Special Education – April 8, 2014 Concordia University
PL 94-142
Passed in 1975-originally named Education of all Handicapped Children Act
Now called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
Under IDEA, schools must offer FAPE (Free and Appropriate Education) to all children with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
13 Disabilities Under IDEA
*Other Health Impaired (OHI)
*Speech/Language Impairment (SLI)
*Developmental Delay (DD
*Emotional and Behavior Disorder (EBD)
*Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
*Autism
*Visual Impairment (VI) *Hearing Impaired (HI) *Deaf-Blind
*Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) *Mental Handicap (MH) *Multiple Handicaps (MH)
*Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
- A different teacher
- A different set of expectations
- Changing expectations
- Noise
- Anxiety of something different
- Different activity–possibly not preferred
Lack of engagement
Rigid responses from teachers
Lack of relationship with a teacher
Little or no motivation to go to or stay in class
Punitive responses to behavior
Challenges
Implications for Inclusion
All children have the right to come to specials and should be viewed as learners
All students, regardless of disability, could potentially be in your class
Ethical and legal requirements to make appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities
Fair vs.Equal
Accommodations for a variety of disabilities
What can you expect?
A diverse group of students
Think about cultural profiency
A variety of behaviors
The need to individualize some activities to make some student successful
ADHD, Autism, Behavior Disorders, Depression, Anxiety (and many more)-prevalent in schools across ages
De-escalation: a way to calm kids down and not make them more upset
Humor, distraction, time, choices, breaks, physical break, drink, errand, change the context
What can you do?
Build positive relationships with students
Create opportunities for ALL students to be engaged
Be preventative when thinking about potential behavior problems
Set explicit, positive expectations (PBIS)
Hold all kids accountable to your set expectations
Requires established trust and respect
Reinforce appropriate behavior (avoid punishment)
Building Positive Relationships
Effective strategy for all students
Good relationships make positive class climate
Kids put forth more effort when there is a relationship
Allow kids to share their experiences
Attempt to understand what makes each student unique ! Work to develop connections with students
Have a positive attitude
Relationships (Cont.)
Be genuine/authentic with kids
Demonstrate care, compassion, empathy
Constructively correct/redirect students
Relationships provide safety and security for students
Treat students with respect (and you will then get respect)
Reduce/prevent frustrations/stress
! Benefits
Strategies
Use inclusive teaching strategies and activities
Active learning
Technology
Teach to all modes of learning
Empower students to take control of their learning
Make content relevant
Have FUN
Engagement
Increases attention and focus Decrease behavior problems Increased student learning
Preventative Strategies
Be Prepared
Use Positive Approaches
Anticipate Problem Behavior
Catch Problems Early
Correct Problem Behavior Appropriately (See Handout)
Effective Interventions from the Adult and Adult Behaviors that Can Escalate a Crisis
PBIS – Positive Behavior Intervention Support
Research based practice for increasing positive behavior
School wide program
Elements can easily be implemented in a classroom Preventative vs. Reactive
Teach and reinforce appropriate behaviors
Bad Social Skills Are Not An Opportunity To Punish But An Opportunity To Teach (Maag 2012)
NECESSITY
Be reasonable
Expectations – Keep them short, explicit and positive
“Raise hand to talk” rather than “Don’t blurt out”
Reward appropriate behavior and those students following the expectations
Must teach and reinforce
Classroom Routines
NECESSITY
If you want them to do it, teach it!
Higher structure=higher success
Front end work pays off all year!
Continue to review, re-teach, and reinforce all year
Use visuals
4:1 Positive/ Negative Ratio and Behavior
Specific Praise
“Good job” vs. “Sally, I like how you are sitting quietly.”
Reinforcement Ideas
Point systems
Sticker charts
Chart moves (connect the dots)
Games (ex. Bingo)
Items in a jar/container
Tickets
