SPECIAL EDUCATION: TEACHING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

A level 300 production by Kofi Appiah 

Special education is a learning path designed for students with unique needs, learning disabilities or physical and mental challenges. The goal of special education is to plan teaching lessons for a specific child. In addition, to support inclusive classroom learning and the use of specialized tools to help special children with their sensory, physical and cognitive differences ..

          Autistic children on break after             spending time in the classroom

Behind every special child ‘s educational career is a special education teacher .Special education teachers are trained professionals who adapt lesson plans and teaching methods to meet the needs of students with disabilities. A 2024 study titled “I Never Feel Like I Am Prepared Enough”: Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Challenges and Experiences Teaching Students with Disabilities explored the experiences of teachers working with learners with disabilities as well as the challenges they encounter.

       Special education teachers at the     hope setters autism centre  

The study concluded that continuous teacher training, increased resources, and stronger institutional support are essential for improving the quality of education for children with special needs. Dysgraphia is a learning disability that impairs writing ability. It affects a child’s ability to write, trouble spelling and difficulty forming letters or spacing words. A study by Berninger and Richards (2015) examined the challenges teachers face when educating children with dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects handwriting, spelling, and written expression.

 The study found that students with dysgraphia often struggle to organize their thoughts in writing, write legibly, and complete written tasks within the required time. As a result, teachers must provide individualized instruction, additional practice, and appropriate classroom accommodations. The researchers emphasized that many teachers require further training to identify dysgraphia early and to use effective teaching strategies, such as multisensory instruction, assistive technology, and structured writing exercises

     Some children with Dysgraphia out of     their classroom 

Miss Anne Marie, is a special education teacher at the hope setters autism center , a non governmental organizations that educate, trains and care for special children. She is a mental health officer educating children with disabilities focusing on Dysgraphia. She provides  academic literacy and also check for behavioral therapy.

 She helps change her student’s behavior that are harmful and unhelpful to them Her role as a facilitator is to improve her student’s communication and language skills.   According to Miss Anne Marie  her most important role is to reduce challenging behaviors, such as aggression, self injury or frequent tantrums. In addition , she stated that teaching students with dysgraphia would possibly take a whole academic year which is approximately twelve(12)weeks.

  Miss Anne Marie is a special education     teacher at the hope setters Autism centre 

The special education teacher finds the educational process demanding and tiring. She considers it to be a challenge for her.  Despite the challenges she faces , she believes these setbacks gives her motivation and  patience to continue her work . “These special children need a lot of attention, hence I need to be patient with myself and them “ exclaimed Miss Anne Marie.