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

continued

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

continued



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

continued

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

continued



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

continued

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

continued



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

continued

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

continued

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

continued

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

continued

     

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