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About Special Education |
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Children with Sensory Needs - The Misunderstood Five Percent of the General Population |
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Many children, perhaps your own, exhibit difficulty processing sensory information including: touch, taste, smell, vision, and hearing. As many as 5% of the school age population exhibit characteristics of sensory processing disorder (SPD), sometimes known as sensory integration disorder. Further, many children with autism, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), learning disabilities have SPD coexisting or underlying these conditions. Research has shown that as many as 40% of children with ADHD display symptoms of SPD. If you are a parent of a child with special needs, perhaps you are struggling with the added stresses this can have on the family. Your family relationships... |
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How To Tell If Your Student/Child Has Dyslexia |
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I work with students, either in small groups or individually, who have difficulty reading. Every once in a while, a pupil comes to me who just doesn't get it. Usually, accommodating the varied learning styles of each student, results in success. When that doesn't work, I start questioning my ability as a reading teacher. The first time it happened I felt that I had let my student down. My next step was to consult the special education experts and the school psychologist. They suggested the possibility that my pupil may have dyslexia. I was surprised to find out how many young people suffer from dyslexia. Dyslexia is difficult to determine until a young person is in their teens. We all... |
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Your Special Needs Child--Coping After Receiving a Diagnosis |
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As the parent of seven children, three with developmental delays, I have experienced both the heartache, and frustration as well as the joyful rewards that accompany any
parent’s journey in helping their child succeed under trying circumstances. That gray, icy March day, over eight year’s ago, that my oldest son was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delays, possible Autism, still sits like a dark shadow on the corner of my heart. My husband and I certainly were not expecting such a harsh diagnosis. Our sweet 2-year old son was simply not talking, we just wanted to know how we could get help from a Speech Language Pathologist, not an entire team of Neurologists, Phds, Occupational... |
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Translate/Traduisez/Übersetzen Sie/Traduzca/Traduca/Traduza:
Do You Speak the Language . . . . . of Special Needs
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Your child has just been diagnosed with a disabling condition. Suddenly you are surrounded by professionals. Usually they are:
*** Using words so long they give you a headache
*** Wanting permission to do a test you aren't familiar with or
*** Asking you choose between options you don't fully understand
Are you overwhelmed yet? Receiving a diagnosis is almost always a double-edged sword. Part of you is relieved to finally have a name for what you are dealing with, but another part of you is grieving. Even if you knew in your heart something wasn't right -- hearing your fears confirmed is almost always traumatic.
Now you have a choice to make -- should you simply follow their lead and move in whatever direction the nearest expert points you OR should you take the time to learn about this condition and develop your own opinions.
The first choice may be easier in the beginning when you are feeling stressed, anxious, and exhausted, but in the long run I believe you will be happier with option 2. Give me a couple minutes and I'll try to tell you why.
First of all, this has nothing to do with intelligence. You are facing an area you have never been exposed to and your lack of knowledge is all about time not ability.
Why do you need this information?
1 - To make you a better partner in your child's care.
When you understand your child's condition you will be a more effective partner for every doctor, therapist, and case management specialist that you come in contact with. No one knows your child better than you do or has as much access as you do. If anyone is in a position to see subtle changes or identify potential problems -- it's you. But only if you know what to look for and what questions to ask. That "know how" comes from educating yourself. Can't you just learn from the doctors and therapists? No. You will learn a lot of good professionals, but few will have the time to fully educate you about your child's condition. And even if they were willing to sit with you for hours, you couldn't absorb it all at once. You need to learn at a pace that is comfortable for you and to have the control to focus on areas that are high on your concern list. Even if it takes time and effort you don't feel you have to give. It's that important.
2 - To protect your child.
99.9% of all healthcare and social service professionals are wonderful, caring individuals who want to do everything they can to support you and help your child. Having said that, you need to be aware that occasionally you may cross the path of someone who is too overworked, too stressed, or too worried about budget concerns to put your child's need ahead of everything else. If someone like this doesn't tell you all the options available, will it hurt your child's progress toward independence? It's hard to say for sure. The impact might only be minor. Or it could be extremely significant. What if that person decides that assistive technology is too expensive and your child never learns to communicate independently. If you know the available options you are prepared to say, "I think there are some other options we need to discuss".
3 - To make it easier to live with yourself.
Many parents have "closet fears". That somehow, something they did (or didn't do) caused their child's condition. It can eat away at your sense of security as a parent and if you feel your spouse did (or didn't do) something critical then it can eat away at the foundation of your marriage. Factual information is the only way to end this internal debate and put it behind you. Raising a child with special needs is extremely hard on marriages and the last thing you need is an additional (unfounded) stressor to complicate the situation.
4 - To connect you to a larger community
Learning the language of special needs doesn't have to be an added burden. In fact, it can turn out to be a way of finding a community of personal support that will help you through many difficult days and situations. As you research your child's condition you are likely to encounter other parents, support groups, discussion lists, websites, and information centers that are created specifically to help parents raising children with special needs. By drawing on these sources of information and support you can become the kind of parent you always wanted to be -- knowledgeable, secure, and prepared to love and care for your special child.
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Special Education |
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A Quick Note
From The Publisher...
If you like the article above, you may be
interested in the following article which is also related to Special Education...
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How to Successfully Homeschool Your Child with Special Needs |
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As a researcher, specializing in disability topics, I often get emails from parent or grandparents interested in home schooling their child (grandchild) with special needs. Most recently, I received this message from Joyce: “I would appreciate leads on home schooling Special Needs kids with multiple diagnosis as we will home school our angel after this year of home based Special Education - 8th grade. Getting various sites together and ordering things available to home schooling parents and/or teachers. Any suggestions appreciated. Your site is a real help and inspiration for us at our house!” The reasons parents decide to home school a child with special needs vary: · They want their child to be able to learn at their own pace. · They want their child to work at a level that is appropriate to their developmental stage and have the flexibility to introduce new skills and concepts when the child is ready. · They want to create a more “ideal” learning environment. Children with learning disabilities frequently have difficulty with concentration and focus in a traditional classroom. · They want to use teaching methods that suit their child's particular learning style. · They want their child to feel accepted and free from teasing, bullying or humiliation from peers. · They are looking for an alternative where their children can gain self-confidence - one that includes less criticism from teachers and less comparison with other children. · They want their children with special needs to reach their full potential and not be limited by the use of "cookie cutter" educational methods or the lack of experience with special needs in their neighborhood school. · They want to ensure that their at-risk child will not be exposed to gangs, drugs, and guns. ... |
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