can be placed in the can be provided disability and to
general education
for students with the extent of
Intellectual Disability memory
impairments,
classroom dependent multiple
those
and Blindness
issues with
on their needs or in disabilities
disabilities, in
generalization, self-contained
including
combination
and limitations in classrooms with
blindness. Peer with each other:
adaptive behavior special education
collaboration in multiple
along with
specialists.
small groups is a disabilities
blindness.
helpful tool for means
students with
concomitant
multiple
impairments,
disabilities. The the combination
use of assistive of which causes
technology can be such severe
used to aide those educational
with multiple
needs that they
disabilities.
cannot be
These students
accommodated
can use
in special
antecedent cue
education
regulation to
programs solely

promote
independence.
Manipulatives
and providing
for one of the
opportunities for impairments.
the student to
communicate per
their IEP.
Transportation
issues and safety
should be
Students with
considered with
cerebral palsy are
students with
able to be placed in a physical
general education
disabilities.
Lack of ability to
classroom depending Allowing for
control
on their abilities
supplemental aids
movement and
with and without
and services if
Student has a
posture.
inclusion help. The necessary.
severe
Classified by
severity of needs can Provide teaching orthopedic
Physical Disabilities* movement
determine if a
on a level and
impairment that
patterns: spastic,
student should be
skill ability
adversely
dyskinetic,
Cerebral Palsy
placed in a selfappropriate for affects a childs
athetoid, ataxic,
contained classroom. these students.
educational
and mixed. More
These students
Peer
performance.
than half have an
should have the
collaboration and
intellectual
opportunity to
group work can
disability.
interact with their
provide
peers in a least
opportunities to
restrictive
differentiate for
environment.
students with
physical
disabilities if
appropriate.
Students with
Students with
Students with
Students have
asthma have
asthma are
asthma do not
limited strength,
OHI*
trouble breathing successful in a
typically need
vitality or
due to a chronic general education
differentiation in alertness,
Asthma
lung condition
setting with a
the general
including
that is classified medical plan and
education
heightened
as intermittent, support from the
classroom, but in alertness to
mild persistent, school nurse.
physical
environmental
moderate
education, the
stimuli that
persistent or
students may
results in
severe persistent
need
limited alertness
asthma based on
accommodations with respect to

the number of
attacks per week.
An attack is
characterized by
shortness of
breath, heaving
chest, wheezing,
and coughing.
Most common
chronic disease
among children
in the US.

OHI*
Diabetes

Students with
diabetes may
have an insulin
pump, insulin
pod, or need
injections
intermittently
throughout the
day to maintain
their blood sugar.

and special
considerations
taken into
account to
prevent any type
the educational
of distress due to
environment
their medical
due to chronic
condition. If they
or acute health
are dealing with a
problems that
recent episode or
adversely affect
hospitalization
a childs
these should be
educational
taken into
performance.
account on how
instruction is
presented and
how much work
is given.
Students with their Students with
Students have
diabetes in control diabetes do not limited strength,
should be placed in typically need
vitality or
the general
differentiation in alertness,
education classroom the general
including
with a medical plan education
heightened
and support from the classroom, but in alertness to
school nurse.
physical
environmental
education, the
stimuli that
students may
results in
need
limited alertness
accommodations with respect to
and special
the educational
considerations
environment
taken into
due to chronic
account to
or acute health
prevent any type problems that
of distress due to adversely affect
their medical
a childs
condition. If they educational
are dealing with a performance.
recent episode or
hospitalization
these should be
taken into
account on how
instruction is
presented and

how much work

is given.
Students with
TBI should get
differentiated
lessons based on
their IEP with
appropriate
instructional
Students with
pacing, frequent
TBI often share
student response
similar
opportunities,
characteristics
adequate
with students
processing time,
Students with TBI
who have
monitoring of
An acquired
can be successful in
learning
responses, and
injury to the
the general
disabilities,
frequent
brain caused by
education classroom
communication
feedback.
an external
with
disorders, health
Collaborative
physical force,
accommodations and
impairments, and
learning works resulting in total
inclusion support
physical
well for students or partial
based on their needs
Traumatic Brain
disabilities. They
with TBI for
functional
and IEP. These
Injury
may display
inclusion into the disability or
students may need
coordination
general education psychosocial
self-contained
problems,
classroom.
impairment, or
services for speechphysical
Cooperative
both, that
language therapy,
weakness and
learning is also a adversely
physical therapy,
fatigue. They
great way to
affects a childs
occupational
may have low
integrate students education
therapy, or
verbal IQs and
with TBI and to performance.
rehabilitation.
they may have
meet their needs.
problems with
Problem solving
emotional,
and decision
behavioral, and
making is a way
social changes.
to teach strategies
that will help
those students
with TBI to learn
a skill that is
applicable to
many different
situations.
Students with
Students with
Communication Student must
hearing impairments needs to be taken have a hearing
Hearing Impairment hearing
impairments may can find success in into consideration impairment that
use sign language the general
for students with is so severe that

Visual Impairment

hearing
impairments
when planning
lessons. Closedcaptioned
(manual
technology can be
communication),
used to translate
can use lip
spoken language
reading, or may
to print.
the student is
need oral/aural education classroom
Computers and impaired in
format for
with supplemental
technology can be processing
auditory training. services and aids and
used to
linguistic
Academic
inclusion support.
differentiate for information
achievement may They may have
students with
through hearing
be low based on individual services
hearing
and the
reading levels. for a speechimpairments.
students
They may have language therapist to
Interpreters, if
educational
social and
help in the
available, are
performance is
emotional issues communication
great resources adversely
due to the lack of process.
for these students. affected.
ability to
Provide these
communicate
students with an
effectively with
opportunity to
their peers.
have their own
self-expression
with concepts for
proof of
understanding.
Students with
Depending on the
Providing
Visual disability
visual
severity of the visual visually impaired (including
impairment vary impairment, students students with
blindness) is
in visual
can be placed in a many different
impairment in
functioning and a general education
opportunities to vision that, even
large number
classroom with
experience a
with correction,
have multiple
visual aids like
concept in a
adversely
disabilities.
closed circuit
tactile/kinesthetic affects a childs
These students televisions,
way is important educational
may have
magnifiers, assistive for their
performance.
limitations in
technology, and
understanding.
range and variety other supplemental The affect for a
of experiences
services and aids.
student with a
due to their lack Students with severe visual impairment
of visual
impairments can be is not what they
experience,
successful in an
can learn, but
limitations in
inclusion setting
how they learn it.
ability to get
with peer

Gifted and Talented

around due to the

inability to move
around safely,
and limitations in collaboration or a
interactions with special education
the environment teacher.
due to their
visual
impairment.
GT students can Gifted and talented Lessons should Not covered
have one or more students are
be expanded to under IDEA,
of the following: typically placed in a accommodate
Section 504, or
high general
general education
students abilities ADA. There is
intellect, specific classroom. Their
based on their GT no federal
academic
gifts and talents may status. These
legislation for
aptitude,
be fostered in a
students should Gifted and
creativity and
setting that is
be challenged
Talented
leadership ability, specific to their label with a more
services.
and visual or
of GT. If there is a complex and
Gifted and
performing
co-occurring
rigorous
talented means
artistry. They
disability, a student curriculum.
children and
may also have
may have some self- Expansion on
youth who are
language,
contained services instructional
identified at the
hearing, visual, worked into their
strategies should preschool,
physical, or
school day.
be implemented elementary, or
learning
and focus on
secondary level
disabilities. They
critical-thinking as possessing
may experience
and problemdemonstrated or
social and
solving skills is potential
emotional issues
important for
abilities that
due to their
these students.
give evidence of
giftedness.
Creativity should high
be encouraged
performance
regularly. Groups capability in
with other GT
areas such as
students can be intellectual,
beneficial to these creative,
students as well. specific
academic, or
leadership
ability, or in the
performing
visual arts, and
who by reason
thereof require
services or

activities not
ordinarily
provided by the
school.

*Choose a specific disability or condition that falls within that category.

References
Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., Wehmeyer, M., & Shogren, K. (2013). Exceptional lives: Special
education in today's schools (7th ed., pp. 104-391). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.