Differences in Student Behavior and Personality - Essay Example

? Behavior and Individual Differences Case Study Task: Behavior and Individual Differences Case Study Since the 1978 Warnock Report, special needs education in the UK transformed to an inclusive system (Reynolds 2007, p.2070). Koster et al. (2005) highlight the adversaries that SEN students experienced because of the historic segregation. The end of segregation of special needs students led to the adoption of an all-encompassing approach that embraced inclusion. Inclusion presented opportunity to special education needs students to learn in mainstream schools (Atherton 2007, p. 139). The commission on Warnock report highlighted the necessity to introduce support facilities that would enhance education for special needs students (Cox 1985, p.31). Among the recommendations of the report was the requirement to identify students with special needs, at an early age. The commission emphasized on the use of applicable and relevant strategies to address the concerns of SEN students (Dash 2006, p.21). The report also proposed the necessity to attend to every SEN student on an individual basis. This would replace the traditional trend that featured practitioners attending SEN students based on categories and groups with nearly similar needs and complications. The existence of individual and behavioral differences among learners in their early years, in any learning environment, is an indisputable reality that practitioners experience. This necessitates an extensive and inclusive mechanism for analyzing the activity and performance level of SEN students. Practitioners should adopt methods to enhance initial identification and assessment of the existence of any individual needs that students may have. Practitioners apply diverse methods of early identification and assessment of the presence of students’ individual needs in most learning environments. The involvement of a SENCO is one of the best methods that practitioners can use to undertake initial evaluation and assessment of the necessity for individual needs in early learners. Coordinators play a central role in the process by liaising with the parents and teachers to identify any individual need that early learners might have. It entails daily task and part of the SEN policy that all mainstream administrations must integrate in their operations (Garner 2009, p.164). Through the assistance of coordinators, SEN students receive special support. SENCO coordinators can recommend the assistance of other professionals as educational psychologists. SEN assessment programs constitute part of the responsibility of SENCO coordinators to identify early learners with individual needs. The program is in stages and involves the role of the teachers in addressing the needs of the early learners. The EYFS profile is a contemporary method that practitioners use in to identify and assess the existence of individual needs among learners in their early years. EYFS profile is a statutory outline that defines various standards as the benchmark requirements for all learners in their early years should acquire (Beckley, Elvidge & Hendry 2009, p.3). Early education providers should meet the benchmark standards as a means of ensuring comprehensive education of children and their proper development. Fulfillment of all the standards set in the EYFS profile is helpful in providing children with a proper foundation for commendable progress through their educational life in whole system (Palaiologou 2013, p.21). Practitioners may apply the EYFS profile as a method to identify and assess the existence of individual needs in students. EYFS aims to reduce the goals of early learning for students and simplify the system (Wheeler & Connor 2009, p.5). If a practitioner ascertains that a child has difficulties in attaining the requirements set in the EYFS profile, the child most probably has individual needs. The profile also ensures healthy development among young children in three main pillars. It emphasizes on communication and language development among children in their early stages of education (Tassoni 2007, p.182). If a practitioner identifies difficulties in communication and language in early stage learners, he or she should recommend special attention to the child. Failure to attain full development in communication and language suggests the existence of individual needs in the early learner. Physical development is a key criterion that early learners should attain, as outline in the EYFS profile. Practitioners should engage in close study of the physical development of early learners. Any observable complication in the physical development of learners in their early years shows the existence of individual needs for the learners in his or her early stages. The third primary development areas outlined in EYFS profile include social and emotional progress. Learners in their early stages should develop in their personal traits that include social and emotional traits that enhance their interaction with other learners. Practitioners should consider the level of interaction that early learners have with their colleagues to ascertain their level of social and emotional developments. Early learners who are short of the ability to nurture proper social interaction with other learners definitely have individual needs. Observation is an effective a method initially applied by practitioners in the identification and assessment to determine any individual needs in early stage learners. Observation also enables the assessment of learning by the practitioner. Practitioners can undertake a functional study of early learner’s behavior in case of any behavioral differences. In observing the incidence of any unique behavior among early learners, practitioners should take note of the presence of diverse among learners. It is notable that learners are likely to exhibit dissimilarities in their memories and ability to remember concepts because of differences in their individual intelligence. However, personality traits that depict extensive variations from the norm observed in a learner should warrant ardent attention from the practitioner. It is a show of the presence of individual need in the early learner. In the case study of child C, a four-year-old child, she has complications in behavior and communication development. Child C’s low concentration during learning sessions depicts the poor communication skills development. Her low communication skills development shows that child C has individual needs. According to EYFS profile, child C should have proper communication skills. Her listening skills should be perfect. However, child C does not listen to instructions. This depicts that Child C has individual needs. Her focus level during group discussion is a matter of serious concern. Child C does not listen to instructions and needs clarification in most of the time. Halliwell (2012) identifies the invaluable contribution of SENCO in enhancing the education of SENCO in aiding the education of individual needs students. The involvement of a SENCO co-ordinator can be an effective means of identifying individual needs in child C. The coordinator may also seek the assistance of other professionals as educational psychologists to identify and assess individual needs in child C. The state of child C changes gradually since she started as an active member of the class. Her progress from the beginning was that of a settled student. Apparently, there are signs of frustrations and a state of confusion while undertaking her studies. Observation method can be instrumental in identifying the changes in learning behavior of child C. It is the role of the instructor to observe the changes in child C, overtime. The teacher can communicate with the SENCO co-ordinator about the observations in behavior change in child C. This would help in identifying the individual needs of child C. The SENCO co-ordinator can engage the parents, who are unaware of any change in the behavior of child C. It is a collective responsibility of educators and parents to meet the demands of early stage learners. At the beginning of the education system, there are expectations that young children would adapt to the learning environment and interact harmoniously. However, when children fail to develop expected interpersonal relationships in their learning environment the situation requires redress by instructors. When children go for long without identification and redress of their concerns, the severity of their behavioral differences may increase considerably to uncontrollable scopes. Students with poor social skills and remain reserved by their third grade and are likely to have behavioral difficulties for most of their lifetime. Screening assessment strategies are central in the identification and evaluation of young children with behavioral complications. Early screening, as used in the assessment of young children with personal and behavioral differences, entails two major strategies. The first strategy is the non-referenced assessment. In this form of assessment, educators compare the performance of the student to that of national norms while using standardized instruments. Alternative assessment strategy, however, compares the student’s behaviors to the required benchmark for development. Involving the family in identifying child C’s behavioral differences is vital in helping her. The process of assessment of children with behavioral differences should extent to the role of parents and family members. There is greater success in addressing the concerns of children with behavioral differences than there would be the involvement of educators only. Adaptive behaviors of children are best achievable when there is the involvement of family members compared to engaging educators only. Creating relationship between family members and the educators would be a plausible means of assessing the behavior of child C. The educator can inform child C’s parents of her failure to show full participation during discussions and group work. All parents desire success for their children in school and would always be willing to engage in any activity that boosts the child’s performance (Newman & Newman 2011, p.500). However, educators should direct the parents appropriately, how to help in the identifying any special needs in children as in the case of child C. The educators of child C can evaluate the treatment integrity at different stages in the intervention that would help as a feedback mechanism. As part of the assessment process, educators can help evaluate the viability of the instructions to confirm the effectiveness of the various elements to change the behavior of child C. The intervention should ensure that child C has active engagement in learning. The progress of child C should be under close monitoring to evaluate the extent to which the changes meet the goals of the intervention process. Monitoring the reforms in child C’s behavior helps to modify the intervention based on the child’s needs. An assessment of the social validity of the intervention program is vital, as well. The intervention employed in the case of child C should meet the social validity requirements from the perspective of the educator, parents and the child. Intervention programs should be socially acceptable to both the parties. The practices and elements of the intervention should be sustainable for all parties to implement. Reward systems are effective in managing the individual needs of young learners with SENs. Rewards work to nurture and model the desired behavior in learners with individual needs. Educators can also assign individual tasks to learners with individual needs as a measure to manage their behavior. Individual tasks are essential to accommodate their instructional needs that may differ from that of other learners (Pierangelo & Giuliani 2008). Individual needs students requires prompt and regular communication. Educators should engage learners with individual need in regular communication to accommodate their special needs. They also feel the full attention of the instructor when engaged in regular communication. According to Arnold (2005, p.19), effective communication is a prerequisite to high child development. Educators can also establish rules in the classroom to manage the behavior of learners with individual needs. Giving simple and instructions constantly, for instance, is helpful in managing the behavior of learners with individual needs. Motivating and appreciating learners with individual needs helps boost their morale and enthusiasm. All these can be effective strategies to manage the behavior of child C. There are diverse legal provisions that support education if children with SENs as identified by Spooner (2010). The 1978 Warnock Report was the founding legal provision that initiated the 1981Act on education. In 1988, the Education Reform Act reiterated the necessity to embrace the concerns of SEN students. It promoted the adoption of an inclusive system that cares for SEN children. In 1989, a further expression of the invaluable support to education of SEN students came with the passing of the Children Act. The Disability Discrimination act also promoted the recognition of disabled children with individual needs in the education system. The 1996 Education initiated further emphasis on the obligation to ensure inclusion of children with individual needs in the education system. SENDA, passed in 2001, also promoted the recognition of SEN children in the U.K (Farrell 2004, p.18). The Children Act approved in 2004 was among the legislations that promoted the recognition of children with individual needs in learning environments. These legal provisions boosts efforts aimed at identification and assessment of children with individual needs. They also recommend various strategies to manage the behavior of individual needs students. All the legislations promote to the various strategies that are applicable in identification and assessment of the traits of child C. SEN students require close attention to achieve their full potential in life (Poon-McBrayer & Lian 2002, p.3). As Tomlinson (2012, p. 174) notes, there is a great future in SEN education. According to Ainscow (2005), policy makers and administrators play a considerable role in formulating strategies to guide educators and parents in the identification of young children with behavioral differences. There are diverse methods that are effective in the identification and assessment of the student. A school-wide system is important to identify special needs students. There is necessity to incorporate strategies that engage the educator on a daily basis while identifying the special needs child. Early identification is equally important to help address the diverse concerns that students have. The use of a school-wide approach to identification enables early and timely response of educators to the needs of the child with behavioral difficulties. Various legislations promote the identification and assessment of individual needs students by practitioners. Management of behaviors of individual needs students is equally important. Provision of education to individual needs students a fulfillment of their rights (Mangal 2007, p.66). References Ainscow, M 2005, Developing inclusive education systems: what are the levers for change?, Journal of Educational Change, vol. 6, no.2, pp. 109-124. Retrieved from: http://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/sites/mcgill.ca.humanrights/files/2013-02-18_developing_inclusive_education_systems.pdf Arnold, M 2005, Effective Communication Techniques: For Child Care. Cengage Learning, London. Atherton, H 2007, Learning Disabilities: Towards Inclusion, Elsevier Health Sciences, New York, NY. Beckley, P, Elvidge, K & Hendry, H 2009, Implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage: A Handbook, McGraw-Hill International, New York, NY. Cox, B 1985, The Law of Special Educational Needs: A Guide to the Education ACT 1981, Taylor & Francis, New York, NY. 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Wheeler, H & Connor, J 2009, Parents, Early Years and Learning: Parents as Partners in the Early Years Foundation Stage - Principles Into Practice, NCB, London. Read More