This document discusses children with special needs and exceptional children. It defines disability and describes different types including visual, hearing, intellectual, learning, speech, and emotional disabilities. It provides strategies for teaching students with attention deficit disorder, autism, hearing/visual impairments, and emotional disabilities. The document also defines gifted children, creative children, slow learners, and underachievers. It emphasizes that exceptional children require modified programs and services to develop their full potential.

1. Notes on Pedagogy and Child Development
Specially for Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test 2018-19
Compiled by
Abul K. Azad (ASRB-NET)
Ph.D. in Agriculture Extension Education
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute
Karnal-132001, Haryana
For more updates Email to: abulazad45@gmail.com
A small contribution to make better Professionals

2. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
Before going to understand this discussion one must understand that they are children
first, and children with disabilities second.
A disability is defined as a condition or function judged to be significantly impaired
relative to the usual standard of an individual or group. The term is used to refer to
individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive
impairment, intellectual impairment mental illness, and various types of chronic
disease. In a simple way, disability a physical or mental condition that limits a person's
movements, senses, or activities.
Different types of disabilities and its level
(i) Visual Impairment
(a) Refractive errors-short sight or long sight.
(b) Partial vision or low vision. Who have difficulty in reading print even after wearing
spectacles. Child who has sight adjustment capacity of 20/70 Snellen to 20/200
Snellen
(c) Totally blind
(ii) Hearing Disabilities
Hearing
Thresholds (dB HL)
Classification Impact
-10 to 15 normal hearing Child can hear sounds and speech even if they are very soft
16 to 25 slight hearing loss
Child may have trouble hearing soft speech, soft sounds, or
speech spoken from a distance
26 to 40 mild hearing loss
Child will consistently miss some speech sounds. This will be
even more noticeable when there is background noise or when
the child is not standing close to the person speaking.
Speech and language development may be affected.
Hearing aids will likely be beneficial.

3. 41 to 55
moderate hearing
loss
Child just barely hears speech at a conversational level in a quiet
environment and may or may not be able to understand what is
being said.
The child's speech and language will likely be affected.
Hearing aids are required.
56 to 70
moderately-severe
hearing loss
Child may hear some speech sounds, but will be unable to
understand speech without hearing aids. Speech and language
development will be delayed.
Hearing aids are required.
71 to 90 severe hearing loss
Child may detect loud sounds in the environment, but will not
hear normal conversational speech. Child requires hearing aids
in order to learn to speak.
Sign language could be an option.
90+
profound hearing
loss
Child likely responds more to vibrations than to sounds. Child
may or may not receive benefit from traditional hearing aids.
Cochlear implantation or the use of sign language are two
options available that could benefit this type of loss.
Note: Normal hearing ranges from 0 to 20 dB in all frequencies. Hearing is
measured in dB. The normal hearing range in terms of frequency is between
16 Hz and 20 kHz.
(iii) Mentally Retarded
Categories IQ Range
(a) Slow learners 75 to 89
(b) Mild mentally retarded 60-65 to 70-75
(c) Moderate Mentally Retarded 35-40 to 60-65
(d) Severely retarded 20-25 to 30-35
(e) Profoundly retarded 20-25 and below

4. iv) Learning Disabilities
(a) Reading disabilities Dyslexia
(b) Disability to comprehend or speak Dysphasia
(c) Writing disabilities Dysgraphia
(d) Arithmetic disabilities Dyscalculia
(e) Disability to express orally Aphasia
(f) Disability to read or write printed matter Alexia
V) Speech Disabilities
(a) Stammering difficulty in pronouncing certain Sounds.
(b) Stuttering Fluency in speech lacking
(c) Voice Disorders cannot control pitch, loudness
(d) Articulations Problems, Omissions, and Substitution of words.
Vi) Emotional Disturbance: leading to Behaviour Problems
(a) Attention deficit disorder (hyper activity)
(b) Aggressive/Violent behaviour
(c) Hyper active or Hypoactive
(d) Anxiety disorder
(e) Shy and withdrawal tendencies
(f) Depression
(g) Phobia-fear of darkness, heights or depths
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education refers to a range of educational and social services provided by the
public school system and other educational institutions to individuals with disabilities
who are between three and 21 years of age.
ORIGINS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
However, during more recent times, systematic efforts took place in providing
educational and vocational opportunities to individuals with disabilities in India.
Starting with Christian missionaries in the 1880s, the charity model became part of the
special schools they established (Alur, 2002). For instance, formal educational

5. institutions were established for the blind in1887, for the deaf in 1888, and for mentally
deficient in 1934 (Misra, 2000).After these early establishments in the late 19th century
or early 20thcentury, a growth was seen in the establishment of these institutions in
the later half of the 20th century. After independence from Great Britain in1947, there
was a systematic development of special education in India that saw the establishment
of 81 schools between 1960 and 1975. By 1979, the number of special education
centres was 150. With the establishment of the National Institute for the Mentally
Handicapped (NIMH) in 1986 and others soon after, the availability of trained
personnel and suitable models of service made the growth of special schools for
children with disabilities very significant.
PREVALENCE OF DISABILITY IN INDIA
According to a UNICEF Report on the Status of Disability in India (2000), there were
around 30 million children that had some form of disability. Another report, the sixth
All-India Educational Survey reported that of India’s 2,000 million school aged children
(6 14 years), 20 million require special needs education (Rehabilitation Council of
India (RCI),2000). Although these numbers show a large discrepancy, it is clear that
there are a large number of students with special needs that require appropriate
educational services. Recognizing the large number of special needs population and
regional disparities, the Government of India (GoI) initiated policy reforms and
strategies for special needs and inclusive education. The educational system in India
has witnessed many changes after the coveted independence from Great Britain in
1947. The post freedom era together with the economic and social development
policies in the last four decades have contributed substantially to bringing about an
evolution in the overall educational system in India through legislative measures as
well as social welfare activities.
PROMOTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN INDIA
In the 1960s, The Indian Education Commission, widely known as the Kothari
Commission (Kothari, 1966), was the first statutory body which highlighted the issue

6. of children with disabilities in the
Plan of Action in 1964 (Alur, 2002;
Puri & Abraham, 2004). It made
strong recommendations for
including children with disabilities
into regular schools. The
Commission emphasized that (a)
the education of children with dis-
abilities should be “an inseparable
part of the general education
system” (Azad, 1996, p. 4) and (b) it
should be organized, not merely on
humanitarian grounds, but also on
grounds of utility (Azad, 1996;Puri &
Abraham,2004). Moreover, the
Commission set specific targets for
four categories of disability to be achieved by 1986: education for about 15 percent of
the blind, the deaf, and orthopedically handicapped and 5 percent of the men-tally
retarded (Panda, 1996;RCI, 2000).
In the 1970s, The Ministry of Welfare launched the scheme for Integrated Education
for Disabled Children (IEDC) to overcome some of the difficulties faced by the special
education system in the country, particularly, limited coverage and a lack of qualified
and trained teachers (Dasgupta, 2002). The Central Government provided 50 percent
financial assistance to the State Governments for the implementation of the IEDC in
regular schools. The objectives of the IEDC included the retention of children with
disabilities in the regular school system, preschool training for children with disabilities,
and counseling for parents.
In 1980s, The IEDC scheme was followed by the seminal year of International Year
for the Disabled Persons (IYDP) in 1981. The United Nations established that all
countries should frame legislation for people with disabilities and that was the major
thrust of the year. India was one of the first signatories to the resolution proclaiming
the year 1981 as the “International Year for the Disabled Persons.” India demonstrated
its commitment toward people with disabilities by endorsing the objectives proposed

7. in there solutions of the United Nations General Assembly (RCI, 2000). In response to
the United Nations initiatives, the GOI enacted a series of legislations and policies to
advance integrated education in the country (RCI, 2000).
The GOI in its Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-1985) considered inclusive education for
children with disabilities as a priority. Subsequent increased funding for inclusive
education and supplementary policies, legislation, and programs indicate the
government’s dedication in this sphere. In particular, the provision of inclusive
education as an integral part of the education system by the GoI is reflected in the
National Policy of Education (NPE)(Ministry of Human Resource Development, 1986)
and Project Integrated Education for the Disabled (PIED) (Ministry of Human Resource
Development, 1987).
During 1990s, the GOI spurred various projects, schemes, and legislations to
reinforce inclusion programs. Some of the initiatives were: the National Policy of
Education-Plan of Action (NPE-POA) (1990 1992); the District Primary Education
Programme (DPEP) (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 1994); and perhaps
the most significant of these initiatives was the passage of the landmark legislation,
The Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995.NPE (1986) was revised in 1992 and is
referred to as the NPE-POA (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 1992).
Furthermore, a resolution was made to set up District Institute of Education and
Training (DIET) to provide preservice and in-service education to regular school
teachers to enhance their skills to meet the needs of students with disabilities in their
classrooms.
During 2000s, A number of significant initiatives have taken place in the last
decadethat further strengthened inclusion movement in India. Some of these initia-
tives included: Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (Ministry of Human Resource Development,
2000), The Action Plan for Inclusion in Education of Children and Youth with
Disabilities (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2005), National Policy for
Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2006), and
Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary Stage (Ministry of Human Resource
Development,2009a).
The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All
movement) (SSA), which was implemented in 2000, set time-bound targets for the

8. achievement of Universal Elementary Education (UEE) by2010. With a premise of
“zero rejection,” the program provided support for the inclusion of children with
disabilities in regular schools at the elementary level. SSA provided an assistance of
rupees, namely, 1,200 per special needs child per annum.
The Action Plan for Inclusion in Education of Children and Youth with
Disabilities was an ambitious plan that was introduced by the Government to promote
the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools. Under this plan, the
first level of intervention was offered through the Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) program. This program aimed to reach out to all children aged 0-6
years, and it trained Anganwadi workers to detect disabilities in children at an early
stage.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act (Ministry of Human
Resource Development, 2009b) proposed free and compulsory education to all
children aged between 6 and 14 years. Also, the Act made it binding that all public and
private schools reserve 25 per-cent of their classroom seats for children from
“disadvantaged sections.”
(PDF) Special Education Today in India. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265599013_Special_Education_Today_in_
India [accessed Dec 31 2018].
STRATEGIES FOR SPECIAL NEED STUDENTS
1. Attention Deficit Disorder
Children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) may exhibit some or all of the following characteristics:
 Short attention span – difficulty focusing
 Poor memory
 Disorganization
 Poor impulse control
 Restlessness
 Incessant talking
 Incessant activity

9. Strategies
 Clear and simple directions work best with children with attention deficit
disorder.
 Repetition and consistency.
 Keeping children with ADD physically separated from other challenging
children.
 Allowing activities like games, music etc. may be considered or used as
reinforcement for positive behaviours.
2. Autism
Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal
communication, social interaction, and behaviour generally evident before age three,
adversely affecting a child's educational performance.
Strategies
 Simple one or two word directions are usually most effective in correcting
dangerous behaviour.
 Use a quiet, gentle, firm voice.
3. Hearing and visual impairments
Hearing impairment is hearing loss, in one or both ears, that may be permanent or
fluctuating, that adversely affect educational performance.
Strategies
 Qualified personnel should assess each child to determine the level of
assistance needed and to help the child become independent over time.
 Verbal communication should be used to compensate for what children can’t
see.
 Instructions should be friendly and direct.
 If a child’s primary mode of communication is sign language, learning basic
signs and finger spelling may be helpful in establishing rapport.
4. Emotional disabilities
Emotional disability means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following
characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, that
adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Strategies

10.  Use their names, learn their interests, show them respect, honesty, caring and
trust. Be a professional and maintain a positive attitude.
 Don’t threaten or try to intimidate.
 Give children responsibilities they can handle.
 Learn students’ non-verbal cues to anticipate a potential incident. Defuse
problems before they escalate to another level.
AN EXCEPTIONAL CHILD
An exceptional child is one who deviates physically, intellectually, emotionally or socially, from the normal
or average child so markedly that he cannot receive maximum benefit from the regular school programme
and requires modification in the school practices and programmes or requires special educational
services or supplementary instruction and services to enable him/her to develop to their maximum
capacity. Since the child has some special needs, he / she is also referred to as a child with special
needs.
Gifted children: gifted children are those children who has an exceptional talent in art, music, dance and
creative writing also are included in giftedness. In simple the children is gifted when their ability is
significantly above the norm for their age. In most of the countries, the children whose IQ iof 130 or above
as gifted children. Such a child’s cognitive abilities place him in the upper 3-5% of the population. A gifted
child engages in convergent thinking. Giftedness is biologically determined although some psychologists’
emphasise on the child’s Socio Economic Status
to be associated with his/her IQ, Heredity sets the
intellectual potential of an individual and the
environment determines how much of it is
realised.
Characteristics
 Rapid learner
 Enjoy solving problems
 Highly sensitive
 Thinking is abstracts
Creative Child: creative children are those who has ability to produce something different. The creative
objects must have practical uses. Creative child is associated with divergent thinking.
The gifted and creative child requires opportunities for self- expression, challenging and complex
curriculum, teachers who can foster talent and peers who can stimulates their interest (Feldhusen, 1996).

11. Special educational programmes like enrichment (extra opportunities) acceleration and pullout approach
(withdrawal for school classes for special training) are needed to realise his potential for personal
fulfilment and social contribution.
Slow Learners
The backward child is also called as a slow learner. The child is unable to cope with routine work normally
expected of his/her age group. The rate of learning is the basis for identifying slow learners. He finds it
difficult to keep pace with the normal child in his school work.
Under achievers
The term "underachiever" commonly refers to anyone, child or adult, who performs below his or
her potential, psychologists typically use the term to refer to a student whose performance in
academic studies falls significantly below his scores on standardized tests of aptitude or ability.
A student may also be considered to be underachieving based on the educator's evaluation of
her learning potential in relation to the quality of the work she does on class assignments.
Delinquent Child
Child who has violated criminal law or engaged in disobedient behaviour and is in need of rehabilitation.
They disobey the standards of society.
Factors
 Underachievers may also have learning disabilities that prevent them from making full
use of their capabilities.
 Family factors may also contribute to a pattern of underachievement in a variety of ways.
 Peer pressure may be another factor contributing to under-achievement.
Read more: Underachiever - Achievement Tests, Student, and Academic - JRank Articles
http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/643/Underachiever.html#ixzz5bEUuUQ9S
6 things to remember when teaching exceptional children as suggested by
Experts
1. All children are unique
“An exceptional child is like any other child in the sense that he or she has
different strengths and weaknesses and learns through various combinations
of the multiple intelligences,” says Amanda Selogie, a former educator who
currently serves as an attorney for Selogie and Brett, LLP.
2. Creativity is essential

12. “People who work with exceptional children need to be flexible and to think out
of the box,” suggests Janet Ruth Heller, a veteran college professor of 35 years
who has worked primarily with gifted students. She emphasizes that gifted
children will often become bored with both the content and rigor of a regular
curriculum.
With this in mind, it is the teacher’s job to figure out a way to modify the
curriculum in a way that is both exciting and differentiated. Taking risks with
new methods and being willing to use your imagination are crucial to connecting
with exceptional children.
3. Assumptions are dangerous
“One of the worst mistakes that teachers make is deciding that kids with
behaviours are bad kids; that they will always be bad kids and that these
behaviours are not changeable,” asserts Vickie Brett, another attorney who
practices at Selogie and Brett, LLP where she partners with Selogie in
advocating for exceptional children.
4. Exceptional children have loved ones
As a parent, you understand and love your child better than any teacher,
relative or friend. You have unique insights about his or her personality, values,
favorite activities and constantly changing emotions.
5. Be willing to learn from mistakes and successes
As creatures of habit, we tend to go on autopilot while performing our daily
routines. “We get fixated on one thing when it comes to working with
exceptional children. If a certain technique works with one kid, we automatically
think it will work with the next kid,” Selogie observes about her work with
exceptional children.
6. Beware of labels and generalizations
It’s important to show a genuine interest in connecting with the child as an
individual instead of by a label. You will discover ways to meet their unique
needs that a label or diagnosis could have never revealed.
My best wishes.
----------------------------------******---------------------------------------------------