Teaching math and science to students with special needs

1
Teaching math and science to students with
special needs

• Shelby Sweet
• Marybel Cortes
• ELED 415

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Composition of all Students with Disabilities
3
1975 Education for all handicapped Children Act
(EAHCA)

• Public Law 94-142, Part B
• Provide a free and appropriate public education
  (children 5-18yrs).
• IEP- written individualized educational program
  on file.
• LRE to the maximum extent possible students
  must be educated with those who are not disable.

4
IDEA Amendments of 1997

• Schools must assume responsibility that students
  with disability have access to general
  curriculum.
• Students with disabilities are required to take
  part in state- wide assessments

5
Science/Math Discovery Goals

• Improve cause and effect reasoning
• Make predictions
• Improve classification skills
• Stimulate curiosity

6
Science strategies for students with disabilities

• In a survey in elementary school teachers science
  was ranked as the easiest subject to include
  students with handicaps
• (Atwood Oldham,1985)

7
ADHD/ADD

• Serious and persistent difficulties in attention
  span, impulse control and hyperactivity.
• Undifferentiated ADD has as its most significant
  characteristic inattentiveness and hyperactivity
  is not present.
• ADD students do manifest problem with
  organization and distractibility though they may
  seem quite passive.
• ADD students tend to be overlooked and may be at
  higher risk for failure than those with ADHD

8
ADHD/ADD

• Students need both verbal and visual directions
  (show picture and explain what needs to be done).
• Develop confidence by starting with easy examples
  or questions.
• These students are easily frustrated.

9
Learning Disabilities

• Cognitive and motivational problem.
• Inactive learners who lack strategies for problem
  solving.
• Learned helplessness.
• may have problem working independently.
• Homework is a major problem. Give assignments
  where the students can practice skills they
  already know.
• Make sure students understand the assignment.
• Provide frequent reminders about due dates.

10
LD continued

• Pictures and physical examples aid in
  comprehension.
• Hands-on experiments reinforce scientific and
  mathematical concepts.
• focus on collaboration among partners in the
  science lab.
• Emphasize correlations between science/math
  concepts.

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LD Authentic Assessment

• Evaluate explanation of results orally.
• Observe student while performing the experiment.
• Evaluate if student can integrate relationships
  to understand new phenomena.
• Assessment must measure what they actually claim
  to measure.
• Allow use of computers and spell-checking on
  assignments and tests.

12
Behavioral/emotional Disorders

• Science activities can be therapeutic for these
  children. By allowing them to manipulate and
  control variables, science can provide a unique
  opportunity for these children to behave
  responsibly and gain self-confidence.
• Pair them with others who demonstrate
  appropriate behavior.
• Direct instruction often required.
• Some may be stressed by group activities.

13
Speech/Language Disorders

• Involves a wide variety of communication
  disorders.
• Stuttering
• Cleft palate
• Autism
• Hoarseness, breathiness or sudden breaks in
  loudness or pitch
• Articulation problems.

14
Speech Disorders continued

• Give these students opportunity to speak in
  class.
• Do not interrupt them.
• Encourage them to speak in group activities.
• Encourage the students to ask for repetition or
  clarification if they dont understand.
• Plan with school speech pathologist to set
  specific goals

15
Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• These students often pretend to understand when
  they dont.
• Provide the students with a clear and direct view
  of your face and mouth.
• Speak distinctly, try not to drop your words at
  the end of sentences
• Reduce background noise by turning off slide
  projectors or other apparatus when not in use.
• Try mot to talk and write on the board at the
  same time.

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Motor/Orthopedic Impairment

• Types of limitations
• Cerebral palsy
• Spina bifida and other spinal cord injury
• Muscular dystrophy
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• AIDS

17
Motor impairment continued

• If an impairment is only physical, curriculum and
  educational goals in science/math should be the
  same as for non-disabled students.
• Prepare students to explore careers in science
  /math
• Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and
  adapt to individual needs.
• Assign a lab partner who can help reach or
  manipulate objects as needed.
• Advances in technology are providing many more
  useful devices (head sticks, software that allows
  key functions to be altered , computer graphic
  programs).

18
Visual Impairment

• Only small percentage of people who are legally
  blind have absolutely no vision at all.
• Very few persons who are blind have learned
  Braille.
• Encourage students to make use of the vision they
  do have.
• Describe and familiarize students with science
  lab and all equipment to be used.
• Keep material and supplies and seating
  arrangements in the same place.

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Mental Retardation

• 14 yr. old students w/mental retardation
  performed at levels similar to or lower than
  those of 10 yr. olds w/LD when tested on
  mathematics topics.
• Mentally retarded students require more intensive
  support.
• These students need specific instructional
  practices that increase competence in basic
  computation and problem solving.
• Use step by step strategies with systematic
  instruction.
• Positive reinforcement for correct responses
  range from verbal praise to tokens.

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Resources

• Sources
• Daniel Hallahan and James Kauffman, Exceptional
  Learners Introduction To Special Education
  (Boston Allyn and Bacon, 2003)
• Tony Booth and Will Swarm, Including Pupils with
  Learning Disabilities. The Open University, 1987
  
• Penny Low Deiner, Resources For Teaching Young
  Children with Special Needs. (Harcourt, Brace,
  Janovich, 1983)
• Judy W. Wood, Mainstreaming A practical Approach
  for Teachers. (Merrill Publishing Company, 1989)
• Ormsbee,C. Finson, K. (2000). Modifying Science
  Activities and Materials to Enhance Instruction
  for Students with Learning and Behavior Problems.
  Intervention in School and Clinic 36 no1
  p.10-21.retrived from New First Search database
  October 2004.