Human Exceptionality an Individual Whose

Human Exceptionality

An individual whose physical, mental, or behavioral performance deviates substantially from the norm may be considered to be exceptional. Exceptionality is a morally neutral term, unlike the more pejorative terms of "disorder" or "disability." Exceptionality merely suggests that the person is different, and requires different accommodations to function like the majority of other individuals in society. For example, a person who is visually impaired may need Braille or talking books to learn what his or her peers can read from a standard print textbook. However, although this exception must be made for the visually impaired individual, this does not mean that blindness is incapacitating, so long as the special accommodations are made.

A mentally challenged individual may require a different academic curriculum, so he or she can find a fulfilling job in society after graduation, but that does not mean he or she cannot lead a fulfilling life. Likewise a gifted child may require a more challenging curriculum to maximize his or her potential in the classroom. Using the term 'exceptionality' to refer to all of these individuals is less judgmental than merely calling the child with the high IQ exceptional, and stating that the others have disabilities or handicaps, implying that their condition inhibits their ability to maximize the personal potential all human beings desire to achieve. Disability is better referred to as a loss of functionality or difficulty with learning or social adjustment, which may or may not be able to be remedied with accommodations and interferes with growth and development unless such special accommodations are made.

The term disorder is usually used to refer not to disability or exceptionality but to a mental condition, a psychological condition that may or may not inhibit the person's ability to do function, regardless of their level of physical or intellectual capacity, and requires treatment. Disorders include such mental illnesses as mood disorders, like bipolar disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder which involves a variety of anxieties, compulsions, obsessions, and phobias. Without treatment sufferers are unable to adapt to social roles or establish appropriate interpersonal relationships. However, the term can be used in a broad sense to refer to any malfunction of mental, physical, or psychological adjustment.

There are three different approaches to describing human differences. The biological approach attributes abnormal behavior to physical causes such as genetics or physical trauma. The psychological approach stresses developmental or mental causes of abnormal behavior -- in other words, that normal cognitive and developmental patterns have gone awry. The ecological approach relates abnormal behavior more to the individual's interaction with the social as well as the physical environment than to a mental or physical disease.