Guiding Children with

Special Needs- Part One

By Dr. Yvonne Gentzler. Adapted by Dr. Vivian G. Baglien

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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 Education Plans

Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) 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 RolesTeachers 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, you need to understand how a healthy visual system works

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 StandardsSL2 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