Download - Learners with Cognitive Disabilities
AAIDD – American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities , definition
focuses on sub average intellectual function AND limitations in 2 or more adaptive skills, such as
Communication Self care Home living Social skills Health and safety
DefinitionFundamental limitations in learning and performing important skills of daily learning
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are not medical condition or mental disorder
Classification of IDD (outdated)American Psychological Association’s
(AAIDD)Mild (IQ 50 to 70) - Educable Moderate (IQ 35 to 50) – TrainableSevere (IQ 20 to 35) – Multiply
handicappedProfound (IQ 20 and less) - Multiply
handicapped
AAIDDIntellectual functioning & adaptive skills:
Academic skills, self-help, communication, social interactions
Psychological & emotional considerationsPsychological well-being, emotional stability
Physical health & etiology considerationsHealth issues & issues related to personal safety
Environmental considerationsNeed related to family & community
CausesPrenatal causesChromosomal disorders
Down Syndrome (trisomy 21)Williams Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome,
Prader-Willi SyndromeDevelopmental disorders of brain formation
Parental exposure to drugs or alcohol, rubella
Low birth weightAnoxia ( lack of O2) Head injury from accident, abuse or
trauma
CharacteristicsComprehensive disabilityLearning problems
MemoryLanguage developmentProblem-solvingMotivation (learned helplessness)
Social, behavioral, and communication problems
Severe IDD often coexists with other disabilities
Show video of Carlyn
Environmental influencesFetal alcohol syndromePoor nutritionLead paintLack of stimulation from caretakers
Adaptive skillsConceptual skills:
Receptive and expressive language, reading & writing, money concepts, self-directions
Social skills: interpersonal, responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naiveté, following rules & laws)
Practical skills: eating, dressing, toileting, mobility, using transportation
Traumatic Brain InjuryLeading cause – AccidentsNext – FallsViolent incidents: child abuse, shaken-baby syndrome
Watch video (on calendar)
Brain injuriesCognitive abilities: Focus of attention,
concentration ability to learn, memory, problem solving, perception, and abstract reasoning
Social skills: Relating to others and being socially appropriate, low frustration tolerance, erratic behavior, low motivation
Language and motor skills: Negatively affected
Help to regain some skills, but many deficits in functioning maybe ongoing
Music EducationMay have 20-30 students + student
with severe disabilities in an inclusive classroom
Is the student a “full-time” member of the class?
IEP – social goals? Physical goals?Music class is his/her favorite class?
Respond positively?Integration? Popular class among
students w/disabilities?
Students w/IDD & TBI may or may not have problems in the music classroom.
Each child is different in abilities and needsMany students may excel in music since the
information typically is presented through auditory, visual and kinesthetic means
Social problems: frustration, difficulty with peers, and lack of attention or hyperactivity
What should we do in a music classroom?View IDD Music Classroom video
ExpectationsEarly Childhood + Lower elementary?
Upper Elementary?Discuss expectations with classroom teachers, special ed teachers & music therapist.
Cognitive: Music activities focusing on academic concepts such as colors, numbers, letters, reading, memoryClassification (shapes, colors)
Dances (shapes, form)Brown Bear (so-mi, colors)
Spatial relationship (up/down, front/back, long/short, same/different, in/out) Grade K Curriculum:
High & low: See SawLoud & soft: Pop Pop Pop
Seriation (organizing by size or number) Counting
Temporal relationships Spatial intelligence – Bells & Orff
instrumentsDances
Communication: Call & response, singing: Come back home my
little chickMuch slower tempo (language deficits: IDD +
Language disorder)Sing songs with slower tempi, “Twinkle
Twinkle”Listening to verbal and non-verbal cues,
instruments of different timbresLong & short sounds – Engine engine #9Bright and dark timbres – March of
Kitchen Utensils
Social/Emotional: Sharing, group activities – Ten little
soldiersMaking choices, self-determination –
“Welcome song” (3/4 meter, fa)Due to student’s language deficits, attention
problems, frustration tolerance, and difficulty understanding abstract ideas – “Teddy Bear” (so-mi-re)
Can be isolated or rejected by peers (work with peers)
Music classroom provides excellent environment for social interaction Dances
Physical Motor:Sensory activities, interaction with others
Coordination and motor planningDalcroze games (Ta, ti-ti, ta-a, same and different notes, ascending and descending)Three little pigs, singing games
Visual: Use visual aids, booksAuditory: Use sounds, instruments
(Orff)Adapt a music arrangement to the level of the student. Changing rhythm patterns from complex to simple or giving additional structure or cues for a music improvisation on Orff instruments
Kinesthetic modalities: Dalcroze games, Come back home my little chick, Dances
Cont…..Self-direction:
Teachers provide additional support or structure to assist the student in the development of choice making, problem-solving skills
Adaptations in the music classroom should be based on the students’ strengths as well as the students’ limitations in all of these areas.
StrategiesParticipation:
Partial participation – some but not all activities
Input:Information should be concrete and simple rather than abstract and complex
One- and two-step directions, repetition and cues to focus on the teacher
Different modalities: Information presented via visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities
Cont…
Output:Fewer, simpler questions to respond to a task in music
Respond verbally or through movement to evaluate learning, rather than insisting on reading and writing test
Augmentative and alternative communication methods – Easy talker, Cards, Sign-language
Cont…
Difficulty:Simplify music to meet cognitive
functioning level, use color coding or write out letter names
Increase success & motivation!Time
Need additional time to accomplish a task
Need support from peers – buddy systemAlternate goals
Expectations for these students may need to be adjusted based on their level of functioning
Cont….Students w/IDD &TBI might have problems understand directions, expectations, or consequences
Low frustrations tolerance, repeated failures, and lack of self-esteem
What should we do as music teachers?Make activities fun and interesting
Learning disabilitiesDescribes a heterogeneous group of
disabilities that may be related to reading, writing, math, or memory skills
Might have mild to severe forms of the disability
Might only have one specific disability or a combination of specific learning disabilities
PrevalenceAlmost 2.9 million school-aged children in the
United States Over half of all children who receive special
education have a learning disability , approximately 5% of all school-aged children in public schools (do not include children in private and religious schools or home-schooled children)
Learning disabilities is by far the largest category of special education
CausesCentral nervous system dysfunction – still not know
Strong connection between family history and learning disabilities
Environment factors: exposure to chemicals, brain damage
Alcohol & drugs
ProblemsVisual-spatial-motor deficitsProcessing deficitsDifficulty with problem solving
strategiesPoor understanding of languageSocial withdrawalPossible inattention or hyperactivityLow frustration tolerance
Cont… Managing the physical space
Place that students in close proximity to the teacher or the “buddy.”
Move instruments away so that they are not distracted by the instruments
Behavior problems:The room accommodates the student’s behavior needs, clear structure & rules.