“Human exceptionality: School, community and family” by M. Hardman et al.
Exceptionalities and Family
In this chapter, Hardman et al. (2010) study how families can get to deal with people with exceptionalities. In most cases, these children are usually ahead of the rest in terms of learning and understanding things related to their exceptionalities. In this regard, Hardman et al. (2010) recommend that families should create a viable environment rather for the growth of child exceptionality than for discouraging these individuals.
An initiative like meeting a guidance counselor or other professionals may help to create a more comfortable environment for the student as well as open new doors into thinking realms. Studies have it indicate that it can also allow for further understanding of their skills and how they can progress in what they do.
In essence, the teaching process of such students is bound to be more varied as compared to the regular education of other students. In some instances, this may lead to problems with the family members, especially if teaching or learning processes involve special treatment by the others. Hardman et al. (2010) say that families should learn to accommodate such issues and view it positevly.
Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that has been increasing dramatically over the last few decades. Because of this dramatic increase, some see ADHD as a current epidemic. However, the symptoms of the disorder were noticed first in the likes of Heinrich Hoffman in the 19th century.
As for today, ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder in America and other continues. It is exponentially growing affecting millions of people.
Generally speaking, the cause of ADHD is unknown but to discover it, research indicates two areas of study which are biological (including genetics and neuroanatomy) and neuropsychological. Nonetheless, Hardman et al. (2010) opine that ADHD is mostly caused by the lack of opportunities to express oneself in attention-oriented games in the field as was the case in the ancient times.
Hardman and his fellow scholars also look at our overall culture including diet and nutrition; family structure and lifestyle; change in lifestyle of children; modifications in the education system; and childhood abuse and trauma as all the possible factors for increase in the diagnoses of ADHD.
In many ways, ADHD affects the manner in which we socialize, communicate or express ourselves. It is based on these reasons that Hardman et al. (2010) find it responsible for the increased level of learning disabilities across the world. For many reasons, diagnosing ADHD is a complicated process. This is in part due to the fact that the direct cause of ADHD is unknown.
Studies, however, suggest that the best way of diagnosing the disease is through an interview. In this interview, the doctor asked the child or his/her parent about a variety of risk factors related to genetics, birth complications, family relationships, anxiety, and environmental conditions, such as exposure to certain toxins. If detected, it is important that relevant measures are taken immediately. It is only by doing so the learning disabilities caused by ADHD will be reduced.
Emotional/Behavior Disorders
According to Hardman et al. (2010), diagnosing and treating emotional or behavior disorders can be quite tricky based on the fact that the outward symptoms used to identify them are often attributed to other diseases. However, experts in the theoretical and practical studies of behavior, cognitive and emotional theories can easily identify these disorders and recommend great treatments. According to this reason, making periodic checks to doctors, therapists and counselors is often considered important even if one does not actually suffer from any emotional or behavioral disorder.
In this chapter, Hardman et al. (2010), through various reports and arguments, seek to give a comprehensive analysis of these disorders to create an understanding of the behavior of people who suffer from these disorders, highlighting their plights and measures that can be made to help them.
As per the reports in the chapter, Hardman et al. (2010) assert that even though emotional/behavior disorders are common among the youth and adults; small children and old people can also develop these conditions. Depending on the emotional/behavior disorder one has, Hardman et al (2010) recommend to seek help from professionals.
Intellectual and Development Disabilities
In discussing the articulations of Hardman et al (2010) on this chapter, I am reminded of an 18 year old girl whose performance and learning ability was dismal in spite of her hard work in her studies. After an assessment by some doctors, it was suggested that her “low” intellect in class was caused by mistreatment of her guardians at a tender age when she had failed which resulted in trauma. So, every time, she was in class doing her exams, she kept on remembering that bad experience thus not concentrating on the task. As a recommended way of treatment, she sought solace in canvas and brush because she loved drawing.
Her paintings were used as method of emotional ventilation of the bad things, while expressing her appreciation and thankfulness for the good things in her life. Soon, the negative feelings harbored in her head were gone, and she started performing well at school. This is more-or-less similar to the recommendations in this chapter by Hardman et al. (2010) who say that a majority of intellectual and developmental disabilities can be solved by finding ways of revealing emotions or feelings. This way, our conscience sets free from the negative stuff, thus creating room for positive feelings that often encourage productivity and good results.
Communication Disorders
According to Hardman et al. (2010), when and if a student is experiencing communication problems, he or she is not able to articulate ideas or express himself/herself in an effective way. As a result, this robs them of their confidence and, if not sorted out, it can lead to other negative feelings like self-hate, lack of self-worth and worthlessness which, in turn, can result in a myriad of many other problems. When you have discovered that you have communication, try to get to the bottom of the disorder by seeking for professional help. This is because some communication difficulties represent large problems in the neurological system which may need urgent solutions.
If you are a friend to someone with such a disorder, Hardman et al (20100 say that comforting the individual by helping one look past their disorder and focus on one’s strengths can be of great help especially if the communication disorders are a result of solvable issues, such as fear of crowds.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
In essence, autism is a neurological condition that influences people’s communication and mode of expression. In most instances, this ability to communicate and interact with people is hampered by repetitive and restricted behavior. Once this happens, the individual is not able to behave effectively as it is required or expected of them.
As emphasized by Hardman et al. (2010) in this chapter, people suffering from autism need a lot of attention, care, patience and understanding from family members and caregivers since autism poses several challenges.
According to Hardman et al (2010), there has been great progress made by researchers in regard to autism and how both the victims and people around them can handle it. Nonetheless, more researches are still required, especially since the exact causes and modes of treating the condition are still under debate by various scholars and a consensus is yet to be reached.
Severe and Multiple Disabilities
When talking of severe disability, Hardman et al. (2010) simply refer to those disorders which, if not treated, can lead to great health ramifications or even death. On the other hand, multiple disabilities refer to instances when one is suffering from any given combination of disabilities. As a general rule, the more disabilities you have, the more damages they tend to cause, thus increasing the likelihood of worse health consequences. In some instances, multiple disabilities result form one or several disabilities.
If one is suffering from multiple disabilities, the best way to get healing is by treating each disability individually. However, according to Hardman et al. (2010), this should be done under the guidance of doctors or other relevant professionals just in the same way treatment of severe diseases should be done cautiously. The sooner you seek for professional help for severe and multiple disabilities; the better it is for you in terms of getting treated and avoiding eminent consequences like paralysis or even death.
Sensory Impairments: Hearing and Vision Loss
Usually when we talk of senses, reference is normally made to the senses of touch (by the hand), taste (by the mouth), smell (by the nose), sight (by the eyes) and hearing (by the ears).
In most cases, all these senses work side-by-side. It is based on the same principle of working together that most sensory impairments related to hearing and vision loss are usually connected to one another. In such instances, solving one sensory problem usually paves way for the solving of the other.
However, in times when the hearing and vision loss sensory impairments are caused by different things, Hardman et al. (2010) recommend that you seek for help from doctors with specialization in your particular problem, for example, getting an optician to check your eyes and not your ears which is, probably, an earia where he/she knows nothing.
Often, people who have hearing and sight problems are very sensitive to their environment. When teaching such students, it is recommended that the instructor keenly tailors the learning environment to meet the needs and wants of the special needs students.
Physical Disabilities, Health Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injury
In this chapter, Hardman et al. (2010) talk about the above medical conditions that affect humans variably. Physical disabilities include blindness, deafness, or being crippled. On the other hand, health disorders refer to any disorders that are related to one’s health.
Finally, traumatic brain injury refers to a serious injury in the head which, probably, has resulted in some neurological damage. All these conditions are caused and treated differently. The only instance that they can occur together is in a serious accident. If one suffers any or a combination of the above, ensure that he/she seeks for medical help.
“Social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know?” by Thurston et al.
Social and emotional issues for exceptionally intellectually gifted students
In this chapter, Thurston et al. (2010) simply talk of finding a way of tapping into the social and emotional endeavors of exceptional intellectuals in order to make them sharper. As an example, Thurston et al (2010) recommend that learning endeavors can be creatively incorporated in social endeavors such as games.
Since humans are said to be emotional beings, incorporating the learning endeavors into things like games will focus on better understanding and more willingness to participate in the venture. For instance, you can encourage mastery of words through a social and emotionally involving game like scrabble.
Perfectionism in gifted children and adolescents
In this section, several issues are discussed in relation to the ability of gifted children to do extraordinary things. However, Thurston et al. (2010) observe that, despite their gifted nature; these talented individuals are merely human beings like other people. In the bid to encourage good performance and use of their skills, teachers, parents and other opinion leaders should, therefore, not push them much and try to force perfection out of them. As a matter of fact, even the geniuses of this world have their flaws. The efforts to get the best out of the talented students or adolescents should thus be channeled in a balanced and healthy way.
Gifted Children and Depression
Depression is simply a state where a person has low moods and mostly negative thoughts, feelings and behavior. Most people become depressed at times, and gifted children are no exception. In many instances, simple rest or a couple of professionally prescribed medicine can help in reducing depression.
However, there are some gifted children who, due to one reason or another, become intensely depressed.
In severe cases of depression in gifted children, the individuals are unable to perform regular functions, they easily lose concentration and appear unable of sound judgment, especially if the giftedness is reduced. For such people, psychotherapy is highly recommended by Thurston et al. (2010).
While doctors offer instant treatment, the chances are pretty high that the person’s depression will recur in future. However, with psychotherapy, the treatment usually results in the patient having positive thought, attitude, and generally a positive outlook on life.
Patients who have successfully gone through psychotherapy have the highest chances of improving their lives, and the lowest chances of depression to recur. There are other treatment methods, like deep brain stimulation and exercise in the form of yoga. However, they are not as effective as the above two.
Delinquency and Gifted children
In regards to delinquency and gifted children, there are two broad categories (Thurston et al., 2010). In the first group, there are the super-smart and gifted children who are aware of the consequences of ill action. As a result, they shy away from these destructive agendas. However, there is the flip-side which involves those who engage in delinquent activities because of issues like peer pressure or simply because they can do it thus want to feel the thrill of going against the law.
A very common concern for gifted children in the destructive activities is that of school dropout. Once a patern or guardian starts noticing that his/her homework is not prepared, low or failing grades and other delinquent activities, he/she should offer help to a child immediately. This is because waiting can make the situation worse.
As a parent, teacher, relative, brother or even a friend, it may be frustrating at times to understand what is going on in child’s head when his/her behavior abruptly changes. However, creating an open communication forum can hugely assist in solving this. Regular communication with school teachers, parents, and other opinion leaders in the society can also help monitor the activities of a child, thus knowing whether or not some help is required.
Gifted Students Who Are Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual
In this chapter, Thurston et al. (2010) delve deeply into the parenting experience where parents learn that their children (adolescents) are gay or lesbian. The study majorly focuses on exploring parents’ or guardians’ discovery of gay tendencies in their adolescents, the psychosocial effect it has on them, and how they deal with the discoveries as well as its effects.
On the parents’ side, Thurston et al. (2010) note that feelings of shame, loss, guilt, cognitive and emotional dissonance are some of the major forces that have, so far, been reported to regulate the lives of parents in regard to the discovery as they embracethe gay or lesbian lifestyle exhibited by their gifted children
Remarkably, Thurston et al. (2010) state that irrespective of whether they are talented or not, issues, such as gayness, should be handled based on one’s own principles regarding the same.
Racial Identity among Gifted African American Students
According to Thurston et al. (2010), giftedness usually occurs in an individual irrespective whether one is black, white or any other cultural orientation. Essentially, this is the reason people from various parts of the world are talented in various issues. As a matter of fact, Thurston et al. (2010) recommend that there should be a combined effort in the endeavors of gifted people. By doing so, overall efficacy and multicultural learning will take place across the world.
Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities
On special occasions, we find gifted students with learning disabilities. For such, great care should be given to such students. In order to do so, Thurston et al. (2010) say that child’s guardians or parents play a major role in scrutinizing and evaluating his/her learning activities. The Special Education teacher is of key importance among these caregivers. This teacher will be with a child for most parts of the day. She/he will impart knowledge, instill values and motivate, when necessary. It, therefore, goes without saying that this individual should possess genuine qualities that allow him/her to perform his/her duty. Such qualities would include compassion, passion, organization skills, patience as well as intelligence.
Models and strategies for counseling
Here, Thurston et al. (2010) emphasize that endeavors, such as counseling, can greatly help in improving child’s talent and skills. One positive strategy to help improve the exceptionalities in such individuals is by giving extra work or studies that can help sharpen their skills. Also, they can take sessions with their guidance counselors to talk and advise them on best career choices that will suit them most or assist in improving their exceptional skills.
“The child who never grew” by Buck
What would you do if one of your children or a member of the family cannot communicate or socially interact, or if he/she is hyperactive and hardly pays attention to anything? Would you be scared and distance yourself or would you stil be a caring and loving parent, friend, brother or relative to the child? Having such a person in the family is quite challenging. It is based on the difficulty in handling such people that Buck gives several points and important considerations that can help people cope with the difficulties associated with these children. Some of these important issues are summarized below.
To begin with, Buck (1992) states that special needs child means that a child is either mentally or physically challenged, has learning disabilities, behavioral issues or even development disorders. Therefore, when it comes to his/her education and general home care, extra caution has to be taken by a parent/guardian.
The people in charge of caring for special needs children should also be intelligent because, in as much as these children are mentally or physically challenged, it does not mean that just any teacher would manage it. If anything, these teachers and caretakers have twice the workload that his counterpart in General Education has. The caretaker, teacher or guardian should, therefore, not just be knowledgeable in dealing with such children, but he/she should also learn about the best ways of effectively communicating with the special needs children.
Moreover, recent studies indicate that approximately half of all students who are identified with learning disabilities are now educated in the regular education classroom. Although these numbers suggest that the battle is nearly halfway won, there are still 50% of children with disabilities who are currently not included in the regular classroom environment. Since the No Child Left behind Act of 2001 mandated that all the students should master the general education curriculum, participate in standardized assessments, inclusion programs have become greatly adopted across the world. Buck says that giving your child a chance of interacting with others through such programs would also be a great way of encouraging the growth and development of that child.
After everything has been said and done, raising a special needs child comes with something Buck (1992) terms as “the inescapable sorrow”. We, therefore, have to be willing to take the extra step required for these children despite the challenges and difficulties that we may face. As a matter of fact, dealing with special needs children is harder when you take the responsibility for them. The world is full of individuals, groups of people and organizations that are ready to help, if they are asked to.
So, the next time one needs help, Buck (1992) says that all one has to do is just ask. By doing so, a parent/guardian will not only lighten his/her burden by sharing it with the others but also guarantee that his/her child gets to interact with other people; something which is very elemental if the child is to grow and develop healthily as required.
“Refrigerator Mothers” video
Essentially, the “Refrigerator Mothers” video is an emotional and highly-moving presentation of several mothers (parents) and how they get to deal with the discovery that their children were suffering from Autism. Even more importantly, the video gives an insight into the plight of autistic individuals including: how to know whether your child is autistic, the challenges these individuals face and some of the methods that parents or relatives of autistic people can use to ensure that people suffering from thsi condition fruitfully and enjoyably live their lives in spite of the many challenges.
From the video, the following useful information comes up. To begin with, autism is a neurological disorder that can be caused by several issues. Some of the causes include lack of attention for the children during birth, some mental or brain diseases that affect the individual’s neurological system, and some psycho-physical factors, among many other reasons. Before 1970, there was a “misplaced” perception propagated by Bruno Bettelheim that autism was solely caused by lack of attention by parents. This made most of the refrigerator mothers blame themselves greatly; that was something that worsened the situation for the parents as well as the autistic individuals. However, with time, new information and researches came up regarding the causes of autism, thus changing the perception by these parents.
Whenever one suspects that his/her child presents autistic tendencies, it is extremely important to seek for professional help. The sooner it is confirmed whether the suspicions are true or not, the better and easier it will be in dealing with the issue. If a person finds that his/her child, friend or even relative is autistic, it is expected that one somehow feels shocked or even surprised. However, an individual must remember that nobody chooses to be autistic; it just happens. Based on this reason, it is necessary to learn to accept the news as they are.
As was stated by several parents from the video, autistic people are just individuals like us. The only difference is that they express themselves differently, have their own logical way of doing and interpreting different things, and they get to do things differently (sometimes better or worse than we do). So, instead of shunning them away or isolating ourselves from them; we should strive to learn the things they are trying to say, their manner of communication and ways of expression — just in the same way we would do when we meet someone from a different culture.
Undeniably, it is tedious to learn and sometimes get to do repetitive things for/with the autistic children. However, the joy that comes with the feeling that you are doing something caring and loving for someone is worth every effort put into interaction with the autistic people. And just in the same way, as we get to try again and again to achieve our goals, it is advisable to do the same with these individuals. It takes a lot of heart, but giving up is never an option.
Based on studies done by several scholars, there is no treatment for this neurological condition. However, there are some essential issues, protocols and endeavors which, if followed, help in communicating and bettering your relationship with autistic individuals. Often, people with the autism condition tend to suffer from depression — especially if they are scolded or punished for mistakes that they cannot control. In such instances, getting professionally prescribed medicine for depression helps a lot.
The use of reading, visual and hearing aids, like the ones shown at the beginning of the refrigerator mothers video, are also a great way of sustaining communication with the autistic people. It has also been observed that repetition is a great tool for building and sustaining communication with neurological disorders. By routinely repeating certain activities or even expressions, a lot of learning and mastery usually take place.
However, the best option, which was in fact emphatically encouraged by most refrigerator mothers, is treating the autistic individuals with a lot of care, compassion, and love. Often, these individuals go into psychotic breaks that make them destructive, noisy and stubborn. In such instances, parentd should be very understanding and tolerant.
The process of learning from autistic individuals is a lifelong commitment that calls for a lot of dedication and keenness. This is because something you learn from these individuals, even in 10 minutes, is enough to change the entire outfit of communication by making you understand them in a better way. Furthermore, there are different levels of autism, and sometimes, it can go from bad to worse. Being around them will thus enable you to learn and know what to do in such instances. This, however, is not to say that they should be guarded and monitored 24 hours a day since a good number of them are able to survive on their own while engaging in their own endeavors.
Finally, parents and guardians can opt for special schools and centers — especially if they are usually busy at work or do something that does not allow them to give much attention to the autistic individual. However, do not use this an excuse for spending less time with them because love, care and concern mean a lot to these individuals.
Summary of 6 articles
Sachs, D., & Schreuer, N. (2011). Inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education: performance and participation in students’ experiences. Disability studies Quarterly, 31 (2). Web.
In this article, Sachs and Schreuer (2011) observe that there have been significant changes in terms of the curriculum that is provided for students with exceptionalities. The changes widely encompass the change in the environment by which they will receive instruction. Furthermore, they state that there are differing views regarding the full inclusion of students with disabilities with regular or general education classes. There is currently no final consortium when it comes to the best practices in terms of securing the best curriculum for children with special needs. This is essentially the reason Sachs and Schreuer (2011) propose that more research should be done on this issue and a consensus should be arrived upon.
As a wayout, Sachs and Schreuer (2011) recommend that there should be development of programs or provision for students with special needs that enable them to safely interact with other normal students. Through such initiatives, the individuals with exceptionalities will be able to better their communication, forge useful friendships and gain many other skills that are needed to develop not just as students, but also as individuals. This is in contrast to the opinion by most scholars that these individuals should be isolated from the community.
According to these two scholars, such “backward’ opinions as isolation worsen the lives of individuals with exceptionalities instead of helping them and making them better individuals.
Finally, these scholars observe that a good number of recent studies recommended that disadvantaged students, who constantly interact with and are instructed by effective teachers, are slowly able to catch up with their advantaged peers. This is, probably, the reason many learning institutions have made amendments, such as staffing each school with a good number of special education teachers in order to address these disparities. As schools and states aim to improve their academic results, students with disabilities become the center of their focus. In this regard, a critical assessment and consideration of the learning, growth and development of individuals with exceptionalities are to be done appropriately.
Krahe, B., & Altwasser, C. (2006). Changing negative attitudes towards persons with physical disabilities: an experimental intervention. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 16: 59-69.
According to Krahe & Altwasser (2006), many researchers have often attempted to look at the intricacies of individuals with disabilities and exceptionalities. However, most of them have only managed to present theories without details in the necessary practical and workable aspects of focusing on positive change. As it is known to most people, the main purpose of learning an individual is the acquisition of basic skills, values, and attitudes necessary for life through the development of intellectual domains of motor, cognitive, social, communication and adaptive behaviors. However, learners experiencing learning difficulties are faced with a number of challenges acting as impediments in achieving this objective.
As per the studies and reports represented by Krahe & Altwasser (2006), efficiency in the learning process is usually hindered by many reasons — with one of the main reasons being the negative attitude towards individuals with exceptionalities. Wth this dire need in mind, the paper presents some home and classroom-based adaptive measures which can be used by people at home to change the negative attitudes.
As for the state on 2001, it was approximated that in Germany alone, 4.5 million people suffered from various disabilities. If the gap between these people and the rest were to be bridged, the two scholars opine that the government would be expected to directly address the educational needs of each. As an example, they say that direct legislations and policies need to be put in place to transform the negative perceptions.
Also, people who look down on the individuals with exceptionalities should be fittingly punished. By doing so, there will be a reduction in the negative way in which most people view the disabled or individuals with exceptionalities.
Milsom, A. (2006). Creating positive school experiences for students with disabilities. Professional School Counseling Journal, 10 (1), 66-72.
In this article, Milsom (2006) compels education leaders — especially school administrators — to design a system of accountability in which the experiences of special students can be regularly assessed. According to Milsom (2006), most studies indicate that the behavioral attitudes of most students and school personnel tend to be negative. As a result, the overall experience appears to be not very good, thus necessitating the placement of relevant measures to address these experiences
In this regard, Milsom (2006) observes that one of the major concerns for any educational reform is the possibility that schools will employ superficial changes in terms of the content, objectives, and structures of the requirements, instead of implementing an internal change, wherein culture, role behavior, and instruction are properly aligned with legislation. This heightens the need to have provisions for evaluating the impact of the implemented programs — especially those that are directly focused on increasing student achievement.
In addition, the article stipulates that there is need to make sure that the rules, regulations and changes set down in regard to the experiences of the students contribute appropriately to the goal of bridging the gap between special and non-special student groups.
As a matter of fact, evidence compounded from various scholarly quarters indicates that good experiences encourage good performance of individuals in schools or even at work. It is, therefore, important that relevant measures are put in place to ensure students with exceptionalities, as well as the rest, enjoy positive learning or working experiences.
Brown, S.W., Renzulli, J.S., Gubbins, E.J. Siegle, D., Zhang, W. and Chen, C. (2005). Assumptions underlying the identification of gifted and talented students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49 (1), 68-78.
In essence, this article by Brown et al. (2005) seeks to highlight some of the assumptions and misconceptions about gifted and talented students. By doing so, the readers will be able to know the truth about such students and how to deal with them. To begin with, the assumption that all gifted students have gifted parents or all gifted parents have gifted children was ruled out as false. Although a good number of studies have indicated that most gifted students had gifted parents, and vice versa, there are many gifted children who do not have gifted parents, just in the same way, there are talented parents who have ordinary children.
Based on their studies, Brown et al. (2005) establish that being gifted comes as a result of several factors including (but not limited to): the learning environment, genetics of an individual and a myriad of psycho-physical factors. Other factors ,such as the general education curriculum in a place and the ability of teachers or tutors that surround an individual, also contribute greatly to giftedness.
Brown et al. (2005) also remark that whereas it is commendable to require highly qualified teachers and special schools for the talented and exceptional students; doing so is not mandatory. This viewpoint is in contrast to the common assumption or belief that gifted students can only be taught or educated by teachers who are as talented they are.
To further drive the point home, Brown and his fellow scholars report that a good number of talented students have been able to get proper learning and education by simply being taught by ordinary teachers. This revelation is good news to parents of talented students since they can take their children to any good school without worrying about finding special institutions for them. Also, this will help solve the problem of a downward spiral in the number of special needs teachers.
As an important note, the studies by Brown et al. (2005) do not try to discredit the role played by special schools for special students. Instead, the paper merely tries to offer viable alternatives while offering insightful information on the identification, nurturing and promotion of better learning forums for the talented and gifted children.
Selwyn, D. (2007). Highly qualified teachers: NCLB and teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education 58 (2), 124+.
In the article, Selwyn (2007) asserts that teachers play a crucial role in educating special and ordinary students. Based on this reason, Selwyn (2007) states that if efficacy is to be witnessed in the education sector, it is elemental to understand these roles while we intermittently focus on implementing salient measures that can help improve the efficiency of these teachers.
Furthermore, Selwyn (2007) notes that one of the major focus areas of the NCLB Act is the requirement for “highly qualified” teachers. Highly qualified teachers are hired in order to help students get the best education. Generally speaking, a highly qualified teacher is one who has obtained full state certification as a teacher or has passed a state teacher licensing examination. The teacher should also have relevant teaching licenses depending on the country in which he/she works. Moreover, it is advisable for such teachers to have dual certification for both the special education and the core subjects they theach. Such requirement is applicable, regardless if the special educator teaches in a regular classroom, a resource room or any other setting.
Selwyn (2007) stresses that despite the fact the vision of NCLB for special education included the requirement of highly qualified teachers and encouraged the empowerment of parents’ to change their child’s school, there are positive developments for the country’s education system. The implementation of NCLB cannot fit the children with disabilities because it is far easier to have low expectations for such students. Nonetheless, there are many benefits realized by students taught by highly qualified teachers. All schools should thus encourage the employment of such teachers.
Katsiyannis, A., Zhang, D. Ryan, J., & Jones, J. (2007) High-stakes testing and students with disabilities: Challenges and promises. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 18(3), 160.
According to Katsiyannis et al. (2007), when placed full time in mainstream classrooms, students with disabilities — especially beginners — tend to lag behind. Based on this reason, the scholars recommend that in such instances, there is a need for appropriate and individualized instruction to be given in order to achieve absolute success in study by such students
However, the biggest challenge pointed by Katsiyannis et al. (2007) is the negative attitude of most people towards the special students. As a result, most special or disabled individuals choose to alienate themselves from the others. If this is happening for a long period of time, it is bound to have a negative impact on the learning ability of such students since socialization plays a key role in the growth, development and overall learning of the special needs students.
Commendably, there has been an improvement in many countries regarding how people with disabilities are treated. For example, ever since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was implemented in the USA; many states have become more receptive to programs like inclusion of students with special needs in schools. With such noteworthy developments, it is hoped that the future of special needs people will be better.
References
Brown, S.W., Renzulli, J.S., Gubbins, E.J. Siegle, D., Zhang, W. and Chen, C. (2005). Assumptions underlying the identification of gifted and talented students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49(1), 68-78.
Buck, P. S. (1992). The child who never grew. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.
Hardman, M. L., Drew, C. J., & Egan, W. M. (2010). Human exceptionality: School, community and family (10th Ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
Katsiyannis, A., Zhang, D. Ryan, J., & Jones, J. (2007) High-stakes testing and students with disabilities: Challenges and promises. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 18(3), 160-167.
Krahe, B., & Altwasser, C. (2006). Changing negative attitudes towards persons with physical disabilities: an experimental intervention. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 16: 59-69.
Milsom, A. (2006). Creating positive school experiences for students with disabilities. Professional School Counseling Journal, 10(1), 66-72.
Sachs, D., & Schreuer, N. (2011). Inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education: performance and participation in student’s experiences. Disability studies Quaterly, 31(2). Web.
Selwyn, D. (2007). Highly qualified teachers: NCLB and teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education 58(2), 124-137.
Thurston, C. M., Neihart, M., Reis, S., & Robinson, N. (2010). Social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? Washington D.C.: Prufrock Press.