2. Who Are “Exceptional” Children?
• Children first!
• Have some atypical development
• As with all children, our goal is to help improve each child’s overall
development
3. NAEYC Standard 1: Knowledge of how
children develop and learn
• As professionals, we must know typical development in all of the
developmental domains.
• What is normal, or typical, development?
• What is the predictable pattern of development along the
developmental continuum?
• What is the importance of the concepts of DAP? Are we
knowledgeable of child development? Of individual differences? Of
cultural considerations?
4. Developmental Sequences
• Predictable patterns of development
• Not a smooth process; there are times of tremendous development
and times of slowing down throughout a child’s developmental years.
• Developmental milestones are predictable and universal
• Note the developmental descriptions for children from infancy
through the primary school years on pp. 83 – 88 in your text.
5. Atypical/Exceptional Development
• Know your terms
• Savants
• People-first language
• Characteristics of disabilities and delays
• Children still have the potential for growth in all developmental domains
• Children generally go through the same developmental milestones, just at a
different rate
• Some impairments “may never interfere with developmental progress”
6. Children “At Risk”
• Problems are likely to develop; a prospect for healthy development,
especially with early intervention
• Risk factors may be biological and/or environmental
• The more risk factors, the higher the incidence and prospect of
longterm disabilities
• Risk factors may or may not be chronic
7. Risk Factor Examples
• Biological
• Premature births
• Genetic and hereditary disorders
• Environmental
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Poverty
Abuse and neglect
Poor living conditions
Lack of healthcare
8. Resiliency and Vulnerability
• Children with resilience factors are better able to bounce back from
difficult experiences
• Children who are vulnerable are more likely to be impacted negatively
by difficult experiences
9. Children with Gifts and Talents
• While most children have some of the characteristics listed on p. 93 in
your text, the children who are gifted and talented exhibit many of
the characteristics listed
• Children who are gifted and talented are not necessarily ahead of
other children their age in all developmental domains
• Many gifted and talented children from minority groups or from
impoverished circumstances are not likely to be identified
• Children who have developmental disabilities may be gifted and
talented, but they are less likely to be identified.
