Characteristics of Children with Special Needs
The video on the channel, Ashley Kelley, is one of the examples of the ideal integration of diverse approaches to teaching children with special needs. The video portrays several children with various special needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and hearing disability (Ashley Kelley, 2016).
A developmental condition that impacts interpersonal and social abilities is autism spectrum disorder. Children with ASD struggle to verbalize feelings, maintain eye contact, and interpret nonverbal signals (Zablotsky et al., 2020). Individuals with ADHD, on the other hand, struggle with focus, hyperactivity, and impatience (Zablotsky et al., 2020). Students with ADHD struggle to remain still and follow directions in the video. Finally, children with hearing disabilities in the video can be seen as observing other children, relying more on their sensory feelings.
Application of Developmental Theories to Disorders
Notably, developmental theories can be used to explain children’s behavior in the video. For example, according to the social-cognitive model, children acquire new skills by watching and imitating what others do (Ahn et al., 2020). Because of communication and interpersonal difficulties, children with ASD can struggle with such things.
Cognitive theory, which also suggests that individuals’ behavior influences their cognitive behavior, can be used to explain the behavior of those with ADHD (Ahn et al., 2020). Due to their poor executive functioning abilities, children with ADHD struggle with focus and control of impulses. Similar to how students can learn through observations, cognitive and social learning theories can explain how children with hearing loss behave. Their surroundings and the people they interact with could impact their social learning abilities.
Finally, many developmental dimensions, such as cognitive, social-emotional, and physical factors, can also explain children’s behavior in Kelly’s classroom. These factors are all interrelated and can influence each other. For instance, a student with ASD could experience difficulties with social and emotional growth, which may affect their cognitive development, including their capacity for learning and information processing. Lastly, the ability of an individual with hearing loss to interact with peers may affect that child’s social-emotional development.
Meeting the Needs of Students
Individualized Education Plan
Teachers are required to develop Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that address students’ needs. Each student’s learning preferences and interests should be considered while developing these tactics. It is possible by altering the methods used to support children’s learning. For example, the use of visual aids and the division of activities into manageable portions in Ms. Kelly’s class worked effectively for instructing children with special needs. By using interactive learning tactics, such children can be more interested in their educational process, which will improve their results.
Environmental Accommodations
Another means of aiding students is to make accommodations for the environment. For instance, it has been proven to be helpful to give students with ADHD a calm and quiet setting in which to work efficiently (Dahlstrom-Hakki et al., 2019). Consequently, this will help reduce distractions, increase focus, boost confidence, and make students more comfortable in an encouraging environment.
Assistive Technology
Lastly, children with special needs can benefit from using assistive technology to support their educational experience. They can access educational resources and have a better learning experience using tablets and specific software. In the video, Mrs. Kelley used interactive boards to teach the new material regarding dates, holidays, and birthdays (Ashley Kelley, 2016). Educators may create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment for all students by integrating technology into the classroom, using interactive boards and tablets.
References
Ahn, J. N., Hu, D., & Vega, M. (2020). “Do as I do, not as I say”: Using social learning theory to unpack the impact of role models on students’ outcomes in education. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 14(2), 1-12. Web.
Ashley Kelley. (2016). Mrs. Kelley’s special education classroom [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Dahlstrom-Hakki, I., Alstad, Z., & Banerjee, M. (2020). Comparing synchronous and asynchronous online discussions for students with disabilities: The impact of social presence. Computers & Education, 150, 103842. Web.
Zablotsky, B., Bramlett, M. D., & Blumberg, S. J. (2020). The co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder in children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(1), 94-103. Web.