Question

Select at least three of the low-incidence disabilities addressed and discuss how hearing this information from a primary source will affect the way you interact with students in your classroom. Be specific and thorough.

Answer 1

Low Incidence refers to disability areas that occur rarely or in low numbers. There are seven disability categories that are considered low incidence: Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), Deaf-Blindness (DB), Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD), Physically Impaired (PI), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Vision Impairment (VI), and Severe Multiple Impairment (SMI).

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) means a diminished sensitivity to sound, or hearing loss, that is expressed in terms of standard audiological measures. Hearing loss has the potential to affect educational, communicative, or social functioning that may result in the need for special education instruction and related services.
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a low incidence special education category that is defined as an injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psycho-social impairment that may adversely affect a student's performance and result in the need for special education and related services. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries induced by birth trauma.
• Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD), which includes students labeled DCD Mild-Moderate and DCD Severe-Profound, is defined as a condition that results in intellectual functioning significantly below average and that is associated with concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior that require special education and related services.

Having heard about the disabilities before interaction with students, can change a person' s perspective in 360' degree. Like-

• The teacher may misjudge the student, have some preset myths or beliefs about the disability that wont let them see the real side of the studdent.
• It will also make a teacher be biased with the particular student and the rest of the class. It can either be positive or negative.
• The teacher may not focus on the student much, and so on.