PRESENTED BY: AMANDA WROTEN M.ED Overview of Special Education

Presented by: Amanda Wroten M.Ed

Overview of Special Education

Definition

Special education or special needs education is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs.

Structural understanding of general education Implies disability Special education is different from standard education Educational versus medical diagnosis

What to Look for:

Not making the same academic progress as peers

Socially awkward- unaccepted by peersWithdrawnActs out (behaviors)Interacts with environments inappropriatelyOverly emotional

13 Disability Classifications

1. Autism Spectrum Disorders- ASD1. Socially impaired- prefers to be alone2. Repetitive behaviors- rocking, picking at clothing,

repeating phrases3. Communicates either too much or not at all4. DSM-IV changed now follows new guidelines (next

slide)5. http://www.interactingwithautism.com/section/

understanding/voices 6. 11 Myths about ASD (handout)

DSM-V Classification

Why do educators care about medical diagnosis?

Revised Summer 2013

Merged PDD-NOS, Asperger’s Disorder and Autism into one label- Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD

Clinicians now provide a severity index (1-5)

Added Social Communication Disorder For children without RRB’s

2. Deaf- Blind2. Deaf- Blind 5. Hearing Impaired5. Hearing Impaired

3. Blind

4. Emotional Disturbance

depressed unusual reactions to

simple events physical symptoms or

fears related to school

6. Intellectually Disabled Unable to learn

because of cognitive limitations

Unable to perform daily routines necessary to survive (cook, safety, navigate in familiar places)

13 Disabilities Cont.


7. Multiple Disabilities

8. Orthopedic Impairment

9. Other Health Impairment- Which affects learning Diabetes ADD/ADHD Asthma Seizures

10. Specific Learning Disability• Normal or above IQ• Academics are well below the learning

potential• Not a result of socio-economic status• Over half of all disabled students are LD



11. Speech and Language Impairment

Articulation (expressive)

Understanding Language (receptive)

12. Traumatic Brain Injury

13. Vision Impairment

What’s My Disability?

Sam is in first grade. He did not attend school the first year that he was old enough so he has not learned his numbers or letters. He is so active that even sitting in a chair or on a carpet on the floor is a challenge. He communicates verbally but is difficult to understand even for people who know him well. His teacher has seen that he does not seem to remember from one day to the next what he is taught. His family at home does not help him to learn his facts either. The teacher is frustrated as she feels she spends all of her time trying to help Sam, but he is not making any gains.


Sally is in the 4th grade. She is very forgetful and loses everything that she is allowed to take home. During the lessons Sally does not appear as though she is listening. She stares off into space and is not able to answer questions when she is called upon. In one on one settings she does better and can focus. Her academic skills are approximately 2 years delayed as she can read but is not able to gain fluency as the other children. Her teachers believe she is smart but has trouble applying that in a traditional classroom.


Connor is a 3 year old who has not begun speaking. He points and gestures but gets frustrated easily. He has siblings but does not play with them. When his mom tries to give him toys he does not play with them, rather he looks at them as if he is analyzing them. His behavior is getting worse as he gets older. He has been known to bite and pinch his siblings and parents. He cries often and is unable to become soothed. Conner gets very upset when he does not get what he wants, to the point that he cries himself to sleep. Connor’s family is concerned that he will not be ready to enter school in a couple more years.

Creating the written plan that describes the supports and services needed for success

The Individualized Education Plan

Pre-Referral Interventions

Teacher/Computer-based Programs Caution- big market and many “webinars” are actually

sales pitches Wilson Reading

http://www.wilsonlanguage.com/fs_program_wrs.htm Touch Math https://www.touchmath.com

Response to Intervention (RTI) Provides resources to struggling students Addressed reading, math, and writing (core academics) Reduce the number of special education referrals Provides remediation in a timely manner http://www.rti4success.org

The Team Approach

Involve many school personnel and related professionals in the diagnosing/ plan development process

Multiple perspectives Bring a variety of

expertise to the table Commit to finding a

cause for the lack of progress

Participants: Teacher Special Educator Administrator Therapists School Psychologist Parent Advocate/facilitator Physician

Step 1- Referral

Steps: Assessment

Varies based upon the category of disability

Collect data

Baseline data Academic Behavioral

Individualized Education Plans

Step 2- Create a Plan

Describe the student’s Present Levels of Performance

Identify Goals and objectives for the areas of need

Modifications and AccommodationsDirect ServicesIdentify LRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2KF1ZfRip4

Examples of Accommodations and Modifications

Read to the student, repeat directions Eliminate Time Limits Technology

Word processing Voice to text software Augmentative communication Calculator, word processor

Behavior Supports One on one adult support

Direct Interventions Reading/math intervention

Modify work expectations

Individual Education Plans Cont.

Step 3- Track ProgressWhat’s working and what’s not?Progress monitoring (done 4x a year)

Step 4- Make adjustments to the plan Yearly meetings minimal (more if needed)

Case StudyPart 1: CharacteristicsGeneral Information

Case StudyPart 2: Learning Preferences Learning Profile

What are your student’s behavioral strengths and needs?

•Strengths: Knows the rules and follows them to his understanding. Responds well to positive praise.

•Needs: Tantrums are usually a result of sensory stimuli. Recently, he starting taking up lying to avoid getting into trouble, takes extended bathroom breaks.

What are your student’s social strengths and needs?

Strengths: Will work in groups when prompted. Will role play social situations during therapy.

Needs: Verbalizes strong dislike for others, uses annoyed tone of voice when responding to questions, and relies upon prompting for basic greetings. Poor eye contact.

What are your student’s sensory strengths and needs?

•Strengths: Has identified some coping skills for reacting to sensory over-stimulation in therapy, will accept adult prompting during times of escalation

•Needs: Very rarely uses previously identified skills in the heat of the moment when reacting to sensory stimuli, particularly when reacting to his dislike of pig sounds.

What are your student’s academic strengths and needs?

Strengths: Able to memorize, good test taker, fluent with basic facts, grade level skills

Needs: composing original thoughts, abstract ideas, inferencing in literature, using AT in written expression.

Writing a SMART Goal

“Given ______” Describes the task that is being presented. Can include

supports in the description as well.

“Sam will be able to ____” Identifies criterion (4 out of 5 times, 80% accuracy)

Level of prompting Independent, verbal prompting, gesture, hand over

hand, modeling

Example: Given object manipulatives Sam will able to apply 1 to 1

correspondence up to 5 objects 4 out of 5 times with modeling prompting.

Case Study Activity

With a partner write one goal for Sam in each area: Academic:

Social:

Sensory:

Behavioral

7 categories learners fall into to build upon strengths

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Learning Styles- Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

What’s Your Learning Style?

Overview http://

www.loving2learn.com/Goals/Charts/LearningStyles.aspx

Choice Board file://localhost/Users/

amandawroten/Documents/WWG/Learning Styles Choice Board.docx

Take a Learning Style Inventory

file://localhost/Users/amandawroten/Documents/WWG/learningstyleinventory_survey.pdf

Visual Spatial Intelligence

They have the ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies.

Skills:Skills: Career Interests:Career Interests:

puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, interpreting visual images.

navigators, sculptors, visual artists, inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, engineers

Visual Spatial Intelligence

Verbal/ Linguistic Intelligence

They have the ability to use words and language. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers. They think in words rather than pictures.


listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, convincing someone of their point of view, analyzing language usage.

Poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, translator

Verbal/Linguistic Cont.

Logical/ Mathematical

They have the ability to use reason, logic and numbers. These learners think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections between pieces of information. Always curious about the world around them, these learner ask lots of questions and like to do experiments.


problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make local progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations, working with geometric shapes

Scientists, engineers, computer programmers, researchers, accountants, mathematicians

Logical/ Mathematical Cont.

Bodily/ Kinesthetic Intelligence

They have the ability to control body movements and handle objects skillfully. These learners express themselves through movement. They have a good sense of balance and eye-hand co-ordination. (e.g. ball play, balancing beams). Through interacting with the space around them, they are able to remember and process information.

Skills:Skills: Career Interest:Career Interest:

dancing, physical co-ordination, sports, hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, expressing emotions through the body

Athletes, physical education teachers, dancers, actors, firefighters, artisans

Bodily/ Kinesthetic Cont.

Musical. Rhythmic Intelligence

They have the ability to produce and appreciate music. These musically inclined learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They immediately respond to music either appreciating or criticizing what they hear. Many of these learners are extremely sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps)


singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies, understanding the structure and rhythm of music

musician, disc jockey, singer, composer

Musical/ Rhythmic Intelligence Cont.

Interpersonal Intelligence

They have the ability to relate and understand others. These learners try to see things from other people's point of view in order to understand how they think and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions and motivations. They are great organizers, although they sometimes resort to manipulation. Generally they try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage co-operation.


seeing things from other perspectives (dual-perspective), listening, using empathy, understanding other people's moods and feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution, establishing positive relations with other people.

Counselor, salesperson, politician, business person

Interpersonal Intelligence Cont.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

They have the ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's inner state of being. These learners try to understand their inner feelings, dreams, relationships with others, and strengths and weaknesses.


Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others

Researchers, theorists, philosophers

Intrapersonal Intelligence Cont.

An Intervention: Planning for Instruction

Task Analysis and Chaining

Task Analysis

Definition: Breaking down a task

into smaller steps

Example: Brushing Your Teeth

Pick up the tooth brush Wet the brush Take the cap off the tube Put paste on the brush Brush the outside of the

bottom row of teeth Brush the outside of the

top row of teeth Brush the biting surface

of the top row of teeth Brush the biting surface

of the bottom row of teeth

Chaining

Can be done forward or backwards. Add on one step to each mastered task. Can phase in and out prompting levels.

Backward Chaining phases out prompting from the end of the task. It teaches the last skill first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbBj4Tzi9CQ

References

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htmhttp://www.edutopia.org/multiple-

intelligences-learning-styles-quizhttp://special-ism.com/last-is-first-in-

backward-chaining/