1. Special Education
Disabilities,
Disorders,
& Syndromes
Carol Landry-Webster
Goddard College
Fall 2011 - August 29, 2011
Packet 1

2. Disabilities, Disorders, &
Syndromes
Definitions from Webster’s Dictionary
Disability - The condition of being physically or
mentally impaired
Disorder - to disturb the regular or normal functions of
Syndrome - a group of signs and symptoms that occur
together and characterize a particular abnormality or
condition.
2

3. Things to know about learning disabilities, disorders, & syndromes
Even though the word disability is widely used it should not be used with
learning. It implies the lack of ability to learn when in reality it is need for a
variation of instruction. Just as someone who needs a wheel chair and use of a ramp
to get from point A to point B, a student with a learning disability needs alternative
instruction or delivery of information to reach the goal.
Disorder is a medical term and not a learning disability. Students with various
disorders such as Autism, ADHD, or OCD do not have a learning disability. Their
disorder hinders and disrupts their learning but is not classified as a disability.
Syndromes are also medical terms and not learning disabilities. Students with
syndromes and disorders are not put in the same category in the public school
arena as children with learning disabilities.
Students with learning disabilities are given a Individualized Educational Plan,
tracked by special education teachers and students with disorders and syndromes
that do not have a learning disability are given a 504 Plan tracked by the school
nurse and the guidance department.

4. Brain Development
Every brain develops in an individual way, but one thing is true for
each brain, there are critical periods of sensitivity (Feldman, 2004)
developing certain skills. If there is a disruption in the
development of specific skills, abilities can be hindered. A fever at
9 months can disrupt the normal development of the Wernicke’s
Area of the brain and cause problems with speech and language
development later on (Feldman, 2004). The brain however can be
taught to re-route those processes and acquire impaired skills in
some instances. Not all disabilities are malleable however, it is best
to not make judgements on what can be accomplished for students
with disabilities. What is most important is that students with
disabilities are supported and allowed space to develop.

5. Academic Disabilities
Academic Disabilities are disabilities that interfere with typical classroom
instruction. The students with a disability may need added support to
obtain and retain information and material in the classroom. The
processes involved with taking in information and communicating
understanding has multi layers and is complex. There are countless
reasons for impairment that don’t necessarily stem from cognitive ability.
Academic disabilities require modifications to the content,
instruction, and requirements of a classroom. Students that fall
behind but are able to utilize remediation and then maintain grade level
work do not have an academic learning disability (Pierangelo, 1996).
Disabilities associated with academics are:
Speech, Reading, Writing, Math

6. Speech Disabilities
The centers of the brain that influence language understanding and ability to
communicate are the Broca’s area and the Wernicke’s area. If there is disruption in
development in these areas of the brain a disability can occur. Students with speech
and communication impairments need teachers to remember that speech
difficulties are not indication of low cognitive ability. Speech complex function and
it is key to understand the nature of the individuals abilities and impairment to
properly support and teach that child how to enhance their learning experience.
Various disabilities in speech can be defined as
Aphasia, Impaired Articulation, Stuttering, Fluency Disorder, Lanuage
Delay, Expressive Language Disorder, Specific Language Impairment,
Receptive Language Disorder, as well as others.

7. Reading Disabilities
The act of reading employs many skills and layers of comprehension. Students use
sight, decoding, identification skills, vocabulary, reasoning, and concept
understanding in order to find meaning in a small passage. There are many areas for
impairment. Just as in speech, reading coordinates information from the broca’s
area and wernicke’s areas, as well as the angular gyrus and the visual cortex. Reading
requires three systems to properly understand; visual processing, auditory
processing, and semantic processing. If there is a break down in one of the
processing a student will have difficulty meeting standard benchmarks in reading.
Again it is important the teacher’s do not tie cognitive ability to reading ability.
Reading Disabilities that could be the source of issue for students are not
limited to just one impairment. A short list of reading impairments are:
Dyslexia, Nonlinguistic Perceptual Deficits, Phonological Alexia, Surface
Alexia, Visual Magnocellular-deficit, and Language-Based Disorder.

8. Writing Disabilities
The performance of writing requires the coordination of the same areas of the
brain that reading and speech require as well as the parietal lobe and motor cortex.
As stated before with speech and reading development there are many places and
areas of the writing process that can be impaired. It is important to look at the
strengths and weaknesses to determine where a student is on their own journey as a
writer.
Writing development is an individual process, The various difficulties students
can have in developing their writing can be signified as
Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Visual Processing Disorder, Language-Based
Processing Disorder, Expressive Language Disorder, Phonological Disorder,
as well as others that hinder the brain processes involved with articulation
and physical act of writing.

9. Mathematics Disabilities
Mathematics and logical abilities are tied to the frontal lobe and parietal lobe.
Research shows that 6% of students have “difficulty in processing
mathematics” (Sousa, 2001.) The understanding of mathematical concepts takes the
utilization of life experiences and knowledge of abstract theories. Our changing
world has been indicated as a possible cause for the decline in math skills and
understanding.
Disabilities associated with Mathematics are:
Dyscalculia, Number Concept Difficulties, Memory Disorders, Visual-
Spacial Disorders, and Procedural Disorders. Some Environmental causes
have been cited such as, the Fear of Mathematics, and Poor Quality of
Instruction.

10. Physical Disabilities
Physical Disabilities do not necessarily warrant special
education services. Students with physical disabilities
that do not require modification of curriculum, delivery
of information, or requirements do not have a disability
that impacts their learning.

11. Disorders and Physical Disabilities that can
Impact Learning
ADHD/ADD - Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder
EBD - Emotional Behavioral Disability
CD - Conduct Disorder
ODD - Oppositional Defiance Disorder
PDD - Pervasive Developmental Disorder
AD - Autism Disorder
Aspergers Syndrome/ Infantile Autism
Rett’s Disorder
Tourette’s Syndrome

12. ADHD/ADD
Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder/
Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD “is the current terminology used... to describe children, adolescence, and
adults who display chornic, pervasive, and developmentally inapropreate patterns
of inattention, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity” Netherton, 1999, p. 98).
ADHD is a widely know disorder, affecting roughly 3% - 5% of the population. The
typical person with ADHD is more commonly male.
ADHD is a clinical diagnosis, that has possible educational and social impact. The
inability to concentrate or control impulsiveness can hinder the learning process
and relationship development.
Behavior modification plans and classroom management styles can assist in
allowing a child with ADHD to develop more appropriate strategies and executive
organizational skills to better prepare for learning in the classroom setting.

13. EBD
Emotional Behavioral Disability
ADHD/ADD, ODD, CD, and various other disorders are under the umbrella of
Emotion Behavioral Disabilities.
Netherton uses the term Disruptive Behavioral Disorder to describe this umbrella.
There are observable behaviors that qualify a person to be identified as EBD
(Council For Exceptional Children, 2011.)
• Person displays inappropriate social, emotional, and behavioral skills
• Both internal and external behaviors can observed.
• Internal signs - withdrawn, anxiety, and depression
• External signs - acting out, aggressive, and disruptive
• This behavior is consistent and occurs in more than one environment (school,
home, and work.)

14. Conduct Disorder
• This disorder is a display of disregard of others basic
rights and the ramifications of such actions.
• The “pattern is not selective and is exhibited n the
home, at school, with peers, and in the child’s
community” (Peirangelo, 1996, p. 184).
• Conduct Disorder is characterized by exhibiting 3 or
more of 25 different behaviors (e.g. destruction of
property, fire-setting, physical cruety) (Netherton,
1999)

15. ODD
Oppositional Defiance Disorder
“Primary features of ODD include pattern of
negativistic, defiant, noncompliant, and uncooperative
behaviors” (Netherton, 1999, p. 118).
75% of children with ODD also carry the diagnosis of
ADHD.
ODD “is considered less serious then Conduct
Disorder because of the absence of behaviors which
violate the basic rights of others” (Peirangelo, 1996, p.
185).

16. PDD
Pervasive Developmental Disorder
PDD is a blanket term that is used to describe developmental
conditions that fit under the Autism Spectrum umbrella.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is the more accepted term used by
“clinicians, parents, and support-advocacy
organizations” (Netherton, 1999, p. 76-77) to describe PDD.
PDD is a developmental disorder that can impair verbal and
nonverbal communication skills, social skills, and other
communicative skills (Pierangelo, 1996).
There is no clear definitive on the cognitive ability of people with
PDD, the spectrum of abilities range from high to low cognitive
abilities (Netherton, 1999).

17. AD
Autism Disorder
Autism and PDD was originally diagnosed as schizophrenia
(Peirangelo, 1996), but in 1943 L. Kanner coined the term Autistic
Aloneness is a word used when describing certain characteristics
of children with Autism. Another is the desire for sameness and
routine.
Autism is displayed as abnormal delay and functioning in the areas
os social interactions, language communication, and symbolic play
(Netherton, 1999).

18. Asperger’s Disorder and
Infantile Autism
Asperger’s Disorder was first described in 1944 by
Austrian Hans Asperger (Netherton, 1999), meanwhile
in 1943 back the United States Leo Kanner describes
Infantile Autism. Both descriptions are closely similar
but neither were compared until 1981 until Asperger’s
work was translated into English. There is still a great
deal of debate if these disorders are in fact the same
disorder (Peirangelo, 1996).
There are facets and facets of characteristics that go
into the diagnosis of this particular Autism disorder.

19. Rett’s Disorder
• A Neurolgical disorder that is in the PDD spectrum
and displays Autistic-like behaviors and symptoms.
• Rett’s Disorder is more common among females, can
begin developing as early as infancy (Netherton, 1999).
• This disorder is when a typically developing child
begins to lose “previously acquired social, motor, and
language skills” (Netherton, 1999, p. 90), also
associated with “deceleration of head growth, which
previously had been normal” (Netherton, 1999, p. 90).

20. Tourette’s Syndrome
A genetic neurological disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome is associated
with motor or vocal tics.
Tics are defined by the DSM-IV as “sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic,
stereotyped motor movement or vocalization” (Netherton, 1999, p. 156).
There are various degrees of tics and there are numerous tic disorders.
Tics associated with Tourette’s Syndrome can disrupt and hinder the learning
process but it is not considered a learning disability.

21. Resources
Anderson, W. (2008). Negotiating the special education maze: A guide for parents & teachers. Bethesda, MD:
Woodbine House.
Council For Exceptional Children. (2011). Coincil for exceptional children. Retrieved from http://cec.sped.org/AM/
Template.cfm? Section=Behavior_Disorder_Emotional_Disturbance
Feldman, R. S. (2004). Child development. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Hultquist, A. M. (2006). Introduction to dyslexia for parents and professionals. London, , GBR: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
Netherton, S. D., Holmes, D. L., & Walker, C. E. (1999). Child and adolescent psychological disorders: A
comprehensive textbook. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ong-Dean, C. (2009). Distinguishing disability: Parents, privilege, and special education. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Pierangelo, R., & Jacoby, R. (1996). Parents' complete special education guide: Tips, techniques, and materials for
helping your child succeed in school and life. West Nyack, N.Y: Center for Applied Research in Education.
Smith, C. R., & Strick, L. W. (1997). Learning disabilities-- A to Z: A parent's complete guide to learning disabilities from
preschool to adulthood. New York: Free Press.
Sousa, D. A. (2001). How the special needs brain learns. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Sperry, L. (2003). Handbook of diagnosis and treatment of DSM-IV-TR personality disorders. New York, NY: Brunner-
Routledge.
Tisdall, E. K., & Riddell, S. (2006). Policies on special needs education: Competing strategies and discourses.
European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21(4), 363-379. doi:10.1080/08856250600956154