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Special Education

Notes Emotional instability arises mainly due to prolonged dependency on the mother and lack of contact
with the outside world which generates frustrations.
The LD children constitute a heterogenous group. Some LD children have reading problems and
some others have writing problems. Some LD children have problems of comprehension whereas
others may have problems in telling the time, locating a place on the map. Thus, it is difficult to
mention the characteristics which are noticed in all LD children. The most frequently mentioned
characteristics of LD children include the following :
(1) Ability Level : The ability level of LD children varies from near average to average to above
average.
(2) Activity Level : The LD children may be either hyperactive or hypoactive. If they are hyperactive
they show the following behaviours - constant motor activity, restless, tapping of finger or foot,
jumping out of seat, skipping from task to task, etc. If they are hypoactive they fail to react or
seem to do everything in slow motion.
(3) Attention Problems : The LD children have short attention span; they are easily distractible:
they are unable to concentrate on any task for a very long time. They often perseverate. Their
attention becomes fixed upon a single task which is repeated over and over; this may be motor
or verbal activity.
(4) Motor Problems : The LD children are generally clumsy or awkward with poor, fine and gross
motor co-ordination. They demonstrate poor tactile discrimination, excessive need to touch,
poor writing and drawing performance.
(5) Visual Perceptual Problems : The LD children are unable to distinguish between visual stimuli
(visual discrimination) : They are unable to perceive a figure against a background (visual figure-
ground). They are unable to fill in missing parts when only part of a word or object is seen
(visual closure); they are also unable to remember and revisualise images or sequences very
well (visual memory).
(6) Auditory Perceptual Problems : The LD children are unable to distinguish between sounds
(auditory discrimination) they are unable to obtain meaning from the spoken word and/or
environmental sounds (auditory comprehension). They are unable to attend to important
auditory stimuli by pushing all other auditory stimuli into the background (auditory figure-
ground). They are unable to fill in missing sounds when only parts of the word are heard
(auditory closure); they are also unable to remember auditory stimuli or sequences very well
(auditory memory).
(7) Language Problems : The LD children demonstrate delayed or slow development of speech
articulation, and an inability to organise words to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.
(8) Social Emotional Behaviour Problems : The LD children are impulsive in nature. They fail to
think about consequences of their behaviour. At times they exhibit explosive behaviour. They
display rage reactions or throw tantrums when crossed. They lack social competence. Their
social competence is often below the average for their age and ability. They are unable to adjust
to changes. They exhibit rapid mood variation, even from hour.
(9) Orientation Problems : The LD children process poorly developed concept of space, and
distorted body image. They have difficulty in judging distance and size and in discriminating
figure from ground, parts from the whole and left from right. They are disoriented in time and
experience trouble relating to concepts like before and after, now and then, and today and
tomorrow.
(10) Work Habits : The LD children organise work poorly. They work slowly, and frequently confuse
directions or rush through work carelessly.
(11) Academic Disabilities : The LD children have problems in reading, arithmetic, writing, spelling,
telling time and even locating places on the map.
In general LD children possess these characteristics. But not all LD children demonstrate these
characteristics. Some LD children may have one or more such characteristics.

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