Pilar Gonzalez #7

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.

Specific Learning Disabilities

Academic
Characteristics
Affects skills in reading,
writing, listening,
speaking, reasoning, and
math
Difficulty learning simple
things like the alphabet
Trouble transforming
thoughts into written
words
Misreading math problems
Difficulty reading out loud
Poor reading
comprehension
Struggling to write papers
and essays
Trouble understanding
lectures
Difficulty holding a pencil
Poor memory
difficulty sounding out
words,
reverses letters,
places letters in incorrect
sequence,
difficulty understanding
words or concepts, and/or
delayed speech
development; immature
speech.
Verbal abilities

Social and/or Behavioral

Characteristics
Social skills deficits
performs differently from day to
day,
responds inappropriately in many
instances,
says one thing, means another,
doesnt adjust well to change,
difficulty telling time and
knowing right from left,
May struggle to accurately
interpret non-verbal cues (e.g.
gestures, facial expressions)
May have low social status, few
positive interactions at school,
difficulty making friends, and
seem lonely
May not display appropriate
verbal and non-verbal cues in
conversations
Might misunderstand jokes,
puns, idioms, sarcasm, etc.
May not follow the social rules
of conversation, such as taking
turns
May stand too close to a listener
ADHD

Physical
Characteristics
Poor motor abilities
distractible, restless, impulsive,
General coordination poor;
awkwardness evident in
skipping, climbing, running,
walking, jumping, hopping, etc.
May fall or stumble frequently
or maintain equilibrium by
touching tables, chairs or desks
when moving about the room
May exhibit difficulty with fine
motor coordination tasks
May have difficulty
differentiating between right
and left;
may exhibit directional
confusion, mirror-writing,
reversals, inversions
or rotations of letters and/or
numerals
disorganized

Possible Strengths

perseverance
empathy
courage
assertiveness
Self awareness to connect
to the real world
Creative
Purposeful with their
action
Determined
Sensitive to auditory
Sports and physical
activates
Coping skills
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE.

Pilar Gonzalez #7
Academic Characteristics

Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

An inability to learn that

cannot be explained by
intellectual, sensory, or
health factors.
An inability to build or
maintain satisfactory
interpersonal relationships
with peers and teachers.
Unwillingness to cooperate
Lowest gpa
Low dropout rate
Writing skills
Can be impulsive
Addicted behaviors

Social and or Behavioral

Characteristics
Misread social cues
Misinterpret the feelings of
others
Not know when they are
bothering others
Be unaware of the effect of their
behavior on someone else
Be unable to take the perspective
of others or put themselves in
someone elses shoes
Acceptance by peers
Difficulty making friends
Being seen by peers as overly
dependent
Being less likely to become
leaders
Resolving conflict
Managing frustrations
Initiating or joining a
conversation or play activities
Listening
Demonstrating empathy
Maintaining a friendship
Working in groups
Fighting or acting out
ADHD

Physical Characteristics

Body manifesting signs of

sickness like fever, rash,
headache
Being absent
Substance abuse problems
symptoms like burnt fingertips,
shaking, or bloodshot eyes
Common/frequent crying
Poor coping skills
Can seem unhappy or depressed

Possible Strengths

Empathy
Thrive on routines
Thrives on consistency
Good listeners
Eager (bipolar)
Productive (bipolar)
Think of everything that
might and can happen
(anxiety)
Organized (ocd)
Artistic
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE

Pilar Gonzalez #7

Academic
Characteristics
Cant focus
Disruptive
Short attention span
Frequent errors on work
Forgets assignments
Procrastinating
Impulsive
Troubled taking turns
creativity

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

(ADHD)

Social and/or Behavioral

Characteristics
Get out of their chairs when
theyre not supposed to
Run around or climb constantly
Have trouble playing quietly
Talk too much
Blurt out answers before
questions have been completed
Have trouble waiting their turn
Interrupt others when theyre
talking
Butt in on the games others are
playing
Do not pay close attention to
details
Cant stay focused on play or
school work
Dont follow through on
instructions or finish school work
or chores
Cant seem to organize tasks and
activities
Get distracted easily
Lose things such as toys, school
work, and books
Addictive behavior
Day dreams

Physical
Characteristics
Fidget and squirm
Unable to sit still
Social tension
Hard time keeping and making
friends
Moves a lot
Lack of personal space

Strengths

Acceptance by peers
Difficulty making friends
Being seen by peers as
overly dependent
Being less likely to become
leaders
Resolving conflict
Managing frustrations
Initiating or joining a
conversation or play
activities
Listening
Demonstrating empathy
Maintaining a friendship
Working in groups
Willing to work with others
and try new things
Outgoing
Detailed orientated
High energy
Social butterfly
Brave
Verbal
Good self esteem
Creative
Innovative
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE

Pilar Gonzalez #7
Academic Characteristics

Speech / Language

Communication Disorder

improper use of words and

their meanings,
inability to express ideas,
inappropriate grammatical
patterns,
reduced vocabulary, and
inability to follow
directions
difficult talking

Social and or Behavioral

Characteristics
Hesitates or refuses to participate
in activities where speaking is
required
Is inattentive and has difficulty
with concentration
May not initiate or maintain eye
contact
May become easily frustrated
Has difficulty following
directions
Must be "shown" what to do
Has trouble understanding
information from what is seen,
heard or felt
May be embarrassed by speech,
regardless of age
Acts impulsively, and may
respond before instructions are
given out
May isolate themselves from
social situations
Talented in art
Withdrawn
introverts

Physical Characteristics

May be conditions in the

student's medical/developmental
history, such as cleft lip and/or
palate, cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy, brain injury or
disorder, aphasia, hearing loss,
ear surgery, facial abnormalities,
or congenital (present at birth)
disorders
Has frequent allergy problems
or colds
Has oral muscular coordination
slower than normal
Displays clumsiness or seems to
be uncoordinated
Can have a stutter

Strengths

Perseverance
Motivated
Patient
Unique way to express
themselves
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE

Pilar Gonzalez #7

Autism

High-functioning

Academic
Characteristics
Visual learners
Modeling
Hands on learners
Cant find
symbolism
Fine motor skills
Hard time
transitioning
(academically)

Social and/or Behavioral

Characteristics
Very little or no eye contact.
Resistance to being held or touched.
Tends to get too close when speaking to someone (lack of
personal space).
Responds to social interactions, but does not initiate them.
Does not generally share observations or experiences with
others.
Difficulty understanding jokes, figures of speech or sarcasm.
Difficulty reading facial expressions and body language.
Difficulty understanding the rules of conversation.
Difficulty understanding group interactions.
Aversion to answering questions about themselves.
Gives spontaneous comments which seem to have no
connection to the current conversation.
Makes honest, but inappropriate observations.
Seems unable to understand anothers feelings.
Can be alone, aloof or overly-friendly.
Difficulty maintaining friendships.
Finds it easier to socialize with people that are older or
younger, rather than peers of their own age.
Unaware of/disinterested in what is going on around them.
Talks excessively about one or two topics (dinosaurs, movies,
etc.).
Overly trusting or unable to read the motives behinds peoples
actions.
Minimal acknowledgement of others.
Sensitive to sounds
Struggles to make friends
Easily frustrated

Physical
Characteristics
Myoclonal jerks,
sudden muscle
movements
Choreiform, jerky
and involuntary
movements
Poor eye-hand
coordination
Limb apraxia,
when it is difficult
to make certain
movements with an
arm or leg
Problems with
intentional
movements
Abnormal gait and
posture
Toe walking
Clumsiness
Difficulty with
sitting, lying,
crawling and/or
walking
Difficulty chewing
and/or swallowing
Unusual sweating
Abnormal reaction
to sensory stimuli
Rashes, dermatitis,
eczema and/or
itching

Strengths

Rote memory or
learning by heart
Remembering
information for long
periods of time
Visual learning and
thinking style
Ability to use visual
information
meaningfully
Ability to learn in
detail and in
chunks
Ability to concentrate
on narrow topics of
interest
Understanding rules
and using concrete
information
Kindness
Retains information
Honest
Asks questions
Non judgmental
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE

Pilar Gonzalez #7
Academic
characteristics

(skeletal & muscular)

Other Health Impairments &

Orthopedic Impairments

Non-accessible
transportation
Trouble
maneuvering
around the
classroom
Difficulty
navigating school
hallways
Earning mandated
physical education
credit
Communicating
effectively
Accom. To access
classroom
Slow reading rate
Fatigued
Limited alertness

Social and or behavioral characteristics

Does not pay attention to detail and often makes

mistakes across a number of activities
Has difficulty maintaining attention during activities
Does not complete schoolwork or other assigned
activities
Has difficulty with organization of activities
Avoids activities that require mental effort or
concentration
Loses materials necessary to complete assignments
Easily distracted
Forgetful in many activities
Potential for being bullied
Poor self-advocates
Unable to relate to others
Learned helplessness

Physical Characteristics

Spastic (very tight

muscles occurring
in one or more
muscle groups that
result in stiff,
uncoordinated
movements)
Athetoid
(movements are
contorted,
abnormal, and
purposeless)
Ataxic (poor
balance and
equilibrium in
addition to
uncoordinated
voluntary
movement)
Mixed (any
combination of the
types)
May have handicap
equipment needed
Devices
Limited strength
Poor coordination

Strengths

Good communication
skills
Adaptability
Coping skills
Great perspective
Positive
wants to learn
NORMAL
INTELLEGENCE

Pilar Gonzalez #7
Academic
Characteristics

Mild Intellectual Disability

Low achievement in most or all

academic areas (e.g. reading
comprehension, mathematics, written
expression)
Short attention span and easily
distractible
Delays in speech development
May not be confident in school and is
easily frustrated
Difficulties with learning concepts
Academic difficulties last across the
school years
May seem to learn more slowly than do
other students
Difficulty with working memory tasks
(e.g. math facts or spelling words)
May seem to remember information one
day, and forget it the next
Difficulty using academic strategies (e.g.
note taking, memorizing definitions)
Difficulty with generalization of
information to other material
Difficulty generalizing material learned
in one setting to another (e.g., from
school to the community)
Difficulties with more advanced
academic skills related to content (e.g.
math word problems, identifying themes
and symbols in literature)
Delays in language may affect reading
May have difficulty comprehending and
summarizing what has been read
Weak vocabulary (knowledge of words)
May operate at a concrete rather than
abstract level of thinking

Social and/or Behavioral

Characteristics

Difficulty bathing, dressing,

grooming, and / or feeding ones
self
Language may be slow to develop
Speech may be delayed, or there
may be no speech at all
Difficulty understanding and
using language (verbal and
nonverbal)
Social skills may be poor
(relationships with family and
friends)
May misinterpret the intentions of
others
May not understand how to pay
for things
May lack understanding of
personal safety or community
navigation issues
Has trouble linking actions to
consequences
May be clumsy
May use simple language with
short sentences
May need reminders about
hygiene - washing hands,
brushing teeth, etc.
Exhibits problem behaviors and
some immaturity
Displays some obsessive /
compulsive behaviors
Difficulty following rules and
routines

Physical
Characteristics

Difficulties
functioning on a
daily basis
Not being able to
live on their own
Severe cases:
seizures; vision
problems; hearing
problems

Strengths

Great relationship
building
Empathy