| Special Needs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Need | Description | ||||||||
| Physical (orthopedic) conditions | Physical limitations caused by birth defects or injury that prevent or impair mobility and/or dexterity. | ||||||||
| Visual impairment | Many potential causes that result in partial to total blindness or limited sight requiring corrective lenses. | ||||||||
| Hearing impairment | Any condition that results in less than normal hearing; may be permanent or temporary; profoundly hearing-impaired children may also have limited speech. | ||||||||
| Speech/language impairment | Difficulty in producing speech, or delayed development of language. | ||||||||
| Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) | Difficulty paying or maintaining attention and organization, possibly accompanied by high activity levels and restlessness. | ||||||||
| Conduct (behavior) disorder Oppositional defiant disorder |
Problems with authority, obedience, or anger/impulse control. | ||||||||
| Learning disability | Normal intelligence but difficulty learning due to a variety of perceptual problems such as reversing or inverting letters and numbers. | ||||||||
| Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) | Broad continuum of behaviors that range from mild (Asperger’s syndrome) to profound difficulties with sensory processing, social interaction, and communication. | ||||||||
| Intellectual disability | Lower than normal intelligence that can be due to a number of factors, mostly genetic in origin. | ||||||||
| Giftedness | Much higher than normal intelligence or aptitude in one or more developmental domains. | ||||||||
Therefore teachers are expected to adapt all elements of the curriculum to serve and engage not only typically developing children but also those with special needs of all different kinds. Some teachers and caregivers without extensive training in special education may feel that they are not prepared to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Early childhood educators must remember that one of the key principles of DAP is that if we consider each child as a unique individual, we accept that all children have special needs (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). Making decisions about how to individualize curriculumincluding the environment, materials, and teaching strategiesis appropriate for all children. The key is a thorough understanding of development across all the domains, so that curriculum is implemented with sensitivity to each child’s strengths and challenges as he or she grows and learns.