Educating Special Needs Students
The ability to be educated is something that exists in all students. This concept must always be in the back of every educators mind. Classrooms are filled with obstacles, from budgeting to testing, and from classroom size to the various needs of disabled students in the classroom. Day to day difficulties may mean dealing with a multitude of defined disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, autism, both severe and multiple disabilities, as well as finding, and appropriately utilizing, curriculum and programs that are available via the school district, to ensure that all students are educated.
Intellectual Disability
Understanding how intellectual disability is defined means understanding the conditions
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Intellectual disability is described through substantial margins in the areas of intellectual ability and adaptive behavior, which occurs during the developmental period of life (Schalock, 2011). The first of the three main areas of focus is intelligence. Intelligence is often measured by utilization of an Intelligence Quotient test, or IQ test. Students will fall within a set range of numbers on the IQ test, and this will determine intellectual ability or disability. Intellectually disabled students will typically score below seventy on the IQ test (Colmar, Maxwell, Miller, 2006). Next, adaptive behavior, the ability of a student to change behavior in order to complete a task in a given environment. Adaptive behavior can be measured using an Adaptive Behavior Scale. When determining the ability for adaptive behavior, the students ability to deal with practical, social, and conceptual skills (Gligorović, & Buha Ðurović, 2014). The next condition is fairly self-explanatory. In this case, the disability must manifest during the students developmental period, which can typically be from birth to the age of maturity, or eighteen years of …show more content…
There has been an ever increasing debate in regards to the causes, assessment, and treatment of autism, in the last decade. Autism in the special education classroom is no exception. Autism exists in a full spectrum of complex characterizations and degrees. However, all autism originates from birth, and affects the developing brain in various ways (Frith, 2008). Because of the diverse range, there is a diverse number of signs and characteristics, which include deficiencies in verbal communication, behavior, and interpersonal skills, just to name a few. The spectrum ranges from mild to severe, but a typical linking characteristic of all students on the spectrum is an inability to engage in mutual social interactions. Looking at the potential cases of autism, there exists a wealth of conflicting information, which points to genetic factors, biological factors, and even some environmental factors. However, the last few years have proved to be very fruitful in determining potential causes of autism. A number of gene mutations have been associated with autism, as well as a number of indicators that environmental stress and genetic factors play into the cause (Autism Speaks, n.d.). It is hard to say specifically what the impact of autism will have on the special education student. It will depend greatly on the specific area of the spectrum the student falls on, as well as the types of services that have been determined to be
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
What do we do with children with disabilities in the public school? Do we include them in the general education class with the “regular” learning population or do we separate them to learn in a special environment more suited to their needs? The problem is many people have argued what is most effective, full inclusion where students with all ranges of disabilities are included in regular education classes for the entire day, or partial inclusion where children spend part of their day in a regular education setting and the rest of the day in a special education or resource class for the opportunity to work in a smaller group setting on specific needs. The need for care for children with identified disabilities both physical and learning continues to grow and the controversy continues.
First off, autism is not a form of mental retardation despite what the general public may have you believe. In actuality, autism, which was first described by Kanner (1943) in his study of 11 children with “autistic disturbances of affective contact” (US: American Psychological Ass...
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears within the first three years of a child’s life. It affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Autism affects 1 out of 68 children. It is also the fastest growing disability in the United States. There are multiple types of Autism, some children are considered high functioning, and some are low functioning. “High functioning” is when a child with autism can function in life, and completes jobs, and chores with little to no help. “Low functioning” is when a child with autism cannot complete simple daily tasks without help, and (or) constant supervision.
One obstacle that I believe many special needs students and families will face is understanding and dealing with the disability itself. Speaking from experience, this process can take time to understand and accept. This is where a special education teacher plays a significant role, assisting the student and family with information and support for understanding the student’s disability, facilitating education programs, and most importantly hope and progress for a bright future. Another obstacles that students with disabilities may face, is social interaction and acceptance. It is vital that all special education teachers and programs, try to incorporate strong social connections with their regular education peers and other community members and
Students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom may have challenges that require special attention. If the teacher is able to identify the disabilities and the features associated with them then the teacher can tailor the lessons to meet the needs of the students. These may include differentiated instruction and facilitating an inclusive classroom which will see inclusive strategies employed that will cater to the needs of students with learning disabilities. These inclusive strategies can range from individualized learning programs to team and co-teaching. In some cases, the teacher can arrange for a special education teacher or arrange for a pull out program to assist students who have learning disabilities. Strategies that will also cater to learning disabilities may also include the use of technology. According to Ford 2013 ‘In some situations it may be best for students with LD to be taught in separate pull out classrooms with a teacher who can provide targeted skill instruction in areas where a student is struggling.’ ‘When provided appropriate support within this setting, many of these students can achieve academically and develop positive self-esteem and social skills. (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 1991). They also recommend that schools should ‘require in-service programs for all school personnel to give them the knowledge and skills necessary to provide education for students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom.’ Schools should include activities to help participants learn strategies to meet individual needs of students, foster attitudes conductive to educating students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom, and promote
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.
Mental retardation was renamed Intellectual Disability in the DSM-5. This was to guide away from relying on IQ test scores for the diagnosis of mental retardation and to try and rely more on day to day tasks that one should be doing for their age and cultural lifestyle. There are four levels of mental retardation, mild, moderate, severe, and profound. (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2011). The least severe of them is the mild mental retardation. Children...
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and also known as IDEA, students with visual and hearing impairments are entitled to have access to a general curriculum as well as continuous assessments of their progress (Klein, 2012). IDEA dictates that such students should be educated together with their fellow non-disabled peers with appropriate support and services and that the school they learn in should take full responsibility for their objective directed learning. In addition, such schools should assure parents of the disabled children of procedural and substantive rights in terms of informing them the special services provided and the settings in which they are provided in (Klein, 2012). The range of special education services
Two to six children out of every thousand will end up with Autism. Autism is one of the fastest growing disorders with a great amount of studies being put behind it. With its vast amount of different signs and symptoms, different forms, how its treated, and arguments about how exactly the disorder came to be , Austin can very well be one of the most confusing, and researched disorders, for its a disorder that stirs up tons of questions but yet gets hardly any answers. Autism is usually developed between ages of one and three, it effects communication and how the child interacts with others. It is defined by behaviors of the child and “ spectrum disorders” that re different with each person. (About Autism, 2008, para 1). Symptoms of autism can very in many different ways, and even different categories. Take the category of social interaction and relationships symptoms include : non verbal communication development problems such as , eye - to - eye gazing, body language, and facial expressions, failure to make friends with people their own age, lack of interest, and lack of empathy. The category for verbal and non verbal symptoms include : Delay or lack when learning to talk, about forty person of people with autism never speak, problems with starting, and keeping conversations, repetitive use of language, and difficulty understanding what someone is saying. Finally the category of interests and play include : unusual focus on pieces, preoccupation on certain topics, a need for the same routine, and stereotyped behaviors like hand flapping and body rocking.
Altermark proposes that the society should first trace the origin of one’s condition. Some conditions originate from the genetic makeup of a person. Conditions like the Downs’ syndrome, Fragile-X syndrome, and Rett syndrome are scientifically said to have a linkage with the genetic compositions of a person. Other individuals are found to have specific syndromes associated with intellectual disability that has an intelligence quotient of over 70.
period each day will not only improve the quality of life for the students, but will also provide the P.E. teachers with a better understanding of what it takes to teach children with disabilities. This proposal will provide the guidelines and procedures in order to help insure all P.E. teachers will gain a high level of proficiency when teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. The objectives A. P.E. teachers within the district will embrace the opportunity to teach students with special needs. B. P.E. teachers within the district will improve school culture and student success.
When working with special needs pupils, teachers must be familiar with accommodation and modification. With Accommodation this is providing, for example a laptop, written material, or support, these types of help will mean that the student will be able to accomplish a task more efficiently. Modification is changing the course so that the content can be easily accessed, the curriculum should go up on a panel to decide what is needed and what isn’t. The curriculum isn’t accessible to all and isn’t planned out
When teaching students with disabilities it is important to know and understand the needs of all the students in the classroom. Ultimately, the goal for any educator is to educate all of the students in the classroom and ensure that appropriate accommodations are being made for students with disabilities. By utilizing these skills in reading, writing, and classroom management, an educator will be able to help all students be successful.
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to