Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 16

This chapter talked about teaching students with visual and hearing impairments.  There are so many things that are available for students with hearing and visual impairments that were not available a couple of decades ago.  Now the laws require schools to provide the necessary equipment for students that have disabilities.  Though it may be had on some school systems to provide such equipment, it was a monumental for those who suffer with disabilities.  Now these students have a better opportunity for a more successful education experience.  Teachers can use this equipment to have recorded lesson for the hearing impaired, and teachers can also gain access to materials that aid the visual impaired.  These students may also require special services to help them in areas of difficulty.

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 14 & 15

Chapter 14 talks about Autism.  I did not realize how important it is to initialize skill building techniques that will build on there future work skills.  In the chapter, it stated that if you wait to focus on working skills until high school years, then it would be too late to build the skills needed for an autistic child to be successful in the working world.  Before reading this chapter I honestly felt that a child with autism may be better served in a special education classroom, but know I see how important social interaction is in the development of an autistic child.
Chapter 15 discusses physical and health impairments.   Children with congenital health issues, or health issues that occur later in childhood years can be very successful students.  The main issue with these students is having an issue that will take them out of class for an extended period of time.  If a student has missed school a lot, then they may require additional help or a home bound teacher.  Some students fall so far behind that they eventually require special education services to give them the extra attention in specific areas.

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 12 & 13

Chapter 12 speaks about students with behavioral issues.  There are some students that need a psychological evaluation, and because of reluctant or unaware parents, the students have behavioral issues that hinder their ability to work successfully in a classroom. There are also students that have emotional issues, and they are acting out as a cry for help, but they are labeled as a trouble maker.  If these issues are addressed early, there is no reason why a student should not be successful. 
Chapter 13 speaks about children with communication disorders.  A good indicator for a parent that a child may be having difficulty hearing is late speaking and the sound of their speech.  I know of a woman that would not take her 2 year old to a specialist for his delayed speech.  Finally, her sister made her sign a permission for treatment form, and she took the boy to a specialist at Children's hospital.  The boy had extensive scaring in his ears due to repeated ear infections.  He has lost some of his hearing, and has some speech difficulty.  He is now 17, and he started school at 3 to work on his speech.  Attending school early helped him with is hearing loss, but it may have not been as bad if he had gotten medical attention earlier.

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 10 & 11

After reading these chapters, I can recall students from the class that I am in now, and I can see that they fall into a few of these categories.  I think that the hard thing to do would be determining that a student does have a disability.  A teacher may think that they are lazy, tired, or just does not care about school, and the whole time they may just have a disability that keeps them from understand a certain area of study.  This worries me.  I have seen teachers get irritated at a student and just verbally tear them apart.  But, if they do not understand why they do not know how to do the work, how is yelling at them going to help?  I know that there are two proper ways to address a student that has fallen behind due to a learning disability.  There is the remediation and the compensation approach, but would the compensation approach still leave valuable information unlearned?

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 7

In this chapter, they talk about how many students with disabilities are shunned by their teachers, as well as their peers.  Many teachers often set the example on how other students will treat students with disabilities.  I also read where simulations do not always help students to understand disabilities that others face.  It is important to welcome these students into the classroom, and it is also important to treat them as an equal to the other students by not drawing attention to their disability.  If a a student with a disability has the opportunity to feel equal to the other students, their potential for learning will expand.

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 6

This chapter really touched me, because I have dealt with foster children that display behavioral problems.  As a teacher, one must realize that acting out is not always just a students behaving badly for attention.  There are times when deeper issues are what drives the student to seek attention.  Some may be physically or emotionally abused at home, or may carry an even darker issue that stems from sexual abuse.  Some of these students are from troubled homes, and there the only babysitter is a television full of violence that teaches them the rude and disruptive behavior. This is why it is important for teachers to be upfront with the students, and let them know that outbursts and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.  Then if there seems to be additional issues that need to be addressed, then the teacher needs to seek the proper help for the child, and report abuse if it is evident.  A teacher can also teach a student compassion, and school may be the only place where they receive it.

Teaching Students with Special Needs Chapter 9

In this chapter, they talk about the advantages and disadvantages of technologies in the classroom.  I know that when I was a student, we were not allowed to use calculators, and we did not have assess to computers in the 80's.  What I have read has really made me better understand how far we have come with technology use in the classroom.  I believe that it is a wonderful thing to use technology to help students with disabilities and special needs.  This levels the playing field for them somewhat, and it also gives them the ability to go at a pace that is on their level.  I also agree with the book where it stated that the key thing in classroom technology use is the use of the appropriate programs.  There are so many programs available that are classified as educational, but it is very important to research them before implementing them into the classroom.  I never thought of that, but I see the importance of finding the appropriate technology to use.