The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching a Student with Disabilities

The Do's and Don’ts of Teaching a Student with Disabilities 1

With the increase in home and virtual-schooled students since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students with disabilities are being taught in non-traditional settings.

As educators or parents of students with disabilities, ensuring they receive the best possible education can be challenging. With so much variation in students’ needs, skills, and challenges, every student is unique, and no two special education classrooms are the same, whether they’re in a school building or at home.

All that being said, there are some general “do’s” and “don’ts” when teaching a student with special needs. These strategies can make a big difference in the student’s experience.

In this post, we will look at some key aspects of teaching a student with disabilities – from preferences on communication methods to creating an inclusive classroom environment – so you’ll have all the tools you need to ensure their academic success.

Whether you’re a homeschooling parent or a teacher in a classroom, the tips below can be very helpful when working with students with disabilities.

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As teachers, we are responsible for providing our students with a clear plan showing them what they can expect to learn and how to achieve their goals. By establishing this roadmap for success, we give our students a sense of direction that can help them stay on track and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

However, it is not enough to create a plan; we also have to communicate it to students clearly. This means breaking down concepts and using appropriate language for their age and skill level.

Developing and communicating a clear plan will set students up for success and help them achieve their full potential.

After assessing a student’s reading skills in my classroom, I schedule an informal meeting to discuss their progress. In this session, we delve into the importance of their score and its connection to their past performance. Moreover, it serves as a platform for me to ensure their comprehension of the “why” behind our assessments.

Remembering that every student has unique abilities and learning styles is important. Making assumptions about them can limit their potential and hinder their academic progress.

Instead, it’s our responsibility to create a learning environment that caters to the individual needs of each student. By doing so, we can ensure that every student can reach their full potential and feel empowered while they are in school.

Striving to be open-minded and adaptable as we work with students with disabilities is extremely important.

Providing extra support when it’s needed makes a huge difference for all students, but it’s especially helpful to remember when teaching a student with disabilities.

In learning environments of all types, offering accommodations such as extra time or more breaks is very beneficial. When struggling to complete a task, the extra support decreases stress and anxiety while increasing productivity.

As a teacher, it’s important to recognize the unique needs of each student and provide assistance to ensure their success. Students can reach their full potential and achieve their goals by doing so.

In a classroom setting, this approach holds great significance, particularly for students who tend to feel overwhelmed and stressed. I recall an experience from my early teaching days when I worked closely with a student on the autism spectrum who faced challenges in moving forward when overwhelmed with tasks. To address this, I devised a strategy where I would temporarily set aside his work and provide him with the necessary time to regain composure. Remarkably, this technique proved highly effective, as he gradually started returning to his assignments within the same class period throughout the year.

If you want to create a thriving and inclusive classroom environment, it’s vital to avoid singling out individual students and instead focus on engaging all students in activities.

This approach helps foster a sense of community and collaboration amongst students and allows each student to feel valued and included.

By involving all students in activities, teachers can tap into the diverse range of strengths and abilities within their classroom, creating a more dynamic and enriched learning experience. A better learning experience helps students build their social skills and promotes a positive attitude toward learning, encouraging students to take ownership of their education.

Ultimately, by prioritizing inclusion and engagement, teachers can cultivate a classroom built on mutual respect and support, where each student can thrive.

Obviously, this tip won’t fully apply if you’re homeschooling a student one-on-one, but it’s important to keep in mind in all settings where multiple students are present.

Promoting independence in students is essential because it allows them to take ownership of their learning. When students are actively involved in their education, they become more engaged and invested.

Encouraging students to make decisions about their learning, such as setting goals and choosing activities, fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability. This approach increases motivation and satisfaction in students and provides them with valuable skills they can transfer to other areas of their lives.

Promoting students’ independence leads to better academic and personal outcomes, making it a worthwhile investment for educators.

Here are some suggestions for incorporating this approach into your classroom: Initiate regular meetings with students to discuss their objectives. By keeping them informed about the areas they need to focus on, you empower them with a sense of responsibility, even if they are not the ones setting the goals. I strongly believe in actively involving students in their own education as much as possible.

Effective teaching requires a deep understanding of the diverse learning methods of students. Everyone learns differently, and this is something that you need to take into consideration in creating a conducive environment for learning.

As educators, we must be flexible in our teaching methods and seek to incorporate activities catering to the different learning styles in the classroom.

Whether your students are visual or auditory learners, more hands-on, or prefer working individually, adjusting your teaching style to meet the needs of your students will foster a more inclusive classroom environment and promote deeper learning.

Remember to be patient and persistent in discovering each student’s most effective teaching methods. With a flexible approach to teaching, we can make the classroom a more welcoming space for all learners.

We want to foster a positive learning environment, encouraging our students to attain their full potential. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through positive reinforcement.

Rewarding good behavior and effort creates a sense of intrinsic motivation that inspires our students to achieve even greater success.

Positive reinforcement can take many forms, such as verbal praise, certificates of achievement, or even small tokens of appreciation. By emphasizing the value of good behavior and effort in this way, we instill a growth mindset in our students that will serve them well throughout their academic and professional careers.

In the building where I teach, we use outdoor time and small treats as forms of positive reinforcement. When students successfully accomplish specific tasks, they have the opportunity to earn a piece of candy. This method has shown remarkable effectiveness in reinforcing desirable behaviors. Additionally, we utilize the monthly promise of outdoor time as an incentive to encourage compliance with instructions. These incentives have consistently yielded positive results.

Adopting a mindset that views mistakes as opportunities for growth and improvement is essential. Punishing someone for making an error creates fear of failure and discourages taking risks.

On the other hand, taking the time to examine the root cause of the mistake and incorporating the lessons learned into future actions can lead to innovation and progress.

By reframing mistakes as a chance to teach and learn, we create a culture of continuous improvement and foster a sense of resilience in ourselves and those around us. So, let’s strive to approach mistakes with curiosity and a willingness to learn rather than a need to assign blame or punishment.

All teachers and parents should strive to create a learning environment that fosters student success. Each student has unique needs and abilities, and it takes careful consideration and planning to create the optimal situation.

Keeping the 8 tips above in mind when working with students can help create an environment where they feel supported, autonomous, and empowered to learn more. You may also want to check out our guide to the best homeschool curriculum for special needs students.

Ultimately, using positive reinforcement instead of punishment sets students up for success as they take control of their learning process. It’s not easy, but with patience and openness to different learning styles, teachers can significantly empower students to reach their potential.

Bobby Kuntz is an educator and writer. After receiving his B.A. in Education from Northern Kentucky University, he has taught for the past 12 years in the rural, southwestern Ohio school district he attended. He has taken his passion for writing and experience as a teacher and turned them into valuable assets in the educational marketing space. He and his wife are parents to three wonderful children and spend their time at dance and soccer competitions watching their oldest two compete.

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