Raven's Guide to Special Education

Comprehensive information about special education regulations,
procedures, evaluations, programs, and disabilities

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Programs

The teacher | Behavior management | Affective education
Functional curriculum | Program models | Contemporary concerns

 

The goal of any special education program should be to meet the individual educational needs of the students and, to the extent possible, prepare them for going to a more normal classroom setting. To achieve this, the program must focus on helping the students develop academic skills, self-help skills, social proficiency, a positive attitude and self-confidence. Successful special education programs give students a positive, secure school environment, a relevant curriculum, and a motivational system that rewards their efforts to improve. All programs must ensure that educational services are appropriate for each student and in compliance with state and federal special education regulations.

 

Developing an appropriate special education program involves assessing the role of the special education teacher and the needs of the students the teacher will serve. Program design should include developing an appropriate curriculum, a behavior management system, and a service delivery model.

The special education teacher

The teacher's primary task is to create a school environment in which students will succeed, feel worthwhile and enjoy school. The teacher can best serve the needs of special education students by giving them instruction at their skill levels and learning experiences that progressively help them feel successful.

 

The teacher can help students develop socially, emotionally, and academically by providing an atmosphere of safety, respect, and trust. By communicating effectively, the teacher can promote healthy, positive relationships with the students and their families. Within most school settings, special education teachers are expected to:

• Provide academic instruction for disabled students
• Evaluate the academic skills of disabled students
• Manage serious behavior problems
• Participate in eligibility conferences
• Write individualized education programs and student progress reports
• Communicate with the parents of disabled students
• Consult with regular education teachers
• Participate in the referral process

  Donald D. Quinn

  If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job.

Teaching students with disabilities is not an easy task. Teachers, like everyone else, have both strengths and weaknesses. Effective teachers rely on personal strengths and change those weaknesses that interfere with professional performance. Effective teachers:

1. Have a positive attitude and want to meet the needs of each student.
2. Are objective about themselves and others.
3. Have a good sense of humor.
4. Are well organized, flexible and change plans when necessary.
5. Are good listeners.
6. Use good coping skills.
7. Learn from their mistakes.
8. Remain calm and rational during stressful situations.

Behavior management

Teaching students with disabilities demands not only the ability to teach students with a wide range of intellectual and academic levels but also the ability to help students develop nonacademic behaviors (such as social skills, good work habits, and self-responsibility) that make school success possible. The teacher's most important task in preventing student misbehavior is to ensure their academic success by taking the following actions:

1. Acknowledge and be sensitive to each student's individuality.
2. Be supportive and understanding.
3. Model desirable conduct.
4. Have appropriate expectations.
5. Reward appropriate behavior.
6. Be consistent in dealing with misbehavior.

Affective education

Affective education is instruction designed to help students acquire information, attitudes and skills that will promote appropriate behavior and mental health. The goal of affective education is to meet the social and emotional needs of students. To be most effective, teachers should plan affective education activities that meet each student's individual needs and that complement behavior management techniques and academic instruction. Affective education is based on three assumptions:

1. Students with disabilities need instruction to help them develop emotional and social skills as well as mental, academic, and motor skills.
2. Because of their disabilities, these students often do not acquire or use information that will help them behave appropriately.
3. When given the opportunity, most students can use such information and benefit from affective education instruction.

Functional curriculum

Effective special education programs offer a curriculum that helps students acquire useful skills. Consider the following questions in developing functional curriculum objectives for students with disabilities:

1. Why should you teach this skill?
2. Could the student function adequately without the skill?
3. Is the skill needed to prepare the student for a less restrictive school setting?
4. Is there a different skill that would help the student get to a less restrictive setting more efficiently?
5. Will the skill interfere with the student's functioning in a more normal setting?
6. Are the goals and objectives in the student's IEP similar to those in the proposed less restrictive setting?

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Raven's Guide to Special Education © 1994 - 2011. Richard Flagle. All rights reserved.