exceptional students
Exceptional students are categorized as students with a disability, but the definition for what is considered a disability is incredibly broad. Kirk's (1972) definition of the exceptional student is a widely accepted one in educational communities. It is defined as follows:
The exceptional child is the child who deviates from the normal or average child (1) in mental characteristics, (2) in sensory abilities, (3) in neuromuscular or physical characteristics, (4) in social or emotional behavior, (5) in communication abilities, or (6) in multiple handicaps to such an extent that it requires a modification of school practices, or special education services, in order to develop to his maximum capacity.
Whether a teacher knows it or not, he or she teaches at least one exceptional student in their classroom each year. Kirk's definition only covers about 10% of handicapped children in the United States due to children with milder form of these handicaps not being included in the federal statistics. Even still, as per the law of the United States, all students must have an equal education and their special needs must be met by the school. It is up the teacher to include/teach to these exceptional students and to help them in the mainstream classroom setting.
The 1997 amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act "kick started" the idea of mainstreaming classrooms. Mainstreaming, defined by the Random House Dictionary, is "to place (students with disabilities) in regular school classes" (cite). The only exception to this is if the student is a large disruption to their fellow classmates, which they are then place in a non-mainstreamed classroom.
Within the mainstream classroom, the teacher needs to take into account the needs of the exceptional child when planning activities or to even setting up the classroom for the new year. Krista Blessing, a Pre-School teacher, offers tips for teachers who teach exceptional children. Some of the tips include looking at students' IEP/IFSP in their permanent record to see if the child has any requirements in the classroom, talking to parents, and finding out what may trigger the child.
The exceptional child is the child who deviates from the normal or average child (1) in mental characteristics, (2) in sensory abilities, (3) in neuromuscular or physical characteristics, (4) in social or emotional behavior, (5) in communication abilities, or (6) in multiple handicaps to such an extent that it requires a modification of school practices, or special education services, in order to develop to his maximum capacity.
Whether a teacher knows it or not, he or she teaches at least one exceptional student in their classroom each year. Kirk's definition only covers about 10% of handicapped children in the United States due to children with milder form of these handicaps not being included in the federal statistics. Even still, as per the law of the United States, all students must have an equal education and their special needs must be met by the school. It is up the teacher to include/teach to these exceptional students and to help them in the mainstream classroom setting.
The 1997 amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act "kick started" the idea of mainstreaming classrooms. Mainstreaming, defined by the Random House Dictionary, is "to place (students with disabilities) in regular school classes" (cite). The only exception to this is if the student is a large disruption to their fellow classmates, which they are then place in a non-mainstreamed classroom.
Within the mainstream classroom, the teacher needs to take into account the needs of the exceptional child when planning activities or to even setting up the classroom for the new year. Krista Blessing, a Pre-School teacher, offers tips for teachers who teach exceptional children. Some of the tips include looking at students' IEP/IFSP in their permanent record to see if the child has any requirements in the classroom, talking to parents, and finding out what may trigger the child.
(Blessing, A. 2010)
If a teacher is able to keep these things in mind and continues to support and communicate with children and parents, teaching a class with an exceptional child will become easier.
Citations
Blessing, A. (Performer) (2010). Teaching special needs children: Tips on teaching a special education classroom [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDmUdZwwq2I
Kirk, S. A. (1979). Educating exceptional children. (6th ed., Vol. 1). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
mainstream. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved December 12, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mainstream
Kirk, S. A. (1979). Educating exceptional children. (6th ed., Vol. 1). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
mainstream. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved December 12, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mainstream