NES Test Special Education Study Guide with complete
solution
Competency 1
Focuses on the characteristics of typical and atypical human growth and development and the
characteristics of students with various disabilities that special education teachers are likely to
encounter.
Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence but an unexpected
academic weakness in one or more content areas.
Dyslexia
Impacts a student's ability to learn to read, to recognize sound segments or letters, following
along in text comprehending what they read.
Dysgraphia
Impacts student's ability to learn to write, often their handwriting and/or spelling.
Dyscalculia
Impacts a student's ability to understand numbers and mathematical operations, remembering
math facts and the sequence of steps in math problems.
Intellectual Disabilities
Students qualify as having an intellectual disability when they show developmental delays in
most aspects of academic and social functioning.
Communication Disorders
Students who are more likely to mispronounce sounds or have speech that lacks fluency are
identified as having speech disorder.
Articulation Disorders
Affects a student's ability to produce certain sounds and sound combinations.
Fluency Disorders
Hesitations or stuttering
Specific language Impairment
Manifests as a delay in a student's language development but the student shows no other
conditions that would cause such a delay in language development (e.g., autism, deafness)
Emotional Impairments
Typically, children who are identified as having emotional impairments show behaviors or
emotions that are not appropriate for setting. Often they have trouble making friends, working in
groups, and maintaining personal relationships.
Anxiety Disorders
Characterized by excessive fears or worry. Phobias, separation anxiety, and obsessive-
compulsive disorder.
Mood Disorders
Including depression and bipolar disorder (i.e., swings between elevated or manic mood and
depression). Students who are depressed may cry often, lose motivation for things that were once
enjoyable, lose weight and disregard hygiene, or have suicidal thoughts.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Students show hostile and defiant behaviors, including temper tantrums, arguments, and
irritability.
,Conduct Disorders
Students consistently engage in antisocial behaviors that interfere with others.
Attention Disorders
Students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more easily distracted and
divide their attention between multiple stimuli instead of staying on task when compared to
others at the same developmental level.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Range from mile to severe based on the degree to which they show characteristics.
Atypical Language Development and Communication Delays
Many never learn to communicate successfully using spoken language. Some engage in
echolalia, repeating pars of a sentence they just hear. Many show limited eye contact or extreme
focus or interest in one topic or conversation. Students with ASD often have difficulty
understanding figurative language and humor.
Atypical Social Development
Students with autism do not seem to recognize or respond to others' emotions, social cues, and
nonverbal signals. Many do not interact with others during play and/or do not engage in
reciprocal interactions.
Repetitive Behavior, Including Movement and Verbalizations
Tics (physical) and obsessions (attention) are common.
Undesirable Behaviors
Some children with autism are aggressive toward others or engage in repetitive self-injurious
behaviors.
Need for Predictability
Many students with autism gain security from environmental structure and experience anxiety in
unfamiliar situations. Some focus intensely on adherence to routines and become upset if things
are out of place or sequence.
Sensory and Movement Disorders
Some children are over-responsive to sensory stimuli, whereas others are under-responsive, some
show atypical movement of the head, trunk, and limbs; clumsiness or posture; or an awkward
(i.e., not smooth) gait.
Intellectual Disabilties
Although students with autism spectrum disorders may have very high intelligence or low
intelligence, more than half also have an intellectual disability.
Sensory Disorders
Hearing and visual impairments are the two most common sensory disorders that special
education teachers encounter.
Hearing Loss
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing often experience language delays, particularly if their
hearing loss goes undetected.
Visual Impairments
Individuals are considered totally blind if they cannot receive any meaningful visual input. They
rely on input from other senses.
Physical Disabilities and Health Impairments
May be caused by congenital anomaly, disease, or injury such as fractures, burns, or loss of a
limb.
Cerebral Palsy
,Disorder of voluntary movement and posture. The majority of students with cerebral palsy show
spastic movement, although others may be more likely to display uncoordinated or abrupt
involuntary movements. Some students with cerebral palsy also experience seizures. Many have
sensory (i.e., hearing or vision) and/or language impairments as well.
Spina Bifida
Congenital malformation of the spinal cord or vertebrae. Students with the mildest form (occulta)
or more serious form known as meningocele do not show challenges with movement, but
students with mylomeningocle form typically have leg weakness and are unable to control their
bowels or bladder. Does not affect intelligence.
Epilepsy
A condition in which individuals experience seizures, caused by abnormal electrical discharges
in the brain. In the most severe cases the individual experiences uncontrollable jerking, stops
breathing, and loses consciousness. During partial seizures, which are more common, the
individual is more likely to experience an altered state of consciousness and some alteration in
movement (e.g., twitching).
Asthma
Chronic lung condition characterized by episodic bouts of wheezing, coughing, difficulty
breathing.
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Students cannot resist or fight off infections.
Cystic Fibrosis
A genetic disease in which the body's exocrine glands excrete thick mucus that can block lungs
and parts of digestive system.
Muscular Dystrophy
Inherited disease marked by progressive atrophy (wasting away) of muscles. Duchenne muscular
dystrophy is most common and most severe, affecting only boys.
Competency 2
Requires that you understand the various factors that affect the development of students with
disabilities and the impact these factors have on their learning and daily life.
The Family's Role
Parents/guardians wear many hats raising children with disabilities-they are caregivers,
providers,teachers, counselors, behaviors support specialist, parents of other children without
disabilities, marriage partners, information specialist/trainers of significant other family members
and advocates.
Role of the Parent
Provide transportation to school, activities medical care and other locations. Learning about he
focus of the child's school program and reinforcing those learning behaviors efforts in the home.
Implementing intervention if necessary, such as behavior management. Teaching social skills.
Special Educators can Support Families in these roles:
Promoting partnership between school and home. Encouraging open communication about the
student's strengths and needs, both within the family and with educators Helping the student
work toward skills that increase independence and helping the families learn ways to encourage
those skills at home.
The Community's Role in Supporting Students with Disabilities:
, Support students with disabilities through physical, social services, and training supports.
Providing for physical supports, such as modified walkways or ramps. Providing access to public
areas such as restrooms, voting booths, and government offices.
Implication for Education and Learning:
Students with disabilities show characteristic patterns of behavior that can affect their learning
and development. Special educators should recognize.
Students with learning disabilities may show inconsistent or poor academic performance
and may be disruptive to other students in the classroom.
They may have difficulty working independently and may give up easily when challenged.
Special educators can support these students by teaching strategies to organize their work
schedule, using differentiated instruction, and providing frequent assessment and feedback
regarding progress.
Students with communication disorders may be reluctant to participate in class discussions
and writing task.
They may withdraw from large-group activities or social interactions during free-play periods.
Special educators can support these students by providing assessments that reduce writing or
speaking (e.g., multiple choice tests), scaffolded activities for writing and reading, and small-
group instructional activities.
Students with emotional or behavioral impairments may be frequently off task, refuse to
follow directions, or engage in inappropriate behavior or language.
They may fight with peers or may be socially withdrawn. Special educators can support these
students by teaching social skills, including conflict-resolution strategies, and creating
opportunities for the students to make positive contributions to the group.
Students with ADHD without hyperactivity may be inattentive, forgetful, or withdrawn
while students with ADHD with hyperactivity may be restless, easily distracted, impulsive,
and talkative.
In both cases, students' work is typically incomplete or disorganized, and their motivation is
often low. Special educators can support these students by structuring the environment and
instructional tasks to minimize disruptions. They can help students set goals and develop
prompts and cues that help keep them on task.
Students with intellectual disabilities may engage in distracting or inappropriate classroom
behaviors.
They may lack motivation and be reluctant to try new activities. Special educators can help
students learn self-regulatory skills and can provide opportunities for adaptive and community-
based activities that are relevant to the students. Students may need frequent repetition of new
skills and opportunities to generalize new skills to different situations.
Students with severe and multiple disabilities may have limited functional skills and may
not be able to read, write, or communicate effectively.
They may be unresponsive in class. Special educators can identify appropriate assistive
technology and can help students learn to communicate.
Students with traumatic brain injuries may act out in class or may show anxiety or
depression
They may have trouble remembering and processing information and may seem confused when
given instructions. Special educators can teach new problem-solving strategies and plan
structured outlines and rubrics that describe curricular plans and assignments over a long period
solution
Competency 1
Focuses on the characteristics of typical and atypical human growth and development and the
characteristics of students with various disabilities that special education teachers are likely to
encounter.
Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence but an unexpected
academic weakness in one or more content areas.
Dyslexia
Impacts a student's ability to learn to read, to recognize sound segments or letters, following
along in text comprehending what they read.
Dysgraphia
Impacts student's ability to learn to write, often their handwriting and/or spelling.
Dyscalculia
Impacts a student's ability to understand numbers and mathematical operations, remembering
math facts and the sequence of steps in math problems.
Intellectual Disabilities
Students qualify as having an intellectual disability when they show developmental delays in
most aspects of academic and social functioning.
Communication Disorders
Students who are more likely to mispronounce sounds or have speech that lacks fluency are
identified as having speech disorder.
Articulation Disorders
Affects a student's ability to produce certain sounds and sound combinations.
Fluency Disorders
Hesitations or stuttering
Specific language Impairment
Manifests as a delay in a student's language development but the student shows no other
conditions that would cause such a delay in language development (e.g., autism, deafness)
Emotional Impairments
Typically, children who are identified as having emotional impairments show behaviors or
emotions that are not appropriate for setting. Often they have trouble making friends, working in
groups, and maintaining personal relationships.
Anxiety Disorders
Characterized by excessive fears or worry. Phobias, separation anxiety, and obsessive-
compulsive disorder.
Mood Disorders
Including depression and bipolar disorder (i.e., swings between elevated or manic mood and
depression). Students who are depressed may cry often, lose motivation for things that were once
enjoyable, lose weight and disregard hygiene, or have suicidal thoughts.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Students show hostile and defiant behaviors, including temper tantrums, arguments, and
irritability.
,Conduct Disorders
Students consistently engage in antisocial behaviors that interfere with others.
Attention Disorders
Students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more easily distracted and
divide their attention between multiple stimuli instead of staying on task when compared to
others at the same developmental level.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Range from mile to severe based on the degree to which they show characteristics.
Atypical Language Development and Communication Delays
Many never learn to communicate successfully using spoken language. Some engage in
echolalia, repeating pars of a sentence they just hear. Many show limited eye contact or extreme
focus or interest in one topic or conversation. Students with ASD often have difficulty
understanding figurative language and humor.
Atypical Social Development
Students with autism do not seem to recognize or respond to others' emotions, social cues, and
nonverbal signals. Many do not interact with others during play and/or do not engage in
reciprocal interactions.
Repetitive Behavior, Including Movement and Verbalizations
Tics (physical) and obsessions (attention) are common.
Undesirable Behaviors
Some children with autism are aggressive toward others or engage in repetitive self-injurious
behaviors.
Need for Predictability
Many students with autism gain security from environmental structure and experience anxiety in
unfamiliar situations. Some focus intensely on adherence to routines and become upset if things
are out of place or sequence.
Sensory and Movement Disorders
Some children are over-responsive to sensory stimuli, whereas others are under-responsive, some
show atypical movement of the head, trunk, and limbs; clumsiness or posture; or an awkward
(i.e., not smooth) gait.
Intellectual Disabilties
Although students with autism spectrum disorders may have very high intelligence or low
intelligence, more than half also have an intellectual disability.
Sensory Disorders
Hearing and visual impairments are the two most common sensory disorders that special
education teachers encounter.
Hearing Loss
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing often experience language delays, particularly if their
hearing loss goes undetected.
Visual Impairments
Individuals are considered totally blind if they cannot receive any meaningful visual input. They
rely on input from other senses.
Physical Disabilities and Health Impairments
May be caused by congenital anomaly, disease, or injury such as fractures, burns, or loss of a
limb.
Cerebral Palsy
,Disorder of voluntary movement and posture. The majority of students with cerebral palsy show
spastic movement, although others may be more likely to display uncoordinated or abrupt
involuntary movements. Some students with cerebral palsy also experience seizures. Many have
sensory (i.e., hearing or vision) and/or language impairments as well.
Spina Bifida
Congenital malformation of the spinal cord or vertebrae. Students with the mildest form (occulta)
or more serious form known as meningocele do not show challenges with movement, but
students with mylomeningocle form typically have leg weakness and are unable to control their
bowels or bladder. Does not affect intelligence.
Epilepsy
A condition in which individuals experience seizures, caused by abnormal electrical discharges
in the brain. In the most severe cases the individual experiences uncontrollable jerking, stops
breathing, and loses consciousness. During partial seizures, which are more common, the
individual is more likely to experience an altered state of consciousness and some alteration in
movement (e.g., twitching).
Asthma
Chronic lung condition characterized by episodic bouts of wheezing, coughing, difficulty
breathing.
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Students cannot resist or fight off infections.
Cystic Fibrosis
A genetic disease in which the body's exocrine glands excrete thick mucus that can block lungs
and parts of digestive system.
Muscular Dystrophy
Inherited disease marked by progressive atrophy (wasting away) of muscles. Duchenne muscular
dystrophy is most common and most severe, affecting only boys.
Competency 2
Requires that you understand the various factors that affect the development of students with
disabilities and the impact these factors have on their learning and daily life.
The Family's Role
Parents/guardians wear many hats raising children with disabilities-they are caregivers,
providers,teachers, counselors, behaviors support specialist, parents of other children without
disabilities, marriage partners, information specialist/trainers of significant other family members
and advocates.
Role of the Parent
Provide transportation to school, activities medical care and other locations. Learning about he
focus of the child's school program and reinforcing those learning behaviors efforts in the home.
Implementing intervention if necessary, such as behavior management. Teaching social skills.
Special Educators can Support Families in these roles:
Promoting partnership between school and home. Encouraging open communication about the
student's strengths and needs, both within the family and with educators Helping the student
work toward skills that increase independence and helping the families learn ways to encourage
those skills at home.
The Community's Role in Supporting Students with Disabilities:
, Support students with disabilities through physical, social services, and training supports.
Providing for physical supports, such as modified walkways or ramps. Providing access to public
areas such as restrooms, voting booths, and government offices.
Implication for Education and Learning:
Students with disabilities show characteristic patterns of behavior that can affect their learning
and development. Special educators should recognize.
Students with learning disabilities may show inconsistent or poor academic performance
and may be disruptive to other students in the classroom.
They may have difficulty working independently and may give up easily when challenged.
Special educators can support these students by teaching strategies to organize their work
schedule, using differentiated instruction, and providing frequent assessment and feedback
regarding progress.
Students with communication disorders may be reluctant to participate in class discussions
and writing task.
They may withdraw from large-group activities or social interactions during free-play periods.
Special educators can support these students by providing assessments that reduce writing or
speaking (e.g., multiple choice tests), scaffolded activities for writing and reading, and small-
group instructional activities.
Students with emotional or behavioral impairments may be frequently off task, refuse to
follow directions, or engage in inappropriate behavior or language.
They may fight with peers or may be socially withdrawn. Special educators can support these
students by teaching social skills, including conflict-resolution strategies, and creating
opportunities for the students to make positive contributions to the group.
Students with ADHD without hyperactivity may be inattentive, forgetful, or withdrawn
while students with ADHD with hyperactivity may be restless, easily distracted, impulsive,
and talkative.
In both cases, students' work is typically incomplete or disorganized, and their motivation is
often low. Special educators can support these students by structuring the environment and
instructional tasks to minimize disruptions. They can help students set goals and develop
prompts and cues that help keep them on task.
Students with intellectual disabilities may engage in distracting or inappropriate classroom
behaviors.
They may lack motivation and be reluctant to try new activities. Special educators can help
students learn self-regulatory skills and can provide opportunities for adaptive and community-
based activities that are relevant to the students. Students may need frequent repetition of new
skills and opportunities to generalize new skills to different situations.
Students with severe and multiple disabilities may have limited functional skills and may
not be able to read, write, or communicate effectively.
They may be unresponsive in class. Special educators can identify appropriate assistive
technology and can help students learn to communicate.
Students with traumatic brain injuries may act out in class or may show anxiety or
depression
They may have trouble remembering and processing information and may seem confused when
given instructions. Special educators can teach new problem-solving strategies and plan
structured outlines and rubrics that describe curricular plans and assignments over a long period
