Thoughts on Teaching Writing to Children with Special Needs
All children are special and unique. Each comes to us needing guidance and good teaching. However, some children face challenges that make learning more difficult, needing accommodations and flexibility with classroom curriculum. Teaching is a demanding profession, one that pushes us in new directions every year when we find ourselves face-to-face with a new group of students. It’s our job to figure out what their strengths are and meet them in their place of capability, nudging them along the way.
You might have a student with special needs this year and be wondering, “How can I best teach this child?” Here are some ideas that might be helpful when tackling the many challenges of spectrum disorders, attention deficits, language barriers (not just ELL but children who struggle to comprehend spoken language), motor challenges and social emotional disorders.
Many of these can be used with any child and are beneficial to all learners.
Flexibility
When we begin working with students who have special needs it’s important to understand as much as we can about the need, but it is perhaps even more important to understand the student’s strengths. When we begin to see what the child can do we become less concerned about what they can’t do and can begin moving forward.
It’s important to be flexible and accommodating to the student. I find that I often use “if/then” statements with special needs children. If you complete this task, then you can do a preferred activity.
Accountability
These “if/then” statements lead right into accountability. We want to have high and realistic expectations for students of all needs. It’s important to nudge them just enough and set attainable goals. Celebrating small accomplishments, especially for independent tasks, is incredibly motivating and leave students with a sense of success.
Compliance
It’s important to remember that often times students with special needs have assigned goals and accommodations that are not just recommended but required by law. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be well versed in the goals that have been attached to your students. When I have come into contact with goals or expectations that do not seem appropriate I have asked for a meeting with the team of specialists who determined the needs. I find having open and frequent communication with the specialists helps immensely when there is a desire to make changes to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan.
Technology
There are many resources available to students with special needs in the area of digital tools and technology. Personal iPads, word processing instead of handwriting and programs developed for children with specific disabilities have opened up a world of learning and communication for many children. Here is a link to 10 Great Writing iPad Apps for Students and Teachers
Visuals
Using visual schedules and progressive visuals that show a process step-by-step helps establish routines. Below is an example of a visual chart I used with a class that was particularly high needs. Instead of making one for an individual, I used the progressive chart with the whole class. Similar charts can be made on a small scale with a simple clip or Velcro dot to move across the writing process.
Focus on Progress
Children with special needs are very familiar with the word, “no.” No, that’s not right. No, try again. No, don’t do it that way. It’s important to not only recognize their strengths but inform them that they have many! When there are accomplishments, celebrate! Even the smallest of milestones can be a huge undertaking for a child with special needs.
Environment
I think it is important to have a classroom environment that is set up to include several seating/standing options. Setting up individual desks for students who need a defined space is beneficial for some students, while a table with a group is better for others. Allowing students to stand at a counter or lay on the floor with a clipboard or three ring binder as a little desk can help students who struggle with fine motor issues. Taking the legs off a table so students can sit criss-cross applesauce can be more comfortable for some learners. It is all about assessing the need and meeting it to ensure an optimal learning environment.
Peer Involvement
Sometimes, in some situations, it is helpful to inform the class of their special needs peer. There are several picture books that cover an array of special needs that help students become familiar with difficulties their peers are facing, in a kid friendly way.
As I savor one more day of summer, I know there will be a whole class of special little people waiting for me at school tomorrow. I hope to make some great connections and reach those who need the most. I hope you will too.
I loved the video that clearly demonstrated each step and expectation for all writers. It’s SO important to be inclusive for all our writers. I’ve always found that my special needs learners work harder than other learners.
I also pulled out and tweeted your IPad Aps suggestions for a quick reference tool. Thank you, Betsy!! Sorry! I @ana on this tweet! I’ll fix that to give you proper credit!
Thank you for such a beautiful post!
I so appreciate this post too, Betsy! I love the part especially on visuals. I know I tend to talk way too much. My goal is to say less, show more. I think this is important for all kids, but especially those with processing difficulties. Thanks for this timely post. Happy start to the school year!
There are so many additional demands on teachers nowadays that I can only empathize with those who are suddenly faced with students with special needs. There is a reason it took decades to create special education programs…and now we are completely deconstructing them and expecting teachers to just pick up the slack. It will take a lot of training and patience to guide and instruct mainstream teachers regarding how to adapt classroom practices for special needs students…and even with that being said, where/how will they find the time in their day to help these students who do have special needs?
As a former ESL teacher for over twenty years in my school district, I know that almost without exception teachers were happy to get the extra help their ELLs needed by sending them to me. We tried many times to incorporate my presence in the classroom, but inevitably the teachers realized that a) they didn’t have enough time to meet their needs, b) the quality of learning was better for the ELLs when they could meet separately with me so I could attend to their individual needs. Only in one case in twenty years was I able to collaborate with a mainstream teacher but that was because she enjoyed working with ELLs and appreciated my contributions to her classroom. In addition, we were willing to spend many of our lunch hours and personal time collaborating to make our partnership work.
If only teachers were given time to learn more from each other, so much could be accomplished. The special ed teacher who is subbing has invaluable advice to share with mainstream teachers, but there is no room or time for such sharing or collaborating in a teacher’s day or week.
Thanks, Betsy, for your thoughtful ideas and insights.
Wonderful Post! I am a certified general education teacher, but this year I’m subbing in my home town (getting a foot in the door here is difficult and I wanted to write more anyway 😀 ). One of the best parts is that, though I taught 4th and 5th grades and tutored all ages previously, I get to work mostly with the Middle School this year. I said all that to tell you this, I have had several ‘slow’ (HOW I HATE THAT TERM!) students, one smart but highly speech impaired student, and a high functioning severely autistic student in the 4 days I’ve subbed so far.
I have had extensive training in working with students like this because I find it so interesting, but sometimes we need reminders (like this post!). Each para and each student has told me that they are pleased when I come in because they know that I understand and will work with them when even some teachers do not. We must remember that students, no matter their age and ability level, need to have compromise, understanding, and help from those around them. Yes, sometimes helping means making them do it on their own. But sometimes helping looks more like being the first teacher to vocally connect their anime drawings with their studies and suggesting ways to incorporate that technique without doodling on the worksheets! (This happened Friday…my little autistic friend is in 6th grade and apparently no one has ever connected, or at least admitted to connecting, that his skills lead him to see everything in picture form. They just kept telling him NO! Don’t draw on your papers! Don’t Write! DO YOUR WORK! and no one realized that those pictures are how he see’s the work. Those are his notes! When I didn’t tell him NO! but instead suggested ways to use that and spoke to him about some alternatives to just scratching out pictures on the side of his work that boy lit up like a Christmas tree and the 4th of July put together! As for the anime/menga comic strip drawings…Both of us will be thinking of a little girl with a fuzzy kitty cat scoodie on her head every time the International System of Units comes up!)
Betsy,
Your post is insightful and as a former special education teacher I say thank you for being so open and accepting to all children!
My favorite line- “… inform them that they have many!” and isn’t this true for all our kids!
AS the mom to a kiddo with speech-language needs, which affect other things (as you know), I SO appreciate this post. From doing a non-preferred activity before a preferred to focusing on what kids can do, this post is a goldmine of tips that can help teachers work with kids who have special needs. Thank you for it.