A child with special needs and learning disabilities is someone who is different developmentally and formatively from normal children. This is either due to a physical, mental, or emotional handicap, a formative delay, or a particular learning disability.


Nowadays, a lot of educational allowances are accessible to families in order to assist them with the extraordinary costs of giving special educational or related services to children with special needs. This, very often could include a very gifted child with certain physical and mental disabilities.

Like anything else in life, there's a method to the special education process. It was put in place to help people who deal with learning disabilities get the best services possible. In order to help you understand this method, here's a simplified version of the Special Education process.

by Theresa McFarland
All students in special education are required by law to have a complete evaluation every three years to determine eligibility for special education services. The following case study is about a student named "Adam". Adam is seven years old and has autism. He is in a Special Day Class setting in a public school. The case study includes details of Adam's three-year educational evaluation.

Special education seems to have now become the buzz in the field of education. Thanks but no thanks to the diminishing number of special education teachers in the United States that has led school districts to recruit teachers from a third world country like the Philippines. Thanks but no thanks to the economic and political state of this country that has forced professionals to relocate in other countries for a greener pasture. Thanks but no thanks to the increased number and frequency of human disabilities that has now become the blight of modern civilization.

I guess, I would be a person with autism. I live in my own world but I don’t mind. My world is not the same as the one most people have grown into. I worry not of the ills of society and people would label me a retard because I do not speak their language; no - I cannot speak their language and when it happens, my body has grown faster than my brain. People are baffled why I have to say and do things over and over again. I shake my head a lot and it annoys them. I twirl objects and flap my hands and I don’t look at people’s eyes.

There is quite a big volume of studies made on the complexities of the reading process. Researches were done to find answers to how the mind works in relation to how the eye interprets data from print. The spectrum of reading research covers a wide range - from the developmental stages of the reading process to the psycho-social situation of the learner. Still, many children cannot read, much more with exceptional children who are limited by their disabilities or disorders.

By: Marie Dunleavy

Even at school, children with OCD behaviors must be given extra love, patience, and understanding to help them achieve their full potential. To ensure a successful learning experience, teachers must employ strategic classroom and teaching management plans that deal with special needs children. Because these children have special needs, they need special education. Here are some classroom management and teaching techniques to help teachers dealing with obsessive-compulsive behavior students:

* Teachers must be educated about the student’s special need.

If a child’s behavior is obsessive-compulsive, the teachers should be notified at once. It is necessary that the teacher knows that the child needs special attention. This will help parents ensure that the child’s needs are met. In the same manner, this will also help the teachers bring out the full potential of the child. A parent-teacher meeting will be perfect to bring out issues regarding the child’s behavior and special needs.

The teacher must have not only knowledge but understanding of the child’s situation. Knowing what obsessive-compulsive behavior is different from understanding its effect on the child. Teachers must have some reading materials and resources that will help them understand better the different behavior of the child.

* Time limits should be made flexible.

Just like any other special children, OCD students should not be pressured to finish an activity. OCD can cause a momentary distraction on the child due to anxiety. This should be considered by the teacher. Intense compulsion in the child may cause him to be a perfectionist. There are times when he needs to do one thing several times because he wants to make it perfect. This may slow down the time of activity completion.

* Study the situation of the child.

Studying the situation of the special child with obsessive-compulsive behavior is essential for teachers. This will help them arrive at a useful analysis of elements affecting the behavior of the student. Look for stimulus that sets off anxiety in the student. Note the usual time when anxiety or habits occur. Study if there is something that can be done to lessen or eliminate the stimulus that makes the child anxious.

* Everybody makes mistakes.

This should be stressed in a classroom with special needs children. Children should understand that a classroom is a venue for learning and reaching full potential rather than a place where intimidation abides. Let the children explore more and don’t reprimand them every time they commit mistakes. A mistake is something natural to everyone. Instead of reprimanding, explain to the child why his work or his action is wrong and show or tell him how to do it right. Avoid competition in the classroom as well.

These classroom techniques will help OCD children and other special needs children appreciate learning and eventually reach their full potential. It is important that teachers understand the various needs of their students to ensure they are able to help each student achieve maximum learning potential.

[With seventeen children's books currently in print, and with sixteen new books to be published in 2007, Marie Dunleavy is an accomplished children's books author. Her books and associated resources were originally developed for a differently abled child in her own family but are now used for children with special needs in classrooms in U.K. and Ireland. For more information about the resources, please visit POPS Special Needs Resources]