#Special needs

“Special education or special needs education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings, and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community than would be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.

Common special needs include challenges with learning, communication challenges, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and developmental disorders. Students with these kinds of special needs are likely to benefit from additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, use of technology, a specifically adapted teaching area, or resource room.

Intellectual giftedness is a difference in learning and can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term "special education" is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students whose special needs reduce their ability to learn independently or in an ordinary classroom, and gifted education is handled separately.

In most developed countries, educators are modifying teaching methods and environments so that the maximum numbers of students are served in general education environments. Special education in developed countries is often regarded less as a "place" and more as "a range of services, available in every school.  Integration can reduce social stigmas and improve academic achievement for many students.

The opposite of special education is general education. General education is the standard curriculum presented with standard teaching methods and without additional supports.”

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/

“Schools are required to provide services and resources to students with special educational needs so that they make progress and participate in school. If the local school is unable to provide appropriately for an individual student, then the student may be transferred to a special school.

Spanish non-governmental organizations like ONCE have traditionally provided significant services to students with disabilities.”

 

At the school Folch i Torres of Esplugues de Llobregat, it is a school where it is possible to find children with educational needs in almost every classroom.

Year 3:

“Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger disorder, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported.”

McPartland J, Klin A (2006). "Asperger's syndrome". Adolesc Med Clin: 771–88

We find to B. he has the syndrome of Asperger. Is a very intelligent child, but in the moment that does not do to itself what he wants, all his aggressiveness transforms it into violence. He doesn’t have to do English, but normally it comes with us because now we are two and one more of teaching practice (Practicum I) in his class, at the time we are 3 adults in class. But during the classes he doesn’t do anything, has a special program, (Pla de treball) but since the teacher took the maternal leave he has not followed, we are waiting on the special education puts in touch with the substitute.

Year 4

“Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder[1] characterized by either significant difficulties of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsiveness or a combination of the two. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), symptoms emerge before seven years of age.There are three subtypes of the disorder which consist of it being predominantly inattentive (ADHD-PI or ADHD-I), predominantely hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI or ADHD-H), or the two combined (ADHD-C). Oftentimes people refer to ADHD-PI as "attention deficit disorder" (ADD), however, the latter has not been officially accepted since the 1994 revision of the DSM. ADHD impacts school-aged children and results in restlessness, acting impulsively, and lack of focus which impairs their ability to learn properly.”

"Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Information Page". National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Institute of Health. September 30, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.

 

We find L. she has ADHD. She can’t stay quiet, all the time in movement and talking. She wants but she can’t and for that she can’t follow the class. She hasn’t got a special program. But all the time we have to say her name.

Year 5

“Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.”

Johnson CP, Myers SM, Council on Children with Disabilities. Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2007;120(5):1183–215. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2361. PMID 17967920. Lay summary: AAP, 2007-10-29.

We find D. he has autism. He doesn’t have to do English, because he has a special program, but equal of B. nowadays we don’t have idea how to do this special program and D. stays with us at class and is really complicated because he all the time is doing noise and asking for something. The other day when they did the oral presentation, I stayed with D. because all the time was screaming, and I decided give some easy exercises like draw a tree, a house, a banana, but was really amazing when he drew his house, and he drew like a plane, amazing.

I can’t imagine when I will leave the school and the specialist alone with 24 pupils plus D. really difficult.

“Down syndrome (DS) or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. Down syndrome is the most common chromosome abnormality in humans. It is typically associated with a delay in cognitive ability (mental retardation, or MR) and physical growth, and a particular set of facial characteristics. The average IQ of young adults with Down syndrome is around 50, compared to children without the condition with an IQ of 100.[1][3] (MR has historically been defined as an IQ below 70.) A large proportion of individuals with Down syndrome have a severe degree of intellectual disability.”

Gordon Grant; Peter Goward; Paul Ramcharan; Malcolm Richardson (1 May 2010). Learning Disability: A Life Cycle Approach to Valuing People. McGraw-Hill International. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-335-21439-6.

 

We find R. she has Down syndrome. He doesn’t have to do English, she has a special program and she doesn’t stay at class. As B. and D. she has a special program that Ignasi, substitute of English has to plan.

You can read also: #the-child-centered-primary

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” Malcolm S. Forbes