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Studies & Degrees in Special Education

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As oppose to general education which follows a standard curriculum of teaching procedures having no additional support, Special Education is basically a specially formed way of instructions to help disabled children meet their unique needs. This form of education is put into place in order to ensure that the educational needs of the students are provided. This is granted to qualified students and does not entail any costs to their parents. Special Education is not a setting or location; rather it is an act of providing education to students in a different or special way. A special program for education is formulated to address each unique need of the students. Special educators are responsible in providing them with continuous services with which the students can avail their services depending on the degree of their special needs. There are a number of children who have very special needs in terms of learning, and such can only be addressed by means of Special Education. Most of the educational jurisdictions are involved in the implementation of Special Education, which is under the federal law. The range of support for Special Education usually varies depending on the needs for such form of education. Each educational jurisdiction, which may either, a country or a state, implements different policies, regulations, rules as well as the legislations which govern Special Education.

In the United States, the governing law for education is under the IDEA or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which defines the types of disabilities or exceptionalities to consider for Special Education. The qualified students to avail Special Education have needs that will entail support beyond the usual form of education delivered in a classroom or regular school setting.

The process of Special Education normally involves the uniquely planned and intensively monitored set of teaching approaches, accessible settings, utilized equipment and other means which are designed in order to help the students with special needs to acquire a higher level of success in their schools and communities as well as to boost their personal confidence and self-sufficiency. Such can only be provided by means of Special Education.

The common unique or special needs of the children include motional and behavioral disorders, developmental and physical disabilities, communication challenges and learning disabilities. The student having the aforementioned disabilities will greatly benefit from different teaching procedures, use of information technology and other additional learning services.

Each student having special needs undergo a series of assessment in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses. All the educational goals, resources and placements play a vital role on the basis of their needs. The regular program modifications usually include changes in supplementary equipment and aides, changes in curriculum and changes in the provision of the specialized adaptations which enable the students to participate in their learning environment to its fullest. In certain times, the students may call in for help with regard to accessing subject matters like meeting their emotional needs and physical access to schools; the school of Special Education should be able to adjust their students in the environment they are most suitable with. For instance, if a student is distracted in a large and relatively busy classroom, then the school will take into consideration of putting the student in a smaller classroom setup.

Special Education was developed to provide education for children who have a variety of special needs; they are sometimes called “gifted children”. It is a challenging field goes together with lots of obligation and few teachers are willing to take on that task. Special Education is not only limited to students with disabilities or behavioral problems; rather, it stretches out to educate even the very talented students through this program. If at all possible, this kind of program is most effective through an individual and customized approach in teaching methods, presenting visuals, and equipment for every student has his/her own special need and that for every need, there is a corresponding material that will help the student achieve his/her full potential.

The scope of the Special Education program includes learning disability such as dyscalculia, dyslexia, etc., behavioral disorders like ADHD, ADD, autism, etc., physical disabilities, for example, hearing impairment, etc. and developmental disabilities such as mental retardation, Down syndrome, etc. Students with these special kinds of problems are likely to benefit more from individual sessions. Some special education teachers mainly train the students of basic literacy and life skills. Through this course, you will be trained to handle the different kinds of disabilities and what to do with them. Depending on a case-to-case basis of the student’s special needs, teaching methods can vary from one-on-one instruction, to small group works. Teachers also work hand-in-hand with the student’s parents to update them of their child’s development; they also provide and suggest effective techniques for the child to continue to learn at home. Special Education teachers plan and inculcate the suitable syllabus for each disability he/she encounters in the students and how to deal with it. A large part of the teacher’s job is to tell others who are involved in the child’s welfare, such as his/her parents, therapists and other teachers, about his/her progress or needs. Teachers also must be able to immediately identify the child’s disability and need because early intervention is vital.

While on training for this career, you will take subjects highly focused on child development, classroom management and disability or disorder assessment. Some of the related majors are: Child Care, Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Deaf Education, Social Work, etc.

Special Education Teachers are in a big advantage because unlike general teachers, they can advance to a supervisory or administrative position. You can also handle both regular and special students whereas general teachers can only teach regular students. As a graduate of this course, you may be able to land a job on the following: Therapeutic Support Staff, Classroom Aides, Occupational therapists, or physical therapists too.

A special education teacher’s efficiency as an educator is determined by his/her character, attitude, and ability to communicate with other people well. Above all else, a special education teacher must have a heart and dedication in teaching these children for without it, it would all be mere monotonous duty; it is important that you have compassion for them, not just because it’s your job to do so, but because you truly care and that you want the best for each of them. He/she must be very patient and understanding towards the pupil for he/she is dealing with individuals who may not be able to grasp the concepts as quickly as a normal child could. He/she must also know how to encourage them when going through difficult tasks independently and when to help them. Optimism is also a significant part of a teacher’s job; that although improvement may seem unattainable, a teacher needs to offer hope and support to his/her students. An accepting attitude is also one of the important characteristics of a special education teacher because more than anything, these children need to be accepted and loved as they are. Teachers are not there to transform them to someone they are not, but to help them achieve their highest potential with what God has given them.