Term Paper on "Significant Connections for Families of an Intellectually Disabled Child"

Term Paper 3 pages (1159 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

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… READ MORE

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