First, school districts around the country are desperate for qualified exceptional children specialists. (A glorified term for special education teachers) Understandably, special education teachers have additional challenges and concerns beyond those of a regular classroom teacher. Teaching physically, mentally, emotionally, and learning disabled students takes a very special educator. However, with the added convenience of special education online courses, the call for special teachers can reach the individuals wanting to enroll in a special education program and make the difference in the lives of exceptional children, who cannot afford to relocate or give up a current job in the interim.

Current teachers may also want to consider enrolling in a special education program. With distance education, teachers can acquire the credits necessary to retain accreditation, while gain a valuable endorsement in special education. For instance, whether a teacher currently teaches at the grade school, middle school, or high school level, all states require teachers to continue learning to earn a certain number of credits in a specific period of time. Therefore, special education online courses can provide the schools with quality special education teachers, and answer the educational requirements for continued certification.

Finally, current exceptional children specialists should always want to learn more, in answer to the growing needs of special students. While a bachelor’s degree is an excellent step in the right direction, many teachers can also strive for graduate degrees. Thus, teachers can even earn a distance doctorate in special education online courses. Colleges understand the need to continue guiding exceptionally challenged children, while furthering personal knowledge and educational goals. Even teachers currently holding a Master’s degree receive a specialized curriculum with special education online courses.

In summary, administrators and students need more exceptionally qualified teachers in the area of special education. In addition, current teachers are considering additional career options by seeking a special education endorsement. Finally, exceptional children specialists are taking the proactive approach and returning for graduate degrees and an increased knowledge base. Whatever the need, special education online course are available to circumvent the difficulties related to continued college education.

Ireland’s secondary schools are driven by an exam-oriented curriculum. Subject area specialists teach all of the curricular content. The supports available to children with special needs are not extensive or as tested as those at primary level. In what follows we will look at the needs and entitlements of children entering secondary school who have identified special education needs and those who are entering and later discovered to have a special education need.

My child has been receiving extra help in primary school. What should I look for in a secondary school?

You should look for a school with a special education teacher in place on a full-time basis to support all children with special needs in the school. It is important to also be sure the school has a commitment to supporting and educating children with special needs. The school should have on its staff teachers who have had some training in how to differentiate their methodology and curriculum for children with special needs. There should be an accepting attitude on the part of all staff. Remember, your child is entitled to enter fully into the life of the school and avail of all it has to offer. How do you find out these things? Talk to the school principal and ask questions about the topics listed above. Remember, your child may be eligible for special consideration at the time of Junior Cert and Leaving Cert but this will have to be determined about a year before these exams will be taken.

What is s/he entitled to?

A child who has been receiving special education resources or support in primary school is eligible for continued support at secondary level so long as they continue to have a special education need. It is possible that a primary school child, after receiving several years of support, could no longer be deemed to have a special education need but this is the exception not the rule.

Your child will be entitled to the same general provision he or she received in primary school. Typically this takes the form of specialist teaching from a Learning Support or Special Education Resource teacher (both are now often being referred to simply as Special Education teachers. This support is to be determined based on need with the number of hours of support being determined by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) drawn up in the last year of primary school. In addition to the IEP there should have been a Transition Plan completed during the last year of primary school The Transition Plan will devise the structure of transition to secondary school and may alter the IEP for a short period of time. If this happens there should be a team meeting in about six months or less to write the secondary school IEP. In general students in secondary school are eligible for the same supports as in primary school. This may include a Special Needs Assistant (SNA).

How do I go about making sure they get that?

Generally speaking your child’s Individual Education Plan is the map which documents exactly what services your child will receive, when he or she will receive them and from whom. The IEP is your best protection against a child not receiving the services they need. IEP’s will eventually become legally binding documents on all parties and a school must provide the services outlined in the IEP. An IEP cannot be changed or implemented without your consent. Remember that upon entering secondary school a Transition Plan may be in place that slightly alters the previous IEP. This will have to be reviewed within a short span of time to be sure the child receives appropriate support services. Don’t be afraid to talk to the school principal because he or she is ultimately responsible to see to it that children receive the services they are entitled to receive.

What are my options if we run into difficulties?

Should problems arise you should first speak to the Year Head and address your concerns. The Special Needs Organiser (SENO) assigned to the school should be alerted as well as the appropriate special education teacher(s). A team meeting, of which you are entitled to be a member, can be convened within a reasonable time frame and your concerns will be discussed. If this meeting does not satisfy you or not result in the child receiving the services you may contact the National Council for Special Education for further information and support.

It is important to take things one step at a time. Speak to your child’s special education teacher first and be clear about your concerns. Be assertive and not aggressive. Remember, generally speaking everyone is doing the best they can. Do have your child’s IEP in front of you when you are speaking to the teacher or other staff member. Be aware of your rights to appeal as outlined in the NCSE and SESS websites. Don’t rush to judgement, try and work things out amicably before you make threats to appeal. The next most important port of call will be the Special Needs Organiser assigned to the school.

Hidden Disabilities

Not all children who have special education needs come to the attention of parents or educators in primary school. The human brain is an organ that tries to meet the demands placed upon it at any given time. As anyone who has gone to school knows, the demands of the curriculum get greater and greater each year of schooling. In secondary school the curriculum subjects become incredibly complex each year. The fact that a student is being educated by many different teachers each year further complicates matters. There are students who have had no difficulty suggestive of a special education need at primary school who suddenly seem to have a lot of difficulties in secondary school. Unfortunately they are often perceived as “lazy” or “unmotivated” and sometimes as “difficult” students.

If these labels stick and no thought or concern raised about a possible learning difficulty being present the student can become trapped in a cycle of failure and rejection by teachers. The result could be early school leaving, behaviour difficulties to hide the learning problem, lowered self-esteem, loss of self-confidence and trouble at home. It is important to recognise that some students, no matter how well they performed in primary school, may have a special education need that doesn’t appear until secondary school.

What are the warning signs?

It is not possible to list the many warning signs of a hidden disability but generally speaking one should be considered any time a student with a previously successfully record in primary school begins to exhibit difficulties in secondary school. There are a variety of causes to school failure at second level but a hidden disability can often be reasonably suspected when one or more of the following difficulties become noticeable:

oMemory problems
oOrganisational difficulties
oRefusal to go to school
oProblems with written language expression
oDifficulty organising thoughts into speech
oInability to recall facts from yesterday’s lesson even if they seemed retained the night before
oUnusual spelling problems
oUnusual difficulty with more advanced mathematical problems
oPronounced difficulty in foreign language class
oBehavioural difficulties not present in primary school
oMood swings or sudden mood changes that last several hours
oReluctance to engage with parents about school difficulties

Although a partial list it is a good guide for parents and teachers to thoughtfully consider the presence of a hidden learning disability.

I think my child may have a problem. Where do I go from here?

First speak with your child’s teachers. Ask for the facts: what does teacher think the problem might be? How often is this occurring? When? Is it serious? Present your own perception to the teacher(s) clearly and succinctly. If you have done some Internet homework on your own be clear about it and raise it as a query needing to be resolved. Try and get some samples from homework you have seen and ask for some samples of the child’s work in class if it is appropriate to do so. Speak to the Year Head and ask him or her to get some information about your concerns from all teachers. See if you can spot a pattern that validates your concern.

If you become more concerned then you have a right to ask for an assessment. Sometimes the special education teacher, with your permission, can perform some individually administered tests to discover if the child is seriously behind in reading or math achievement age. It is possible to discover if there are significant written language deficits in some cases. If this assessment leads to more significant concerns then you should request a psychological assessment. These can be provided free by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) but be mindful that a lengthy waiting list may be in place.

The most important thing is to be persistent and to talk to the right people. Begin with teachers, speak to Year Head, go to Principal if necessary and don’t forget the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). If an assessment is carried out there will be a team meeting to discuss the results and to begin the process of writing an IEP.

In the case of a diagnosis, where do we go from here?

If your child is found to have a special education need an IEP should be written. This is, as stated previously, a road map to your child’s education plan. It should be reviewed annually but can be reviewed more frequently if it is decided to do so. The special education team, often referred to as a multidisciplinary team, will be responsible for writing the IEP. You are a member of that team. Your child is also entitled to be a member of the team and it is particularly important for secondary school students to participate in this stage of planning. This gives them a sense of ownership and control over their educational life.

Be sure that the plan covers all the areas of concern that have been discovered in the assessment process. Plans for children with social and behavioural difficulties that address only academic issues are useless and doomed to fail. Special education planning is a thoughtful and time-consuming process when it is done correctly. Don’t feel rushed into accepting a plan you don’t think will work. Take it away and ask if you can return in a week to revise it with the team. This may not make you the most popular parent in the school but it is responsible parenting.

Possible Panels:

Autism/Asperger’s in Secondary School

There are large numbers of children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder that are having considerable difficulty finding a secondary school to enrol them. The problem revolves around the lack of supports at second level and the lack of teacher training in this speciality area. Unfortunately there is little that can be done if a school refuses to enrol a child on the autistic spectrum. What is needed is the development of resource support. By that I mean resource rooms where these children can get services by a specialist teacher. Availability to the teachers of advanced training. Availability of print and video resources teachers can access to learn more about the spectrum. Along with this there should be a whole-school commitment to inclusion for children on the spectrum so they are not isolated from same-age peers.

The education of children on the spectrum is not that difficult once educators get the knowledge about how to do it and have the proper attitude towards these children and their families. Of course they present us with challenges but the good news is that once we get it reasonably right for them we begin to improve the education of all children. There are considerable challenges in the future to our secondary schools in education these children and it is time to get it right. Those schools which stubbornly refuse to enrol children on the spectrum are in the stone age of education. There is a clear choice for secondary schools in relation to these children: be in the forefront of change and development or be left behind forever. Parents will not forgive or forget. It’s time to get it right once and for all.

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects about 5% of all children and adults. Unlike other special education conditions, children and adolescents with ADHD are frequently blamed for having the condition, perceived as hostile or unmotivated, lazy or cheeky. When ADHD goes untreated it becomes a serious condition affecting self-esteem, motivation, behaviour, self-confidence and relationships with adults and peers. ADHD is a high-stakes condition and it needs to be recognised that students who have it didn’t choose to be the way they are.

ADHD is a condition that is caused by brain chemistry and activity. It is a neurobiological condition. People with ADHD often have difficulty paying attention and concentrating, especially on things that require sustained attention and concentration. The can have problems controlling their emotions and impulses, can rush to finish things or have considerable difficulty waiting their turn. They often ask questions without thinking them through and sometimes make unfortunate comments in front of others.

ADHD is a life-long condition. One never grows out of it but the symptom picture changes over time. Often the impulsivity and high level of activity, if they were initially present, disappear in the teen years. The learning problems associated with ADHD do not go away easily and it is vitally important for them to be addressed in school. As in the case of children on the autistic spectrum, once educators and schools get it correct for children with ADHD they have improved the educational provision of all children.

Understanding is critically important. Adolescents with significant ADHD do not chose to be in trouble with and in conflict with adults. Constant rejection and criticism, constant punishment, and in severe cases expulsion from school is not the answer. Corrective teaching is the answer and appropriate support from specialist teachers is vital.

What Does the Job Entail?

Are you interested in helping others? Can you handle and care for people who learn differently and have other behavioral problems? Do you want to make a difference in a young child’s life? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you might consider a career in special education. Below is a breakdown of the short and long-term responsibilities of a special education teacher.

First and foremost, special education teachers focus on the development and academic needs of children with disabilities. They encourage learning in disabled students by implementing educational modules and behavioral techniques. Special education teachers work alone or with general education teachers to individualize lessons, develop problem-solving techniques and integrate children into group projects with other students. Furthermore, special education teachers are responsible for ensuring that the needs of disabled children are met during assessment periods.

Did you know that special education teachers work with a team of professionals, qualified staff and family in order to fulfill their job requirements? It is true. In fact, special education teachers work in conjunction with these entities to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student. An IEP is designed in collaboration with a child’s parents, school principal, social worker, speech pathologist and general education teacher to ensure effective implementation. An IEP targets a student’s needs and growth areas for maximum response. The specialized goals set by the IEP are woven throughout all aspects of a child’s daily activities. Teachers of special education must monitor a child’s setbacks and progress and report back to parents and administrators. Planned goals and tasks are outlined for family members to refer to while a student is at home as well.

The types of disabilities a special education teacher might encounter are difficult to predict. For one, the qualifications for special education services vary greatly from mild disabilities to extreme cases of mental retardation or autism. Types of disabilities include, but are not limited to, the following: speech impairments, hearing disabilities, emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, brain trauma cases, blindness, deafness and learning disabilities.

Do You Exhibit These Qualities?

Now that you have an idea of the job’s demands, let’s see if you have the right qualities to be a special education teacher.

Recognize the symptoms and needs of special needs students

Patience

Ability to work with one or more parties to achieve short-term and long-term goals

Strong communication skills

Ability to motivate others

Ability to multi-task

Knowledge of the most recent education modules, medical research and behavioral practices
# Creativity

Knowledge of the latest medical technology relevant to special education

Taking the Next Step toward a New Career

Once you have decided to enter the field of special education, you will need to follow several steps. Due to the specialization of the field, special education teachers in all 50 states must receive licensure before employment. Licensures are approved by each state’s board of education, and the requirements for certification differ between states. Nevertheless, the growing shortage of special education teachers has led institutions of higher education to offer more special education degree and certification programs. In fact, special education degrees are offered at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels throughout the nation. Not to mention, the booming field of distance learning has made certification more accessible from any location in the United States.

In many cases, hopeful special education professionals do not meet the requirements of special education licensure due to their prior completion of degree programs outside of the field of education. Therefore, several states have begun to offer alternate forms of certification. The hope of these programs is to attract new special education professionals and fill the growing need for teachers. The chance to positively impact the lives of special needs children is one of the driving motivations and benefits of entering this field.

After several years, some special education teachers look for new opportunities within their field. In the most common situations, special education professionals transfer to administrative or supervisory positions. Others, after receiving a higher degree, become college professors and educate new students in the field of special education. Experienced teachers of special needs students have also moved up to serve as mentors to incoming special education teachers.

As for the future of special education and employment, there are many changes on the horizon. Most significantly, the job market in special education, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is projected to “increase faster than the average of all occupations by 2014.” Due to the new emphasis on education and training in legislature, special education professionals will become even more valued.

Can I Make a Living as a Special Education Teacher?

As mentioned previously, the special education job market is on the rise. In 2004, the BLS reported 441,000 employed special education teachers in the nation. While only 6 percent worked within private schools, over 90 percent were employed by public schools or districts. In rare cases, special education professionals were involved in home or hospital care.

Several factors determine a special education teacher’s financial compensation. Such factors include experience, educational background, area of specialty and geographical location. In May 2004, the BLS reported the following breakdown of median annual earnings of special education teachers:

Preschool, kindergarten and elementary school level: – $43,570

Middle school level: – $44,160

Secondary school level: – $45,700

Special education teachers receive increases in salary through additional involvement in their schools’ educational activities and through coaching school athletic teams. In some districts, being a mentor to a new special education teacher carries additional monetary benefits. However, the most common way to increase earnings is through the completion of a higher degree, which can also make a teacher’s instruction more credible and valuable.

Can a special needs child be home schooled?

Even though there are parents who would respond with a big “yes”, one difficulty children with special needs will face is the necessary time and attention needed to make homeschooling possible. Each state offers resources for parents when educating their special needs children in the public school system. This may or not be the case when desiring to teach your special needs child at home. In the end, it is up to parents to see that their children get what they need to succeed educationally.

There is no argument that every child is entitled to an excellent education. For too long, parents and children have settled for a cookie cutter education, because that was what the public school system offered. Home schooling has changed that perception with the desire to reinstate the individual attention each student needs to succeed. The evidence of the success of home schooling of special needs children is still being revealed.

To begin with, let’s look at attention deficit disorder. It is considered by the school system to be a special need. Children have a hard time concentrating and keeping still. School work that is not challenging enough just increases their level of anxiety. Instead of resorting to medicating the student, this situation can be resolved through home study.

Even though being home schooled doesn’t provide an instant fix for educational problems of the special needs student, it does allow a child with special needs to learn in a more relaxed environment, and at a pace that suits them. If reaching them requires three hours one day and four the next, a home school curriculum can work well with the child. As a result, their grades won’t suffer simply because they can’t keep up in a more traditional classroom setting.

Parents know their children better than anyone. No one else will take the time that is warranted to keep him or her on track with their education. For example, your child may be a visual learner or more inclined to learn with a hands-on approach. In a classroom of thirty students, it is hard to create a lesson that will challenge both the visual learner with those who can read and comprehend more easily. Quite simply, there isn’t enough time to give to each child individually.

With the help of tutors (if needed) and counselors, students with special needs enjoy a fulfilling educational experience at home. No longer do they have to suffer through being picked on or frustration because they “just don’t get it.” The home school environment is conducive to helping them learn the way that feels comfortable to them. And that individual attention is what sets homeschooling apart from the more traditional classroom setting more than anything else.

If you can honestly answer that you have the time and energy to teach your special needs child at home, there is every reason to believe that your child will succeed!

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The first thing to remember is to never belittle them. Any child, not just a special need child living with shame, isolation and anger will experience a negative life. Special need students require special guidance. This guidance will help them to develop personal skills, self-esteem and confidence that will support their success.

The first step is to help them develop self – awareness and self-acceptance. Special needs students often have issues accepting themselves. Thus, we can help them identify their strengths and promote them and identify their limitations and work to overcome them. More often than never, most special needs students have special and amazing ability and talents. Thus, it is important that they accept their weaknesses. If they don’t they will succumb to overall life failures.

Next, special needs students must develop their proactive skills. They need to involve in many different kinds of activities and interact with many different types of people. This will help them build a great self-esteem. It will help them grow to be useful and respected people in society.

Other than that, it is important to help them cope with their emotions. Too often special needs have rage and anger all bottled up. We need to help them cope with their stress and feelings of failure. Once they get to deal and overcome these feelings, they will have a more positive outlook in life. They need to learn to identify negative emotions. Negative emotions are strong and can be a reason to failure.

Perseverance is another important factor that can help special needs students. Setting goals and sticking to them is important. Failing once must not be a reason to quit and give up. Successful people set long-term goals. They need to be flexible and be open to any unexpected outcomes.

Helping special needs students is an important work. Helping them be successful is a satisfying job. Their success is your success. Help them be someone respected and successful one day.

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Nowadays, the need for special education is given priorirty attention, as it should. This is because the number of students who need to undergo special education is growing. And early identification and intervention is the first step in helping these students learn to rise above their situations and succeed in life.

In some countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, it is a must for special education teachers to hold degrees to prove their competency, depth of training and exposure in the field. Although, because of the need, some are teaching with emergency certificates to immediately deal with the needs and requirements of these special kids. To address this issue, popular international schools have made special education courses available online to interested individuals regardless of where they maybe living. Thus, in effect, it speeds up the process of acquiring degrees and training certificates for those who want to teach children with special needs.

Online special education courses work primarily through a set of modules provided by facilitators to educators. Each of the modules highlights categories and sections designed for certain teaching goals or objectives such as: to properly introduce and acquaint the teachers to the nature of special education and their future students, to orient and prepare them to the kind of environment they will be working in, introduction to specialized theories and research; systematic teaching strategies and identifying needs, methods and applications for successful student-teacher learning and more.

Teaching methods and applications can vary depending on the school that you have chosen. There are those that give emphasis on service and assistance, improved effectiveness in handling special students, training performance and application, among others. While there are also those that focus on foundations and methodologies for higher learning, proper management of students, supervised student teaching and individualized teaching methods.

Special Education provides detailed information on Special Education, Special Education Degrees, Online Special Education Courses, Journal Of Special Education and more. Special Education is affiliated with Teacher Education Philosophies.

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Special educators should design presentations to cater to different levels of individual disability. Music, dance, and other art forms are great aids to enhance learning in students with disabilities. Reading, writing, and public speaking can be encouraged by special educators. Well thought out lesson plans will enhance the child’s reasoning ability and reading skills, feelings and response, create a sense of personal fulfillment, encourage language development, promote communication, help to achieve motor control and physical wellness, and cultivate positive attitudes towards the school.

The response of disabled students towards the curriculum depends on the nature of the disability, i.e., physical, emotional or cognitive. A good teacher can encourage each student to participate in the learning experience not only with the assistance of well-adapted materials, but also with proper instructional methods which would be practicable in a disabled individual.

One can find sample lesson plans for special education students in books, articles, and on the Internet; however, these lesson plans are to be modified to suit individuals. A special education teacher can design individual activity sheets for each child in consultation with physical therapists, counselors, doctors, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, and social workers.

Special Education provides detailed information on Special Education, Special Education Degrees, Online Special Education Courses, Journal Of Special Education and more. Special Education is affiliated with Teacher Education Philosophies.

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