Chapter 8 Learning and Behavior Disorders 2015 Cengage

Chapter 8 Learning and Behavior Disorders © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Objectives • Describe the characteristics of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and discuss intervention options • Identify various types of learning disabilities including risk factors and describe Response to Intervention (RTI) as it relates to learning disabilities. • Provide a description of behavior disorders including depression and anxiety • Describe Autism Spectrum Disorder and discuss recent research and effective intervention strategies. • Discuss elimination and eating disorders and when a teacher should be concerned. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder • History of ADHD – It has been studied for more than 50 years. – The APA finally decided on ADHD with three patterns of behavior. • Predominately hyperactive-impulsive type • Predominately inattentive type • Combined type © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) • Current attempts at defining ADHD – Must rule out other causes. – Clinical assessment of development as well as academic, social and emotional abilities. – Checklists and rating scales. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) • Causes and prevalence of ADHD – There is no known absolute cause. – Possible causes are genetics; one or more parents is also hyperactive. – Maternal smoking or drug/alcohol use during pregnancy may be a factor. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) – Disorders that sometimes accompany ADHD • • • Learning disabilities Oppositional Defiant Disorder Conduct Disorder Anxiety Disorder Depressive Disorder © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) • Intervention strategies – Medication and behavior management combined seems to be the best approach. – Medication • • Psychostimulants are the most common. Increased attention and concentration. Decreased impulsivity and activity. It can cause sleep disorders, weight loss, and increased blood pressure. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) – Special diet • The Feingold diet is one tried method. • Parents feed the child additive- and dye-free foods to lessen hyperactive behaviors. • Nutrition is key, but eliminating foods does not solve the problem. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (continued) – Behavior management • Reward positive behaviors. • Evaluate the environment for a match between the environment and the child to manage his or her own behavior. • Plan developmentally appropriate activities for all children so that children are not inappropriately labeled. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities • Learning disabilities defined – A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – It states clearly that a learning disability is not the result of: • • visual, hearing, or motor handicaps. emotional disturbance. environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. second language learning. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Non disadvantaged ruling • This excludes children who live in environmental or economic disadvantage from being labeled learning disabled. – Academic ruling • The definition states that there should be difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and mathematical calculations. At what age? © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) • Risk indicators – Predicting learning disabilities • Observation of child • Matching observation to performance measures • Caution: Children can develop skills in a range; looking for deviations from the range is a sign of possible learning disability. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Prerequisite skills • These are skills needed to enter school. • Comes through experience, learning and the opportunity to practice and master developmental skills. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Sensory-motor difficulties (gross motor) • • • Imperfect body control Poor balance Uncertain bilateral and cross-lateral movements Inability to cross body midline Faulty spatial orientation – Sensory-motor difficulties (fine motor) • Problems in buttoning, lacing, snapping, cutting, pasting, and stringing beads • Perseveration or repeating the same act or words © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Cognitive disorders • Trouble organizing thoughts or processing information logically. • Abstract thought is difficult. • Poor memory. • Problems with generalizing information. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Visual and auditory perception problems • • • Visual discrimination Visual orientation Visual memory Visual tracking Visual-motor integration Auditory perception problems © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) – Language delays • Receptive language • Expressive language – Social skills delays • • Bullying Withdrawn Aggressive Overdependent © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) • Response to intervention – This allows a teacher to intervene with a child without there being a required discrepancy between ability and achievement. – Tiered approach • Screening and group interventions • Target and short-term interventions • Intensive instruction © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) • Pre-K RTI – High quality instruction – Tiered instruction and intervention – Ongoing student assessment / progress monitoring – Family involvement © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Disabilities (continued) • Program considerations – All children will show signs of learning disabilities at one time or another. – Children need environments that are positive and developmentally appropriate. – Schedules need to be consistent. – Tasks need to be broken down into smaller chunks of information. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders • Behavior is extreme, chronic, and unacceptable. • Definitional issues – Experts who work with these children prefer the term behaviorally disordered because it places the focus on the observable aspect of the children’s problems: the behavior that is causing problems in school and at home. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders (continued) – The term emotional or behavioral disorder means a disability characterized by behavioral or emotional responses in school so different from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic norms that they adversely affect educational performance. – Emotional and behavioral disorders can coexist with other disabilities. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders (continued) – This category may include children or youths with schizophrenic disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorder, or other sustained disorders of conduct or adjustment when they adversely affect educational performance in accordance with section (I) (Forness & Knitzer, 1992, p. 13). © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders (continued) • Prevalence – 1% of school aged children are identified with serious emotional or behavioral disorders. – Behavior problems may be seen in preschool aged children. – Intervention imperative when behaviors are becoming a child’s habitual way of responding to stress and frustration. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders (continued) • Depression – Changes in emotions, motivation, thoughts, and physical well-being. – Children growing up with depressed parents are likely to have bouts of anxiety and depression. – Low self-esteem may be associated. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Behavior Disorders (continued) • Anxiety – People who experience excessive fear, worry, or uneasiness. – Some fears may even become phobias. – Fears are normal, but when taken to the extreme, they can cause multiple maladaptive behaviors. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders • Usually present by age three • Deficits in social communication and social interaction • Restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Prevalence – More prevalent in boys than in girls. – Identification is increasing. – More children are being diagnosed by age 3. – An overlapping condition that varies from child to child. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Advances in autism research – Genetic links • Mutations seen in children of older fathers. • Slight association with mother’s age. – Impact of environmental pollutants • Pesticides may increase risk of autism. • High levels of air pollutants during pregnancy and 1 st year of life may increase risk of autism. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Problems that may accompany ASD – Intellectual disability – Seizures – Fragile X syndrome – Tuberous sclerosis © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Other forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder – Rett’s disorder • Diagnosed predominantly in females. • Typical development for 18 months than loss of abilities in gross motor, speech and hand use. – Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Intervention – Applied Behavior Analysis – Discrete Trial Training – Best approach is individualized • Other interventions – Dietary interventions • Food allergies and insufficient vitamins or minerals – Chelation • Removing heavy metals from blood stream © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (continued) • Medications – Used to treat behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, tantrums. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Eating and Elimination Disorders • Pica – The craving of nonfood items. • Soiling and wetting – Persistent wetting may be a sign of an infection. – Child may have an intestinal virus. – Diabetics have trouble with bladder control. – Strange bathrooms may cause an undue stress on a child. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

A Final but Important Note • Every child can exhibit behavior problems at one time or another. • It is cautioned to not prematurely label a child. • It is not how a child is classified but how a child is cared for that is the most important issue when addressing behavior and learning problems. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Objectives: Revisited • Describe the characteristics of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and discuss intervention options • Identify various types of learning disabilities including risk factors and describe Response to Intervention (RTI) as it relates to learning disabilities. • Provide a description of behavior disorders including depression and anxiety • Describe Autism Spectrum Disorder and discuss recent research and effective intervention strategies. • Discuss elimination and eating disorders and when a teacher should be concerned. © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.