Jade Blouin: A Career In Special Education

Having a child given a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a very stressful event for parents. It is imperative to understand that there is much that can be done for both parent and the child. From the current literature we know that parents of children diagnosed with autism worry about many things like lifetime dependency to family dissonance. We know that these parents are distressed and angry, the parents of children with more unusual behaviors feel a lot more stressed than the parents of children with fewer unusual behaviors. However, having a strategy to approach it correctly and to get the best possible help for your child is probably the most important step, one can take to relieve stress and to aid the child’s development.

My career goal is to obtain a master’s degree in elementary education by the end of Fall 2016 in order to start teaching by the beginning of Spring 2017. Upon completion of the dual certification track, I will receive elementary (K-6), special education (ESE K-6), and ESOL endorsements. Before entering graduate school, I always believed these certifications would prepare me for teaching more than if I had started teaching immediately after graduation. Today, I still hold this belief to be true, for I have opportunities now to closely practice, implement, and refine teaching skills, strategies, and qualities that I learned as an undergraduate in a real school setting. I am also able to work closely alongside teachers who have experience working with students with identified disabilities and experience the different behavioral responses that students with identified disabilities may exhibit. As a first year intern this semester, I even sat in on an EPT (Evaluation and Planning Team) meeting regarding whether or not a student in my first grade classroom should receive a 504 Plan that I did not get to

Time is passing and opportunities are opening for more students with special needs. Many students in college are getting more interested in Special Education as career that will allow more organization to have more workers with a big potential that will have an important impact on these kids with disabilities. However, this will require more training for the students that organizations around the country can give them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,“the career outlook for special education teachers should remain steady through 2024, with an increase of 6%, the national average for job growth in the United States. The median salary for this position is just over $55,000 annually,” (“Master in Special Education”) The approach the

One in five American students has a learning disability this is according to the documentary “Misunderstood Minds’’ produced by WGBH. Children with learning disabilities are more likely to become outcasts in school and in society. The documentary follows five families dealing with a differently abled child; Nathan V, Lauren, Sarah Lee, Adam, and Nathan S. The film focuses on difficulties the families go through, professionalism or lack of it by school officials and demystification.

I completed my field experience at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Since I serve the role of building principal, I am exposed to many different special education situations on a daily basis. Through this leadership field experience, I have learned a few additional things. It has taught me to stop and listen to what is occurring in our special education classrooms. By completing classroom observations, I was able to focus on the students, instead of rushing through a classroom observation on a teacher.

Special education programs and services are available in many school and are fast growing. In a high school, a principal named Debbie Young has been presented with a situation with the parents of a special education student. Mrs. Young has been a special education teacher and assistant principal in a progressive and affluent school district in the South. Mrs. Young was approached by the parents of Jonathan a severely disabled tenth grader whose parents want him to attend one of the schools in the district. He is profoundly mentally disabled, has spastic quadriplegia, and has a seizure disorder. Mrs. Young refuses his parent’s request because of the huge expenses and the school is not an appropriate place for Jonathan.

This school serves a range of disability students as well as their typically developing peers. This school shot through the roof, the school was filled almost immediately. Some parents even moved states just have their child put into Arizona Autism Charter School. The school uses applied behavior analysis

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.

Despite our efforts she was struggling to read, write, and focus. I knew something wasn't right, which prompted us to take her to Scottish Rite. As I sat across the table, the kind and empathetic director laid out the news about our daughter. We were dealing with dyslexia, a possible writing disability, and inattentive type ADHD. That moment thrusted me head first into "The Club". You know, the club of parents that in one meeting get their universe rocked because their ideas for their child no longer match their reality. In ways I'm grateful for that encounter. As a teacher, I can put myself in the shoes of the parents of my student's when their children are given a diagnoses. I know that fear, sadness, and insecurity as a parent. I know the pain of seeing my friend's kids make straight A's and win Merit Scholar Awards when we are just trying to survive nightly homework and pass the class. My fear may not look exactly like what my student's parents are experiencing but I can still relate to what it feels like to get the breath knocked out of you in one meeting. It sucks. It just

After her time at the habilitation program, she moved to Colorado. Her first job in Colorado was at the Rise School of Denver, which “provides services to children with and without disabilities through an inclusive education model.” During her time at the Rise School, the executive director of Adams Camp reached out to her and provided a job description that immediately captured her interest. She rapidly transitioned into the Adams Camp environment and found her home. Jordan has the opportunity to serve 350 families every year in both Adventure Camp and other therapeutic programs that is offered by Adams Camp. But, it hasn’t all been an easy road for her at Adams Camp. She voiced, “With an aging population, we are tasked with creating age appropriate services for all. The other challenge is finding more empowering opportunities for our population.” Most people with developmental disabilities can live a long and fulfilled life, but their special needs vary by age. At the moment, Adams Camp prioritizes younger clients in order to prepare them properly for their futures. But because Jordan is so dedicated to improving the lives’ of others, she

Those simple instructions helped the students to get into their daily routine. With the increased discovery and changes in special education, the kids will benefits from newly developed technology in the future. During lunch, the students sat at the table with their peers. I felt like the school needed more set of hands; in other to achieve their desired goals. Ms. Gonzalez was a very happy and hardworking teacher who loved her job. I asked Ms. Gonzalez what motivated her to become a special education teacher. She said that she was motivated by her son. She had a three year old son who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). She said during the initial stage of her son diagnoses, she felt hopeless, frustrated and taught she will not be able to take care of her child. She attended a lot of seminars and training on how to care for a child with such disorder. After series of training, she was able to care for her child and love her child just the way he was. When her child got older, she decided to become a special aid teacher. Her goal was to share her story; as well as educate the parents on how to care for children with disabilities and ways to reduce parental anxiety and frustration while caring for their

For my final project I interviewed my mother’s friend Tammy Carnes who’s son is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. During our interview we discussed what it is like we raise a child with a disability, and how the educational system aided in dealing with her child’s everyday needs. After completing this interview I feel a little more understanding of how the parent of said child may feel when dealing with the educational system meeting their child’s particular needs. A high point of the interview was Ms. Carnes’s surprise to the amount of dedication the educational system is making to ensure their teachers are well prepared for the different types of disabilities children may have. A part of the interview that surprised me was how truly patient

Have you ever wondered how it would be to have a mentally handicapped parent? A couple of weeks ago this writer's class started to read a book called So. B.It; is a story about a twelve-year-old girl, Heidi, who wants to learn about her past. Heidi’s mother is mentally handicapped,but still exceedingly loves her daughter in her own way. In the movie, I Am Sam, a handicapped adult tries to raise his daughter with help with his friends and his next door neighbor Annie (who has agoraphobia),

When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.

Coming from a school where parents have a hard time valuing their child with a disability and comparing how supportive parents are in the Bryan-College Station area was truly a culture shock. From my experience, I believe that the parents of disabled children in the Bryan-College Station area have a better understanding and attitudes toward the goals that are set for their children and a belief that these goals are achievable, however I did not have the same positive experience in the school district from which I graduated. The philosophy that I witnessed growing up was that several parents would try to use their child’s disability as an excuse to get them further in