Educating a child with special needs is very often a challenging task & not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s because instructors have to give them special care and attention and deal with them cautiously, adopt different teaching methodology, exhibit patience, & help them overcome their deficiencies & difficulties. The teaching has to be therapeutic and different from mainstream education.
Further making the problem intricate is the fact that many special-needs diagnoses are linked, or very similar in symptoms. For instance, ADHD is strongly linked with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and several similar diseases -- but it's not associated with the autism spectrum. Problems can be diverse including slow cognitive development leading to learning disabilities & poor concentration levels and others.
It is undoubtedly a specialized field & undertaking rigorous training is mandatory for the teaching aspirants. An international diploma in special needs education will help them to gain in-depth knowledge and a deeper understanding of handling students with various learning disabilities & other physical & mental disorders. The course will introduce them to various teaching methods & strategies that will help these children make progress & get prepared for the future.
Whom to teach in the classroom?
Special needs educators have to handle students demonstrating physical, developmental & emotional disorders which hinder their academic progress & overall development. In the physical disorder, category teachers have to teach students affected with physical – muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, chronic asthma, epilepsy, etc. In the developmental category comes students suffering from down syndrome, autism, dyslexia, processing disorders. In the behavioral/ emotional category are students having ADHD, bi-polar, oppositional defiance disorder, etc
Instructing them in the classroom is not easy as the approach has to be different. Regular lesson planning & delivery won’t work for these disabled students. Hence, educators have to be creative and think outside the box. They have to exhibit patience throughout the day which can be stressful & tricky.
Classes have to be engaging & grab the attention of the students. Teachers must bifurcate a large group of learners into smaller ones for handling them easily & help them learn effectively. Those who’re willing to teach children with learning disabilities or impairment must go for an international diploma in special needs education in order to become certified. With the course, aspirants can explore various vacancies in schools located both in India & overseas by developing all the skills & knowledge.
How teachers can thrive in this specialized field?
The biggest challenge when it comes to teaching children with learning disabilities is adaptability. Teachers must be flexible as they can never know what may happen in the classroom. Children may show mood swings, changes in temperament, outbursts, meltdowns, and interruptions, and other behavioral inconsistencies. A teacher must manage the classroom well, stick to a routine, and be adaptable as all of these circumstances may arise. Flexibility is important because kids with learning disabilities often require to learn and know how to get accustomed to their environment on the basis of their deficiency. A teacher who exhibits adaptability effectively teaches the child how to do so in various circumstances.
The second challenge that comes in the way of teachers is curating individualized lesson plans & delivering them in such a way that it supports the learning of the kids in the classroom and lays a strong cornerstone for future success. From concise activities to feedback, everything should be comprehensive and suggest ways to improve.
Have you made up your mind in becoming a special needs educator? Enroll in an international diploma in special needs education at IITT & get global exposure. Gear up to work in the best Indian & foreign schools after intense training & gathering knowledge. The course will surely help you become an expert in this domain & become proficient in each & every aspect of teaching.
Laxmon Gope is a freelance website writer. He writes mainly on educational topics and has contributed to the publication of many blogs & articles. Earlier he worked as a senior educator in a reputed school after undertaking an international diploma in special needs education.