Being Preoccupied With Their Own Needs

Anyone providing services for children with special needs – health, education or social service departments, as well as voluntary organisations – must act within the legal framework. Legislation can change at any time and all health, education and social care practitioners, also Early Years workers, should be alert to new Acts and Regulations. There have been many changes to legislation in the UK over recent years which have affected this and a gradual increase in entitlements for these pupils.

If a child or young person needs more than the support of the school environment, then a multi-agency team will be involved. This would involve the child’s teacher, teaching assistant, the school SENCO, qualified and experienced professionals, for example Speech and Language Therapists and most importantly parents. This might be through a recognized programme such as the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme, Language through Reading or Social Use of Language Programme, or through a combination of approaches tailored to suit the individual child or young person.

The behaviour policy outlines several procedures for dealing with inappropriate behaviour. Firstly verbal warnings are given, and the child is given chance to apologise and choose to change their behaviour. Sanctions for continued bad behaviour can escalate from time spent on the thinking chair/ missed playtime, to being sent to a senior member of staff. In cases of extreme bad behaviour or physically violence a log will be noted into the class behaviour book and parents will be informed. Sustained inappropriate behaviour may lead to a behaviour agreement, discussed with the parents and child present where the child will promise to change their behaviour. Breaking this agreement, or other very extreme cases may lead to exclusion from school, which will be handled by the head teacher.

Disability brings problems to schools too causing the child to be disadvantaged. These could include lack of specialist staff or poor staff knowledge which can lead to lack of socialisation and integration into the school.

At my Pre-school any complaint made against a member of staff, either by parents or another member of staff concerning inappropriate behaviour toward a child will be taken seriously with immediate suspension of that member of staff. Ofsted and our borough’s Local Safeguarding Children’s Board will be imformed and any future action will be under their guidance.

We display the school’s rules, rewards and consequence systems and explain them in the school prospectus. There is a Home/School agreement which is signed by pupils, parents and teachers. We expect parents to read these and support them. If the school has to use reasonable consequences as the result of unacceptable behaviour, parents should support the actions of the school. If parents have any concern about the way that their child has been treated, they should initially contact the class teacher. The Deputy and Assistant Head may then be involved, then the Headteacher and, if the concern remains, they should contact the school governors.

However there are also instances where a pupil’s inappropriate behaviour needs to be referred on to someone else.

We must report any inappropriate behaviour to the class teacher and take action where appropriate. We must be fair and consistent when applying the school procedures to ensure that the pupils are treated equally. If pupils who behave badly are treated differently, or in their eyes unfairly, they will become confused of their boundaries and unsure of what is expected of them. Treating misbehaving children differently will have a negative impact on future behaviour.

However, handling and disciplining a special child have no difference in setting up rules and discipline. Considering their culture, and understanding student’s individuality, they are also individual who needs respect and more guidance to make their behaviour acceptable in society. Though they also learn in different ways and in different rate, still it is important to employ various strategies for helping a special child learn how to appropriately behave in the classroom. Such as positioning myself near my student, catching her eye, or gently touching her shoulder is my way of bringing her back to focus and I found out that those are effective strategy, a subtle reminder that I’m aware of her actions. Verbally reminding the student how to act appropriately or inviting him/her to make an appropriate choice is

The behaviour policies of the setting support pupils to understand expectations and limits by providing clear rules & sanctions through their policies and systems. The school use positive behaviour management strategies to maintain high standards of behaviour .Each class is to use school Golden Rules. They are be phrased positively whenever possible and displayed throughout the . These rules are based on the Golden Rules (by Jenny Moseley) which are used to promote positive behaviour during the school day . The school has an agreed reward system for following the Golden Rules. They address and sanction unacceptable behaviour consistently, which either affects the safety, wellbeing or learning of themselves and other people at school. This varies from low level disruptive classroom behaviour to behaviour that endangers or intimidates other people . Low level negative behaviours are under the umbrella of the class behaviour tree. Behaviour that puts stakeholders at risk of harm (emotional, physical and educational) will be subject to a Red Card. At other times of the day for example, assembly, playtimes and lunchtimes, other systems are used. High standards of expected behaviour and nurtured pupils have responsibility for their own behaviour, home school learning agreement encourages this with pupils and parent also working in collaboration. Pupils understand expected behaviou, limits and boundaries and learn the consquences of their actions, behaviour and

Positive relationship between teachers and pupils are necessary to provide a good environment for children to feel safe and happy enough to concentrate on their education. Effective communication has to cover social interaction between children and other children, adults amongst other adults at school as well. If there are any problems in that area the support for each other will be less effective and also information will be passed on more reluctantly. A positive relationship between adults working at school helps to build and maintain highly effective team that works together to provide the best learning environment for children. They will confidently share their thoughts and ideas without hesitation that somebody will listen to them without ignoring them or laugh about them. If the adult doesn’t follow the rule ‘firm and fair’ they will have problems to manage the behaviour of the children and they either lose the respect or they stop being cooperative during the lessons out of dislike. The consequences will have an impact on the whole learning environment. If the member of staff doesn’t listen properly the children will not feel understood and valued and they might get a lower self-steam because they get the impression that they are not important enough. The children will only learn that you have to be loud and aggressive to make adults listen to them, which would be a reward for bad behaviour. The impression that adults do not listen can also happen when

One of the reason people chose a career in special education is job satisfaction. Special education teacher perceived their job to be rewarding. They get personal fulfillment and gratification in teaching special need students. “It truly must be passion to continue working in special education because we all know it is a tough job.”(Participate 2010,”Motivational factor towards pursuing a career in special education”)They have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the students’ lives. When the student who is struggling in school graduate it brings great satisfaction to the educator. The most important part of this field is to help a child develop to their highest potential.

I interviewed several service providers in my school, Stephen Knight Center for Early Education, that included the psychologist, special education teacher and a general education teacher. I interviewed Ms. Iris, the school psychologist, Ms. Kathy, the special education teacher, and Ms. Hilary, a general education teacher. Ms. Iris’ responsibilities include working with students who have social emotional needs. This can include behavior challenges, learning new social skills, managing grief, etc. She works directly with parents and teachers to provide resources regarding the child’s well-being, and ensure good attendance by setting up plans. Ms. Iris works with children in general education, counseling groups, and one-on-one situations, including special education minutes. Ms. Hilary is a general education classroom teacher. She is responsible for the well-being of her students academically, socially, physically and developmentally. Ms. Hilary also advocates for families and students to receive the support that they need to feel successful in their first years of school. Finally, Ms. Kathy is the staffing

To best suit a child with special needs a variety of different elements need to be considered to develop the best plan for the child. This is why it is important to understand that not every child with special needs has a mom or dad. They may have a foster parent and it is the responsibility of the special education teacher to include the foster parent and work with all members of the family. Next, it is important to understand the a disability not only impacts the child but siblings as well. Some siblings may be very helpful while others may act out, it is important to consider siblings when creating a plan as well. Lastly, as a special education teacher, it is important to consider if any extended family help with any responsibility with raising the child. A child has a greater rate of success when all members of the family are working together and are on the same

From the first day a child is born, parents are there to nurture their child, to support them as they grow and develop. There is a lot to learn about raising a child under normal circumstances, but when a child has special needs parents must learn this whole new language of medical and special education terms (Overton, 2005). Parents enter this new world where navigating for the best interest of their child is riddled with challenges and obstacles that they need to somehow overcome. This is especially true when parents are dealing with the special education program in their child’s school.