In this unit, we are going to talk about five more of the underlying conditions that cause or contribute to people having a disability.

Click here to read the directions for the activities you are supposed to do to demonstrate completion of each of the sections linked to this page.  The product, a notebook entry, is the same for every topic. 

Now that you know something about the process of identifying educationally relevant disabilities, you are ready to proceed to learning a little bit more about specific diagnoses.  On this web site the emphasis is on the students who are likely to be classified as having a functional mental disability, the people you are encountering in peer tutoring.  Nevertheless, remember the presence of one of these diagnoses does not mean a person automatically has a severe disability.  While anyone described here would clearly have an impairment or disorder, to use the language of the World Health Organization, their actual disability could be mild, severe, or not adversely affect their educational performance.

The point is to always see the person first!

On the links in this unit, you will have the opportunity to find out more about the following conditions:

1. Seizure Disorder
2. Multiple Disability
3. Sensory Disability
4. Spina Bifida
5. Syndrome Disorders and Rare Conditions.

Direction for Activities:

The structure of each of these topics is similar.  You will review at least the following three types of information:

1)       fact sheets or frequently asked questions lists that present basic information about the condition;

2)      links to at least one major organization concerned with people who have this conditions; and

3)      at least one story about a person who has the condition.

In some cases, there will be other links that you will be asked to examine because of their relevance to the topic.

What are you expected to know when you finish each of these topics?  In other words, what will we be on the quizzes? 

When you finish this unit, we want you to have an accurate understanding of the conditions.  We are not trying to turn you into experts or junior professionals, but that does not mean we do not expect you to remember specific information.  As in so many fields, an accurate understanding of disability requires knowing some facts—it is not all a matter of opinion.

Direction for Activities:

Your assignment for each of these units is to keep a notebook in which you will answer the following questions.  When you are done with this unit, show your notebook to your teacher.  You should be ready for the quiz.  The topics in you notebook should be:

1. What are the essential elements in the definition of this condition? (Can you explain this condition to your parents or classmates in a way they would understand it?)
2. How is it different from other conditions?  (What is unique about this condition; for example, how is spina bifida different from cerebral palsy?)
3. Are there different forms of this condition? (What kind of variation will you see in people with this condition—do professionals have names or terms they use to describe this variation?)
4. What do we know about what causes this condition?
5. What are the difficulties a person with this condition is likely to encounter in school and in day-to-day life in the community?
6. What are some supports that will assist a person with this condition?  (How would you answer someone if that person asked you to offer some ideas about things they could do to help a person with this condition?
7. What is at least one major organization that is a good source of information about this condition?
8. Can you list at least three major issues (problems, controversies, etc) related to this condition?
9. Finally, what are the major myths or misconceptions (list at least 3) that people have about people with this condition and what are some things you could do to show others the error of their beliefs?