PRAXIS 5355 SPECIAL EDUCATION FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are
provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs.
FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The right to a Free Appropriate Public
Education is an educational entitlement of all students in the United States who are identified as having
a disability, guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Least restrictive environment (LRE) means
kids who get special education should be in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible. LRE
isn't a place — it's a principle that guides a child's education program. The LRE for each child may look
different because kids are unique.
IFSP - Individualized Family Service Plan - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅For education in the United States, an
Individualized Family Service Plan is a plan to obtain special education services for young children aged
0-3 years within U.S. public schools.
The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written document that outlines the early intervention
services that a child will receive when s/he is eligible for early childhood special education services.
IEP - Individualized Education Program - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The IEP is a legal document that
describes the child's needs and the services to be provided by the school district that will best meet
those needs. The IEP is an educational plan that: Describes the child's skills and areas of need. Identifies
educational goals to focus on during the year.
FM - Personal Frequency-Modulated System - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Used to help someone with
hearing loss listen in noisy places, ie. a classroom
Generally a microphone attaches to the teacher, then a receiving device for the student ("boot"
attached to hearing aid or cochlear implant, desktop speaker, speakers around the classroom, other
device worn on ear)
,PLAAFP - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Present Levels or Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Paraprofessional - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A teacher assistant, teacher aide, or paraeducator
Parent - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A biological parent, legal guardian, surrogate, adoptive parent, or foster
parent
ADHD - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a psychological disorder
marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention,
hyperactivity, and impulsivity
EBD - Emotional disturbance and/or emotional behavioral disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Exhibits
inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances
refers to a condition in which behavioral or emotional responses of an individual in school are so
different from his/her generally accepted, age appropriate, ethnic or cultural norms that they adversely
affect performance in such areas as self care, social relationships, personal relationships
OHI - Other Health Impairment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a general disability category under IDEA that
includes cancer, diabetes and severe ADD
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a disorder that appears in childhood and is
marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated
interests and repetitive behaviors
MD (Multiple Disabilities) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Combination of impairments which cause severe
educational needs of the student.
SLD - Specific learning disability - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅means a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may
manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical
calculations
,Dyslexia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dyslexia is a term that refers to difficulty in acquiring and processing
language that is typically manifested by the lack or proficiency in reading, spelling and writing. People
with dyslexia have difficulty connecting letters they see on a page with the sounds they make. As a
result, reading becomes slow and effortful and is not a fluent process for them.
Problems in reading begin even before learning to read. For example, children may have trouble
breaking down spoken words into syllables and recognizing words that rhyme. Kindergarten-age
children may not be able to recognize and write letters as well as their peers. People with dyslexia may
have difficulty with accuracy and spelling as well. It's a common misconception that all children with
dyslexia write letters backwards or those who write letters backwards all have dyslexia.
People with dyslexia, including adolescents and adults, often try to avoid activities involving reading
when they can (reading for pleasure, reading instructions). They often gravitate to other mediums such
as pictures, video, or audio.
Dysgraphia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dysgraphia is a term used to describe difficulties with putting one's
thoughts on to paper. Problems with writing can include difficulties with spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and handwriting.
Dyscalculia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dyscalculia is a term used to describe difficulties learning number
related concepts or using the symbols and functions to perform math calculations. Problems with math
can include difficulties with number sense, memorizing math facts, math calculations, math reasoning
and math problem solving.
Auditory Processing Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Processing or interpretation of sound in the brain
Difficulty making sense of sounds
Problems with blocking out background noise
Trouble telling where sound is coming from
Language Processing Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects language processing skills
Difficulty understanding meaning of spoken language
Poor reading comprehension
Problems with verbal expression
, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects nonverbal skills such as motor, visual-
spatial, and social skills
Difficulty interpreting body language or facial expressions
Poor motor coordination
Trouble with multi-step instructions
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects interpreting visual information or
drawing
Mistakes in writing, such as reversing letters
Too-tight grip on pencil or other writing tool
Poor hand/eye coordination
Dysmetria - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The inability to control the distance, speed, and range of motion
necessary to perform smoothly coordinated movements. Dysmetria is a sign of cerebellar damage, and
often presents along with additional signs, such as loss of balance and poor coordination of walking,
speech, and eye movements.
Dyspraxia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A common disorder that affects movement and coordination.
Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your coordination skills - such as tasks requiring
balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car.
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Brain dysfunction caused by an outside force,
usually a violent blow to the head.
Traumatic brain injury often occurs as a result of a severe sports injury or car accident.
Immediate or delayed symptoms may include confusion, blurry vision, and concentration difficulty.
The continuum of placements, from least restrictive to most restrictive - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅regular
classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals.
ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Often referred to as an acquired brain injury, a non-
traumatic brain injury causes damage to the brain by internal factors, such as a lack of oxygen, exposure
to toxins, pressure from a tumor, etc. Examples of NTBI include:
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are
provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs.
FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The right to a Free Appropriate Public
Education is an educational entitlement of all students in the United States who are identified as having
a disability, guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Least restrictive environment (LRE) means
kids who get special education should be in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible. LRE
isn't a place — it's a principle that guides a child's education program. The LRE for each child may look
different because kids are unique.
IFSP - Individualized Family Service Plan - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅For education in the United States, an
Individualized Family Service Plan is a plan to obtain special education services for young children aged
0-3 years within U.S. public schools.
The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written document that outlines the early intervention
services that a child will receive when s/he is eligible for early childhood special education services.
IEP - Individualized Education Program - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The IEP is a legal document that
describes the child's needs and the services to be provided by the school district that will best meet
those needs. The IEP is an educational plan that: Describes the child's skills and areas of need. Identifies
educational goals to focus on during the year.
FM - Personal Frequency-Modulated System - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Used to help someone with
hearing loss listen in noisy places, ie. a classroom
Generally a microphone attaches to the teacher, then a receiving device for the student ("boot"
attached to hearing aid or cochlear implant, desktop speaker, speakers around the classroom, other
device worn on ear)
,PLAAFP - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Present Levels or Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Paraprofessional - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A teacher assistant, teacher aide, or paraeducator
Parent - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A biological parent, legal guardian, surrogate, adoptive parent, or foster
parent
ADHD - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a psychological disorder
marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention,
hyperactivity, and impulsivity
EBD - Emotional disturbance and/or emotional behavioral disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Exhibits
inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances
refers to a condition in which behavioral or emotional responses of an individual in school are so
different from his/her generally accepted, age appropriate, ethnic or cultural norms that they adversely
affect performance in such areas as self care, social relationships, personal relationships
OHI - Other Health Impairment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a general disability category under IDEA that
includes cancer, diabetes and severe ADD
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a disorder that appears in childhood and is
marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated
interests and repetitive behaviors
MD (Multiple Disabilities) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Combination of impairments which cause severe
educational needs of the student.
SLD - Specific learning disability - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅means a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may
manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical
calculations
,Dyslexia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dyslexia is a term that refers to difficulty in acquiring and processing
language that is typically manifested by the lack or proficiency in reading, spelling and writing. People
with dyslexia have difficulty connecting letters they see on a page with the sounds they make. As a
result, reading becomes slow and effortful and is not a fluent process for them.
Problems in reading begin even before learning to read. For example, children may have trouble
breaking down spoken words into syllables and recognizing words that rhyme. Kindergarten-age
children may not be able to recognize and write letters as well as their peers. People with dyslexia may
have difficulty with accuracy and spelling as well. It's a common misconception that all children with
dyslexia write letters backwards or those who write letters backwards all have dyslexia.
People with dyslexia, including adolescents and adults, often try to avoid activities involving reading
when they can (reading for pleasure, reading instructions). They often gravitate to other mediums such
as pictures, video, or audio.
Dysgraphia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dysgraphia is a term used to describe difficulties with putting one's
thoughts on to paper. Problems with writing can include difficulties with spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and handwriting.
Dyscalculia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Dyscalculia is a term used to describe difficulties learning number
related concepts or using the symbols and functions to perform math calculations. Problems with math
can include difficulties with number sense, memorizing math facts, math calculations, math reasoning
and math problem solving.
Auditory Processing Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Processing or interpretation of sound in the brain
Difficulty making sense of sounds
Problems with blocking out background noise
Trouble telling where sound is coming from
Language Processing Disorder - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects language processing skills
Difficulty understanding meaning of spoken language
Poor reading comprehension
Problems with verbal expression
, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects nonverbal skills such as motor, visual-
spatial, and social skills
Difficulty interpreting body language or facial expressions
Poor motor coordination
Trouble with multi-step instructions
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Affects interpreting visual information or
drawing
Mistakes in writing, such as reversing letters
Too-tight grip on pencil or other writing tool
Poor hand/eye coordination
Dysmetria - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The inability to control the distance, speed, and range of motion
necessary to perform smoothly coordinated movements. Dysmetria is a sign of cerebellar damage, and
often presents along with additional signs, such as loss of balance and poor coordination of walking,
speech, and eye movements.
Dyspraxia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A common disorder that affects movement and coordination.
Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your coordination skills - such as tasks requiring
balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car.
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Brain dysfunction caused by an outside force,
usually a violent blow to the head.
Traumatic brain injury often occurs as a result of a severe sports injury or car accident.
Immediate or delayed symptoms may include confusion, blurry vision, and concentration difficulty.
The continuum of placements, from least restrictive to most restrictive - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅regular
classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals.
ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Often referred to as an acquired brain injury, a non-
traumatic brain injury causes damage to the brain by internal factors, such as a lack of oxygen, exposure
to toxins, pressure from a tumor, etc. Examples of NTBI include:
