SPED-AEPA PRACTICE TEST QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
According to the Assistive Technology Act, assistive devices are:
a. Electronic devices that support learning such as computers, calculators, student
responders, electronic self-teaching books and electronic reading devices.
b. Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device that helps teachers streamline
efficiency.
c. Any device that could help a disabled student in school or life functions.
d. Experimental, high-tech teaching tools that teachers can obtain by participating in
one of 67 government-funded research projects. - Answers -c.
A seventh grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with
algebra. His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the girl, the less she
seems to understand. The teacher suggests:
a. He continues drilling and enhances with pop quizzes. It may take the student longer
to understand algebraic terms, expressions and equations, but with hard work she will
eventually learn them.
b. He calls a moratorium on at-home algebra work. The student is becoming less willing
to work at school and the teacher is concerned she is losing confidence due to failure at
home.
c. He continues drilling but breaks the study sessions into no more than 3 five-minute
periods per day.
d. He substitutes fun activities for math drills. Incorporating algebra blocks, math games,
and applications of algebra to real-life situations will make math more fun and more
relevant. - Answers -d.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, forearm crutches and a
head pointer are assistive devices that might be used by a student with:
a. Severe intellectual disabilities.
b. Cerebral palsy.
c. Tourette syndrome.
,d. Minor skeletal birth defects. - Answers -b.
A four-year-old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color
and shape, doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the
relationship between little/big, tall/short, many/few. The child enjoys counting, but does
not say the numbers in proper order nor recognize the meaning of different numbers.
This child most likely:
a. Is exhibiting signs of intellectual disabilities.
b. Is developing within an acceptable range.
c. Has dysgraphia.
d. Has dyscalculia. - Answers -d.
A special education teacher shows parents of a dyslexic child a study that examined
brain scans of dyslexic and non-dyslexic readers. The study demonstrated that
dyslexics use (the) __________ side(s) of their brains while non-dyslexics use (the)
_______ side.
a. Both, the left.
b. Both, the right.
c. Left, right.
d. Right, left. - Answers -a.
A student with ______________ has a great deal of difficulty with the mechanical act of
writing. She drops her pencil, cannot form legible letters and cannot decode what she
has written.
a. A nonverbal learning disorder
b. Dyslexia
c. Dyspraxia
d. Dysgraphia - Answers -d.
A resource room teacher has a middle school student recently diagnosed with
depression. The student has been put on an antidepressant. The teacher knows the
student may develop certain transitory reactions to the medication. One reaction might
be:
, a. Extreme sleepiness.
b. Increased, persistent thirst.
c. Anxiety, coupled with an urge to verbalize a continuous inner dialogue.
d. Inappropriate anger. - Answers -b.
Reading comprehension should be evaluated:
a. Every two months using various informal assessments. Done more than twice a year,
assessments place undue stress on both student and teacher and do not indicate
enough change to be worth it.
b. With a combination of informal and formal assessments including: standardized
testing, awareness of grades, systematically charted data over a period of time and
teacher notes.
c. With bi-weekly self-assessment rubrics to keep the student aware of his progress.
d. By testing the student before reading a particular text to determine which vocabulary
words he already knows and can correctly use. - Answers -b.
A diabetic first grader is very pale, trembling and covered in a fine sweat. The teacher
attempts to talk to the child, but the girl's response is confused and she seems highly
irritable She is most likely experiencing:
a. Diabetic hypoglycemia.
b. Lack of sleep.
c. Hunger.
d. Diabetic hyperglycemia. - Answers -a.
An intellectually disabled teen has been offered a job by an elderly neighbor. The
neighbor wants the teen to work alongside her in the garden twice a week. They will
plant seeds, transplant larger plants, weed, lay mulch, water and fertilize. Later in the
season, they will cut flowers and arrange bouquets, pick produce and sell them at the
neighbor's roadside stand. The neighbor, the teen's mother and special education
teacher meet to discuss the proposal. The plan is:
a. Tentatively accepted. Because the teen is excited about having a job, her mother and
teacher reluctantly agree. They both know the girl is likely to lose interest quickly and
caution the neighbor that if she truly needs help she may want to look elsewhere.
ANSWERS
According to the Assistive Technology Act, assistive devices are:
a. Electronic devices that support learning such as computers, calculators, student
responders, electronic self-teaching books and electronic reading devices.
b. Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device that helps teachers streamline
efficiency.
c. Any device that could help a disabled student in school or life functions.
d. Experimental, high-tech teaching tools that teachers can obtain by participating in
one of 67 government-funded research projects. - Answers -c.
A seventh grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with
algebra. His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the girl, the less she
seems to understand. The teacher suggests:
a. He continues drilling and enhances with pop quizzes. It may take the student longer
to understand algebraic terms, expressions and equations, but with hard work she will
eventually learn them.
b. He calls a moratorium on at-home algebra work. The student is becoming less willing
to work at school and the teacher is concerned she is losing confidence due to failure at
home.
c. He continues drilling but breaks the study sessions into no more than 3 five-minute
periods per day.
d. He substitutes fun activities for math drills. Incorporating algebra blocks, math games,
and applications of algebra to real-life situations will make math more fun and more
relevant. - Answers -d.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, forearm crutches and a
head pointer are assistive devices that might be used by a student with:
a. Severe intellectual disabilities.
b. Cerebral palsy.
c. Tourette syndrome.
,d. Minor skeletal birth defects. - Answers -b.
A four-year-old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color
and shape, doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the
relationship between little/big, tall/short, many/few. The child enjoys counting, but does
not say the numbers in proper order nor recognize the meaning of different numbers.
This child most likely:
a. Is exhibiting signs of intellectual disabilities.
b. Is developing within an acceptable range.
c. Has dysgraphia.
d. Has dyscalculia. - Answers -d.
A special education teacher shows parents of a dyslexic child a study that examined
brain scans of dyslexic and non-dyslexic readers. The study demonstrated that
dyslexics use (the) __________ side(s) of their brains while non-dyslexics use (the)
_______ side.
a. Both, the left.
b. Both, the right.
c. Left, right.
d. Right, left. - Answers -a.
A student with ______________ has a great deal of difficulty with the mechanical act of
writing. She drops her pencil, cannot form legible letters and cannot decode what she
has written.
a. A nonverbal learning disorder
b. Dyslexia
c. Dyspraxia
d. Dysgraphia - Answers -d.
A resource room teacher has a middle school student recently diagnosed with
depression. The student has been put on an antidepressant. The teacher knows the
student may develop certain transitory reactions to the medication. One reaction might
be:
, a. Extreme sleepiness.
b. Increased, persistent thirst.
c. Anxiety, coupled with an urge to verbalize a continuous inner dialogue.
d. Inappropriate anger. - Answers -b.
Reading comprehension should be evaluated:
a. Every two months using various informal assessments. Done more than twice a year,
assessments place undue stress on both student and teacher and do not indicate
enough change to be worth it.
b. With a combination of informal and formal assessments including: standardized
testing, awareness of grades, systematically charted data over a period of time and
teacher notes.
c. With bi-weekly self-assessment rubrics to keep the student aware of his progress.
d. By testing the student before reading a particular text to determine which vocabulary
words he already knows and can correctly use. - Answers -b.
A diabetic first grader is very pale, trembling and covered in a fine sweat. The teacher
attempts to talk to the child, but the girl's response is confused and she seems highly
irritable She is most likely experiencing:
a. Diabetic hypoglycemia.
b. Lack of sleep.
c. Hunger.
d. Diabetic hyperglycemia. - Answers -a.
An intellectually disabled teen has been offered a job by an elderly neighbor. The
neighbor wants the teen to work alongside her in the garden twice a week. They will
plant seeds, transplant larger plants, weed, lay mulch, water and fertilize. Later in the
season, they will cut flowers and arrange bouquets, pick produce and sell them at the
neighbor's roadside stand. The neighbor, the teen's mother and special education
teacher meet to discuss the proposal. The plan is:
a. Tentatively accepted. Because the teen is excited about having a job, her mother and
teacher reluctantly agree. They both know the girl is likely to lose interest quickly and
caution the neighbor that if she truly needs help she may want to look elsewhere.
