Teachers in the Special Education Program and the Progress of Their Students - Essay Example

School Counselor Self Assessment Background My is Marsha Partel. I am married to Raj Partel, and I have one child d Isabelle. I studied at the University of Washington where I was awarded the certificate of BS in Social Science. I have trained as a college counselor. My interest in dealing with various people who have different problems whether social or psychological has geared me into becoming a college counselor. I intend to impose a positive difference to all students regardless of their needs so that they can all enjoy their educational experience as well as their social life while in college. Much attention though is directed to students with special needs as they will require special attention, like special education, services while in school and assessment which is essential to their management and treatment. School Counselors Counselors work in different society settings and are intended to provide various counseling services and support. Counselors are majorly given the challenge with adolescents, children, and adults and families with various issues like health regarding mental state namely addiction and other mental disorders. Counselors must identify the various issues so that they can offer the suitable counseling and support to their clients. School counselors should at all level assist students to know how to deal with their social problems, their actions and how to manage personal problems (Trolley et al., 2009). Counselors put emphasis on preventive measures in counseling so that students enhance their academic, social and personal growth and this offers these students with skills they need in life so that they can manage their troubles before they come to the worse. The student counselors also provide services that are unique like offering programs on prevention of alcohol and drugs. They identify domestic cases like abuse and other problems revolving in the family which may interfere with the development of the student. Their interaction with students can be done at an individual level, manageable groups or even the whole class. For the success of the students, the counselors discuss with parents and work together with them so that support is given to students. They also collaborate with the administrators of the school, medical workers, psychologists and social staff. A good counselor must have a strong personal attitude whereby he must know how to relate with different people because people are not equal and; therefore, he must be able to accommodate different people with patience. This will depend on his interpersonal skills whereby people should be handled as individual and not as a group (Trolley et al., 2009). Special Education Special education is a preventative intended to manage small troubles from being a disability. The remedy used is intended to reduce the disability effects. Special education is intended to congregate the distinctive needs of children who have a disability. Through this, special education offers extra services, maintenance, programs, environments and places that are special so that all the needs for students are taken care of. The services offered in special education make students qualify while parents do not feel any cost. The number of students who have special needs is many, and their wishes are addressed via special education. The support varies on the basis of the need and the educational influence. Typically, the students with disabilities are recognized in the law within the special education. Students who qualify in this category require a lot of support, which extends beyond what a normal student is offered in a regular school (Smith and Tyler, 2010). The special education has a goal of ensuring that students with special needs obtain education and get accessed to the curriculum as much as possible. All students, therefore, are required to access education so that they can manage to achieve their potential. If a child is suspected to be in need of exceptional education support, then the school exceptional education committee is informed so that the necessary action is taken. The parents to these students are required to have the essential information from doctors and any community worker so that they can give information to the school about their child’s condition for easy management (Smith and Tyler, 2010). These children with special needs are frequently assessed and evaluated so that their progress is established and to consider if they still need to receive the exceptional education. Parents are required to sign the permission forms before any assessment is conducted. College Counselors College counselors must be professionally skilled to give out advice to the college students on issues that concern the life in college. They offer advice about admissions, the courses being offered, the student’s expectations, and how they can manage to deal with college life. The college counselor acts as the sound panel for students who may experience confusion regarding where they wish to be in their future life. For a person to become a proficient college counselor, he or she should have the ability enjoy meeting people, have compassion for people, and be of real interest in people. The person should be sociable so that he can relate well with others and they should also be of the positive mind so as to put hope in others (Trolley et al., 2009). The counselor should be able to arrange parties so that different students get to mix and exchange ideas. He should also organize formal occasions so that people can network. As a counselor, he should be able to counsel the students who have special needs so that they can feel that they are not isolated and thereby raising their self esteem and morale. A college counselor should make the college a place to enjoy for everyone despite the individual differences. Disability Conditions There are many conditions that make a person qualify for a special education. These characteristics are mainly in children and youth. The disabilities are categorized in various groups. There is autism which is categorized under developmental disability. Autism is a condition whereby a child is unable to talk and express himself and, therefore, this child often keeps to himself. In mental disability, a person may have memory loss, depression, phobia, and anxiety disorder. In the physical disability, there can be visual impairment which includes blindness, blurred vision, and cataract and color blindness. In hearing impairment, there is loss of hearing and tinnitus. In mobility impairment, a person can have arthritis, cerebral palsy, stroke, paralysis and Parkinson’s disease. If a person has a head injury, then he may suffer from traumatic brain injury. In chronic illnesses, a person can be asthmatic; can suffer from cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, renal failure, HIV and AIDS. Other disabilities are those of substance abuse and addiction whereby a person is an alcohol addict, a drug addict and a nicotine addict. In all these disabilities, management should be offered in cases where preventive measures are no more preventive. People who suffer from these conditions need to feel important in the society and, therefore, they should be encouraged so that they can accept their condition and accept treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy so that their condition could be improved. A reputable counselor or health provider should be empathetic in order to manage these health conditions effectively. Positive outcome is always admirable because it is an indicator of the person’s compliance, discipline, and quality management offered towards that person. They need to be motivated always so that they can be strong. There are various academic and behavioral challenges that are associated with different disabilities and, therefore, special attention to these individuals is fundamental because their needs are extremely different. Special education program is of a positive influence to these groups of people because they are categorized according to their needs and, therefore, their management becomes easy (Smith and Tyler, 2010). Roles of the Special Education Teachers Exceptional education teachers are employed to work with students with an extensive variety of disabilities .Teachers in the special education program teach in the usual academic subjects but make adjustments in the curriculum so as to meet the needs of an individual student. For students with advanced disabilities, the special education tutors train them in the skills of life like food preparation and self-care. Exceptional education teachers work together with their students so that students can handle their behavioral problems and are taught substitute constructive behaviors. Special education tutors create students educational plan where he sets goals that he works towards and related actions. They also monitor the progress of their students and, therefore, contact with parents is useful. The teachers also provide special care like toileting or feed the students with disabilities (Smith and Tyler, 2010). References Smith, D., & Tyler, N. (2010). Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference (7th Ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Trolley, B. C., Haas, H., & Patti, D. (2009). The School Counselors Guide to Special Education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Read More