Autistic Child in School
A therapist works with an autistic boy in a public school. Autism severely impairs a child's ability to learn, communicate, and interact with others. Behavior modification and other forms of treatment offered in special education programs can improve the language and social skills of children with autism.
Will and Deni McIntyre/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Mental retardation is a form of developmental disability characterized primarily by an intelligence quotient (IQ) that is significantly below average. Other developmental disabilities include cerebral palsy, dyslexia, and certain learning disorders. An education program for a student with mental retardation varies depending on the student’s level of disability. Instruction may center on developing communication, socialization, or daily living skills. Many students with retardation receive services in regular classes in their local schools. Others with more profound levels of retardation may attend classes in specialized schools or hospital facilities designed for students with special needs.
Several different instructional techniques are used for students who have problems learning, remembering, and communicating information. Among these techniques is Direct Instruction, a method based on a systematic curriculum design and highly structured, fast-paced lessons in which students participate actively and often. Another method is known as learning strategies instruction, which is designed to teach a student specific learning skills, such as strategies to enhance memorization or problem-solving skills. Teachers may also help students to work around individual learning disorders. For example, teachers may allow a student with memory problems to use a tape recorder to dictate notes and record class lectures.
Gifted children are often moved through the regular school curriculum at a faster pace than their peers. Some children with exceptionally high ability in a particular subject area may be allowed to reduce the time they spend in their other subjects to permit more time to focus on challenging content in their specialty. A high school student who is particularly gifted in math, for example, may attend advanced math classes at a local college rather than music classes at the high school. Some gifted students may also skip grades or they may enter kindergarten, high school, or college at an early age.
Instructors teach social skills to help all students demonstrate the behavior needed to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with peers and others. When students with disabilities have problems with behavior, special educators often use principles of instruction known as applied behavior analysis, which analyzes and alters the sources or consequences of problem behavior. Behavior analysis consists of defining and analyzing the specific task to be learned, direct and frequent measurement of student performance, and providing systematic feedback to the student. Behavior modification techniques help students to deal with anger and other emotions, to solve problems better, and to manage their own behavior.
Instructors teach social skills to help all students demonstrate the behavior needed to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with peers and others. When students with disabilities have problems with behavior, special educators often use principles of instruction known as applied behavior analysis, which analyzes and alters the sources or consequences of problem behavior. Behavior analysis consists of defining and analyzing the specific task to be learned, direct and frequent measurement of student performance, and providing systematic feedback to the student. Behavior modification techniques help students to deal with anger and other emotions, to solve problems better, and to manage their own behavior.
Special Education, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of disabled or gifted children. Disabled children have conditions that adversely affect their progress in conventional education programs. Gifted children, who demonstrate high capacity in intellectual, creative, or artistic areas, may also fare poorly in regular education programs. Special education services can help both disabled and gifted children make progress in education programs. Most children served by special education programs are between the ages of 6 and 17.
The most frequently reported disabilities are speech or language impairments; mental retardation and other developmental disorders; serious emotional disturbance; and specific learning disorders, such as memory disorders. Other disabilities include hearing, visual, or orthopedic impairments; autism; and traumatic brain injury. An increasing number of children in the United States are identified as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and receive special education services.
Special education services make use of an extraordinary array of instructional methods and settings that make it possible for all students to learn. Special educators plan and evaluate instruction in an individualized manner to accommodate each child’s unique strengths and weaknesses. In planning instruction, teachers often use methods known as ecological assessments to consider environmental factors that influence learning, such as school, home, and community environments. Many students with disabilities receive instruction in traditional subjects, such as reading, writing, language, and math. To evaluate a student’s progress, teachers often rely on a method known as curriculum based assessment, which monitors progress within the student’s own curriculum rather than against the educational programs for other students.
Specific fields of special education address the needs of students with specific disabilities. These disabilities include (1) behavior disorders, (2) learning disorders, (3) mental retardation, (4) physical disabilities, (5) vision impairments, and (6) hearing problems. Special education also includes the field of education for gifted students.