Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

2. Learning disabilities a. Children with learning disabilities (LDs) have difficulty in mastering one or more basic skills b. Difficulties are not generally due to mental retardation or physical handicaps such as deafness

c. Dyslexia, a reading difficulty, is the most common learning disability d. Dyscalculia, a math difficulty, is another common learning disability e. Previously, children with LDs were segregated from their peers at school f. If possible, children with LDs are mainstreamed into regular education classrooms

g. The best compromise in the debate of inclusion and exclusion of children with learning disabilities in regular education classrooms is inclusion with an aide into a general education classroom. 3. Hyperactivity a. Characteristics: Over activity, impulsiveness, restlessness, distractibility, and short attention spans b. Usually diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) c. Related to ADHD symptoms is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) , however these children lack the hyperactivity d. Children with ADD or ADHD tend to have difficulties choosing the appropriate emotional or behavioral response to a stimulus e. Potential cause: children are thought to be under stimulated during critical periods of learning and brain formation. f. Treatment: medication, environmental changes, and structured time 4. Gifted and talented students a. Unlike children with learning difficulties or special needs, ‘gifted’ students do not often receive special treatment in schools. b. Many states are beginning to provide assistance to schools for superior students c. Gifted students usually have average physical, social, and emotional development, but are cognitively, intellectually, and academically advanced.

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