Educating Young Children With Special Needs

December 7th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Earning your Bachelor’s degree in early childhood special education will give you the opportunity to work with and teach children who have learning or mental disabilities. Children who face difficulties with learning due to a disability need someone who is knowledgeable and trained to handle students who are young with special needs. A Bachelor’s degree in this field can be completed in four years.

What is a Bachelor’s program for Early Childhood Special Education like?

Different colleges structure this major differently; some may have a specific major for it, while others will offer an early childhood education degree with electives in special education. The most important part of a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood special education is that students emerge from the program feeling competent and able to teach young children and accommodate those students who have special needs.

Key points that are studied during a Bachelor’s degree in this concentration are how to manage a classroom, how to effectively instruct a class, and mastery of the subject matter being taught to students. All students participating in an early childhood special education program will be required to student teach at an elementary school, where they will be supervised and have the opportunity to demonstrate their newly acquired skills.

Are there prerequisites?

Gaining admission into an early childhood special education program will require you to successfully complete high school or the equivalent. Other prerequisites vary depending on the college. Some schools may require a minimum GPA or SAT score, while others are more flexible. » Read more: Educating Young Children With Special Needs

Learning Disorders

December 6th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Your child has a learning disorder and is reading below grade level. You wonder if there is any way to get him back on track. You wonder if he’ll always struggle. Don’t despair. There are ways to help your child become more fluent, gain comprehension, and increase his reading level.

Not only will daily reading (any reading: one-on-one, independent, listening) increase your child’s literacy skills, but there are many reading activities that will also help improve your child’s basic reading skills. Simple games such as letter concentration, crossword puzzles, word bingo, and even hangman can be beneficial when it comes to reading and spelling. Having fun while learning is just an added bonus.

There are many types of reading games and resources available. Researching them can be overwhelming. Here are a few to get you started:

Matching Games (Letter Concentration)
There are many variations to this game. A simple version: Write a single word on each of ten index cards. (You may want to use that week’s spelling list, sight words, or vocabulary as additional reinforcement.) Repeat this step with a second set of index cards. (A variation: Glue pictorial representations of the words to the second set of index cards.) Mix up the cards and place them face down on the table or floor. Take turns with your child, matching the correct pairs together while saying the word aloud. » Read more: Learning Disorders