Who is the Student with Special Needs?

© 2009 Todd A. MoranoUse with permission only

How many of these acronyms do you know?

• IDEA (2004) {Free and Appropriate}• LRE {Who decides??}• IEP {Teacher’s role? Teacher’s responsibility?}• NCLB• Barrier-Free• SLD• Full Inclusion• Mainstreaming• LEP, ELL, EL SLL• GATE

What is a “Disability”?

Who are your Special Needs students?

Visually Impaired

• Poor eyesight to complete blindness

• Lack first-hand experience with many objects

• Language delays – Vocabulary & descriptive capacity

What to do:

• Use concrete, multi-sensory experiences• Give time to explore• Encourage use of descriptive language• Encourage communication with other students• Use tactile cues (knotted string for measuring)• Walk students through the space• Be prepared for spills, scattered materials, etc.• Use oral language & a recorder for directions

Hearing Impaired

• May range from slight to total impairment

• May wear hearing aids

• Delayed language development

• Impaired speech

What to do:• Be visible to the student• Use gestures and facial cues (don’t exaggerate)• Use concrete objects (pictures, signs, etc.)• Seat the student close to you (or sound source)• Speak with usual volume and speed• Model pronunciations (rather than correct

student’s speech)• Allow longer periods of wait time• Get student’s attention – direct eye contact• Maintain good lighting• Talk with student about what they are doing

Orthopedically Impaired

• May have gross- or fine-motor disabilities

• Difficulty in locomotion & balance• Difficulty in coordination & dexterity• May use walkers, wheelchairs, crutches,

etc.

What to do:• Encourage participation• Modify activities to avoid frustration• Encourage use of limbs to fullest ability• Find alternate ways to manipulate objects• Keep traffic lanes clear• Acknowledge feelings of frustration• Others students to help with moving• Promote confidence• Use activities that foster problem

solving/cognitive development• Present materials at comfortable height

Mentally Disabled• Significantly below

average cognitive & motor abilities

• Difficulty learning, remembering, problem solving

• Short attention span• Poor selective attention• Limited ability to make

choices

What to do:• Use shorter work periods• Use concrete tasks, structured instruction• Use more frequent reinforcement/behavior modification• Hands-on teaching methods and materials• Get student’s attention• Give simple directions• Ask student to repeat directions• Demonstrate & model while giving directions• Review new vocabulary• Break tasks down to simple steps• Use least complex language• Give responsibility within abilities

Specific Learning Disability• IDEA: “one or more basic

psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language”

• Difficulty listening, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, mathematics

• Within normal intelligence range (discrepancy between intelligence and ability)

• May have overlapping problems

What to do:• Know the IEP goals and objectives• Use activity-based learning approaches• Provide intensive scaffolding• Use visual/multimedia presentations• Use mnemonics• Use graphic organizers• Allow time to respond & organize• Assist with organization tasks• Use concise, step by step directions

English Learners –what to do:• Use listening-speaking-

reading-writing sequence• Use multisensory

approaches• Use concrete objects to

develop vocabulary• Use problem-based

cooperative learning• Use shorter sentences,

paraphrase• Check for understanding

frequently• Avoid idioms• Provide experiences –

refer to them• Use conceptual

mapping/graphic organizers

• Emphasize vocabulary/key words

• Use LEA

Gifted and Talented Students• Tolerate ambiguity and

complexity• Have a longer attention

span• Highly curious/observant• High retention level• Understand complex

directions• Imaginative• Receptive to new ideas• Interested in broad

concepts & issues• Become bored easily

What to do:• Use open-ended investigations• Provide opportunities to work at the synthesis

level• Allow students to develop/direct their own

project• Encourage students to build a broader

knowledge base• Encourage multiple observations &

experimentations• Give more freedom in managing their learning• Attend to their social skills

Time to try it out…

• Work with your table to modify/adapt the following sample lesson to meet the needs of three different groups of special needs students.

• Describe your adaptations/modifications on chart paper

• Present your ideas to the class

Sample Lesson• The Earthworm’s Circulatory System• Science: Life Science• Objective: Students will create a 3 dimensional model of the circulatory system of an earthworm depicting

the hearts and blood vessels.• Prior knowledge: Knowledge of earthworms, living things, and the anatomy of an earthworm. • Lesson Setup: • The students will remain inside the classroom and have access to paper, pencil, and journal. The teacher will

need overhead, chalkboard, or marker board, computer with Internet access and projector to play the videos or display pictures of worms from the Internet.

• Anticipatory Set: • -Play the video heart.mov (About.com, 2004).• -Ask the students what they think the video is showing.• -Explain to students that what they are looking at is an earthworm's heart beating.• Instruction: • Share the following information about the circulatory system of the earthworm with students using charts

from the text:• -Earthworms have two main blood vessels -- a dorsal and a ventral vessel -- which carry blood toward the

head or the tail, respectively. • -Blood is moved along the dorsal vessel by waves of contraction in the wall of the vessel. • -These contractible waves are called 'peristalsis.' • -There are five "hearts," in the earthworm. • -These hearts force blood through the earthworm's body. • -Blood can flow backward in the earthworm.• -The earthworm's circulatory system is only slightly more efficient than the open system of insects.• Guided Practice: • Have the students create a model which simulates the circulatory system of the earthworm using materials

that have been collected from home (cardboard, pipe cleaners, material, sponges, etc. – Suggestion: use the sponges to depict the hearts, the pipe cleaners to depict the blood vessels, the material to depict the “opened” skin and mount on the cardboard) Evaluate their models according to the following criteria:

• -Accuracy of model to circulatory system• - Correct labeling of the circulatory system structures