Articles


 * Teaching Children with Disabilities:** []

This artcile explains the many degress of mental retardation. According to the article, each year almost 130,000 babies are born in the United States with some degree of mental retardation. Pediatricians say that 90% of mental impairments occur in the prenatal stage. The article then goes on further to say that if the brain cells are killed during birth, the mental development will be incomplete. The brain cells that are killed are the ones that control intelligence.

Due to this research, it is imparitive that I modify my teaching technique for children with disabilities. The article relates to my future teacher techniques by explaining how a teacher must modify their use of language and be concious of what is said. A student with a disability should be given minor tasks in the classroom such as passing out papers and supplies. After they complete these tasks, I need to reaward the student for a job well done. When expecting a student to complete a new task, I must allow for them to practice ahead of time. Like all children, students with disabilities love to hear stories. It allows for for their imagination to run wild! The article also emphasized the importance of incorporating visual aids into the curriculum to improve my teaching. Children with disabilities need to visually see what I am talking about to comprehend the material. Most of all, I need to have patience, love, and respect for all students that I teach, especially those who have disabilities.

[] This article starts off by explaining a scenario of a boy named, Noah, who is constantly struggling with comprehending the material he reads. His school psychologist diagnoses him with a learning disability and Noah becomes nervous with having a label of "disabled". The article explains that having a disability does not have anything to do with your intelligence- after all, Walt Disney, Alexander Graham Bell, and Winston Churchill all had learning disabilities. It is explained that learning disabilites are "problems that affect the brain's ability to receive, process, analyze, or store information...Nearly four million school-aged children and teens have learning disabilities, and at least 20% of them have a type of disorder that makes it difficult to focus".
 * Teen's Health: Learning Disabilities**

As a teacher, it is important to watch for signs of struggling students. Signs of learning disabilities show up when a child has difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or paying attention in class. I must be aware of changes of bahaviors in students because some students try to hide their stuggling. Students must be reassured that having a learning disability is not a bad thing. I will have to help these students overcome their disability and find strategies that help them succeed. I must modify my lessons to incorporate all learning styles, not just for children with learning disabilities but also for all students. As a teacher, I will also need to create an IEP for students to help them define their learning strengths and weaknesses and set educational goals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33338-2004Dec3.html
 * Home and Classroom Solutions for Kids with Learning Differences:**

This article is a question-answer session about creating a compatible environment at home and at school for students with special needs. Sue Wilinson, an occupational therapist answered all the questions. Sue explained that the best environment always depends on the classroom teacher. It is not necessarily better to put a child in special programs if the teacher does not make the child feel comfortable. Most children have trouble concentating and have the "wiggles". This article explained a way to overcome the wiggles is to explain to the students that they are going to be popcorn makers. The students sit in their chairs and slowly bounce up and down, popping the popcorn. As the popcorn cooks, the students bounce faster and faster. This technique is great to use in my classroom for children with or without special needs. By doing this, the students release extra energy and are ready for intense concentration. The article also suggests giving students something to keep them focused while working, such as a stress ball. By giving students these items it decreses their "hand figgets".