What is Special Education Teaching?

Special Education teaching is not familiar to the general public due to the little exposure and attention it gets from the media. In fact, special educators teach individually designed instruction to students with specific learning disabilities. These students include those who are cognitively impaired, have physical disabilities, loss of sensory such as hearing or vision, have emotional disorders, have speech or language impairments, or diagnosed with autism. Special Education teachers modify curriculum, utilize resources, develop learning plans, and work with other teachers. Teaching may be in a general education class, self contained classroom or in a resource room where students visit for part of the day. Other places that Special Education teachers work in are youth authority facilities and home or hospital settings. In general, Special Education teachers work with 8-16 students with one or more teacher aids if they are in a classroom. Compare this to the regular classrooms that can have up to 50 students in the secondary level and seeing about 200 students over the course of a five period day. Special Education teachers have a difficult job of working with challenged learners, but the resources are plentiful and the case load is much smaller to compensate for the attention given to each student. Special Educators find it most rewarding when they are able to spend quality time and energy focusing on helping students.

How do I become a Special Education Teacher?

For those who are curious about teaching Special Education, the path to becoming fully credentialed is not difficult at all. If you already have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college, then the next step would be to enroll in a credentialing program. Teachers may choose one of these six credential areas to specialize in: Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Severe, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Visual Impairment, Physical and Health Impairment, or Early Childhood Special Education. The preliminary credential can be completed within one to two years and ultimately the professional clear allows you five years to finish. There will be other requirements like basic skills tests. Since specifics vary from state to state, speak to a university’s credential department to find out all the details.
What is the job market for Special Education teaching?
Choosing Special Education teaching has its advantages over other careers because you could be hired while you complete the coursework . The state of California will issue an emergency credential to very few subject areas for teachers to enter the classroom immediately because of the shortage and Special Education is one of them. Averages of 10-20% job openings go unfilled each year and hiring is ongoing in most school districts. There is a great need for professionals in this field. Consider if this career is for you by volunteering in a special education classroom or completing a service learning program involved with special education.

Financial advantages

For those seeking careers in special education, financial assistance is available from the local and federal government. Special education teachers may qualify for up to $19,000 in forgivable loans if they meet certain conditions. This could be to work at an inner city school for several years. Many think that teachers are very under paid and that could be true in suburban or private settings. Considering that special education teachers work 9 months out of the whole year making on average $44,000, it isn’t as low as we think. The hourly rate would come out to almost $35 dollars an hour. Plus, teaching jobs always include a benefits package that covers health and or dental/vision. If you want a stable job or are looking for a second career teaching special education would be a favorable choice.

To make things as simple as possible, we distilled the whole process into these tips that you could consider when choosing a special school. We also wrote it in such a way that these could be applied to universally and with any culture. Generalized into these reflections, we hope that you could have a clearer perspective and help you make the best decision.

Know the programs

Children are placed in special schools under the advice of a diagnostician, a psychiatrist, or a clinical psychologist. They do tests and evaluate the child to make sure that they give appropriate advice and point the parents in the right direction. Knowing the terminology associated with special education would help parents a lot.

For starters, though special education programs vary, these can be categorized into three major groups: mainstreaming, inclusion, and integration. Inclusion happens when the child is placed in a regular classroom with kids of the same age level but is given educational activities more appropriate to what he is capable of at that time. For example, though inclusion means that a 10-year old autistic child is placed in Grade 4 classroom, he won’t be doing Grade 4 activities but will be accommodated with individualized activities instead. Integration means that the child will be placed in a special classroom but will be doing arts, sports, or other extra-curricular activities with regular children. Lastly, mainstreaming means that the child will be placed in a regular classroom and will be doing regular activities for his age level – this is as normal as it would get.

Good special schools build communities

Special schools which are worth the price almost always are very accommodating of parents’ inquiries and needs. They have a clear schedule for parent-teacher conferences over the course of a year and they make efforts to keep parents updated about the condition of their children. Anecdotal reports are easily accessed and tracking a child’s progress means a lot more than just using a journal notebook. Good special schools also educate parents about special education in general and are generous in giving advice to parents. Teachers are also careful to articulate their thoughts to parents and should be discreet in dealings that require such careful management. All in all, special schools of choice build trusting relationships with the parents.

Good special schools should have expansive and extensive services

Take note of the special needs services the school offers. For example, if the child is placed in a mainstreaming program (i.e. the special needs child is placed in a regular class), then the school should have appropriate auxiliary services to help the child out. A team of specialists should always be on call to provide these services and should be willing to run the extra mile just to make the kids happy inside the school. Ask the other parents in the school and inquire about their relationships with the specialists; are these experts friendly enough? A good school would offer an extensive special needs services for children: diagnostics, evaluation, therapy, curriculum modification, and individualization.

Tour your child inside the school, and make sure to make an appointment for such an excursion. Though results may vary, gauging how the child behaves while inside the school might give clues to how he will be behaving in the future. Just like any other educational institution, schools should make students feel welcome inside their premises and should make learning a comfortable and exciting experience.

Autism for Older Adults

A document called the Rights of Ageing People with Autism by Autism Europe has a very clear stand about older people with autism, espousing the need for a more clearly-defined healthcare approach for this population. From the document it was pointed out that older adults with autism have a double vulnerability, a term used to denote that the problems they face are twice difficult than that of the average person. Not only do the persistent problems of old age become a matter of concern, the situation becomes more difficult because of the autistic disorder.

From the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), Autism is characterized by symptoms of qualitative impairment in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotypes patterns of behavior. This means that people diagnosed with autism are unable to adapt to the normal circumstances of daily living, mostly relying on their primary caregivers or relatives to live in the mainstream. Going back to the “double vulnerability” description, we could clearly see why this is so; aside from the debilitating effects of old age, older adults with autism also need to address the challenges brought about by their impairment.

Specific Challenges of Older Adults with Autism

From the same document, there are specific problems that need to be addressed:

• Healthcare problems definitive of old age and of autism
• Communication and social problems that people with autism are saddled with
• Behavioral problems that leads to isolation
• Complex residential and daily living problems
• Lack of professionals who specialize in older people with autism

This was not meant to be an exhaustive list, and most probably points out only the immediate challenges that older people with autism face. For example, what would be the best way to help an older person with autism given who didn’t undergo early intervention or a systematic education? A percentage of the population would certainly fit the description, and it defines a complex problem that need to be attended at once. Also solutions to the challenges in the management of financial resources for this endeavor should also be at the forefront, because as it is, it’s very hard to shift one’s resources given a troubled economy.

What should be done for older people with autism?

Though older adults with autism may present difficulties that cannot be instantly prioritized, it’s easier than expected. Community-based learning programs which rely on situated learning (i.e. learning that occurs through socialization and within a guided context) can be started at once to cater to the needs of present adults with autism. These programs can be made to be self-sufficient by training them in skilled trades that could be capitalized on. With this approach, both the challenges in the quality of life and the problems of sustainability can be solved.

As it is, the paths leading to solutions are many, but what we really need to develop is a defining principle for helping older people with special needs in general. Given the complex problems that such a condition implies, the education of older adults with autism should be given much more importance. This could be done by championing initiatives for approaching the problem at hand, and by training more professionals who could expertly deal with the concerns of older people with special needs. Research in the field should be amply rewarded for its values lies in the discovering solutions that could be generalized to problems of healthcare, poverty, and community development for everyone.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is classified under the spectrum of special learning needs because the condition makes learning very difficult for the individual. Learning cannot occur without attending to the educational activity, making it difficult for ADHD children to thrive in this kind of situation. It’s not as if they are really in control of their situation; ADHD students need as much support as possible for them to thrive on any kind of learning environment. Success stories abound given the same approach, making it truly possible for an ADHD child to perform to his full potential.

What are some approaches that we could do to help the ADHD child? Here are 5 ADHD tips that parents could employ for their children:

ADHD Tip #1: Routine is important

For children to be in control of their impulses, they need to be able to understand that not all things can be done at the same time. There’s a time for eating, playing, and for any of the numerous activities that a child may have. Having a daily routine teaches children to be able to predict the sequence of activities that would happen in a given day, allowing children to understand the concept of time and social behavior. We could see how this benefits an ADHD child: with a continuous daily routine, they learn to expect events and respond accordingly.

ADHD Tip #2: Maximize the activities of your child

Though routine does help children learn to curb their impulses, this isn’t a complete solution. We also have to know the best way to sequence activities so that the child could maximize his time during the day. As a general rule, an ADHD child should do the more strenuous activities first before moving on to something that requires more attention. For example, one could manage a child’s hyperactivity by first having him do gross-motor activities such as running and jumping before doing an educational task. This would allow them to shed their excess energy first so that they will be able to perform well enough later.

ADHD Tip #3: Use technology

Capitalize on current technologies to help your child. Instead of forcing a child to read a book, we could supplement his learning by having him view videos, documentaries, or even TV shows about his school topics. An mp3 player might also be useful for children who are more comfortable listening than watching videos. The trick here is to involve as many of the senses of the child as possible so that he’d be able to remember and retain the knowledge that he gained in class.

ADHD Tip #4: Work with the teachers

It’s very important that parents work in tandem with the school teachers and special education professionals. Since teachers only interact with the children only part of the time, parents should be kept updated about what happens in and around the classroom.

ADHD Tip #5: Do serious play

Learning is does not always involve sitting around doing serious work. Most of the time, children learn more through play; it helps to capitalize on the activities that interest the child. For example, if the child loves playing basketball, you can organize a bulletin board in the child’s study area with a basketball theme. You could design something like a scoreboard on this bulletin board and have the child “score” whenever he gets a perfect quiz or an excellent project.