Entry #1 - Chapter 1

(1) When is a child considered educationally exceptional?

The term educationally exceptional includes both children who have developmental disabilities and children who are considered to be gifted. An educationally exceptional child is labeled as such, when they differ from the average child. Our book comes up with five categories in which if a child differs too much in these areas they are considered educationally exceptional. These categories include mental characteristics, sensory abilities, communication abilities, behavior and emotional development, and/or physical characteristics. These differences must be severe enough that the child needs either a modification of school practices or special educational services to reach their potential.

(2) What role have parents played in the expansion of services for exceptional children?

Parents of educationally exceptional children in today's society are playing a much larger role in their child's learning then they have in the past. In the past, parents simply use to take advice from a professional or a team of professionals about the education of their child. Although this can be beneficial, parents are now taking on much more responsibility. They call this new approach family empowerment. Family empowerment "has the family actively seeking and collecting information from many different sources." (Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman & Anastasiow pg. 21) These parents often seek advice from their child's teacher, from their peers, or from other parents of exceptional children; however, many make their own decisions about what is best for their child.