Special Education Department

An exceptional pupil as defined by the ministry of education:
a pupil whose behaviour, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a special education program by a committee.

Special education program is defined as:
in respect of an exceptional pupil, an educational program that is based on and modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation and that includes a plan containing specific objectives and an outline of educational services that meets the needs of the exceptional pupil.

Special education services are defined as:
facilities and resources, including support personnel and equipment, necessary for developing and implementing a special education program.

There are five categories of exceptionalities. There are brief descriptions below click on the links below for extensive definitions classroom strategies.

Behaviour
Communication
Intellectual
Physical
Multiple

1) Behaviour:

A learning disorder characterized by specific behaviour problems over such a period of time, and to such a marked degree, and of such a nature, as to adversely affect educational performance, and that may be accompanied by one or more of the following:

(A) an inability to build or to maintain interpersonal relationships
(B) excessive fears and anxieties
(C) a tendency to compulsive reaction
(D) an inability to learn that cannot be traced to intellectual, sensory, or other health factors, or any combination thereof.

2) Communication:

Autism: a severe learning disorder that is characterized by:

(A) disturbances in:

rate of educational development
ability to relate o the environment
mobility
perception, speech, and language

(B) lack of the representational symbolic behaviour that precedes language

Deaf and Hard of Hearing
An impairment characterized by deficits in language and speech development because of a diminished or non-existent auditory response to sound.

Language Impairment
A learning disorder characterized by an impairment in comprehension and/or the use of verbal communication, or the written or other symbol system of communication, which may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical, or sensory factors, and which may:

(A) involve one or more of the form, content, and function of language in Communication; and
(B) include on or more of:

language delay;
dysfluency
voice and articulation development, which may or may not be organically or functionally based

Speech Impairment
A disorder in language formulation that may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical or sensory factors; that involves perceptual motor aspects of transmitting oral messages; and that may be characterized by impairment in articulation, rhythm, and stress

Learning Disability
A learning disorder evident in both academic and social situations that involves one or more of the processes necessary for the proper use of spoken language or the symbols of communication, an that is characterized by a condition that:

(A) is not primarily the result of:

impairment of vision;
impairment of hearing;
physical disability;
developmental disability;
primary emotional disturbance;
cultural difference

(B) results in a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability, with deficits in one or more of the following:

receptive language (listening, reading);
language processing (thinking, conceptualizing, integrating);
expressive language (talking, spelling, writing);
mathematical computations; and

a perceptual handicap;
a brain injury;
minimal brain dysfunction;
dyslexia;
developmental aphasia

3) Intellectual

Giftedness
An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.

Mild Intellectual Disability
A learning disorder characterized by:

(A) an ability to profit educationally within a regular with the aid of considerable curriculum modification and supportive service;
(B) an inability to profit educationally within a regular class because of slow intellectual development;
(C) a potential for academic learning, independent social adjustment, and economic self-support.

Developmental Disability
A severe learning disorder characterized by:

(A) an inability to profit from a special education program for students with mild intellectual disabilities because of slow intellectual development;
(B) an ability to profit from a special education program that is designed to accommodate slow intellectual development;
(C) a limited potential for academic learning, independent social adjustment, and economic self-support

4) Physical

Physical Disability
A condition of such severe physical limitation or deficiency as to require special assistance in learning situations to provide the opportunity for educational achievement equivalent to that of pupils without exceptionalities who are of the same age or developmental level.

Blind and Low Vision
A condition of partial or total impairment of sight or vision that even with correction affects educational performance adversely.

5) Multiple

A combination of learning or other disorders, impairments, or physical disabilities that is of such a nature as to require, for educational achievement, the services of one or more teachers holding qualifications in special education and the provision of support services appropriate for such disorders, impairments, or disabilities.

Additional Information:

**All Information is for reference only. It is not for reproduction of any type. Copyrights are held by the following:

Ministry of Education Ontario (2002) The Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
The Upper Grand District School Board (2006-2007) A Guide To Assessed Needs and Educational Assessment.
Weber, K. (1993) Special Education in Ontario Schools 3rd Ed. Highland Press
Winzer, M. (1996) Children with Exceptionalities in Canadian Classrooms 4th Ed. Allyn & Bacon Canada

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