Understanding and helping students with special needs within the ESL classroom

Denise Pontbriand Gwenn Gauthier

Translation: Gwenn Gauthier, Julie Proteau and Cindy Stern

Factors that may affect student Factors that may affect student learninglearning

IndividualFactors

School-relatedFactors

Family and Social Factors

A

Pedagogical practices Perceptions and expectations of interveners Classroom management, school structure

or classroom environment Interpersonal relationships or positive

interactions Emulation

School-relatedFactors

verbal

visual

receptive expressive

attention

memory

planning

fine

gross

senses

DifferentiatedDifferentiated interventions…interventions…

Winning conditions.Winning conditions.

Student with behavioural difficulties

Under-reactive behaviour

withdrawn

fearful

depressed

Over-reactive behaviour

hostile

Oppositional defiant

thoughtless

• I can express myself easily but I may use an inappropriate tone of voice.

• I have problems getting organised.

• I may refuse to do a task: refuse to start it, to pursue it or to end it (ext.).

• I lack commitment and perseverance when doing assignments (ext. and int.).

• My comprehension is concrete and literal.

• I have good motor skills.

• I may act in an unpredictable manner.

• I have problems learning from my previous experiences.

• My reactions are linked to my emotions: complaining, crying, getting angry, being sensitive or touchy.

• I may be withdrawn; isolate myself; I need adults to protect me. (int. behaviours).

• I have difficulties relating to others.

• I may defy, argue, be demanding; create a disturbance (ext. behaviours).

• Make sure I am aware of the daily schedule and transitions.

• As a precaution, let me know about any changes to the schedule.

• Have a place in the classroom where I can calm down, decompress or be alone.

• Place my desk strategically in the classroom taking into account the group dynamics.

• Encourage me to check my agenda or work planner.

• Let me know all the material required to do the task at hand.

• Limit the use of certain objects on my desk.

• Establish clear expectations in regards to the work to be done: time, quantity, resources and help.

• Plan activities for me to do when I’ve completed my work.

• Clearly present your expectations: constance, coherence.

• Establish nonverbal cues to remind me to stop engaging in a negative behaviour.

• Intervene discretely.

• Regularly remind me of the clearly defined rules of conduct in the classroom or the school, and enforce the pre-established consequences.

• Teach me the rules to different games.

• Provide me with the means to relax (ex. reading corner, sress ball, listening to music whith headphones, walking).

Student with attention deficit disorder with or

without hyperactivity

• I have an idea, I must share it right away (impulsive)

• I will delay responding because I am distracted.

• I have good ideas, I’m funny and imaginitive.

• I make careless mistakes and I forget even when I apply myself.

• I have a poor sense of time and space: I’m all over the place, I have trouble finishing what I start.

• I am distracted by noise, and even by my own thoughts.

• I squirm, I talk, I need to burn energy.

• My emotions can get the better of me so I may become unusually upset or spontaneously say whatever is in my head.

• I have problems integrating different social activities.

• Use visual cues to setup a classroom routine.

• Tell me how much time I have to do my work.

• Separate a task into manageable chunks.

• Encourage me to show what I have done.• Warn me when there are 5 minutes left till the end of the class.

• Encourage the habit of using an agenda to plan the week (cycles 2 and 3)

• Place my desk far from busy or noisy places such as doors, windows, classroom sharpener.

• Allow for movement in between important tasks (time for moving, stretching)

• Assign tasks, such as erasing the board, distributing papers, opening windows, messenger

• Offer digital music player or CD player to do individual tasks.

• Limit the number of objects hanging from the ceiling which constantly move.

• Place all necessary material on my desk.

• Remove objects that are not relevant to the task.

• Make sure you have my attention before giving short and clear instructions.

• Ask me to rephrase the instructions in my own words in order to verify my comprehension.

• Display pictograms on the wall or on my desk to help me visualise instructions (stop, look, listen)

• Assign me teammates that can serve as models.

• Use non-verbal cues that we have agreed upon: standing near me, hand on my shoulder, point to photo of object on my desk

• Emphasise important elements

• Alternate periods of intense work and tasks that allow for movement and reenergising

• Allow me to:

drink from a bottle of water in between two tasks

chew gum

fiddle with an anti-stress ball

• Recognise that I may need time in order to participate in the process of conflict resolution

• Guide me towards a peer that could help me with an activity or task

• Play soft music during certain activities

Student withdysphasia

It’s a language disorder for which the following aspects:

Receptive understanding the “oral” message

Expressive production and organisation of the oral message

… are affected

• I often demonstrate a strong need to communicate.

• Understanding the meaning of words or sentences is difficult.

• I express myself with difficulty: sounds, words, sentences, ideas.

• Planning, organising, and orienting myself in space and time can be challenging.

• I have an acute sense of observation.

• Generally I am aware of my difficulties.

• I have a certain lack in fine and gross motor skills.

• I tire quickly during a task or during explanations.

• When I do not understand, I have a hard time controling my emotions.

• I want to socialise.

• I have a hard time perceiving, understanding and resolving certain social situations.

• Present the “Menu of the day”.

• Specify the time allotted for an activity (ex: Fun Tac on the clock).

• Inform ahead of time when there will be changes in the schedule.

• Plan for pauses during longer tasks.

• Allow for necessary time to express my message.

• Place yourself in front of me at my level when communicating with me.

• Diminish sources of noise (a corner with screens, individual pencil sharpeners)

• Provide me with visual aids to help my understanding.

• Place all necessary material on my desk.

• Remove objects that are not relevant to the task.

• Use gestures when giving explanations.

• Give short instructions at a slow pace.

• Repeat activities so that I may understand, memorise, use and integrate them.

• Repeat words that I have incorrectly pronounced without asking me to repeat them.

• Ask me to say the steps and strategies “out loud” when carrying out a task.

• Help me settle conflicts in an appropriate way.

• Explain the social language of my age group, such as expressions and jokes.

dyslexiaDys : difficulty

Lexia : use of words

Trouble with reading and writing

No code

Normal intelligence

dysphasiaDys : difficulty

Phasia : speech, language

Language disorder

Code 34

Normal intelligence but reveal weakness: language is impediment

Student with pervasive

developmental disorders (PDD)

• I don’t understand the need to communicate.

• My understanding is concrete and literal.

• I use stereotypic language.

• I want to communicate to satisfy my needs.

• I have problems processins and filtering information.

• I have problems planning and getting organized.

• I have a photographic memory.

• I have enhanced perceptual discrimination.

• I am hypersensitive or hyposensitive to certain evironmental stimuli.

• I lack certain fine and gross motor skills.

• I have limited interests.

• I process information from my point of view only.

• I have few facial expressions.

• I am often stressed.

• I have no reciprocal skills.

• I am very predictable.

• I like routine.

• Set up a daily routine with visual support.

• Give me my own schedule with pictures, words or meaningful photographs.

• Announce changes to the schedule to help me deal with the unscheduled.

• Use an audio cue or visual reference so I can know the timeframe of the work that needs to be done.

• Give me a reasonable delay to react to a request.

• Allow me to take brief breaks during the task to maintain my availability.

Time-Timer

• Assign me a strategically placed permanent seat in the class-away from windows and traffic. I prefer to be near a wall or a bookshelf.

• Offer me a place where I can withdraw to when I become overstimulated (quiet corner).

• Give me enough space so I can move without any mishaps.

• Let me use the tools that work best for me.

• Help to minimize stimuli (ex. CD player, tennis balls on chairs, headphones)

• Give me tangible

reinforcement.

• Chunk the task into smaller parts intersperced with activites that interest me.

• Divide the task by illustrating or writing the different steps.

• Give me a checklist and encourage me to check off what has been completed as soon as it’s done.

• Closed questions or multiple choice work better for me.

• Use short, precise and familiar sentences that I can manage.

• Let’s agree on a non verbal cue to get my attention or to encourage me to get back to work.

• Look at what I am doing rater than trying to get my attention.

• Give me one instruction at a time.

• Stop between instructions to monitor my comprehension.

• Help me get into rank by asking me to leave an arm’s length distance between me and the other student.

• Provide me with means to relax (quiet corner, reading corner, anti-stress ball, listen to music with headphones, walk).

Student with mild handicap

• I want to communicate with others.

• I have a limited vocabulary that I use in many situations.

• I have trouble initiating and maintaining a conversation.

• I don’t understand play on words (puns) or sentences that are too long.

• I am a slow learner.

• I have cognitive delays or arrested development.

• I have trouble memorising, retaining and producing information.

• It’s difficult for me to use new knowledge in a different context from the one I learned it.

• I have little knowledge and they are poorly organized.

• My movements may lack finesse and precision.

• I may have problems with balance, dexterity or coordination.

• I may have sensory dysfunction.

• I have problems putting a name to and repeating what I feel.

• I am convinced I can’t do a task before I even begin it.

• I am aware that I am different and my self-esteem is affected by this.

• I can contemplate my future, but I need help in developing a realistic life scenario.

• I want to make friends and keep them but I don’t know how.

• I don’t deal well with delays which causes problems with others. I seek instant gratification.

• Give me one instruction at a time and wait a few seconds for my response.

• Let me know when the task starts and ends.

• Let me know in advance how much time I have to do the task.

• Chunk the task into multiple sequences.

• Give me short breaks during the task.

• Eliminate or control stimuli that can distract me.

• Personalize certain visual references and make them accessible to my space.

• Place my desk near an adult or a peer that can help me.

• Use ICTs and visual support.

• Adapt material to match my abilities

• Provide me with concrete material to facilitate understanding and to encourage the learning of new concepts.

• Chunk tasks.

• Favour an approach that lets me SEE, TOUCH, and DO.

• Give me a reasonable challenge. (modify the task).

• Adapt the requirements of written tasks so my fine motor skills can manage.

• Suggest tasks based on my interests, my prior knowledge, that are relevant to me.

• Monitor my understanding by asking precise questions or by restating differently.

• Use signal words: Attention! Ready! Look.

• Encourage my efforts as well as my successes.

• Use concrete language, short sentences and speak slowly.

• Clearly explain the requirements of the task and the different steps needed to do it.

1- First, you….

2- Then, you….

• Help me to become aware that I have strategies that can help me do the task..

• Help me make links to a similar task I have done-whether successfully or not- and ask me to explain how I did the task.

• Establish a link. Be interested in the other for what he is.

• Display ROUTINES and daily SCHEDULES.

Some basic ingredientsSome basic ingredients

• Set up CLEAR and SIMPLE RULES.

• Give regular REINFORCEMENT.

• Use VISUALS.

Photos Drawings Pictograms Words

Some sources

REFERENCE: At Risk Students and Students with Special Needs http://aenq.org/fileadmin/FSE/syndicats/z77/Stock/English/Documents/Various/ReferenceSp-Ed.pdf

http://www.success4teachers.com/index.html Gagné, P.-P.,Pour apprendre à mieux penser, La Chenelière,

Montréal, 1999, ISBN 2-89461-261-3 MELS: Learning difficulties, Reference framework for

intervention MELS: Organisation of Educational Services for At-Risk

Students and Students with Handicaps, social Maladjustments or Learning Difficulties