Instruction for Self-Determination - Assignment Example

Instruction for Self-Determination 1. Parents of special needs students often find it challenging and frustrating when dealing with teachers. Describe three ways teachers can incorporate family involvement into class and school activities. The teacher can provide the parent of the child with an agenda by giving them copies of the class lesson plan and handouts so they can always be aware of what their child has to do. Teachers strive to help these children that have special needs to learn effectively, but parental participation and involvement in this process can dramatically improve the child’s education and ability to learn. The parents have the power to optimize the child’s chances to succeed by showing involvement in the process and supporting the work done in the classroom. Teachers can also schedule weekly/monthly appointments to meet with the parents to give status updates, and handout information forms for the parents to fill out and have child to return 2. Self-determination can be described as the ability to make personal choices, to regulate one’s life, and to be a self-advocate. One important issue pertaining to self-determination is deciding just how far to go in allowing students with exceptionalities to make decisions solely on their own. The whole idea of self-determination has its roots in the belief children perform better in learning activities when they are given more control over their learning activities. (American Psychological Association, 2004) Students wit exceptionalities can benefit from alternative or additional programs aimed at providing them with beneficial self-determination opportunities for their requirements. For student that have demonstrated an average level of motivation and self-efficacy learning of educational materials can be improved due to higher and better self-efficacy and motivation, which will in turn lead to more academic achievement. Self-determination has to do with the ability to make personal choices, to be a self-advocate to oneself, hence being able to regulate one’s own life. (Denton, P., 2005). A self-determined person exhibits characteristics like autonomy, self-regulation, psychological empowerment and self-realization. These students can become very dependent if everything is done for them, so it is essential to allow them to make their own decisions whenever they can, for instance they should be allowed to prepare their own cheese sandwich or ham sandwich. It is very common to have a situation in which the children’s tutors try to do everything for student with special needs but this need not be so, as the tutor should only assist the child when they need the help, and not for every little thing. Self determination gives students with exceptionalities a sense of more worth. It is good practice to encourage them to be independent and provide them with guidance and home work. They should also be given decision-making roles whenever possible. 1. “Learning disability” is the largest special education category and one that many people are skeptical about, because until recently it has been very difficult to prove. What do you think makes so many people skeptical about the learning disability label? A lot of people are skeptical about the learning disability label, as it seems vague. Learning disability is not very well defined and, is difficult to diagnose. Anything can be seen as learning disability, and students who are just plain lazy students can be labeled as having learning disability. It is thus very important for teachers to help their students to feel empowered and not disabled. “Teachers who empathize, understand, and are available to students are creating a classroom where relatedness is easier to achieve. When students feel supported by their teacher and develop a personal relationship with their teacher, relatedness increases and creates a classroom where it is possible to achieve more motivation.” (Eggen & Kauchak, 2004, p. 374) Universal Design for Learning provides students with equal opportunities to learn to the best of their ability. Universal Design for Learning benefits students with special needs by laying emphasis on inclusion, as multiple levels of intelligence can be addressed, and this benefits everyone in the classroom. For instance, with a Universal Design for Learning children with special needs can be asked to run errands or carry out tasks, even tasks like just walking to the other side of the room to sharpen pencils or even putting away dishes. This can improve their confidence and the desire to learn. 1. We have had many spirited discussions about the value of using medication for the treatment of ADD/ADHD. Describe your thinking about this and include any recommendations or criticisms you may have. There are some conditions that may seem to be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but are really not Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These conditions include Childhood Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorders, Dyslexia, Autism and Tourette's syndrome. When parents assist and work with the teacher, they can directly improve the child’s experience Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder management in the classroom. Parents can work with the teachers to help keep their children on the right track at school. This type of collaboration can help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to learn and assist the child in finding his or her feet in their place of learning. This also enables the child to work through the various challenges of the school day in an effective manner. 1. Autism has been fertile ground for faddish and unproven treatment methods. Why do you think this is the case? Autism first surfaced in the 1940s, but the condition was not well understood and very little was known about it until the 1990s. “At first, autistic children were thought to suffer from schizophrenia or emotional trauma. Then, aloof and unloving "refrigerator mothers" were blamed for their children's odd behavior.” (Brand, S., Dunn, R., & Greb, F. 2002). Now, Autism seems to be fertile ground for unproven and faddish treatment methods. This is because autism treatment involves unproven cause-unproven treatment methods. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to treatment of autism. There is also no known medical test, just a set of behaviors for determining this condition, and spectrum disorder is quite broad. References American Psychological Association (2004). Increasing Student Success Through Instruction for Self-Determination. Brand, S., Dunn, R., & Greb, F. (2002). Learning styles of students with attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder: who are they and how can we teach them? Clearing House. 75(5), 268-273. Chadwell, G., (2001). Writing projects for the elementary grades: prompts, ideas, and assignments forgrades 3-6. MA: Collins Education Associates LLC. Denton, P., (2005). Learning through academic choice. MA: Northeast Foundation for Children. Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2004). Educational psychology: windows on classrooms. NJ: PearsonEducation, Inc. Read More