ATSW Special Populations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with ADHD has difficulty staying on task during independent reading. Which classroom strategy is MOST evidence-based for this student?
- Seat the student alone in a corner
- Break reading into short, timed segments with movement breaks (Correct answer)
- Reduce all reading assignments by half
- Allow the student to opt out of reading activities
Correct answer: Break reading into short, timed segments with movement breaks
Chunking tasks with built-in movement breaks supports attention regulation for students with ADHD without reducing academic expectations.
Question 2: Which strategy BEST supports a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during transitions between classroom activities?
- Surprising the student with unannounced changes to build flexibility
- Providing advance warnings and visual schedules before transitions (Correct answer)
- Keeping the student in one activity all day to avoid transitions
- Assigning a peer to physically move the student
Correct answer: Providing advance warnings and visual schedules before transitions
Advance notice and visual schedules reduce anxiety about transitions by giving students with ASD predictability and structure.
Question 3: The primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is to:
- Determine the appropriate level of disciplinary action
- Identify the function or purpose a behavior serves for the student (Correct answer)
- Document all negative behaviors for legal records
- Establish whether a student qualifies for special education
Correct answer: Identify the function or purpose a behavior serves for the student
An FBA identifies the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to understand why a student engages in a particular behavior, informing the BIP.
Question 4: A student who recently immigrated is silent in class for the first two months. A teacher familiar with second language acquisition would MOST LIKELY interpret this as:
- A sign of a learning disability requiring evaluation
- The silent period, a normal stage of second language acquisition (Correct answer)
- Defiance and unwillingness to participate
- Evidence of low intelligence
Correct answer: The silent period, a normal stage of second language acquisition
The silent or pre-production period is a well-documented, normal phase in which ELL students process the new language before speaking.
Question 5: Which practice is an example of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
- Creating separate lesson plans for each disability category
- Designing flexible materials and activities that are accessible to all learners from the start (Correct answer)
- Providing accommodations only after a student fails a task
- Tracking students by ability level for all subjects
Correct answer: Designing flexible materials and activities that are accessible to all learners from the start
UDL proactively builds multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression into instruction so all learners can access it.
Question 6: A student with a hearing impairment is placed in a general education classroom. Which support would MOST directly facilitate academic access?
- Positioning the student near the window for natural light
- Preferential seating near the teacher with access to an FM system or interpreter (Correct answer)
- Assigning a peer to repeat all teacher instructions
- Providing written tests only
Correct answer: Preferential seating near the teacher with access to an FM system or interpreter
Preferential seating combined with an FM system or educational interpreter directly addresses the student's auditory access needs in the classroom.
Question 7: When a student's IEP team determines the least restrictive environment (LRE), the team must consider:
- The cost of services to the district
- The extent to which the student can be educated with non-disabled peers with supports (Correct answer)
- Which placement is most convenient for staff scheduling
- The preference of the general education teacher only
Correct answer: The extent to which the student can be educated with non-disabled peers with supports
IDEA requires that LRE decisions focus on maximizing time with non-disabled peers while providing appropriate supports, not on administrative convenience or cost.
ATSW Special Populations 3
A student with ADHD has difficulty staying on task during independent reading.
Which classroom strategy is MOST evidence-based for this student?