Special Education Online

How to recognize language disorders

ldorman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:08:35 +0000

I think that sometimes children with special needs can come across at first as unable to concentrate or not interested in the classroom lectures or activities. But more often than not, these children might have difficulties processing information and expressing their thoughts. Teachers must be aware of the signs that are quite common to all children with difficulties in speaking.

There are at least ten clues that can help you identify language disorders. The first five are: weak visual memory, weak auditory memory, slow imagination - difficulty inferring or predicting, slower processing rate and lack of permanence or transference of skill. The next five clues are: weak sound-symbol relationships, overall weak academic performance, weak word retrieval, strong reliance on familiar things and routines and difficulty distinguishing between foreground and background noise. See detailed list…

Super Smart Kids with No Social Skills – Should That Be a Concern?

ldorman — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:06:48 +0000

Ok, so you have a super smart child but she or he has absolutely no social skills – what does that spell? What does is mean for an adult to have a low emotional intelligence?

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome, for example, are often categorized as being “eccentric geniuses” and parents dedicate too little effort to teaching them social skills. The fact that these children read at the age of two or three is applaudable; however, parents need to take professional advice more seriously and get help for their children who exhibit poor social skills. This article points toward the idea that only this way they can grow up to be rounded adults who can successfully be part of a relationship and can build a family of their own. Read more…

To Include or Not to Include – here are some misperceptions…

ldorman — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:24:23 +0000

There are several misperceptions about inclusion of special education students in the regular programs. Some of them are more detrimental than others. Couple of misconceptions got my attention while reading this article.

First, is the misperception that inclusion is just a cheap excuse for “dumping the special education students in general education classrooms” when in fact inclusion give teachers the opportunity to teach according with various learning styles that students of all levels might have. The other misperception is that “Students with disabilities need to develop relationships with others with the same or similar disabilities”. That is not really true either, since common interest and personality affinities go beyond the simple disability or lack thereof. Read more…

5 Simple Ways to Increase Creativity

ldorman — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:44:49 +0000

We all know instinctively that, in order to increase their creativity, children should play more and be outside more than watching meaningless TV programs for endless hours. I think that lining up 5 simple ways to increase creativity might be beneficial for those of us who don’t exactly know where to start.

1.Allow children more free time – structure is good, but it has to be incorporated with enough down time. 2.Limit computer and TV time – especially when the programs are not instructional or don’t address creativity. 3.Have creativity tools available – paint, paper, Lego, crayons, etc. 4.Freedom – let the child pursue the creative path desired. 5.Set a good example – show passion for reading, exploration, create things together and demonstrate the importance of creativity. Read in detail…

Software to aid in school leadership

ldorman — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:49:41 +0000

Leadscape is an innovative online leadership tool designed to help school principals identify special needs in their classrooms, provide immediate training and support to teachers, and analyze data.

Leadscape will help change how principals view their schools to ultimately change how teachers work with their students – and particularly students who struggle in the dominant culture and expectations of their school.

Thirty principals from five school districts in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Tennessee are part of a two-year “beta test” of LeadScape software. during the two years period, the participant principals will be getting acquainted with the software and the website, and will help develop content for the Web site www.leadscape.org. Read more…

Children are like Jellybeans –different at first sight but all so sweet…

ldorman — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:34:43 +0000

It is a matter of courage and commitment to be a drama teacher and put on a play that shows the entire world that youngsters are the same everywhere regardless of what it might be perceived as disability.

At Jenison High School, students are tirelessly rehearsing for their play - The Jellybean Conspiracy Show. The theater piece’s message is one of acceptance, inclusion, friendship and love. The teacher and his students truly enjoy the experience and the environment where – for once – the playing field is leveled. Read more…

Universal Design for Learning – going beyond traditional

ldorman — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:45:47 +0000

I read about the universal design for learning (UDL) and I thought “sure, it totally makes sense”. This strategy is an extension of the concept that when people cannot be changed (the case of disabilities), the environment has to adapt and enable those people to function properly and at their best potential.

Creating and using classroom materials that go beyond the traditional way of teaching / learning enables teachers to better accommodate students who have difficulties learning or have various learning styles. This learning design will not only benefit students with special needs but will also help all other students who learn better through alternative methods, ELS or even exceptional students. Read more…

Special education students are more often victims of bullying

ldorman — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:49:33 +0000

The root of the bullying as described by Janelle Plummer is the need for power and control over those who are perceived to be weaker. “There would be no bullying without the theater element” – if the bully had no audience they would be less likely to persist in their rudeness and attacks.

Bullying is very damaging especially for children with autism or Down syndrome. Collective bully is even more of an issue because the combine power and show of superiority has a deeper effect on an individual or on another group. Parents are faced with a dilemma – they would like to educate their children about bullying but they don’t want their children to fight in school. Read more…

More programs like E-Soccer are needed to lift the spirits in special education

ldorman — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:01:43 +0000

Isn’t it wonderful when your special needs child is accepted and feels welcomed in an environment that is non-judgmental, tolerant and supportive? When he founded the E-Soccer program for children with special needs, Russell Ewell was merely applying his vision for an extra curriculum program where children can develop and improve their foot-eye coordination through a sport, while actively interacting with other children.

E-Soccer had only five students at first but lately has grown to 250 players. The coaches are recruited from various athletic and professional groups – the only common denominator is that they have to have some soccer game experience. The program is already popular here in U.S. and is expanding overseas as well. If we work harder to bring in our and outside our school such programs, we can improve the chances of success in special education and we can lift the spirits higher, so children who have various limitation will learn the feeling of victory through integration and acceptance. Read more…

Distance learning is not so distant anymore!

ldorman — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:24:46 +0000

Although obvious for some of us, for others is still hard to imagine that online learning is now within their reach. But let me say it: Online learning is here and it is more popular than ever. Never has the distance learning been more practical than in this wonderful era we are living in – technology is progressing at an unprecedented pace, courses are more geared toward delivery of applicable knowledge and colleges and universities are slowly but surely entering the distance learning family with more and better programs every year.

Browsing some education sites today, I noticed that there are far more people who are fully satisfied and would advice anybody in the teaching field to further or complete their education through online learning. Private colleges and universities like University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky offer great distance learning programs in education and education leadership that can be completed entirely online, in a fast and convenient manner while maintaining the same quality of curriculum and same value as on-campus programs. Teachers and students are equally excited about this opportunity because it opens their horizon even more than it would by attending classes “on-ground”. Read more…