Educating Children With Learning Disabilities

As I grew older, I began to realize that students with disabilities have many significant obstacles to overcome. Seeing them get excited about learning things that we take for granted provided me with the desire to become part of their learning. For example, one kindergartner with Down Syndrome struggled daily to learn how to write the first letter of her name. It was such a joy for all of those involved when she finally succeeded. Working with these students furthered my resolve to not only fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a teacher, but I soon realized that special education is my niche. After 13 years of teaching in Glynn County, I still teach with the same fervor and enthusiasm as the first day I formally stepped into a classroom. My principal once said, “Teaching is not a job. It’s a profession.” I wholeheartedly believe in this philosophy. Education was never a back-up plan or alternative for me; being a teacher is who I am. As a special educator, I strive to

My name is Alyssa Fusco and I am on the path to becoming a special education teacher. In the course of my first few weeks in the Special Education course, I am not only learning how to be a better teacher, but training my mind in such a way that I can improve the lives of others. My interest in working with students with disabilities stems from my experience with Senior Experience at Calhoun High School. This program has developed a framework for my future career aspirations by observing how not only the faculty can make a difference in these students lives, but also the teachers facilitate an environment that promotes the integration between students with and without disabilities. Through mainstreaming these students, Calhoun High School showed me what type of difference I could make in the world through combining my passion for teaching and the place students with disabilities hold in my heart.

In England, it is a legal requirement under the EYFS for all early years settings to work with parents and other professionals to support children’s care, learning and development. Certain policies and procedures must be in place to protect children and for guidance.

Joni had worked for over 25 years in the local school system as an Educational Tech II, otherwise known as a teacher’s aide. In this capacity, she got to know generations of teachers, students and their families. In addition, working with high needs students with challenging intellectual disabilities, she sought to identify opportunities for her students to gain practical knowledge in local organizations and life skills to ensure their dignity as adults. To create these connections she often interacted with numerous small businesses, non-profits, and community-based organizations.

Individualized education programs are a key component in special education. An IEP lays out the goals and methods needed for helping special education students reach their potential. These legal documents insure that all students are getting the resources they need in an education setting. Brewer and Diliberto use their article to explain a family’s experience with the IEP process and then offer tips to the reader to make their IEP meetings more successful. Brewer and Diliberto begin by telling the story of a kindergarten boy with behavioral issues. The article states, “At the beginning of the Sam’s kindergarten year, his teacher started sharing concerns about his behavior with Ms. Payton. According to his teacher, Sam was not able to sit still and was eating erasers” (Brewer and Diliberto,

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.

Involving parents is a positive level and essential to ensuring academic success. Family engagement confers benefits to all students, especially those with disabilities, they often require more parental involvement to be assured of receiving the same level of instruction as the general student population. Children with disabilities often face multifaceted classroom challenges requiring special attention from instructors and active engagement from their families. They are playing several supporting roles, as advocates and as people who can provide valuable insight into their specific needs of

With every classroom you are able to see a dynamic between students and their teacher. It takes a strong teacher to really make everything accessible to all students including student with learning disabilities. The class that I watched was Christina Hilliker’s second grade. The disabilities that were part of this great dynamic were Downs, Autism, ADHD, auditory processing and behavior issues that cause learning difficulties.

Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach as I took the final steps to enter into our high school's special education room. The sharp smells of cleanser met my nose as I put my backpack down in Ms. Arsenault's office. As I walked in, I noticed that the room was positioned differently. There were desks in neat rows, computers pushed to the far back, a half circle desk in the middle, and all of the helpers clustered around a desk at the back left side. Being a teacher's assistant taught me how passionate I am about those students, what it really means to be a special education teacher, and how much those kids can change my life.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines deaf/blindness as a condition in where the combination of visual and hearing impairments cause severe communication, developmental and learning problems (Correa-Torres 2008, 197). There are many deaf/blind children between the ages of birth to 21 in the United States. Therefore, it is important for educators to know how to work with deaf/blind students. The purpose of this paper is to increase your understanding on the education of deaf/blind students and how to interact with these students. This includes providing accessible communication for deaf/blind students, making sure all the content is accessible, making sure they are in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and

Involving parents is a positive level and essential to ensuring academic success. Family engagement confers benefits to all students, those with disabilities often require more parental involvement to be assured of receiving the same level of instruction as the general student population. Children with disabilities often face multifaceted classroom challenges requiring special attention from instructors and active engagement from their families. Who’s playing several supporting roles, as advocates and as people who can provide valuable insight into their specific needs of instructors

Living with a learning disability you always feel separated. I can remember comparing myself to others. Wondering when will I be smart like everyone else. In this life everyone wants to feel like they are succeeding. No one wants to feel like they are the weakest link. Each grade I went through I was supposed to build me up for the next grade. I remember the actually feeling when I know I was no longer learning and growing. That when I stop gaining self-assurance and started feeling low self-esteem building.

Through my experience thus far I have been able to grasp an overall understanding of the schools demographic as well as my students. The school is a Title1 and is a very low socioeconomic status. The neighborhood surrounding the school is very worn down and the students coming from those parts of the neighborhood have more hardship than any child should ever have. In my second grade classroom, we have a majority of ELL’s coming from Spanish-speaking homes. As I have been observing my Cooperating teachers ' students’ that she looped with from first grade to second grade, she has been providing me with insight on some non-academic disabilities that one of our students suffers with. Although it is not technically considered a learning disability it prevents them from accomplishing tasks at the same rate as our other students’. A little girl suffers from Muscular Dystrophy, which is very hard on her physically to keep up with the class while they complete writing or activities that require cutting and pasting. She is currently on a 504 plan for her M.S. but ,has been able to achieve core level on her DIBELS testing for fluency, worse per minute and accuracy and comprehension. There has been growth in her academics but, falls behind on most assignments. There are many different learning levels in our classroom, which I will intend on making accommodations and modifications to achieve a Universal Design for Learning.

“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; so, too, will they require specialized instructional strategies in a structured environment that supports and enhances their learning potential. It is important to

In Texas we have Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD), with is a document that explains an individual educational program (IEP) for students within the special education program. When determining the child’s placement it is necessary to keep in mind the student’s level of academic performance, functional performance and if the disability affects their participation in the classroom. The individuals involved in these meetings are the parents, the regular teacher, special educational teacher, representative knowledgeable about resources in the local district, and a translator if needed. Parental participation is the most effective way to help the student succeed under ARD, the parents are given a parent’s guide which contains information, their right and responsibility, which should be constantly reviewed to have accurate information about the child. The child’s ARD record should be at the school, in the school district, and with the local education agency to insure the student is being well instructed for the disability they might have. Depending on their ARD circumstances students have the convenience to access assistive technology, behavioral