Special Education Schools
Special education schools are dedicated to educate students with learning disabilities. These institutes provide education to individuals with learning, developmental, medical or behavioral issues. The teachers in special education schools are specially trained to educate these students. Educating special students can be quite exigent as each student has his own special needs. As teaching special students is very challenging, it calls for a well trained staff to teach them. Also, there are several legal aspects pertinent to special education schools. All special education schools are required to adhere to laws like NCLB, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973 and IDEA.
The Need for Special Education Schools
As special students have needs which cannot be managed in the regular institutes, a number of special education schools have been built across the US to take care of them. Some special children may require wheelchairs, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or adaptive bathrooms. The special education schools are fully equipped with facilities to provide students with an environment which is conducive to learning according to their individual needs.
Special Needs
Special education schools cater to students with a number of disabilities. These may include:
- Autism
- Hearing Impairment
- Visual Impairment
- Emotional issues
- Mental Retardation
- Orthopedic Impairments
- Speech and Language Impairment
- Down's syndrome
- Developmental delays
Teaching at Special Education Schools
A teacher needs to learn a number of techniques and methods to educate students with special needs. The first task is to understand learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Once a teacher accomplishes it, he needs to develop the best teaching strategies to educate the students. According to experts, alternative teaching methods should be made use of to teach students with learning issues. Once you review the symptoms of a special student, it is important to customize an educational plan according to his needs. Teachers also need to know as how to interpret the documents of students and what they signify about an individual’s learning ability. Teachers at Special education schools can also get considerable help from the support staff including:
- Psychologists
- Social workers
- Speech therapists
- OTs and PTs
Having thorough knowledge of the history of special education is imperative for teaching effectively at Special education schools. A teacher should know a number of aspects like:
- Physical development
- Social/emotional development
- Adaptive development
- Cognitive development
- Communication development
Having good understanding all these issues will help a teacher to know the weakness and strength in every special child.
The Role of the Parents
Parents of the special children also play an imperative role in the teaching process at special education schools. By closely monitoring the school activities and having meetings with the teachers, parents can help special education schools to educate students with disabilities in a better way. They should check the teacher’s notes, talk to their kids about their needs and participate in school activities in order to maximize the learning process of their kids at the special education schools.