How to Accommodate Special Needs Children in the Classroom

Albert Einstein could not tie is own shoes until he was at least 8 years old. He didn't speak until he was 3 and failed his engineering program exam after years of hating school, according to the article "Einstein's Mother" in "Dyslexia Online Magazine." Would Einstein have spent seven years working as a patent clerk if a teacher had identified and accommodated his special learning needs? With today's classrooms packed with 25 to 30 children, expecting teachers to customize the learning experience to every student's needs is unrealistic. Simple accommodations for special needs children, however, make a big difference.

Seating Arrangments and Directions

• 1

  Arrange a seating arrangement with the children facing the instructor. For children with attention difficulties, group seating arrangements or placement away from the teacher prove ineffective. Position the children with learning disabilities close to the teacher's desk and/or in the front of the classroom with an unobstructed view of the teacher.

• 2

  Ask children to repeat any assignment or test directions. Children with memory and attention problems may forget or completely miss instructions on the first go-round. Having a child in the classroom repeat the instructions gives children with special needs a second chance to absorb information.

• 3

  Frequently make eye contact with special needs children. Asperger's and other children on the autistic spectrum, for instance, may not ask for help because of social anxieties. Check in with the children during tests and in-class written assignments, one-on-one, to ensure these children aren't confused about directions.

• 4

  Provide audio books on tape or audio downloads for reading assignments for children with verbal processing disabilities. The same is true for children suffering from math dyscalculia. Give these children blocks, marbles and other hands-on materials to work out subtraction and addition problems. Computer games for spelling, telling time, money math and science lessons will maintain a special needs child's interest longer than lectures.

• 5

  Create special assignments for special needs children, especially those with autism and attention problems. Many children have the ability to "hyperfocus" on information that they find interesting. A child with Asperger's, for instance, probably has a fixation on some topic. Even a topic like "dolls" will transform into a valuable academic project. A history report on colonial dressmakers, for instance, and their use of dolls to illustrate the latest fashions would tie in nicely with early American history lessons.

• 6

  Arrange for an extra set of textbooks for the student with certain learning disabilities. Transitions from school to home and home to school are often difficult. Make things easier by providing a complete set of textbooks at home to eliminate forgetfulness. Also, consider limiting the amount of homework for these children. Getting through a full school day requires more effort on a child with special needs and even one hour of homework may prove too much.