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Chapter 7
Counseling with Exceptional Children
Making a Case for Counseling Exceptional Children
Include those children receiving special education services
Include those who are gifted and twice exceptional
Special Education personnel are the primary service providers for exceptional groups
Counselors needs to clarify their feelings and attitudes about exceptional groups
Counselors need to gain knowledge and training for working with these groups
Overview and History of Special Education 1950’s: civil rights movement
1960’s and 1970’s: parents of disabled children forced public schools to stop segregation
Two federal laws prohibited discrimination of disabled children by 1975
Landmark Public Law 94-142: access to public education for all students from age 3 to 21
Today this law is known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA, 1997)
Six provisions: child find, nondiscriminatory assessment, individualized education program, least restrictive environment, due process safeguards, parental involvement
Additional educational provisions were added in the most recent revision of IDEA in 2004
Special Education are provided for: Specific learning disabilities
Speech and language impairments
Serious emotional disturbances
Mental retardation
Multiple disabilities
Hearing/visual impairments
Orthopedic impairments
Traumatic brain injury
autism
Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act
Provides for educational modifications and services to persons with disabilities that do not adversely affect their educational performan modifications: reduced/modified class work, different testing approaches, teacher’s aide, sitting in front rows, etc.
Culture and Special Education Federal law prohibits disproportionate representation of exceptional children by race and
ethnicity
Despite these laws, African American, American Indian, and Latino students are over-represented in special education
There are numerous causes for culture inequities
Prevention of inequalities: pre-service teacher training, culturally sensitive screening, culture fair identification and assessment measures: early, effective educational supports; involvement of family and acceptance of family culture
Culture and Gifted Programs Lower rate of culturally diverse students in gifted programs
Prevention of inequalities: pre-service teacher training, culturally sensitive screening, culture fair identification and assessment measures: early, effective educational supports; involvement of family and acceptance of family culture
Gifted Education Started to be a legal topic in 1972: laws support research and
programming for the gifted and talented
Definition of giftedness: a complex group of talents
Funding for gifted education has become more limited
Twice Exceptional Students Have both a learning disability and gifted talents
Often are not included in gifted programs
Can be assisted by advocating for accurate identification, facilitating communication among service providers and family, collaborating on academic programming, offering emotional support, providing educational and vocational planning
Students With Developmental Disabilities
Categorical Descriptions
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES: Experience difficulties in an encapsulated
areas of cognitive functioning
Adaptive functioning is mostly intact
Low self esteem, poorly defined self concept
Difficulties in language skills and perceptual-motor functioning
EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE At least low-average to average
intellectual functioning
Academic difficulties and discipline problems
Poor relationships with students without disabilities
Poor self concept and low self esteem
MILD MENTAL RETARDATION
Prevalence: 2% in the school age population
Delayed in terms of social and emotional functioning
Lower levels of self esteem: more unfavorable self concept
Poor adaptive behaviors (low tolerance, low frustration levels)
Perceptual- motor and language functioning are significantly delayed
Counseling students with developmental disabilities
Understand characteristics and needs of these groups
Be familiar with laws and rights pertaining to these groups
Provide parents with referrals
Consult with teachers
Plan educational and social interventions
Include these groups fully in the general classroom
Help promote social and emotional adjustment
Act as role models for working with disabled students
Build positive self esteem and empower these students
Train self advocacy skills
work with the whole family
Counseling students with specific learning disabilities
Note the need for remedial services for specific areas of functioning
Know that a federal law mandates inclusion of these students in regular classrooms
Consult with teachers about accommodations
Do team work with the resources specialist
Provide early post secondary planning
Work on social adjustment issues with these students
Consult with a psychiatrist about medication
Offer support to parents
Counseling students with emotional disturbances
Provide a stable, supportive environment with clear rules and limits
Be familiar with childhood and adolescent disorders
Advocate for accommodations for these students
Provide teachers with social skills and behavioral strategies for dealing with these students
Have training in crisis counseling and mandated reporting laws for child abuse
Recommend family therapy
Counseling students with mild mental retardation
Coordinate multiple services due to developmental delays in most areas of functioning
Advocate for appropriate accommodations
Promote tolerance for students with mental retardation
Teach behavioral modification techniques to teachers and parents
Consider appropriate individual counseling services despite cognitive limitations
Counseling students with physical and neurological disabilities
In General:
Work closely with disciplinary team
Offer counseling and self advocacy skill training
Transition plan should be in place for child by age 16
Orthopedic impairments:
Recognize child’s strengths and coordinate services with specialists
Assist parents in advocating for appropriate assessment and services at school and through community resources
Multiple Disabilities:
Have understanding of disabilities
Work with all involved parties
Assist parents in advocating for school and community resources
Develop plan to promote the long term adjustment of these students
Work on areas of self esteem, self help, and social skills
Students with Physical and Neurological Disabilities
Categorical descriptions: Orthopedic impairments:
.2% of school age pop. in US Musculoskeletal, spinal cord, and neurological impairments
Multiple Disabilities: .3% of school age pop. In US Difficulties experienced are more than the sum of difficulties with individual
disabilities Many combinations of disabilities are possible
Students with ADHD disorder 7.4% of children and adolescents truly suffer from the disorder Developmentally inappropriate hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity
symptoms must be evident in child by 7 Three subtypes of ADHD: predominately inattentive type, predominately
hyperactive-impulsive type, combined type Linked to difficulties in behavioral inhibition, executive functioning, and
self regulation Children with ADHD may or may not qualify for educational services
Counseling Students with ADHDcomprehensive approach to include:
Behavioral modification
Self management strategies
Social skills training
Stimulant medication
Teacher consultation
Family counseling
Support groups
Parenting programs
Direct counseling
Gifted Children and Adolescents One of the most misunderstood and least served groups
Stereotype of gifted students being emotionally unstable is not accurate for many students
Adjustment issues most often occur in highly gifted group, such as sensitivity, isolation, perfectionism
Giftedness is often times not seen as a special educational category
Educational services for the gifted are inadequate or nonexistent
Definition of giftedness is more than having a high IQ
Counseling gifted children
Children are oftentimes overly sensitive and over-excitable
Are often misunderstood as difficulty in adjusting to a normal education setting
What we can do: Teach cognitive strategies (self discipline, self monitoring) Group counseling to increase peer support Teach coping with perfectionism Teach how to set realistic short and long term goals