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So I have a Special Education placement next year (currently studying Special Ed at uni, by the time I graduate I'll be able to teach both mainstream AND special needs). My main areas of interest are teaching the vision/hearing impaired and those with learning difficulties. Although, for this placement, I am going to be doing something entirely different.
In my state, Special Education students are grouped into four categories:
Mainstream with support: usually students who are able to work in a mainstream classroom with accommodations. This might involve for example, a student who is hearing impaired relying on an interpreter or the teacher has an FM unit (basically a microphone headset that while the teacher is speaking, the student with the hearing aid can listen to the teacher's instructions over the din of the class). This may also include students who are mainstreamed, but occasionally pulled out of the class for extra services (i.e. speech therapy or social skills practice)
Special Class: Usually these students have an intellectual disability of some shape or form, although they can also accommodate students who are autistic or have other issues. These are classes that are part of a mainstream school and the students undertake lessons in everything apart from a second language (may be modified accordingly). The classes are grouped as K-2, 3-7 and 8-12 and are usually based according to district (meaning that the Education Department decides which students go into those classes and the school has to accept them). The K-2 class has no more than 8 students, the 3-7/8-12 classes have no more than 12 students.
Special Unit: These are also attached to a school, but accommodate students with severe or multple disabilities. Unlike the Special Classes, these students are a larger mix of anything from severely vision impaired, to also physically disabled and mentally disabled. These are usually grouped as R-7 and 8-12. For some incredibly stupid reason, the "units" also include programs such as the Hearing Impaired programs run by a few schools, despite the fact that in some cases, the hearing impaired students are mainstreamed. (in the mainstreamed case, the classroom consisted of a team teaching setup, involving the class teacher, a teacher of the deaf plus two student support officers to facilitate conversation)
Special School: As it says on the can. Unlike the other two however, these can also form a mix of students with intellectual difficulties, autism, severe behaviours, vision/hearing impaired and so on. We currently have 1 school specifically for the blind in this state (which provides support to vision impaired students throughout the state), as well as one school that specifically caters for physical disabilities only (from memory). Usually the students here have much more significant disabilities than the students in the other three categories.
Students are also assessed by the Education Department before they start school and after that when both the parents and teachers request it. (Generally though, the teacher needs to collect a history) They are then grouped into one (or more) of the following categories: Autism, Intellectual Disability/Global Developmental Delay (the former applies to kids older than 7, the latter applies to kids 7 and younger), Hearing Impairment, Vision Impairment, Speech/Language Impairment.
Anyway, my placement for next year is in the Special Class. Specifically, a K-2 class. I have been informed that a number of students in that class are autistic to varying degrees. I have been reading about autism and teaching in a special class and have picked up some ideas, but I would like to hear some more from the forum.
So my questions are:
-What should I expect in the classroom?
-Is there anything I should/shouldn't do? (more subtle things that may or may not overstimulate them, things that might sail over their heads etc.)
-What would be some logical steps I can do in the meantime until my placement starts?
In my state, Special Education students are grouped into four categories:
Mainstream with support: usually students who are able to work in a mainstream classroom with accommodations. This might involve for example, a student who is hearing impaired relying on an interpreter or the teacher has an FM unit (basically a microphone headset that while the teacher is speaking, the student with the hearing aid can listen to the teacher's instructions over the din of the class). This may also include students who are mainstreamed, but occasionally pulled out of the class for extra services (i.e. speech therapy or social skills practice)
Special Class: Usually these students have an intellectual disability of some shape or form, although they can also accommodate students who are autistic or have other issues. These are classes that are part of a mainstream school and the students undertake lessons in everything apart from a second language (may be modified accordingly). The classes are grouped as K-2, 3-7 and 8-12 and are usually based according to district (meaning that the Education Department decides which students go into those classes and the school has to accept them). The K-2 class has no more than 8 students, the 3-7/8-12 classes have no more than 12 students.
Special Unit: These are also attached to a school, but accommodate students with severe or multple disabilities. Unlike the Special Classes, these students are a larger mix of anything from severely vision impaired, to also physically disabled and mentally disabled. These are usually grouped as R-7 and 8-12. For some incredibly stupid reason, the "units" also include programs such as the Hearing Impaired programs run by a few schools, despite the fact that in some cases, the hearing impaired students are mainstreamed. (in the mainstreamed case, the classroom consisted of a team teaching setup, involving the class teacher, a teacher of the deaf plus two student support officers to facilitate conversation)
Special School: As it says on the can. Unlike the other two however, these can also form a mix of students with intellectual difficulties, autism, severe behaviours, vision/hearing impaired and so on. We currently have 1 school specifically for the blind in this state (which provides support to vision impaired students throughout the state), as well as one school that specifically caters for physical disabilities only (from memory). Usually the students here have much more significant disabilities than the students in the other three categories.
Students are also assessed by the Education Department before they start school and after that when both the parents and teachers request it. (Generally though, the teacher needs to collect a history) They are then grouped into one (or more) of the following categories: Autism, Intellectual Disability/Global Developmental Delay (the former applies to kids older than 7, the latter applies to kids 7 and younger), Hearing Impairment, Vision Impairment, Speech/Language Impairment.
Anyway, my placement for next year is in the Special Class. Specifically, a K-2 class. I have been informed that a number of students in that class are autistic to varying degrees. I have been reading about autism and teaching in a special class and have picked up some ideas, but I would like to hear some more from the forum.
So my questions are:
-What should I expect in the classroom?
-Is there anything I should/shouldn't do? (more subtle things that may or may not overstimulate them, things that might sail over their heads etc.)
-What would be some logical steps I can do in the meantime until my placement starts?
)
(that isn't completely pixie either) I don't wear earrings, so my necklace might be the only issue.
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