The term deviation stands for a process or quality and the characteristic of deviating, differing or going away from something tha...
The term deviation stands for a process or quality and the characteristic of deviating, differing or going away from something that is supposed to be fixed or decided. An exceptional child deviates somewhat seriously from what is supposed to be a normal standard for the possession of the trait in the group of his age and grade peers. For example if we take the case of 10,000 candidates appearing in an entrance examination as an illustration, then we can find from their IQ scores, that while some of them score just as 90, i.e., the average IQ score of the total group, the others deviate from the average or mean value of 90 by getting scores less or more than 90. It makes us clear that in a particular group, the deviations of the members of that group with regard to the possession of a trait or characteristics from the mean or average value may travel towards both sides—positive or negative. It is also implied that one is said to be more less exceptional depending upon the largeness or smallness of his deviation from the norm or mean value of a characteristic of his group. If we try to focus on the type of individual differences and the nature of the deviations generally found in the population of children of a particular age or grade, we may easily conclude that the children always have equal chances of being drifted towards the positive and negative side of their growth and development, personality make up and adjustment. Accordingly, depending upon the nature of positive and negative directions of their deviation from the mean or average value in a particular aspect of their personality, they may be labeled as positively or negatively exceptional or special children for being given special treatment to their education and adjustment.
Besides being marked as positive or negative, one’s exceptionality may also exhibit somewhat mixed symptoms. Therefore, when we try to classify the deviations of the children from the norm or average of their population, usually we have the three categories namely positive deviation, negative deviation and multiple deviation.
Positive Deviation: Deviation of the children with respect to the possession of one or the other traits of their personality in a greater degree on the positive side in comparison to the norms or mean value of that trait among the population of their age or grade peers is referred to as positive deviation. The exceptional children possessing such deviation position may thus excel or demonstrate their superiority in the field of their exceptionality extended to every walk or dimensions of personality, i.e., physical, mental, social, emotional, moral, etc. A child while having positive deviation on the physical track may thus excel in term of the physical and motor capacities and the children deviating positively on the social, emotional or moral aspects, may excel on the social, emotional and moral functioning of one’s personality.
Negative Deviation: In contrast to positive deviation, negative deviation may take an exceptional child to drift along the positive side of one’s growth and development. As a result, the child may be found to lag behind in comparison to the peers of his age and grade with respect to his development in one or the other personality dimensions like physical, mental, social, emotional and moral characteristics. Actually where positive deviation establishes one’s superiority over the normal population, and presents to him a brighter side of the life and progress, the negative deviation brings a quite negative effect on the development and welfare of the individual. The exceptional children attributed with negative deviation are almost found to suffer with significant deficits, deficiencies and incapabilities with regard to their personality. As a result, like positive deviation it has also quite wide coverage and the children are found to demonstrate marked deviation in all the traits of their personality development. In deviating negatively on the physical track, they may be found to suffer adversely in terms of their physical health, stamina, motor and sensory capabilities turning them into physically disabled, orthopedically impaired, or bringing communication disabilities and chronic health problems to them. Similarly, the marked negative deviation on the academic and cognitive track, may turn them into mentally disabled, slow learners, backward or learning disabled children, negative deviation on the social and emotional track may push them towards being labelled as socially handicapped children or delinquents, emotionally disturbed children, culturally disadvantaged or deprived children, or children suffering from one or the other behavioural problems.
Multiple Deviation:It is a bit complex concept than the simple positive and negative deviation. Here a child is found to demonstrate a complex blend of either positive, negative or a mixture of both deviations simultaneously at one or the other period of his life. An exceptional child in this way is found to attributed with multiple, i.e., more than two exceptionalities at a time in the areas of his growth and development irrespective of the direction of these deviations. The characteristics or outcomes of such multiple deviations may be therefore further categorized as follows:
i)Multiple positive deviation: Such type of deviation is characterised with two or more deviations simultaneously running on the positive side of the growth and development of one’s personality. It may make one extremely good in terms of his physical health, excelling in physical, sensory or motor capacities, besides presenting him quite exceptional in the field of social and emotional functioning, i.e. an exceptional social figure, leader in organizational project, etc. Similarly, he may be demonstrating multiple positive deviation on the cognitive and academic track by having merit position in the class and also doing wonders with the dazzling performance of his giftedness in sports or creativity in one or the other specific fields.(ii)Multiple negative deviation:This type of multiple deviation is characterised with two or more negative deviations associated at a time with the growth and development of one’s personality. The individual suffering from such type of multiple deviation is found to be passing from the greater amount of disadvantages or difficulties in comparison to the difficulties inflicted by both of them individually. Such type of deviation therefore is resulted in causing multiple disabilities among the disabled population of the exceptional children, i.e. one may be both deaf and blind, other may be orthopedically impaired and mentally retarded, or delinquent or emotionally disturbed besides being physically disabled, deaf and blind.
iii)Multiple mixed deviation: The children attributed with such type of deviation are found to be exceptional simultaneously with regard to more than two aspects of their personality in a quite mixed blend of positive and negative deviations. A child then may be found to be a highly gifted or creative besides suffering from one or the other type of disabilities like orthopaedic impairment, deafness or blindness, delinquency or emotional disturbance.While the children with positive deviations by being equipped with extraordinary or surplus abilities or capacities in one or the other areas or aspects of their personality development bring hope for the fuller enrichment of their self and the progress of the society and humanity at large, the children suffering from negative deviations experience a greater number of disadvantages and deficits in overcoming the restrictions imposed on them by their environment for their proper adjustment and progress in life. However, in comparison with both of them, multiple deviated children in all their forms and shapes, pose greater challenge not only for themselves but for others also in helping them in the task of their adequate adjustment, progress and education.
COMMENTS