Neo-Confucianism Is a Philosophy Which Was Born TEST1

Disabled Scenario

Interview with Mrs. S., Special Education teacher in Moderntown Middle School, Anytown, USA.

When thinking about your students, what particular expertise do you believe one needs in order to effectively work with an intellectually disabled child? First and foremost is patience and understanding the developmental needs of these students. Of course one needs to understand the theoretical background and clinical issues involving pedagogy with a special education student, but it is the mindset of being able to work with small goals and small steps; 2 steps forward, 1 back, on a regular basis that separates the effective special education teacher.

What is the greatest challenge you believe that an Intellectually Disabled Child has in the current learning environment? The largest set of challenges center in two areas: 1) integration into a diverse environment at appropriate times and 2) standardized testing and Federal reporting regulations. For example, a student may be intellectually challenged cognitively, but be able to integrate into art, physical education, music, or even other subjects without too many problems. Teachers, though, often do not have the training or time to rework lesson plans or exercises for their particular area -- not because they do not wish to, but because they are unable because they have so many students. Standardized testing, of course, is set up for a statistical sample that does not include performers outside the bell curve, whether quite gifted or challenged. The goals for both types of groups are different than the normal bell curve center, yet there is often not the support nor the budget to adequately address these special needs.

3. What unique skills do you think a special education teacher needs when dealing with the family of a special education pupil? In most cases, the biggest problem with the family is either too many or too few expectations. At times, some parents believe that because their child has a learning disability or is cognitively challenged, they should be coddled and not have to stretch to their ability. This, of course, causes the student to become overdependent upon the parents and often relatively unwilling to try to master skills. It is a challenge to help the parents and family understand that the only effective manner in which learning can take place is one in which there is plenty of parental support, and that the lessons and tasks given during the school day must be reinforced and modeled at home. Similarly, there are also some parents who, because they cannot visually "see" an intellectual disability, simply refuse to believe it is accurate. This set of parents thinks their child is lazy or unwilling, and often pushes them beyond their abilities too fast. With too much pressure at home, the student often falters from frustration, stress, and low self-esteem. So, in brief, to answer your question, the biggest unique challenge is helping parents find an appropriate balance with which to interact with their special child. In many cases, this can be accomplished with greater and more regular communication with the parents; either through phone conversations or email.

4. In general, what are your goals as a teacher when dealing with an intellectually challenged student? Because each student is different, there must be unique goals for each pupil. This, of course, is difficult in the modern classroom. However, the goals should be individualized so that progress can be made on a regular basis for each child, contributing to their self-esteem and regular improvement. The goal, of course, is to find ways to maximize whatever abilities they have so that there is potential for them to be able to care for themselves, find a meaningful job or interest, and self-actualize, just as with any other student.

Sources:

Hallahan, D., Keogh, B. (2001). Research and Global Perspective in Learning Disabilities. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Jacobson, J., et al. (2004). Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Satterwhite, M. (2008). Access to Academies for All Students: Critical Approaches to Inclusive

Curriculum, Instruction and Policy. Journal of Thought. 43 (1-2): 45-53.

Part 2 - In many ways, the IEP meeting has a great deal in common with arbitration: the goal is to find a win-win situation for all parties concerned based on fact, concern, and care, but not so much on emotions and misperceptions. The first issue is to define the reasons that everyone is participating in the IEP -- for the betterment of the child. Both the parent and teach want to advocate for the child, but there are differing perspectives about what the child is capable of within the school system. During the IEP meeting, there were several significant strategies/goals observed that seemed to help make the situation more positive and reasonable:

1. The group should all vocalize why they are there and make every attempt to build and sustain relationships. Particularly with an ID child, there will not be one IEP, but many. Avoid hostility at any cost, it does not move the process forward, nor does it help anyone involved.

2. The focus, at all times, needs to be on the child's needs -- not the resources of the school system or the parent's expectations; after all, the purpose of the IEP is to provide the appropriate level of individualized instruction within the framework of what the school can offer.

3. IEP goals should be specific, measurable, and realistic. Keep in mind that there will be many IEPs, and that the core purpose of the document is to list specific educational goals so that throughout the time frame of the quarter, semester, or even school year, measurement of progress may determine how the IEP should evolve. The goals should not be general, like "Mary will improve attendance," but instead, "Mary will reach classroom goals and score at least 75% in accuracy."