Students With Mild Exceptionalities

Characteristics and Applications

Sydney S. Zentall

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781483314990
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

This concise and practical guide thoroughly presents the characteristics of children with specific mild exceptionalities in today?s diverse classroom. Using an active, problem-solving approach that reflects how today?s students learn, Dr. Sydney S. Zentall identifies the characteristics of children with mild exceptionalities that can be gleaned from observations, written descriptions, and personal interactions. Unlike many texts on this topic, which overwhelm students with extraneous information, The text focuses on the characteristics of these students within general education and special class settings. With this knowledge readers will better understand the implications of characteristics for accommodations and be ready to apply this knowledge with empirically based interventions.

Appendix II

Appendix II Data for Case Study 11.1: Lily (“She shouted, ‘NO!’”) (adapted from an assignment submitted by Jia Liu)

Background. The S Preschool has two classrooms. One is for 3-year-old children and the other is for 4-year-olds. Usually there are around 10 children in the morning in the 3-year-old class; 7 of the children come from China, and the others come from countries such as Egypt and Puerto Rico. In the classroom there are four little tables with several chairs where children sit to do art projects, to play with blocks or puzzles, and to have snacks. The classroom also has a rug area where they play with toys, listen to instructions, and read books. Other items in the classroom are a cage in which a big white rabbit is kept and a little house that imitates a home with furniture. Mary is the young female American teacher of this class. Two adult assistants are also in the class every day. Among the Chinese children, Lily is the only girl. She is the only child of her family.

Setting 1: Free Play Time

Setting 2: Group Instruction

Setting 3: Snack

Setting 4: Reading Plus Other Activities

Setting 5: Playground

Glossary

AAC: Augmentative and alternative communication. AAC devices provide technological support for the language that the child has: verbal (speech) or nonverbal/gestural modes of communication (pointing or mechanical output systems) and alternative communication methods that bypass the oral system of communication. (Section II)

Abreactions: The release of emotions by acting out; often a reaction against a set of circumstances. (Section III)

Abstract thinking: The ability to go beyond visually based concrete events or objects to form visual concepts, such as greater than, and symbols, such as understanding that one thing can represent many. For example, a picture of a chair can represent a chair and a color (e.g., red and green) can represent an action (stop/go). Verbal abstract processing involves making categories, such that a word or group of words can represent an idea (e.g., fairness). (Section III)

Abstract verbal language: The degree to which language involves more than the concrete naming of things and moves to descriptions of objects (adjectives), descriptions of actions (adverbs), and use of abstract prepositions, along this continuum: (a) single words—nouns (objects, concepts, categories), verbs (simple verbs, verb tense), adjectives, prepositions; (b) phrases and sentences (following directions); (c) paragraphs and stories; (d) cause and effect, (e) drawing of inferences; (f) fact versus opinion; (g) absurdities and humor; (h) idioms and figures of speech (“on the rocks,” “over the hill”). (Section II)

Accommodations: Changes in the setting or task that are made by the teacher to bring out optimal responding...