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There are multiple types of exceptionalities with some being more severe than others

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There are multiple types of exceptionalities with some being more severe than others. For example, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy are types of exceptionalities that affect the cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning of a child or adolescent. Children and adolescents with learning disorders and pervasive disorders such as autism spectrum disorders or Asperger syndrome may have difficulty with social interactions and often require academic remediation. No matter the exceptionality, it can have a dramatic impact on family functioning. For example, stress levels can increase between spouses, the physical demands of caring for children and adolescents with exceptionalities can be exhausting, and managing difficult behaviors of a child or adolescent can take a toll on all members of a family. Parents may feel guilt, remorse, sadness, and grief over having a child with exceptionality.

If you plan to work with children or adolescents with exceptionalities, you must have a firm understanding of the various types of exceptionalities so you can understand the needs of the child and adolescent. It also provides you an understanding of the needs of the family so you can develop and implement effective interventions. Keep in mind when working with parents of children with exceptionalities that while they generally love their children, it can be challenging to care for them and you must help the parents feel supported and free of judgment.

For this Discussion, current literature, and reputable sources on the Internet and select a journal article researching a type of exceptionality. Consider the impact the exceptionality may have on a family. Reflect upon whether a female or male child might impact the family functioning differently. Consider what type of intervention and support you might provide the family to improve family functioning.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief description of the exceptionality you selected. Then, explain two ways the exceptionality may affect family functioning and how. Finally, explain one evidence-based intervention and how you might use it to improve family functioning. Be specific and support your response using the article you selected.

Similar or Different? Examining Views on Exceptionality among Individuals with and without Special Needs Manisah Mohd Ali, National University of Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia Norshidah Mohamad Salleh, National University of Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia Abstract: It is recognized that diversity can be defined from multiple points including diversity in perceived abilities and disabilities or rather exceptionalities. Exceptional individuals or those with special needs generally refers to individuals who differ from the societal or community standard of normalcy. As defined in the literature, they fall in the categories of individuals who have shown marked difference from the average or normal individual, in some identified aspects such as intellectual differences, communication differences, sensory differences, behavioural differences, physical differences, and multiple and severe handicapping conditions. There is an increasing awareness and the broadening of perspective that mainstreaming is not just about including individuals with differing background and with exceptionalities. It emphasizes on having self-empowerment, self-determination and equality. In relation to this, a case study was carried out in Malaysia examining how a variety of individuals construct their definitions of exceptionality. Data were gathered via in-depth interviews conducted on individuals with and without special needs, aged 17 to 20 years. The analysis of data identified the following themes; the interpretation of exceptionality; being exceptional or being a person with special needs is not about possessing a label, and the realities of mainstreaming. Supportive and suppressive factors were highlighted to further understand such conceptualization. Keywords: Exceptional, Special Needs, Differences HERE IS AN increasing awareness and broadening of perspective that mainstreaming is not just about including individuals with differing background and with exceptionalities or special needs. The emphasis is on having selfempowerment, self-determination and equality. This paper aims to investigate how meaning of exceptionality is negotiated or constructed between individuals with and without special needs, considerations made and how this meaning effects them. A case study was carried out in Malaysia examining how a variety of individuals construct their definitions of exceptionality. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals with and without special needs, aged 17 to 20 years. Three central themes were identified from the case study namely; the interpretation of exceptionality; insignificance of labelling, and the realities of mainstreaming. The respondents in the study recognised that their experience with disability created the ‘differences’ in their outlook towards themselves and society. Supportive and suppressive factors, namely family support, financial support from government agencies, public’s attitude towards people with special needs and availability of support systems also contributed to formation of perception and acceptance of being exceptional individuals. T Introduction Diversity can be observed from various spectrum that exists in perceived abilities and disabilities among individuals. Perceived disabilities can be both visible and non-visible. Visible disabilities may include hearing impairments and deafness, visual impairments and blindness as well as mobility impairments. In contrast, non-visible disabilities include psychiatric disabilities and mental disabilities such as learning disabilities. For the purpose of this paper, the terms ‘exceptionality’ and ‘exceptional’ would be used to refer individuals with perceived abilities or disabilities or more commonly referred to as individuals with special needs. They differ from the norms set by the society or community standard. They may require a lot of understanding and patience including assistance with special education and related services in order to reach their full potential of development. Literature shows that there are two main ways of understanding what disability means, specifically from medical and social perspectives. The medical perspective believes that a person with disability requires professional medical care to “overcome” it. A focus is often on “curing” the disability, rather than accommodating it. Disability is often conceived as a negative and static state which requires intervention, rehabilitation and reduction (Nagata, 2007). THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, VOLUME 7, NUMBER 6, 2008 http://www.Diversity-Journal.com, ISSN 1447-9532 © Common Ground, Manisah Mohd Ali, Norshidah Mohamad Salleh, All Rights Reserved, Permissions: cg-support@commongroundpublishing.com 336 THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, VOLUME 7 The social perspective, however, sees disability not as an affliction, but rather as an attitude society imposes on people that do not fit the “norm”. Here, the emphasis is on social action, and working together to ensure that all members of the society can participate. It also looks on the strengths of the person with disability and identifies the physical and social barriers that obstruct individuals with disability. This social understanding embraces disability as a diversity issue and that there is differential impact of experience. Stalker and Connors (2003) provide a different account on social understanding on disability. They highlight the work of Thomas (1999) who gave a larger context of social understanding on disability by investigating the gaps related to the “relevance of personal experience and the impact of living with impairments”. There has been many studies such as Stalker and Connors (2003) and Cambra (1996) among others, which discussed on perceived abilities and exceptionalities where differences between individuals with and without exceptionality were examined. However, it would be interesting to find what are the common characteristics, needs and the differential impact of experience that they might have. Thus, this paper aims to investigate how meaning of exceptionality is negotiated or constructed between individuals with and without exceptionality; and how this meaning effect them as individual with or without special needs in Malaysia. The paper is organized into the following. First is the discussion on the methodology and aim of qualitative case study conducted. Second is the presentation of results and discussion of case study. The Study This small-scale qualitative case study was carried out involving individuals with and without special needs to examine how they construct the definitions of exceptionality. This method is chosen as it offers flexibility to explore the personal views and feelings of respondents as representative samples within the given context. There were a total of 6 respondents, 3 males and 3 females, aged between 17 to 20 years who were selected for this study. The basis for selecting this age group is that they have achieved some level of maturity and thus, have constructed their own definition of exceptionality. They were also selected to represent the different gender and types of disabilities. As for types of disabilities, respondents with visual impairment or hearing impairment represented individuals with special needs and respondents with no known disabilities represented individuals without special needs. There were also three respondents who were selected based on no known disabilities. Specifically, the composition of the respondents is presented in the following table. Table 1: Composition of Respondents Respondent Age Sex Types of Disabilities 1 20 Female Visual Impairment 2 19 Male Visual Impairment 3 20 Female Hearing Impairment 4 17 Male Hearing Impairment 5 20 Female No known disabilities 6 19 Male No known disabilities 7 18 Female No known disabilities Data were gathered through several in-depth, openended and structured interviews. The approach of using structured interviews, though formal, guides the respondents to speak freely about the details associated with the questions. The questions asked were: 2. 1. 5. Views of oneself as exceptional individual. Where samples are individuals without exceptionality, the question focuses on their views of themselves as individual with no known exceptionality or without disabilities; Their understandings about the concept of disability and exceptionality; 3. 4. Supporting factors that help construct understandings of exceptionality; Suppressing factors that limit one’s understandings of exceptionality; Events or situations that show one is accepted or not accepted (where the sample is exceptional individual); Types of support received. With the respondents’ permission, interviews were tape recorded and fully transcribed. The responses were gathered in Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of the respondents. Samples of responses were translated and discussed accordingly in the Result MANISAH MOHD ALI, NORSHIDAH MOHAMAD SALLEH and Discussion Section of this paper. For respondents with hearing impairments, they were asked to respond to the interviewer’s questions by writing them in the question protocol form provided. Each transcript was carefully read and content analysis was carried out to identify emerging themes and key points. In the section that follows, key findings were presented and discussed. Results and Discussion Our analysis revealed the following three main recurring themes: the interpretation of exceptionality; insignificance of labeling and the realities of mainstreaming. In addition, supportive and suppressive factors related to exceptionality were also the identified relevant theme in the findings. Theme 1: Interpretation of Exceptionality On the interpretation of exceptionality, most respondents claimed that they are thankful (to God) that they are born as an exceptional individual. They did not see being special or exceptional as an obstacle and they accepted their condition as God’s challenges to lead a better life. Samples of such response are provided in Respondent 3 and 4. Respondent 3 “…saya pasrah dengan keadaan diri saya. Ini adalah dugaan Tuhan ke atas saya... Saya bersyukur atas segala pemberian Tuhan. Menjadi cacat tidak bermaksud saya perlu bergantung kepada orang lain…Saya boleh berdikari. Saya boleh lakukan apa orang lain buat ... saya mesti teruskan hidup ini…” Translated “… I accept the way I am. This is God’s challenges for me… I’m thankful for what God has given me. Being exceptional does not mean I have to depend on others…I am very independent. I can do what others do… life has to go on…” Respondent 4 “ …Saya gembira walaupun tidak boleh mendengar. Saya boleh bercakap dengan orang lain walaupun terpaksa menggunakan bahasa isyarat. Saya ingin buktikan kepada orang lain walaupun kami cacat, kami mampu melakukan banyak perkara seperti orang lain …” Translated “…I’m proud to be deaf. I can communicate with others (though I have to sign). I want to show that we, special (or rather exceptional) people are also able to achieve what others (those without special needs) can do …” Respondent 4 stated that being special does not mean having limitation. In fact, respondent see this as an opportunity to change attitudes and assumptions of others. This is parallel to what Olney & Brockelman (2003) had discussed whereby people with special needs “appear to adapt their mode of presentation to specific situations”. Many respondents were aware of various reactions that people with special needs may receive. However, an interesting response as shown by Respondent 1 illustrated his/her regard of his/her exceptionality as normal. Respondent 1 “ …tidak salah jika tak sama dengan orang lain. Orang lain pun juga berbeza satu sama lain … walaupun saya cacat, saya boleh bergaul dengan orang lain yang tidak cacat…” Translated “…there’s nothing wrong with being different from others. Other people (those without exceptionality) are also different from each other…although I’m special, I can still mix with others, be within the `normal’ people…” While the respondents with special needs describe and view themselves positively, those without special needs feel otherwise. Respondent 5 and 7 sympathized and expressed concern towards the disability of individuals with special needs. Respondent 5 “…mereka yang cacat juga ada perasaan seperti orang lain dan saya rasa mereka perlu dibantu untuk meneruskan hidup ini …” Translated “… they (individuals with special needs) too have feelings like the others and I think they must be helped to get on with their life …” Respondent 7 “ …saya simpati dengan mereka. Mereka perlu disokong dan dibantu …” Translated “… I feel sorry for them. These people need support and help …” In general, this study has identified some thematic notions related to the respondents’ interpretation and 337 338 THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, VOLUME 7 understanding of exceptionality. Table 2 presents the related thematic notions as described by the re- spondents. Table 2: Thematic Notions Identified on Interpretation and Understanding of Exceptionality Respondent Thematic Notions 1 Perception of self being like others and as god’s gift. 2 Importance in accepting own exceptionality 3 Challenges of being independent and being thankful to God. 4 Sense of pride in being exceptional 5 People with special needs need help 6 Perceiving exceptional individuals as being physically different from others. 7 Empathy for those who have special needs. Theme 2: Insignificance of Labeling Labeling often promotes stereotyping and discrimination and may be a contributing factor to exclusionary practice in the educational and social arenas (Gargiulo, 2006). Stereotypes are disempowering and demeaning. The second theme that emerged from this study is that exceptional individuals dislike being labeled. This study found that respondents with special needs realised that the language used to talk about their disability and impairments affects the way society views them. In many cases, inappropriate language can be disempowering, humiliating and rude. Respondent 1 and 3 described the following. Respondent 1 “ …orang lain maksud saya yang tidak cacat suka bercakap tentang apa yang kami tak boleh buat … mereka suka banding-banding dan pandang rendah terhadap kami… mereka fikir kami tak boleh buat apa-apa kalau tidak dibantu……kononnya masa depan kami gelap...” “…they belittle us and asked to do things that we cannot do. How can I answer the phone when I cannot hear and talk?” People are more likely to expect abnormal behaviour from labeled individual. On the other hand, labels have a contradictory effect. It may make individual without special needs be more tolerant of individual with special needs. In fact, these labels may provide justifications or explanations for difference in behaviour or appearances towards the stigmatised person with disability (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2003) as stated by Respondent 6 below. Respondent 6 “ …Saya tahu juga tentang orang-orang khas ini....awak tahukan... mereka yang cacat anggota, buta atau tidak boleh dengar. Mereka perlu bantuan dan kita perlu bantu mereka, bukan begitu?” “ …mereka jenis yang mudah kecewa, putus asa dan kurang puas hati dalam banyak hal… sentiasa salahkan diri mereka sebab cacat ...” Translated Translated “…others (people without special needs) like to talk about what we cannot do… they like to compare and looked down on us… they think we are totally the helpless lot …that we have no future...” Respondent 3 “ …mereka pandang rendah pada kami dan minta kami lakukan perkara yang kami tak boleh buat. Macamana saya dapat jawab telefon sedangkan saya tak boleh dengar dan cakap?” Translated “…I know some people who have special needs… u know… those who are physically disabled, blind or hard of hearing. They need help and we should help them, shouldn’t we?” “…they kind of easily frustrated, give up, and unsatisfied with things in life… always blaming their disability…” There is also the general image of non-sociability that exceptional individuals are identified with (Cambra, 1996). Many tend to classify them as passive, reserve, bored, uncommunicative, likely to possess fewer friends than those without special needs as indicated by Respondent 7. Respondent 7 MANISAH MOHD ALI, NORSHIDAH MOHAMAD SALLEH “…mereka ni susahlah, ada yang sangat pasif dan ada yang aktif. Susah nak faham dan bercakap dengan mereka. Kadang kala saya rasakan mereka terlalu kebudak-budakan …” Translated “…they (people who have special needs) are the difficult lot, some maybe very passive, some are active. It’s hard to understand and communicate with them. Sometimes I found them to be too childish…” Advocates of people with special needs stressed that individual’s special needs should be viewed as a natural part of life and not used as a basis for exclusionary or discriminating actions (Sands, Kozleski & French, 2000). Respondent 2 stated that, “…tidak ada orang yang sempurna. Semua orang ada kekuatan dan kelemahan masing-masing …” Translated “…no one is perfect or normal. Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses…” Some people fear that being exceptional can cause someone to be unworthy or viewed by others as `different’ This may lower a person’s self esteem or cause others to behave differently towards him or her as expressed by Respondent 1 and 3. Respondent 1 “…saya tahu ada orang yang ragu-ragu dengan diri saya, tentang kebolehan saya …mereka tak mahu tolong ataupun cari ganti orang lain untuk bantu, dan satu lagi... apa yang saya dah buat mereka tidak hargai. Saya kecewa ...” Translated “…I know there are people who are in doubt about me, about what I can do… they wouldn’t want to help me, instead, find someone else to take over, and one more thing… they don’t appreciate things that I do. It’s very frustrating for me…” Respondent 3 “…saya tak boleh dengar. Mereka sindir saya kerana tidak jawab soalan mereka. Macamana saya nak dengar apa yang mereka tanya? Cuba beritahu saya…” Translated “…I am deaf. I was insinuated when I was asked questions. How can I hear what they asked me? U tell me…” Theme 3: The Realities of Mainstreaming The realities and pressure of being part of the mainstream society may create some positive or negative experience for both persons with or without special needs. In order to be in the mainstream, Schnapp and Olsen (2003) highlighted that it is important for persons with special needs to learn to self advocate. They must articulate their needs to others as the occasion arises in order to be understood as reported by Respondent 3 and 1. Respondent 1 “…sangat mencabar bagi saya. Tidak ada yang menerima kami. Mereka memandang rendah terhadap kami. Saya perlu teruskan hidup ini, terlibat dengan masyarakat … jadi saya perlu buktikan pada mereka apa yang saya boleh buat… supaya mereka lambat-laun dapat menerima kami … kami perlu bersabar …” Translated “…it’s very challenging for me. Not every one accept us, they look down on us. I have to get on with my life, get involve with the community… well, I have to show people what I can do…sooner or later they will accept us (people with special needs) … we just have to wait…” Respondent 3 “…saya beritahu semua orang saya ini tak boleh dengar …bukan sengaja tetapi kerana terpaksa. Letihlah terutama bila saya jumpa orang yang baru kenal. Tetapi saya tak kisah… “ Translated “…I tell people about my deafness to everyone… it’s not by choice but by necessity. It’s tiring especially when I meet new people but I don’t really mind it…” Respondent 2 felt that there are still much more to be done for people with special needs. There are few opportunities available while negative thoughts people with special needs still prevailing. Interestingly, people without special needs see otherwise. As Respondent 6 described, “…saya tahu ada yang cacat sangat berdikari. Saya kagum. Mereka boleh terus hidup tanpa bantuan. Saya ingin nak tolong mereka tetapi 339 340 THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, VOLUME 7 saya tidak mahu mereka salah tafsir hasrat baik saya ini, awak tahukan, kerana simpati … saya rasa paling baik untuk membantu sekiranya diminta berbuat demikian…” Translated “…I know of those (people with special needs) who are very independent. I salute them. They can lead their life without help. I am indeed willing to help them but I don’t want them to misinterpret my good intentions, you know, showing sympathy… I think it’s best to help when they ask for it…” There are many factors that can be linked to how one construct understanding regarding exceptionality. The most apparent supportive and suppressive factors related to exceptionality are revealed from the responses from the study. Most respondents with special needs highlight the high qualitative social support they received from both their family members and friends which allow to posses positive psychological sentiment (McIlvane & Reinhardt, 2001). This enables them to be better at adapting themselves in life despite the special needs that they have. Respondent 3 described his/her support system as follows. Respondent 3 “…saya terima sokongan yang penuh daripada keluarga, rakan-rakan dan guru-guru. Mereka bersedia membantu sekiranya saya memerlukan…” “…sokongan moral yang diberi dapat membantu menambahkan tahap keyakianan diri. Saya sekarang mampu untuk bercakap di khalayak ramai tanpa rasa malu atau tidak selesa…terutama setelah mereka tahu tentang kecacatan saya…” Translated “…I received full support from my family, my friends and teachers. They are always there when I need them…” “…the moral support that was given to me help increases my confidence level. I am now able to speak in front people without feeling shy or uneasy… especially when they know of my special needs…” Media plays an important role in raising public awareness towards people with special needs. However, all respondents with special needs stressed that the media still tends to reinforce negative stereotypes about people with special needs. In many ways, they are usually referred to in terms of their special needs and frequently became objects of pity or being `brave’. Both respondents 2 and 6, who are individuals with and without special needs respectively, agreed that there are very little materials available to increase public awareness on special needs and disability, Respondent 2 “…orang ramai kurang mendapat pendedahan…terlalu sedikit sumber dan bahan tentang keperluan khas ni…” Translated “…the public lacks exposure … there are minimal resources and materials about special needs…” An interesting observation was highlighted by Respondent 6 without special needs. Respondent 6 “…televisyen dan surat khabar kurang beri liputan cerita yang pelbagai tentang orang-orang cacat. Biasanya cerita tentang apa yang mereka boleh buat walaupun mereka mempunyai kekurangan … awak tahu, macam mereka boleh memandu walaupun mereka cacat…” Translated “…television and the newspaper did not cover many stories about other things regarding people with special needs. Usually, it’s about something they can do despite their disability… you know, like he can drive though he’s disabled…” The supportive and suppressive factors in relation to exceptionality discussed by the samples are summarised in Table 3. MANISAH MOHD ALI, NORSHIDAH MOHAMAD SALLEH Table 3: Supportive and Suppressive Factors in Relation to Exceptionality Supportive Factors Respondent Suppressive Factors Family support; financial aid from welfare 1 department Intimidating remarks from public Moral support from people around him 2 Public’s attitude towards people with special needs Lack of resources and materials for people with special needs Moral support received from family, 3 teachers and friends Special student study allowance (in higher education) Professional team support (for her speech problems and hearing impairments) Public’s attitude towards people with special needs Acceptance by friends of his condition 4 Lack of support systems for people with special needs Increase number of special education pro- 5 grammes in schools can help support the educational needs of children with special needs Unable to communicate with people with special needs More opportunities for people with special 6 needs to take part in the community Lack of support and materials to increase public awareness Television programmes on the success of 7 people with special needs help increase awareness on their ability Do not know best way to support people with special needs Overall, this study has found that many references to barriers that the respondents encountered were made throughout the data collection. Such references can be associated with the social understanding discussed in the earlier part of this paper. The respondents in the study recognised that the experience of disability that each of them had gone through or encountered create the ‘differences’ between respondents with and without special needs. For example, respondents with special needs encountered the barriers and discrimination and they perceived that they are being treated differently by others. This may result in the formation of a negative impression causing some to over-react to comments and innocent remarks made by others without special needs. Conclusion Many people with exceptionalities have abilities that go unrecognized because their disabilities become the focus of our concern and we do not give enough attention to what they can do (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2003). Although society has shown greater sensitivity towards people with exceptionality, certain stereotypes still persist and this can influence the self concept of the individual. This has been reflected in this study. Differences in views exist. While there are efforts to decrease labeling and stereotyping, necessary conditions for individual with exceptionality to bring their ability into full play should be created and promoted. References Cambra, C. “A Comparative Study of Personality Descriptors Attributed to the Deaf, the Blind, and Individuals with No Sensory Disability”. American Annals of the Deaf. 141 (March1996): 24. Garguilo, R. M. Special Education in Contemporary Society. 2 nd Ed. Belmonth: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Hallahan, D. P. & Kauffman, J. M. Exceptional Learners: Introduction to Special Education, 9th Ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2003. McIlvane, J. M. & Reinhardt, J. P. “Interactive Effect of Support from Family and Friends in Visually Impaired Elders. “The Journals of Gerontology, Washington (Nov. 2001) Nagata, K.K. “Perspective on Disability, Poverty and Development in the Asian Region.” Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal.18 (2007):3. Olney, M. F. & Brockelman, K. F. “Out of the Disability Closet: Strategic Use of Perception Management by Select University students with Disabilities.” Disability & Society 18 (2003): 35-50. 341 342 THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, VOLUME 7 Sands, D. J., Kozleski, E. B. & French, N. K. Inclusive Education for the 21 st Century. United States: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2000. Schnapp, L., & Olsen, C. “Teaching Self-Advocating Strategies through Drama." Intervention in School and Clinic 38 (March, 2003):211. Stalker, K. & Connors, C. “Children’s perception of Their Disabled Siblings: ‘She’s Different but it’s Normal for Us’”. Children & Society 18 (2004): 218-230. Thomas, C. Female forms: Experiencing and Understanding Disability, Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999. About the Authors Dr. Manisah Mohd Ali National University of Malaysia, Malaysia Norshidah Mohamad Salleh National University of Malaysia, Malaysia