Transcript SPED - smith-wmu

What is inclusion?
- In the past, special education students were
placed in their own private rooms with their
own private special education teachers, often
secluded from the rest of the student
population.
- This no longer the case.
- The big buzz now is “inclusion”.
What is inclusion?
- Inclusion is when special education students
staying in the regular classroom for the entire
school day.
- A special education teacher co-teaches with the
regular education teacher.
Article from wiseGeek.com
Reflection – How best can we serve our special
education students…..in an inclusion
classroom, in a mainstreaming program, OR in
a traditional special education program?
Support your answer with examples
What is inclusion?
- As you can see, there are still many changes
occurring in special education. Many schools
are making the commitment to go to a full
inclusion program.
IEP – Individualized Education Plan
- Special Education students will have an
IEP, which stands for the individualized
education plan.
- It is your responsibility as a classroom
teacher to comply and follow through
with this plan.
- It is a legal and binding document.
SPED Categories – The more common ones
- There are many different categories a student
can qualify in for special education, but I want
to discuss some of the more common ones.
CI – Cognitive Impairment
EI – Emotionally Impaired
HI – Hearing Impaired
VI – Visually Impaired
LD – Learning Disabled
OHI – Otherwise health impaired
Activity
- On a piece of paper, make 6 columns and write
each category at the top.
- List a couple of accommodations for each
category
CI – Cognitive Impairment
EI – Emotionally Impaired
HI – Hearing Impaired
VI – Visually Impaired
LD – Learning Disabled
OHI – Otherwise health impaired
Cognitive Impairment
- (Synonymous with “Mental Retardation”) a
person with CI has a lower IQ score than
chronological age mates, demonstrates
intellectual performance more like that of a
younger individual, and is developing
intellectually at a slower rate.
- CI students will not learn as much as their age
mates and the learning difference between
them and their age mates will increase over
time.
Cognitive Impairment
- They struggle in a formal learning situation,
cannot master higher-order thinking types of
learning.
- They lack the strategies for information
processing and their working memory and
long-term memory are compromised.
- They often have limited self-care skills and
social relationships. They struggle making and
sustaining friendships.
Cognitive Impairment
- These students are often not included in the
regular classroom setting.
- They learn basic self-care skills such as
dressing, eating, and hygiene.
- You may have a child with a mild CI impairment
but most CI students are secluded.
Emotional Impairment
- IDEA defines Emotionally Disturbed (ED) as follows:
“Emotionally Disturbed means a condition exhibiting one or
more of the following characteristics over a long period of
time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's
educational performance:
- An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual,
sensory, or health factors
- An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal
relationships with peers and teachers
- Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal
circumstances
- A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
- A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated
with personal or school problems.
Characteristics
- Aggressive/acting-out behaviors
- Social problems
- Inadequate peer relationships
- Hyperactivity/distractibility
- Academic deficits
- Anxiety and Depression
- Lying, cheating and/or stealing
- Mood swings
- Withdrawn
- Suicidal thoughts
Accommodations
- Get the student involved in activities with other
students
- Discuss appropriate classroom behavior at
frequent intervals. Don't expect students to
remember in May all the classroom rules that
were established in September
- Emotionally disabled students benefit from a
highly structured program
Accommodations
- Be sure to seat an emotionally impaired child
away from any distractions
- Whenever possible, give the student a sense of
responsibility. Put the student in charge of
something (operating an overhead projector,
cleaning the classroom aquarium, re-potting a
plant), and be sure to recognize the effort the
student put into completing the assigned task
Accommodations
- Whenever possible, keep the activities short and
quick
- Provide immediate feedback, reinforcement,
and a sufficient amount of praise
Hearing Impairment
- Hearing impairment may range from mildly
impaired to total deafness.
- Although it is unlikely that you will have any
deaf students in your classroom, it is quite
possible that you will have one or more who
will need to wear one or two hearing aids.
Accommodations
- Provide written or pictorial directions
- Physically act out the steps for an activity. You
or one of the other students in the class can do
this
- Seat a hearing impaired child in the front of the
classroom and in a place where he or she has a
good field of vision of both you and the
chalkboard
Accommodations
- Many hearing impaired youngsters have been
taught to read lips.
- When addressing the class, be sure to
enunciate your words (but don't overdo it) and
look directly at the hearing impaired student or
in his or her general direction
- Provide a variety of multisensory experiences
for students. Allow students to capitalize on
their other learning modalities
Accommodations
- It may be necessary to wait longer than usual
for a response from a hearing impaired
student. Be patient.
- Whenever possible, use lots of concrete objects
such as models, diagrams, samples, and the
like.
- Try to demonstrate what you are saying
by using touchable items.
Visually Impaired
- It is quite likely that you will have students
whose vision is severely hampered or
restricted.
- These students may need to wear special
glasses and require the use of special
equipment.
- Although it is unlikely that you will have a blind
student in your classroom, it is conceivable
that you will need to provide a modified
instructional plan for visually limited students.
Accommodations
- Tape-record portions of textbooks, trade
books, and other printed materials so students
can listen (with earphones) to an oral
presentation of necessary material.
- When using the whiteboard, use bold colors
and bold lines. Also, be sure to say out loud
whatever you write on the whiteboard.
- As with hearing impaired student, it is
important to seat the visually impaired student
close to the main instructional area.
Accommodations
- Provide clear oral instructions.
- Be aware of any terminology you may use that
would demand visual acuity the student is not
capable of.
- For example, phrases such as “over there”
and “like that one” would be inappropriate.
- Partner the student with other students who can
assist or help.
Characteristics
- Students who demonstrate a significant
discrepancy between academic achievement
and intellectual abilities in one or more of the
areas of
- oral expression
- listening comprehension
- written expression
- basic reading skills
- reading comprehension
- mathematical calculation and reasoning
- spelling.
Characteristics
- Teaching learning disabled youngsters will
present you with some unique and distinctive
challenges.
- Not only will these students demand more of
your time and patience, they will also require
specialized instructional strategies in a
structured environment that supports and
enhances their learning potential.
Characteristics
- It is important to remember that learning
disabled students are not students who are
incapacitated or unable to learn; rather, they
need differentiated instruction tailored to their
distinctive learning abilities.
Accommodations
- Provide oral instruction for students with
reading disabilities.
- Present tests and reading materials in an
oral format so the assessment is not unduly
influenced by lack of reading ability.
Accommodations
- Break down information in chucks
- Breaking down information on assignments and tests
allows the student to process information in smaller
chunks.
- For example, if you have students do a matching activity
with 10 questions, have them do two different sets of 5 so
it’s not so overwhelming.
- Also, limit the choices for multiple choice tests
and assignments. Instead of four choices, give
them 3
Accommodations
- Provide learning disabled students with
frequent progress checks.
- Let them know how well they are progressing toward an
individual or class goal.
Give immediate feedback to learning disabled
students.
- They need to see quickly the relationship between what
was taught and what was learned.
Accommodations
- Make activities concise and short, whenever
possible.
- Long, drawn-out projects are particularly frustrating for a
learning disabled child.
- In a testing situation, you may want to modify the length
of the test.
- You also may need to give the student extended time on
assignments, projects, and tests.
Accommodations
- Learning disabled youngsters have difficulty
learning abstract terms and concepts.
- Whenever possible, provide them with concrete objects
and events—items they can touch, hear, smell, etc.
- Learning disabled students need and should get
lots of specific praise.
- Instead of just saying, “You did well,” or “I like your
work,” be sure you provide specific praising comments
that link the activity directly with the recognition
- For example, “I was particularly pleased by the way in
which you organized the rock collection for Karin”
Accommodations
- When necessary, plan to repeat instructions or offer
information in both written and verbal formats.
- Again, it is vitally necessary that learning disabled children
utilize as many of their sensory modalities as possible.
- Encourage cooperative learning activities when
possible.
- Invite students of varying abilities to work together on a specific
project or toward a common goal.
- Create an atmosphere in which a true “community of learners”
is facilitated and enhanced.
Characteristics
- "Students are classified as having other health
impairments when they have limited strength,
vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute
health problems”.
- Examples of such problems include
- asthma
- diabetes
- epilepsy
- hemophilia
- leukemia
- ADD or ADHD may be included in this category
Characteristics
- Child may miss school frequently for doctor
appointments or illnesses
- May have physical restrictions
- Inattentiveness due to health impairment
and/or medications
- Other medication side effects, such as, increased thirst
- They may have academic lags
Accommodations – Depends on health impairment
- Flexible time limits
- Freedom to use bathroom or drinking fountain
as needed
- Frequent breaks
- Reduced assignments
- Alternative assignments when absent
frequently
Accommodations – Depends on health impairment
- Alternative grading scale
- Allow child to escape assignment if necessary
- Safe Place
- Include School Nurse and Social Worker in IEP
process
- Decrease distractions
- Flexible seating
Autism Spectrum Disorder – What is it?
- It’s a developmental disability that causes
problems with social skills and
communications.
- It can be mild or severe
- It is different for every person – not all
behaviors exist in every child
Signs of autism - Communication
- Not speaking or very limited speech
- Loss of words the child was previously able to
say
- Difficulty expressing basic wants and needs
- Poor vocabulary development
- Problems following directions
- Repeating what is said
- Problems answering questions
- Speech that sounds different (robotic)
Signs of autism – Social Skills
- Poor eye contact
- Poor play skills
- Being overly focused on a topic or objects that
interest them
- Problems making friends
- Crying, becoming angry, giggling, or laughing
for no known reason or at the wrong time
- Dislikes being touched or held
Signs of autism – Reacting to the world
around them
- Rocking, hand flapping, or other movements
- Not paying attention to the things the child
sees or hears
- Problems dealing with change in routine
- Using objects in unusual ways
- No fear of real dangers
- Being either very sensitive or not sensitive
enough to touch, light, or sounds
- Sleep problems
Accommodations/Modifications
- Seating location – place seating away from
high movement areas
- Offer a quiet place when needed – maybe a
bean bag chair in the room, the hallway, etc.
- Allow student to enter school early and leave
early to avoid the chaos
- Provide a visual organizer for the day
- Tell students the schedule for the day. Some
students may want to know this in parts.
- Provide a breakdown of time – Exp: gym is at
10:30 – 11:00, Math is from 11:00 – 11:30, etc.
- For older students – tape their schedule to their
binder
Accommodations/Modifications
- Warn well in advance if there’s going to be a
change in the schedule
- Only post necessary information around the
classroom to avoid sensory overload
- Keep learning visual – use lots of diagrams,
models, write on the board
- Avoid using figurative speech
- Ask students to repeat the directions to you
after the other students have begun working
- Provide the students with copies of the notes –
sometimes handwriting can be a problem
Where to go for help…
- There are many resources available for you to
go to if you need to accommodate a special
needs student in your room.
-
Consult a special education teacher in your building
Talk with your building principal
Look up suggestions on the Internet
Use suggestions in the Vellom book, etc.
- Get into groups of 3
- I’m going to give you a scenario
- You are to solve this as a group and report out
- You have 15 minutes
Scenario #1
- You have a student who is high functioning
academically, but struggles with written
language and writing.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #2
- You have a student who is reading two grade
levels below his/her peers.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #3
- You have a student who has attention deficit
disorder and at the same time has math skills
that are two grade levels below his/her peers.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #4
- You have a student who has autism. He/she is
very concrete in their understanding of the
content. He/she struggles with sharing
information verbally and following multiple
step directions.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #5
- You have a student who oppositional defiant
and at the same time they are very low in
reading and writing.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #6
- You have a student who is wheelchair bound
and manipulates a computer to communicate.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #7
- You have a student who is high functioning but
cannot write at the same pace as his/her peers.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
Scenario #8
- You have a student who is emotionally
impaired and can be combative and unwilling
to work with peers.
- What kind of modifications can you make for
this student?
References
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/specialeducation/new-teacher/48460.html?page=2
http://akuehnel3.tripod.com/id9.html
wiseGeek - http://www.wisegeek.com/in-education-whatis-inclusion.htm