Exceptional Children - Characteristics and catering to the needs of: Creative learners, Gifted, Underachiever, Slow learner, Learning disabled, Mentally challenged, physically disabled, Socially & Culturally disadvantaged, Delinquent

1. EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
Suresh Babu G
Assistant Professor
CTE CPAS Paippad, Kottayam

2. Suresh Babu G
EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
Exceptional children are those who deviate
significantly from the normal ones. An
exceptional child deviates from the normal or
average child in that he required mental,
physical and social characteristics to such an
extend that he required service or modification
of school practices or special education
supplementary instruction in order to develop his
maximum capacity.

3. Suresh Babu G
Definition
According to Cruichshank, an exceptional child
is he who derivates physically, intellectually,
emotionally and socially so markedly from
normal growth and development that he cannot
be benefited from a regular classroom
programme and needs special treatment in
school.

4. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of
Exceptional Children
1. Exceptional children deviate markedly from the
average children.
2. Their deviation from the average children is so
great that they can be easily distinguished from
average children.
3. This deviation may fall in any behavioural or
development dimensions - physical, intellectual,
emotional or social.
4. These children experience peculiar problems
and requires modification of school practices,
special education and other services in order to
maximize their functioning level.

5. Exceptional Children are of
following Kinds
• Intellectually
Exceptional
(mentally
exceptional)
• Physically
Exceptional
(a) The gifted
(b) The backward
(e) The mentally retarded
(d) The creative
(e) The underachiever
(f) The learning disabled
(a) The deaf and dumb
(b) The blind and near blind
(c) Orthopaedically
handicapped
(d) Children with
speech defects

6. • Emotionally
Exceptional
• Socially Exceptional
• Multi-exceptional
• Delinquents
• Underprivileged
children
• Children with more
than one defect
Exceptional Children - Kinds

7. Suresh Babu G
1. THE GIFTED CHILD
(The Talented or Superior Child)
A gifted child is one who shows consistently
remarkable performance
in any worthwhile line of endeavour
Such an individual exhibits superiority
in general intelligence or possesses special
abilities of a high order.
According to Witty, the term gifted or talented
stands for those whose
performance is consistently remarkable in some
potentially valuable activity.

8. Suresh Babu G
• Some psychologists have defined giftedness on the
basis of intelligence quotient. Terman set IQ 140,
while Goddard set IQ 120 as the lower limit of
giftedness. Persons with an IQ higher than 140 can
be accepted as exceptionally gifted. But, a gifted
child need not necessarily possess a very high IQ.
• A person who shows outstanding performance in
other spheres of activity regardless of his average IQ
or low scholastic achievement also be termed as
gifted. Those who show promise in creative writing,
dramatic, mechanical skill, music, graphic art and
social leadership are also included under gifted
children.
THE GIFTED CHILD

9. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Gifted Children
• In comparison to children of his own age group, he
is superior in some ability or group of abilities.
• He knows about many things of which most
students are unaware.
• He learns rapidly and easily, and retains it without
much drill.
• He has a rich vocabulary marked by originality,
which he uses easily and accurately.
• He is extremely inquisitive
and quick in understanding

10. Suresh Babu G
• A gifted child is much original in thinking, uses
good unusual methods.
• He is alert, keenly observant and respond
quickly
• His span of attention is broader and he could
perform difficult mental task.
Characteristics of Gifted Children

11. Suresh Babu G
Identification of Gifted Children
 Group tests of intelligence are useful as
preliminary screening device. Then a
standardized achievement test may be used to
identify gifted children.
 School marks and records of pupils
achievements
 Observation in the classroom and outside the
classroom

12. Suresh Babu G
Need and Problems of Gifted Children
Needs
The need for knowledge and understanding.
The need of creativity and ingenuity.
The need for development of his exceptional
abilities.
The need for self-actualization and self-
expression
Teacher !

13. Suresh Babu G
Problems
 Problems arising from the frustration of special
needs.
 Problems arising from the lack of understanding.
 Problems arising from undue attention and
appreciation.
 Problems arising from non-challenging class
work.
Need and Problems of Gifted Children

14. Suresh Babu G
Education of Gifted Children
Selection of gifted students
Separate School – For developing
specific abilities and
potentialities with the service of
specially trained teacher. It is
criticized and labeled
undemocratic.
Ability Grouping – Refers to the
separation of the children into
different near homogeneous
groups according to their ability.
Helps for healthy competition.

15. Suresh Babu G
Acceleration or Double Promotion
Enrichment Programme – giving extra
assignments and activities to Gifted
Triple Track Plan – Uniform syllabus is
prescribed for all. It is learned according
to the level of students.
Summer Schools
Special facilities and apparatus for gifted
Education of Gifted Children

16. Suresh Babu G
The Backward Child
( The slow Learner)
 A backward child is one who compared with other
pupils of the same age shows marked educational
deficiency. Backwardness in general is applied to
cases where their educational attainment falls
below the level of their natural abilities.
 According to Burt a slow leaner is a child who is
unable to cope with the work normally expected of
his age group.
 The IQ of slow learners usually
range from 70 to 90.

17. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Backward Children
• He is a slow learner and feels difficulty in keeping
pace with the normal school work.
• His educational attainments falls below his natural
abilities.
• He falls behind other children of his age in matters
of study.
• He is necessary a failure in the academic field and
shows educational improvement,
• His span of attention and concentration are short
has short reaction time.
• His ability to evaluate materials for relevancy is
limited and has got limited power of self direction.

18. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Backwardness
Physical and physiological factors
Intellectual sub normality
Family problem
School factors such as defective, uninteresting
and in effective teaching, lack of equipments and
facilities, defective curriculum and examination
system, poor administration, improper attitude if
teachers, etc.
Social factors such as influence of
neighborhood, peer, etc.

19. Suresh Babu G
Identification of Backward Children
 Identifying features of Backward Children –
By observing physical, mental, social and moral
characteristics.
 Tools and Techniques – Achievement test,
diagnostic test, Intelligence test, attitude aptitude
test, observation, situational test, medical
examination and students record.

20. Suresh Babu G
Problems of Backward Children
 Too difficult class works.
 Lacks of motivation for learning.
 Lack of belief in himself.
 Fear of failure and lacks ability and confidence.
 Anxiety

21. Suresh Babu G
Education of backward Children
Regular medical check-up and necessary
treatment.
Readjustment in the home and school.
Provisions of special schools or special classes.
Provision of special curriculum, methods of
teaching and special teachers.
Special coaching and proper individual attention.
Provision for co-curricular activities, rich
experiences and diversified courses.
Rendering guidance service
Controlling negative environment factors

22. Suresh Babu G
The Creative Child
 A creative child is one who has got an ability to
create, discover or produce a new idea or objects
including the arrangement or reshaping of what is
already known to him.
 A creative child is curious, resourceful, flexible,
open-minded, sensitive to problems and shows
originality of ideas and expression.
 According to Skinner, a creative thinker is one who
explores new ideas and makes new observation,
new predictions and new inferences.

23. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Creative Children
 He demonstrates originality in ideas and action.
 He develops institution in his problem.
 Possesses a high degree of keenness, attentiveness,
alertness, and power of concentration.
 He is very curious by nature and possesses for
sightedness in abundance.
 Possesses a high degree of sensitivity towards
problems.
 He demonstrates the ability to transfer learning from
one situation to another.
 He demonstration very rich creative imagination and is
divergent and diversified in his thinking.

24. Suresh Babu G
Identification of Creative Children
Creativity test – Minnesota Test of Creative
Thinking, Wallach and Kogan Creativity
Instruments.
Non creativity test like observation, interview,
check list, rating scale, etc.

25. Suresh Babu G
Role of the Teacher
 Develop divergent thinking.
 Giving opportunities and atmosphere for creative
expressions.
 Give freedom for students.
 Give creative activities.

26. Suresh Babu G
Special Techniques for Fostering
Creativity
 Elaboration – Giving skeleton
outline of a problem and
elaboration of problem which give
individual to develop from it.
 Brain Storming
 Synectics – It is a creative
problem solving technique which
uses analogies, metaphors and
fantasy to trigger idea generation.

27. Suresh Babu G
Underachievers
 An underachiever is a learner whose achievement
consistently falls well below his potential ability.
 If the achievement of a learner is poorer than might
have been predicted from intelligence tests, he is
said to be an underachiever and his achievement is
called as underachievement.
 It is a discrepancy between potential achievement
and actual achievement.
 James defined underachievers as those subjects
who achieved academically at a level below what
would be expected for the individuals ability level.

28. Suresh Babu G
Types of Underachievers
1. Situational Underachievers – This type of
children only achieve on occasions, apparently
when the mood takes them. These children
have few long-term problems.
2. Chronic underachievers – This type of
individuals seldom achieve up to their ability. It
is mostly due to physiological or developmental
reasons. They show permanent emotional
problems. 80 percent of use in this category are
boys.

29. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Underachievers
They show a discrepancy between ability and
achievement.
The primary characteristic is one of low self-
esteem
Poor study habits, un-mastered skills and social
and discipline problem.
Poor school performance causes variety of
emotional symptoms.
They show learning disabilities of diverse nature.
They possess low internal locus of control.

30. Suresh Babu G
They have poor test result at school and no
hobbies.
They have a low self-image often displaying
distrust, indifference, and lack of concern and
hostility.
They have little motivation with poor study
habits.
Have less self-confidence.
Characteristics of Underachievers

31. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Underachievement
 Physical Factors – Defects of sense organs,
Physical and motor handicaps, etc
 Socio-psychological factors – Poor self-esteem,
low levels of self confidence etc
 Family related factors
 Poor fit between the child and the school
placement.
 School related factors

32. Suresh Babu G
Education of Underachievers
Early identification and counseling.
Special classroom.
Flexibility of curriculum, adjusting
instructional strategies, varied
learning style option etc.
Proper home school interaction.
Providing appropriate help when
needed.

33. Suresh Babu G
Learning disabled
• The term learning disability refers to a mixed
group of disorders manifested by significant
difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening,
speaking, writing, reasoning or mathematical
abilities.
• To be considered as one with learning disability,
the child should have normal intelligence or
above, have difficulty in at least one academic
area, and have no other diagnosed problem or
disorder, such as sensory handicaps or mental
retardation that is causing the difficulty.

34. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Learning
Disabled Children
They essentially suffer from serious learning
difficulties which is visible in the acquisition and
use of language, numerical or mathematical ability,
or social skills.
They show lack of motivation, inattention, inability
to generalize inadequate ability in problem solving
, information processing etc
Fail to acquire information at the same rate as
most people of the same age.
They exhibit learning handicaps and show
observable deficiency in learning and mastering
and educational achievement.

35. Suresh Babu G
They may exhibit symptoms of hyperactivity and
impulsivity.
Most of the LD children experience emotional
problems, show signs of anxiety, moodiness and
emotional fluctuations.
They may exhibit disorders of neuro-muscular
coordination, motor functioning, perceptual
irregularity, memory, thinking and attention.
Characteristics of Learning Disabled Children

36. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Learning Disability
 Genetic factors
 Physiological factors – like
brain damage, accident etc
 Environment factors – pre-
mature delivery,
malnutrition, family set
back, cultural deprivation
etc.

37. Suresh Babu G
Identification of Learning
Disabled Children
• Non-testing devices – observation, rating scale
, interview etc
• Testing devices –Achievement test, diagnostic
test, teacher made test etc.

38. Suresh Babu G
Types of Learning Disabilities
 Dyslexia – It is language based
learning disability characterized by
a severe impairment in the ability
to read and spell.
 Dysgraphia – It is a specific
learning disability that affects
writing abilities.
 Dyscalculia – It is a mathematical
learning disorder where the
mathematical ability is far below
expected from a person’s age,
intelligence and education.

39. Suresh Babu G
Education of Learning
Disabled Children
 Provision for special schools or classes.
 Provision for special remedial educational
programmes.
 Structuring and improving the existing
environmental set-up
 Special approaches and techniques –
Behavioral approach, psychoanalytic approach,
Individualized instructional approach, Self-
instructional approach, Multi-sensory approach
and Technological approach.

40. Suresh Babu G
Mentally Challenged /
Mentally Retarded
A mentally retarded child (MR, Child) is one who
shows significantly subnormal general
intellectual functioning existing concurrently with
deficits in adaptive behaviour, and manifested
during the development period.
According to Page, mental deficiency is a
condition of sub-normal mental development,
present at birth or early childhood and
characterized mainly by limited intelligence and
social inadequacy.

41. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of MR
Children
 They are dependent and feel difficulty in managing
themselves.
 In comparison with children of their own age, their rate
of intellectual development is too low.
 They feel difficulty in shifting from one type of activity
to another.
 They are vary poor at following general verbal
instruction.
 They lack much in the power of observation,
imagination, thinking and reasoning, and ability to
generalize.
 They are poor at abstraction and can only think in
items of concrete object and situations.
 They are socially and emotionally maladjusted
personalities.

42. Suresh Babu G
Classification of MR Children
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) has been taken as the
criterion for the classification of mentally
retarded individuals. On the basis of their
performance on some standardized intelligence
test they are classified as,
1. Morons - IQ 51 to 70
2. Imbeciles – IQ 25 to 50
3. Idiots – IQ below 25

43. Suresh Babu G
Based on the adaptive behaviour of the individual,
mentally retarded Children are classified into four
levels:
1. Mild MR – IQ 52 to 67 (as per Stabford- Binet
Test) 85% of MR individuals are found in this
category (educable).
2. Moderate MR – IQ 36-51 : 10% of MR individuals
are found in this category (Not educable but
trainable).
3. Severe MR – IQ 20 to 35 : 3.5% of MR
individuals are found in this category ( Dependent
retarded Not educable and not trainable).
4. Profound MR – IQ below 20 : 1.5% of MR
individuals are found in this category ( Life
support MR completely unable to look after
themselves).
Classification of MR Children

44. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Mental Retardation
 Genetic factors
 Deficient intra-uterine environment, abnormal
emotional and mental conditions of mother
during pregnancy and other problems during
pregnancy.
 Head injuries during delivery
 Post natal factors like head injuries due to
accidents, infections and chronic diseases.

45. Suresh Babu G
Education of MR Children
Education provision for MR children are based on the
degree of severity of their retardation. They are
grouped as Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR),
Trainable Mentally Retarded (TMR), and Custodial
Mentally Retarded (CMR).
General Educational Provisions
1. Provide special schools
2. Curriculum, methods of teaching and tools of
evaluation should be adjusted according to their
individual needs.
3. Learning task should be brief and uncomplicated.

46. Suresh Babu G
4.Learning task he applied to object problems and
situations in the learner’s life environment.
5. Over learning must be built into the lessons.
6. Individualized instruction
7. Learning by doing
Education of MR Children

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Educational Provision for EMR
1. Schooling may be delayed for 2 to 3 years
2. During schooling year give instruction in simple
arithmetical concepts, understanding for the
home and community.
3. Formal reading and writing at 9 or 10th age.
Educational Provision for TMR
 Help to acquire self management skills like
independent eating, dressing, toileting etc.
 Simple academic skills training like recognize
sings and symbols , use of coin etc
 Train for unskilled occupational job
 Should taught necessary house skills
Education of MR Children

48. Suresh Babu G
Educational Provision for CMR
 Strong emphasis on self management skill
 Taught to protect them self from fire, animals etc

49. Suresh Babu G
The Handicapped Children
A handicapped child is one having a physical or
mental impairment, expected to be of long or
indefinite duration that substantially limits one or
more major life activities of the individual so that
the person is unable to live independently.

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Physically Handicapped
Children
 Physically handicapped child is one who
possesses a physical defect which reduces his
efficiency in performing his personal and social
obligations according to a socially determined
standard
 According to WHO, an individual who is afflicted
with a physical impairment that, in any way,
limits or inhibits his/her participation in normal
activities may be referred to as physically
handicapped.

51. Suresh Babu G
Types of Physically Handicapped
Individuals
1. The visually handicapped or Blind.
2. Acoustically handicapped or Deaf.
3. Speech handicapped or Mute
4. Orthopedically handicapped or Crippled

52. Suresh Babu G
The visually handicapped or Blind
• They are one who suffers from total or partial
visual impairment. It will affect the life of the
individual in physical, mental, social, educational
and vocational aspects.
• Major problems – Poor intelligence, Academic
retardation, personality disorder, problems in
social adjustment.

53. Suresh Babu G
Educational Provisions visually
handicapped
1. Education of totally blind children :-
Residential blind school, providing
special equipments, Physical and art
education, Vocational training.
2. Education of partially sighted
children :- Special class, Special co-
scholastic activities, Minimum visual
tasks, proper class room
arrangements for them.

54. Suresh Babu G
Aurally or Acoustically
Handicapped Children
They are those who have difficulty in hearing either
one or both ears or have no power of hearing at
all.
Causes :- Genetic defects, Prenatal causes,
Perinatal causes, Postnatal Causes ( brain fever,
whooping cough etc), Psychological causes
(emotional depression and trauma), Accidents,
severe burns, toxic drugs etc.

55. Suresh Babu G
Educational Provision – Use hearing aid,
Speech reading, Vocational training, Preschool
education, Classroom arrangements.

56. Suresh Babu G
Speech Handicapped Children
Those whose speech deviates so far from the
speech of other people, that it calls the attention
to itself, interferes with communication or causes
discomfort or distress to speaker or listener.
Types of Speech Disorder
1. Disorders of articulation –
it includes distortion,
omission, etc.

57. Suresh Babu G
2. Disorders of Phonation – deviation in
loudness quality, pitch or intensity of sound.
3. Delayed Speech – not speak at the usual age
due to lack of motivation.
4. Stuttering and Stammering – repetitions of
sounds, irregularities of breathing etc.
Speech Handicapped Children

58. Suresh Babu G
Causes
• Organic causes
• Functional Causes – imitation
• Psychological causes – emotions, feelings etc
• Influence of social environment
Role of Teacher
 Direct them to language therapist
 Giving speech training
 Care for the imparted children
 Giving Extra- curricular activities
Speech Handicapped Children

59. Suresh Babu G
Orthopedically Handicapped
One who suffers from a defect that is
accomplished by one or other type of deformity
that inhibits the normal exercise of his muscles,
joints or bones.
Causes
Hereditary
Congenital causes – infection, maternal
malnutrition etc
Acquired causes – birth injury, accidents etc

60. Suresh Babu G
Educational Provisions for
Orthopedically Handicapped
Vocational training
Adjust the school
equipments
Access to school facilities
Health programmes
Provide recreational
facilities

61. Suresh Babu G
The Socially and Culturally
Disadvantaged Child
 The socially disadvantaged children are those who
comes from socially and economically backward
section of the community who cannot profit from
school because of deprivation of one sort or
another.
 The term culturally deprived, says Risessman,
refers to those aspects of middle class culture
such as education such as education, books,
formal language etc which these groups have not
benefited.
Now the term is used as educationally deprived who have limited access to education

62. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics Socially and
Culturally Disadvantaged
Child
 Possess low intellectual level
 They show poor academic performance, premature
school termination and high dropout rate.
 Shows a high index of linguistic disabilities.
 They are apathetic, unresponsive and lack initiation.
 They have more anxiety, low frustration tolerance, low
attention span and distraction in learning.
 Have poor self-concept and low level of aspiration.
 They show belief in external factors like luck, chance etc.

63. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Socially and Culturally
Disadvantaged Child
Lack of educational environment in the home.
Lack of adequate encouragement to go to school.
Lack of good health and proper diet for children.
Lack of sufficient language and reading skills.
Religious or caste prejudices.
Chronic unemployment, social isolation,
humiliation and inferiority feeling due to
indifference of others.
Poor parent-child relationship

64. Suresh Babu G
Problems of Socially and
Culturally Disadvantaged Child
 Linguistic problem
 Poor cognitive background
 Low level of aspiration
 Learning difficulties
 Motivational problem

65. Suresh Babu G
Educational provision for Socially
and Culturally Disadvantaged Child
 Proper early education.
 Head Start Programme – It is a summer
programme for socially and culturally
disadvantaged child.
 Specialization or remedial programmes for them.
 Establish residential schools for them
 Give financial aids.
 Appoint expert teachers who have got training for
giving proper guidance to them
 Give compensatory pre-school education.
 Vocationalise the education.

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The Delinquent Child
 A delinquent child or juvenile delinquent is one
who deviates seriously from the norms of his
culture or society and commits such acts that, if
committed by an adult would be punishable as
crimes.
 According to Newmeyer, a delinquent is a
person under age who is guilty of anti-social and
whose misconduct is an infraction of law.

67. Suresh Babu G
Characteristics of Delinquent Child
Sheldon and Gluecks identified the following
Characteristics
• Physical – They are mesomorphic in construction,
muscular and bold.
• Temperament - Restlessly energetic, impulsive,
extraverted, aggressive and destructive.
• Attitude – Hostile, defiant, resentful, suspicious,
unconventional and non-submissive to authority.
• Psychological – Tending to direct and concrete rather
than symbolic in intellectual expression and less
methodological towards problem
• Socio-cultural – Lack of affection, stability, moral
standard of parents usually unfit to guide them
effectively.

68. Suresh Babu G
Causes of Delinquency
Heredity
Constitutional deformity which
give rise to feeling of inferiority,
more aggressive.
Family factors like broken family,
improper parental control etc.
School factors like defective
curriculum, improper teaching
method etc.

69. Suresh Babu G
Role of Teacher
 Educate the parents to understand their children.
 Save the child from bad company and antisocial
environment.
 Remove students from defective neighborhood.
 Rectify the school education and school environment
by making it healthy and congenial.
 Encourage guided group activities.
 The impulses and emotions of children must be
sublimated.
 Provide moral and religious teaching in school.

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