Transcript Document
31
Guiding Children with Special Needs Part One
By Dr. Yvonne Gentzler. Adapted by Dr. Vivian G. Baglien
Learning Target: Student will describe and identify the methods of integrating special needs students in an educational setting.
Key Concepts
Teachers’ roles may include identifying and working with children with special needs.
Special needs may include hearing, speech, language, vision, and health disorders; physical and cognitive disabilities; social or emotional impairments; and giftedness.
Objectives
Describe methods of integrating children with special needs into a typical program.
Explain the special needs of children who are gifted and how these needs can be met.
Guiding Children with Special Needs
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
: federal law requiring all states to provide education for children who have developmental disabilities
Inclusion
: placing children with special needs in regular classrooms Previously referred to as mainstreaming
Individualized Education Plans
The purpose of an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
, is to ensure that each child with a disability receives an appropriate education By law, parents are allowed to take part in designing their child’s program A copy of the plan is given to the parents An IEP is usually written for a 12-month period
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Individualized Education Plans
specific services that will be provided with a time line noting the dates services will begin and end evaluation criteria that will be used to decide if educational objectives are met
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Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP)
Individualized Education Plans
include the family’s needs in regard to enhancing the child’s development goals for the child and resources to achieve them services to be provided how the child is learning a plan for transitioning to other services
Teacher’s Roles
Teachers need to
take part in identifying children with special needs work with other specialists and resource persons to design individual programs
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Teacher’s Roles
teach children who have special needs and nondisabled children in the same classroom share information with parents and make suggestions for referrals base program decisions on input from several resources including parents, other professionals, and personal observations encourage parents to participate in their child’s education
Identification
Early identification of special needs is key to promoting the child’s development If special needs are not identified early, children may go through years of failure A number of techniques can be used to collect data Observe unusual social, cognitive, emotional, or physical development
Referrals
Referral
: the suggestion of a specific professional for a child to see Hearing, language, or speech problems may be referred to a speech clinician Learning and behavioral problems are often referred to a school psychologist or local agency Depending on the state, Department of Social Services
Hearing Disorders
Hearing impairment
: a problem in one or more parts of the ear that prevents the child from hearing adequately One of the most common congenital disabilities (present since birth, but may not be hereditary) A child who is hearing impaired can often be identified by his or her lack of vocabulary and overall delays in language development
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Hearing Disorders
Hearing loss may range from mild to profound A child with moderate hearing loss will also have trouble in large group situations Hearing aid amplifies and magnifies sounds
Teaching Suggestions
When approaching a hearing-impaired child, get down to the child’s eye level get the child’s attention before speaking speak in a normal volume and speed speak clearly and distinctly; maintain eye contact use the same sentence structure as you would for other children pause and wait for a response after you speak
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Teaching Suggestions
if the child does not understand you, repeat, rephrase, or demonstrate encourage other children to imitate you when they communicate with the child use gestures and facial expressions to reinforce the spoken word let the child sit in front of you in a group situation
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Teaching Suggestions
Visual skills are important for these children Use concrete materials to demonstrate abstract concepts Provide a variety of games and puzzles for the children to practice visual perception skills Label classroom furniture and materials Select books with illustrations Use visual cues to teach safety and daily routines and to notify of upcoming activities
Speech and Language Disorders
Identification Articulation problems Voice (phonation) disorders Stuttering
Identification
Speech impairments are interference with specific sounds or sound blends Identify the speech impairment before altering your program Informal observations most common method Listen to speech patterns in a variety of settings The director or teacher will determine whether a parent conference should be scheduled
Articulation Problems
Articulation problems
are most often omissions, distortions, or substitutions of vowels or consonants or both Certain speech sounds are left out in an omission error Substitution is when an incorrect sound is used After a child has been diagnosed as having an articulation problem, a speech clinician should be consulted
Voice (Phonation) Disorders
Voice characteristics include pitch, loudness, flexibility, and quality A good speaking voice during routine conversation uses a variety of pitches and loudness levels Harshness, hoarseness, breathiness, and nasality are all voice-quality disorders
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Voice (Phonation) Disorders
To help prevent or correct voice disorders, promote voice control Encourage children to use the correct voice volume during indoor play Discourage children from screaming or yelling too much during outdoor play Model good voice characteristics
Stuttering
Stuttering in young children is characterized by repetition, hesitation, and prolongation Many children experience stuttering in the early stages of language development Most often occurs when they feel pressured
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Stuttering
If you have stuttering children in the classroom, focus on creating good speaking conditions plan activities so children experience success provide children with enough time to say what they have to say listen closely; do not focus on the stuttering avoid rushing children through a task
Vision Disorders
One of the smallest groups of children with special needs is the visually impaired To understand
visual impairments
system works , you need to understand how a healthy visual
Early Identification
Certain symptoms may suggest vision problems Excessive rubbing of the eyes Clumsiness and trouble moving around Adjusting the head in an awkward position to view materials Moving materials so they are close to the eyes
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Early Identification
Squinting Crust on eye Iris on one or both eyes appearing cloudy Crossed eyes or an eye that turns inward Red, encrusted, or swollen eyelids Excessive blinking
Types of Visual Disabilities
Amblyopia Glaucoma Nearsightedness Farsightedness Color deficiency Uncorrectable conditions
Teaching Suggestions
Visual needs of the children affect your classroom Always create a need to see Include a study unit on sight to help all the children understand vision To reduce glare, use chalkboards with dull finish and colored markers on whiteboards Hang children’s work at their eye level
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Teaching Suggestions
Ensure safety by putting toys away Because auditory clues are important, keep noise level low In the reading area, always have a number of large print books with clear, simple pictures Use touch, smell, and sound clues Use auditory reminders for transitions Encourage children to use their senses
Teaching Standards
SL2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
FCS 4.2 Analyze developmentally appropriate practices to plan for early childhood, education, and services