Lifelong Learning

Providing assistance for individuals with special needs in the world of academia is not negotiable. These individuals require special services and need to be provided individual attention with developed IEP's that will allow them to succeed within the classroom whether they are in an inclusion environment or if they need to be placed within a specific classroom that will better service their needs.

Diagnosis of Developmental Disabilities

We start with the diagnosis of developmental disabilities. This can often be completed at an early age, as parents determine their child has a specific disorder that involves their health or disability that shows in their physical demeanor. Intensive care specialists within the hospital help provide assistance in diagnosing developmental disabilities. (Hardman, 2011). They work to determine what the child needs for survival and to thrive physically.

Early Intervention Priorities

Once a child has been successfully diagnosed and is beyond physical risk a 'multidisciplinary intervention team' can be devised that comprise of professionals that will help a child in any way possible. These professionals may include speech and language therapists, physical therapists, health care providers and educators, as well as the parents. (Hardman, 2011). These individuals are all collaborators in the developmental, physical, emotional and cognitive needs of a child with special needs.

Educational Programs

An individualized learning plan or IEP can be designed with the youngest of children in mind, who would be starting preschool. Different states have agencies that refer families to services, including preschool providers for their child's needs. A preschooler would need to meet two criteria to be eligible for these services. First, signs of developmental delays measured by diagnostic testing, including, but not limited to physical, cognitive, communication, social or emotional development, and adaptive development; and a need for services. (Hardman, 2011).

Services for the Young Exceptional Learner

Head Start is one of the nation's largest federally funded early childhood programs, starting in the 60's. Children that live in low socioeconomic areas benefit greatly from opportunities and experiences within programs like Head Start. In 1992, a law went into effect that required 10% of enrollment at Head Start to be reserved for students with special needs. (Hardman, 2011). There is a head start facility close to my children's school, since it is considered to be a low socioeconomic area. I have to say that there isn't a child in that facility that I've seen walking in or out that doesn't have a smile on their face.

Transitional Programs for Students

Transitions and change are often difficult for adults, let alone for an individual with special needs. Transitioning from preschool to elementary school however is necessary based on developmental changes and needs for a student with special needs. One of the biggest areas of change for a family with a preschooler in a special needs program is the loss of adult support. Parents need to maintain collaboration with the school to ensure that their child's needs are met, even though they are specifically laid out in an IEP to ensure comfort for their child and ease in transition. The preschool to elementary school transition should also be pre-planned to ensure that the kindergarten teacher can be involved and that the student's needs can be addressed. While this seems like an exorbitant amount of time, this time is needed to adequately plan for the student's needs in the upcoming transition and throughout their attendance within the elementary school.

Procedures for Young Students with Disabilities

As an educator the procedure for working with a young student with disabilities requires patience, passion, concern, and willingness to do what the child needs, which are hopefully specified on their Individual Education Plan. Differentiated instruction as a whole will be an invaluable practice when it comes to working with students in the classroom. This is the case for students that are and aren't considered special needs. Other procedures would depend upon the severity of their need and IEP. Most children with special needs are included in classrooms or 'mainstreamed' allowing for normalcy in education. Students are removed from the classroom for any special services required at the educational level.

Strengths and Weaknesses in Assessments and Interventions

"The decision regarding which skill areas are to be taught should be based on a functional assessment of the child and of the setting where he or she spends time. Functional assessments determine the child's skills, the characteristics of the setting, and the family's needs, resources, expectations, and aspirations." (Hardman, 2011). While this statement was made in reference to the introduction of students in special education preschool programs, I believe this to be true of any grade level and any student. Assessments collect data from students as a collection of work, tests, or observations. Assessments should allow a teacher to evaluate a student's growth over time and to assess whether the student is making appropriate strides towards academic goals. For the student with special needs other cognitive, physical, and emotional needs might also exist. Unfortunately, students within the special needs realm still have to take standardized tests relating to curriculum based measures (Hardman, 2011). These can often be restrictive in delineating what students have truly grasped from the teaching for any student.

Improvements

The portfolio assessment is the best measure of a student's growth over time. Observations from an educator are also more valuable than a test score from a standardized document that measures if the child can answer the questions on the test correctly. I believe that tests are a huge hurdle to learning and can hinder students that have special needs. I wouldn't consider them an accurate measure of growth or academic success.

Understanding a student's learning style and providing lessons that engage their interests and provide insight to their learning are far more practical and meaningful. Passion for learning can be shared with all students, which would be the best improvement.

Transitional Programs for Students

Once a special needs student reaches a certain point in high school, their IEP will start to reflect their goals for after graduation and adult life. This might include continued education, or working in the 'real world'. The school's position is that they are to promote skills and help students meet their goals. If this means helping a student work on marketable skills, this is what they should be doing to help provide a transition into adult life.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcome of the transitional programs for students is that they are able to enter the 'real world' beyond the doors of an academic institution, unless of course, they want to further their education. Students should be able to leave school with marketable skills for life so that they can live independently or with some independence from their families and structured lives of academia. These goals involve educators, the student, as well as their parents, who all need to work collaboratively to provide support for the student who is getting ready to embark on a huge journey.

References

Hardman, Michael et all. (2011). Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family. Cengage Learning.