Respone to Social and Emotional Disorders (internalizing)

Brianne Krakovsky
Comparing Deaf and Social and Emotional Disorder (internalizing)

When looking at both definitions, deaf and social and emotional disorders, I can find a few comparisons as well as differences. I realize that although deaf and social & emotional disorders are different from each other, when considering the effects both disorders have in school, they are the same. If a student had either one of these disorders, then it can adversely affect their educational performance. Of course, a student who is deaf will be weak in areas that are different from a student who is dealing with a social or emotional disorder. The main difference that I observed between these two disorders is that being deaf is a sensory disorder, whereas having a social or emotional disorder involves the mind. Students who suffer from a social or emotional disorder are not able to build or maintain social interactions with people. Also, those who suffer are generally unhappy. With someone who is deaf, they are able to socialize and maintain happy moods. Finally, when considering the two definitions, it occurred to me that a student who is deaf could probably develop a social and emotional disorder. Depending on the way that they lost their hearing and the type of situation they are experiencing.
The developmental characteristics of both disorders differ from each other. The main thing that I noticed is that those who are suffering from social and emotional disorders tend to isolate themselves completely from other human interaction. Consequently, those people who are deaf may isolate themselves from certain people, but they tend to draw themselves close to others who are experiencing things that they are experiencing (Deaf community). Again, I would imagine that those who are deaf could, giving their situation, develop all of the characteristics possessed by someone who has a social and emotional disorder.
The same instructional strategies would be taken by a teacher when dealing with these disabilities. Teachers will be monitoring the students work, look for off pattern characteristics, offer support, and make modifications to name a few. What is different is that these strategies will be aimed towards either a child who is deaf, or to a child who has a social and emotional disorder. A teacher who is monitoring a deaf child’s work will be looking for different things compared to a child who has a social and emotional disorder. Also, the accommodations and modifications that a student will use will be different for the two disorders. In the eyes of education, both of these disorders are not seen as a weakness, or a lack of knowledge. Rather, it is seen as students having to learn in different ways. We as teachers need to make this happen.