Specific Learning Disabilities

Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Disability-Specific Characteristic Matrix

Directions: Use a variety of resources to find and create lists of the common characteristics of students with each of these six disabilities.
Academic
Social and/or Behavioral
Physical
Possible Strengths
Characteristics
Characteristics
Characteristics
-language deficits
-Hyperactivity
-Perceptual-motor
-intervention is key,
Written language
-coordination problems
impairments
can grow, can become
difficulties
-disorders of attention
-poor motor abilities
an avg reader or above
Oral language
-equivocal neurological
avg with the right help
difficulties
signs
-rate of learning is
-social skills deficits
slower
-psychological processing
-rdg difficulties
deficits
-rdg phonological
-need extra processing
awareness
time
struggles
-not understand jokes
-rdg fluency
-difficulty doing group
struggles
-rdg comprehension work
struggles
-miss nonverbal language
--performing
math
below
-Hyperactivity..short
attn.
-depression
cues
grade level
span..Impulsiveness
-disorders can be
- do not complete
- Aggression/self injurious
treated
assignments
behavior
-early intervention
-low to avg intellectual -acting out/fighting
helps
ability
-withdrawal/not social
-training programs are
-lowest GPA and
-excessive fear/anxiety
good to transition to
highest dropout rate
-immaturity
adulthood and do help
-inappropriate crying
-temper tantrums
-poor coping skills
-yell/ curse
-comorbid disability-has
more than one disies,
health disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Academic
Characteristics
-can perform on or
above grade level

Social and/or Behavioral

Characteristics
Inattention:
-difficulty concentrating
-unrelated thoughts
-appears to be listening
-better attn. if enjoying
activities
-difficulty
planning/organizing

Physical
Characteristics

Possible Strengths
-can perform on or
above grade level
-ADHD can be treated

Communication Disorder
Speech / Language
High-functioning
Autism
Other Health Impairments &
(skeletal &

-fluency struggles

-students with speech

- perform at a poor or
-difficulty following directions
disorders can receive
insufficient academic
speech services to help
level
-difficulty attending to a conversation
them academically and
-struggle with reading
socially
Academic
Social and/or Behavioral
Physical
Possible Strengths
- have difficulty
-difficulty
expressing
oneself
understanding
and
Characteristics
Characteristics
Characteristics
expressing
-loyalty
Difficultylanguage,
transitioning from one
-An emotional incident can
-Difficulty with fine motor
-difficulty
being
understood
misunderstand
social
activity to another in school.
determine the mood for the day.
activities (e.g., coloring, printing,
-honesty
cues,
-Difficulty with reading
using
scissors,
gluing).
-Becomes overwhelmed with too
-nonjudgmental listening
avoid attending school
comprehension (e.g., can quote
much verbal direction.
-Fine motor skills are
-attention to detail
an answer, but unable to predict,
developmentally
behind
peers
-Calmed
by external
-tendency to be logical
-show poor
judgement.
and stimulation
have difficulty with tests.
summarize or find symbolism)
(e.g., hand writing, tying shoes,
(e.g., soothing sound, brushing,
-highly skilled in a particular
-Excellent rote memory in some
rotating object, constant pressure). using scissors, etc.).
area
areas.
-Exceptionally high skills in some
areas and very low in others.
-Resistance or inability to follow
directions.
-Short attention span for most
lessons.
-Difficulty transferring skills from
one area to another.

Miss school for

health related reasons
Physical restrictions
Must take
medications affect
cognitive learning

-Desires comfort items (e.g.,

blankets, teddy, rock, string).

-Difficulty with loud or sudden

sounds.

1. Gross motor skills are

developmentally behind
peers (e.g., riding a bike,
skating, running).

-Emotions can pass very suddenly

or are drawn out for a long period
of time.
-Inappropriate touching of self in
public situations.

-impaired organizational skills

or work skills
-inability to manage complete
tasks

-physical restrictions

Deaf Hard of hearing:

Academic:

Difficulty with oral expression

Some difficulties with social/emotional or interpersonal skills

Will often have a degree of language delay

Will usually exhibit some form of articulation difficulty

Social/Behavioral: Difficulty following verbal directions

-Often follows rarely leads
-Can become easily frustrated if their needs are not met which will lead to some behavioral difficulties

Physical: Sometimes the use of hearing aids leads to embarassment and fear of rejection from peers
Strengths: can be average intelligence or above average

Visually Impaired:
Academic characteristics: problems related to learning due to poor vision, trouble remembering what they read, schoolwork can be a challenge due to
blurred vision/print on the page
Social/Behavioral Characteristics: Some children who have vision problems appear to have a short attention span. Other children might blink frequently or
squint whenever they read or watch television. Often children are sensitive to bright light or might sit close to the television or hold books that they are reading
close to their face. Likewise, younger children with visual impairments might hold toys very close to their face.

Physical: Crossed eyes, eyes that turn out, eyes that flutter from side to side or up and down, or eyes that do not seem to focus are physical signs that a child has
vision problems, clumsiness due to poor vision

Strengths: student can be an expert about identifying their needs in order to be successful