Supporting children with special needs can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that they may be facing even greater challenges than we realize. Research suggests that students with disabilities are more likely to feel alienated than their peers. This means that they may feel isolated, misunderstood, and excluded.
It’s on us to make sure we change how these children feel, and we can only do that by cultivating a safe space for them. But an environment like that doesn’t just create itself overnight. It takes some thought, planning, and action to ensure that the special needs children in your class get the most out of their experience.
You’ll need to be patient, empathetic, and, most importantly, never stop being ambitious about what you can achieve. Of Course, none of that will be easy, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Here are some tips you can use in your special education classroom to care for and help your students.
Pursue Advanced Education In The Field
A master’s degree in special education can help you advance your career in one of the most rewarding educational fields. And, in this day and age, you can earn your degree from the comfort of your home. There are several MEd special education programs online that allow you to advance your education while you work.
This doesn’t mean that advancing your education can suddenly change how effective you are in the classroom, but it can help. You don’t have to be an expert to create a good environment for children with special needs, but it sure helps to have the right knowledge to do so. With the right tools and guidance, you can broaden the scope of your knowledge and help your students.
That only scratches the surface of what an advanced degree can help you accomplish. A master’s degree in special education can give you the skills and knowledge you need to qualify for more senior positions in the field. You could work as an advocate, behavior intervention specialist, or educational diagnostician in a rapidly expanding field. You can also pursue a career as a school instructional coordinator, counselor, or principal.
Whatever you do with your master’s degree, you’ll be making a real difference in a highly sought-after and prestigious field.
Be Observant
When an educator takes a step back to observe a child in their care, they can gain a vastly better understanding of the child’s strengths and weaknesses. You can help improve the environment and facilitate learning through observations.
How special needs children react to various sensory elements, how easily they follow directions, how frustrated they become when learning something new, and how communicative they are. All of this information is easily obtained by simply observing. You observe and reflect, document and gather what you’ve learned, proceed to plan and act, and then finally assess the results of the whole process.
Teachers can go a step further and tailor each lesson to a child’s interests or learning style or try out different management strategies in the classroom. Everyone’s special education doesn’t have to be standardized. Children should be given enough time to learn at their own pace and in their own way.
It seems like a lot of work, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll learn that it’s possibly one of the most effective ways you can help your students.
Engage With Their Uniqueness
No two children will react to stimuli in the same way. Every child is different, with their own quirks and gifts that we may not understand at times.
Because these children are so unique, even if you observe common needs and characteristics at any point, teachers still need to understand and respect their individuality and specific needs.
It’s also immensely helpful if you bring parents into the picture. They know their child better than anyone else and can help you understand how you might need to accommodate needs, so try and keep in touch with them.
Taking the time to sit with parents and understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses at the start of the school year could help you navigate more easily throughout the year and, in turn, have a more successful teaching journey.
Be Patient And Encouraging
As a teacher, you shouldn’t frown or become exasperated when students are unable to perform according to your expectations. Keep in mind that they are making every effort to do the best they can. You should praise them for these efforts and whatever progress they may have made in their assignments and activities.
Always try to keep things positive and focused on their effort instead of how “correctly” they do a task.
And most importantly, remember to be flexible. Things won’t always go as you have planned with any child, and that’s especially true with special needs children. Reminding yourself to be patient and having a backup plan in case the children can’t do your first activity will save you the disappointment of not getting it right the first time. For this very reason, you need to be prepared and have a variety of activities planned to keep your students engaged and encouraged.
There’s no doubt that working with special needs children puts the instructor under strain. You also need to recognize this and use your patience, flexibility, and common sense. Burning out will only worsen the outcome for you and your students. You’ll need to learn when to stop, step back, and employ a different approach.
Conclusion
Teaching a child with special needs is a challenge, but with the right tools and strategies, it can be a life-changing experience for both the student and the teacher. Special children tend to perform much better when certain strategies, such as those mentioned above, are used in classrooms.
At the end of the day, it’s up to educators to be vigilant in assisting children with special needs to perform better academically and socially.