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TOPIC .0: ATeaching Students With Disabilities@

Lesson Element .1: ASpecial Education@

Teachers May Be Working in Mainstream Classes With Children That Have Disabilities.

These disabilities may or may not have been identified to the teacher.

These disabilities can include speech and language impairments, ADHD, asthma, and a variety of other considerations.

There Is a Host of Federal and State Regulations Concerning Education for the Disabled.

Based on federal legislation, Special Education (SPED), is designed to help the student who needs extra help to receive an individualized education so the child can succeed in the classroom environment.

At both federal and state level, many regulation are aimed at helping these students.

These regulations include:
Federal: Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) and the 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

These Regulations Require Lots of Paperwork and Deadlines for the Teachers and the Schools, and Failure to Comply Can Result in Loss of Funding.

However, the school is the entity that is help liable for the child.

To help identify children with disabilities, the Commonwealth of Virginia has 15 categories or handicapping conditions that provide criteria for SPED services.

School districts then decide which of these they want to recognize and work with.

A Major Problem Is That the Identified Criteria for Disabilities Often Do Not Fit Many Children with Learning or Behavior Problems.

Currently, about 10% of the total school students are identified as having a disability are receive aid in school.

In reality, the percentage of the population with some form of disability is estimated to be around 30%.

Another problem is that parents have the option of moving their child if they feel that their child=s needs are not being met.

When a parent moves a child to a new school they have the option of removing information from the child=s record and they don=t have to let the school know that the child has a problem.
This results in the teacher getting children who, as far as the teacher and the school knows, doesn=t have a problem.

Another difficulty lays in the fact that if the parents of a special needs child doesn=t feel that their child=s needs are being met, then they can sue the school using due process procedures.

Schools hate lawsuits and often times will bend over backwards to help the parents out and avoid a lawsuit.

Identifying and Helping Special Needs Children.

If you feel that one of your students has a learning or behavior problem, there is a process to follow for helping the student.

The first step is to keep a paper trail. Keep track of the items that have happened that make you believe the student has a disability.

Once you have the history of the child, make a referral.
With the parent=s permission, this will result in a screening by a special education team which takes an in-depth look at the student.
This may result in a psychological and medical evaluation.
This is not a quick process, it normally takes 3 months.

If you talk with the child=s parents, remember that you are not allowed to say that their child has some disorder. That is beyond the scope of your expertise as a teacher.

Instead, concentrate on the behaviors and say something like,@ I see this and this, and these behaviors are interfering with Tommy=s learning. You may want to take him to a physician to clarify his needs.@

Lesson Element .2: AAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder@

ADHD Is a Quickly Growing Problem in the United States.

3.5 million people were diagnosed with ADHD in the last year alone.

The problem is not that these people are being diagnosed with ADHD, but lays in the method of how we treat the problem.

Ritalin is being over-prescribed as the only treatment for the problem.

In 1993, 6 million prescriptions were written for Ritalin.
In 1995, 11 million prescriptions were written.

The number of prescriptions almost doubled in two years.

Ritalin does help children and adults focus their attention. However, it is not the end all cure for the problem.

Ritalin should be a part of a multi-modal treatment.

The treatment should include accommodations in the classroom or job environment, behavior and stress management, stress reduction, and building self-esteem.

The exact cause of ADHD has yet to be determined. However, some doctors believe that it may be environmentally based.

Testing for ADHD.

Most doctors do exhaustive examinations to determine whether the child fits within the definition.

However, the only way to be sure is by using a MRI, a PET scan, or a CAT scan.

A MRI for a normal child will have lots of yellow and orange regions represented in the brain.
A MRI for a child with ADHD will have lots of blue regions. This is because there is a lessened amount of neurotransmitters. Ritalin helps to restore the balance of the neurotransmitters.

Treating ADHD With Medications.

Ritalin has been around for 30-40 years and has been used as a panacea for numerous disorders.

Its two biggest advantages in comparison to other medicines are:

It has minimal side effects.

The biggest side effect is a decrease in appetite
This can cause problems if the child is supposed to take the medicine around meal times.

It does not bioaccumulate in the body.

Ritalin takes about 45 minutes to act and lasts for about 3.5 hours.

There are other medicines available if Ritalin is not effective or causes problems.

Pyschostimulants:

Ritalin is a member of this catergory.
Cylert is another medicine. It has lots of side effects on the organs of the body.
Dexedrine is harsher than Ritalin, but is still including in this category.
Clonadine is often used to control more aggressive behaviors.

Antidepressants:

These can help decrease the side effects of Ritalin and help with other behaviors.
Imipramine and Anafranil are two examples commonly prescribed for ADHD.

Teaching Children with Adhd.

Teaching ADHD students requires a shift of attitude by the teacher.

The student with ADHD often doesn=t know why he/she is disobedient and in fact, can=t physiologically control his/her behavior.

Teachers do not sometimes realize this, and take it personally or respond with anger, which then pushes to student to experience more failure.

Another problem in the schools is the method of dispensing the medications.

Commonly, this is done by the office staff, and the medicine is not locked up or the medicating is not properly supervised.
This leads to the possibility of huge lawsuits.
There is a documented instance where one child took another child=s medicine and had an allergic reaction. Although the child was okay, and the school wasn=t sued, the potential for disaster is present.

The children should be educated about what they are taking, and why they are taking it.

This gives them a sense of empowerment for their own lives.