Special Educational Needs

Unit 9



Introduction
Although the final unit in this module on the curriculum, this one, relating to the role of the Headteacher in the management of Special Educational Needs, is perhaps one of the most important. It recognises and outlines the importance of including all children equally in the educational provision in Guyana. Although this has for many years been a guiding principle in Guyanese culture and politics, sadly, in practice it has not always been the case. It is not to say that it was not the intention of most teachers to run an “inclusive’ classroom but the challenges in doing so have often been quite insurmountable in attempting to do so.

Schools are made up of year groups, classes and individual pupils. It is convenient and practical to teach them in these groupings. However, each class of children is made up of 30 or more unique individuals with their own distinctive backgrounds, abilities, needs and aspirations. Very few teachers these days will believe that they can all be taught in the same way, have the same learning styles and would benefit from a totally uniform education. Most will accept that a child-centred approach is the most beneficial method of achieving individual learning. However, such an approach requires training, energy, dedication and resources; not all of which are readily available.

Added to this complicated situation is the fact that many children, through no fault of their own, have learning difficulties ranging from mild, which may be the result of their genetic make-up or possibly their family circumstances, to severe which have been identified as a recognised leaning disability such as dyslexia and autism. In addition, there are those children who have physical disabilities which can also range from the mild to the severe. However, in essence, they are all children who are not to be recognised by their disability or Special Educational Need but as individuals who have an equal part in “One nation, one people, one destiny”.

There is evidence that, left to their own devices, many teachers whilst agreeing with the above, would nevertheless teach their lessons to the “middle” or “average” in the class, failing to cater for children with SEN or to stretch those at the other end of the scale who are gifted. This culture clearly fails many children and it is, therefore, the responsibility of the Headteacher to ensure that there is a positive ethos of “inclusion” within the school, that teachers are trained to handle it and that examples of discrimination (e.g. failure to support adequately a child with SEN) are dealt with appropriately.

Individual Study time: 4 hours.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit you should be able to:

¨ Understand the history and development of education leading to the current position on S.E.N.
¨ Be clear about the meaning of the term Special Educational Needs
¨ Understand the reasons why all children have a right to an equal education
¨ Distinguish between learning difficulties and learning disabilities
¨ Understand the role of the Headteacher in the management of Special Educational Needs
¨ Be aware of the international context of SEN
¨ Devise strategies for meeting the needs of children with S.E.N.

A Brief History of Teaching Pupils with Special Educational Needs
Let us first consider how different approaches to teaching pupils with SEN have been used over the last few decades. The changes you will learn about have been happening globally but at different rates in different countries. Due largely to the immediacy of mass communications differences are being rapidly reduced and many countries, including Guyana, are being helped to bring their practices in line with current thinking globally.

We will start with a short history of Special Education. To begin this journey we need, first, to look at education generally. Over the last 2 centuries most countries have followed a similar pattern, albeit at different rates and in some cases for different reasons.
One factor that influences education in all nations is that of finance. Educating children costs money. A second factor is the perceived purpose of education.

Economics and attitudes to gender and disability led to education for able-bodied males up to the ages of 10 or 11 years being prioritised. This education focussed on literacy. Eventually this education was extended to 13 or 14 years and included useful, work-orientated skills. By the late 19th century many countries were able to include in their legislation the education of girls. At this stage most children who differed from the norm physically or mentally in any way were either institutionalised or merely kept at home. Either way they were usually regarded as uneducable because education was geared towards producing a useful workforce.

By the mid 20th century many countries acknowledged the need for people with disabilities to be educated in order that they may be able to participate more fully in society and maybe do some work of some kind. Special schools/units with a limited curriculum were set up for this purpose. Following quickly on from this remedial classes were set up in some regular schools. This happened in recognition of 3 factors:

¨ Some pupils were borderline such that it was not deemed appropriate for them to be educated in special schools and yet they were struggling with the rigid teaching styles common in schools at that time.
¨ Some mental disabilities did not show up fully until the pupil had been in school a year or two.
¨ It was less expensive to have a remedial class in a regular school than it was for the Ministries to set up Special Schools/Units for small numbers of pupils.

Much research was being done at this time that all served to highlight the fact that children with physical and/or learning disabilities should have the same rights to effective education and where possible be educated among children without tangible disabilities in order to progress faster. When this happened pupils were said to be integrated into regular schools. Out of this research came issues such as the basic rights of all human beings to be treated as equals and the realisation that many people with physical / mental learning disabilities / difficulties also have many strengths and are capable of learning as much as, and in some cases more than, people without recognised disabilities.



Activity 9.1
We have seen how economic factors: the cost of education and the need for it to provide a workforce that will increase a nation’s wealth, have dictated the sequence in which different sectors have society have received education.

List as many reasons as you can think of why pupils with SEN should receive as full an education as possible.

Comment
It is a basic human right that all people should have education without discrimination.
All human life is valuable and it is morally wrong to place a higher value on those who are unimpaired against those who have some discernable impairment. It is often impossible to be accurate about the potential of any individual from an early age much less the potential of someone with an impairment that may only result in delayed development rather than none at all. Much impairment does not prevent an individual from learning and going on to lead a fully productive life. Those who are severely impaired need education in order to become as independent as possible. Society needs to value human traits other than those, which lead solely to the generation of income.


What are Special Educational Needs?
The term 'special educational needs' refers to children (and adults) who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children (or adults) of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.Children do not have learning difficulties just because their first language is not English. Of course, some of these children may have learning difficulties as well. Children in the interior of Guyana, therefore, speaking a local, native language do not have S.E.N.Children with special educational needs may need extra help because of a range of needs, such as in thinking and understanding, physical or sensory difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties, or difficulties with speech and language or how they relate to and behave with other people.

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind at some time during their education. Schools and other organisations should be able to help most children overcome their difficulties quickly and easily. But a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

So special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulties with:

¨ All of the work in school
¨ Reading, writing, number work or understanding information
¨ Expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
¨ Making friends or relating to adults
¨ Behaving properly in school
¨ Organising themselves
¨ Some kind of sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school.

Many people believe that Special Educational Needs relates purely to Physical Disability and is accommodated only through Special Schools. As you can see, this could not be further from the truth.

The Right to Education

Reflect for a moment on how you would feel if you had a significant physical disability but were above average in your intellectual capacity and your parents decided that it would be better if you did not attend school.


Comment
In Guyana, this is often a realistic situation. Whether for reasons of embarrassment, inconvenience, finance, or even superstition a significant number of parents choose to do this. It is first and foremost the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to ensure that such children and their parents are given every opportunity and encouraged to attend school, whether in a Special School with a Specialist Curriculum or integrated into the mainstream.

It is the responsibility of the Headteacher and his / her staff to guarantee that such children are fully included in the activities, both leaning and social, of the school to the full extent that they are capable.

All children have a right to education at the fullest level of their capabilities and should be encouraged to reach their full potential. In this unit we will concern ourselves more with children who can be accommodated in the mainstream school; that is, those with mild to moderate learning difficulties and learning / physical disabilities. That is not to say that more severe cases cannot be included in the mainstream or are not important but that such information is best disseminated in a specialist workshop or training course.

Pupils with Learning Disabilities and Learning Difficulties
Think for a moment about what a Learning Disability and a Learning Difficulty mean. All teachers need to identify the learning needs of their pupils and the different constraints that their pupils will have and how these relate to their potential.

The characteristics that all learning disabled children have in common are:

¨ They have average or above average intelligence
¨ They have adequate sensory abilities
¨ There is a discrepancy between their potential and their achievement

However a great many other characteristics are found in a number of learning disabled children.

¨ Hyperactivity: The tendency to discharge energy through action rather than cognition resulting in non-goal directed activity that is inappropriate.
¨ Hypoactivity: Appears listless or daydreaming. Moves slowly, works slowly and speaks slowly. May be overweight. Does not socialise well. Does not participate unless urged. Does not finish assignments.
¨ Inattention: This may not be relayed to hyperactivity or hypoactivity. It can simply be a matter of actual inability to focus on any particular activity for any length of time.
¨ Perseveration: The tendency to continue a specific act, behaviour, attitude or thought in non-purposeful or inappropriate repetitions.
¨ Rigidity: Responding to the environment in an overly orderly, carefully controlled, inflexible fashion. This may be a learned behaviour to compensate for emotional disorganisation.
¨ Instability: Personal, social and academic performance fluctuations without obvious good reason.

Academic behaviour seen in Learning Disabled Children

Listening skills
¨ Easily distracted, especially by background noise
¨ Inefficient listening
¨ Unable to follow more than one direction at a time
¨ Forgets what is said
¨ Unable to reproduce rhythmic beats
¨ Short attention span

Reading
¨ Reads at a significantly lower rate than his/her peers
¨ Letter reversals
¨ Reads words backwards (was for saw)
¨ Reads from right to left or bottom to top
¨ Confuses letters and words of similar shape (r and h, n and h)
¨ Unable to read silently, needs to read aloud.
¨ Unable to explain ideas or organise thoughts when retelling a story

Oral Language
¨ May know the name of an object but is unable to say it
¨ Confused and disorganised when speaking of an idea
¨ Lack of sentence structure and correct grammar
¨ Difficulty speaking about a sequence of ideas
¨ Limited vocabulary
¨ Cannot say words while writing them

Mathematics
¨ Forgets basic arithmetical facts
¨ Relies on the concrete e.g. counting on fingers
¨ Difficulty understanding abstract concepts such as time, distance and space.
¨ Reverses numerals (21 for 12, 6 for 9)
¨ Difficulty with matching similar shapes
¨ Confused about which column to start with when doing mathematical computation
¨ Confuses signs ( - mistaken for + )

Writing
¨ Has difficulty copying from the board or a book
¨ Cannot print or write on a line
¨ Letters or words may be wrong in size and shape and spacing
¨ Moves the page excessively when trying to cope with a writing task
¨ Erases and corrects excessively
¨ Goes over and over one letter, or may write one word over many times
¨ Is slow in completing written work

Listed above are 33 typical behaviours a pupil with a Learning Disability may display. Note: the use of the word ‘behaviour’ here means, the way a pupil performs and it should never be assumed that these pupils are consciously or deliberately misbehaving.



Activity 9.2

Study the lists and think about the pupils you have taught or are currently teaching.
How many pupils display at least half of these behaviours?
How many pupils display only 5 or 6 of these behaviours?
How many pupils display none of these behaviours?
Now focus on the ones who display at least half of these behaviours. How do you think these pupils feel during lessons? How do you think they feel when told off for not working properly? What can you, as their teacher, do to help them?

Comments
Most pupils with a Learning Disability feel confused, embarrassed, and angry when they are unable to follow what is being taught or do the work they are being told to do. These negative feelings are compounded when they are told off for something that is beyond their control such that they may become defiant or quiet and sulky. As their teacher you need to first of all get to know your pupils’ strengths as well as their weaknesses and then plan your lessons differently so that all your pupils can learn something from them that they can feel good about.



Pupils with Learning Difficulties
The characteristics that all pupils with Learning Difficulties have in common are:
¨ Lower than average I.Q.
and/or
¨ Some significant sensory impairment
¨ Some limit to their potential and academic achievement

We know that all people are different in many ways and yet, differences are all too often ignored in the classroom. Lessons are planned and delivered as though every pupil were the same. Since you are studying this course, that places you among approximately the top 5% of people in Guyana who are capable of or have access to a higher academic education. Those who are unable to do this can nevertheless go on to lead successful lives using less academic skills and hence they still need to be educated whilst at school to their full potential. It is normal for persons in society to have a full range of ability. However, it is society itself which has decided that top academic achievers are more valuable than those who have other traits to offer – and teachers who decide that only the ‘easy to teach’ are worth bothering with.



Activity 9.3
Draw up a list of all the things you are good at.
Now draw up a list of all the things you are not very good at.



Comments
Check which list you put the following skills on:

¨ Painting pictures
¨ Reading music
¨ Playing an instrument
¨ Mathematics
¨ Reading academic texts
¨ Reading for pleasure
¨ Writing for study
¨ Writing for pleasure
¨ Working with wood
¨ Working with fabrics
¨ Singing
¨ Cooking
¨ Looking after babies/children
¨ Making people feel happy/relaxed in your presence
¨ Driving a vehicle
¨ Public speaking
¨ Looking after the environment
¨ Speaking a second language
¨ Using a computer
¨ Helping people to work through their problems
¨ Organising group activities
¨ Flower arranging
¨ Teaching children who do not find it easy to learn
¨ Teaching children who learn easily
¨ Cleaning a house
¨ Washing clothes
¨ Saying ‘Thank You’
¨ Asking for help and advice
¨ Studying science
¨ Writing poetry
¨ Mountain climbing


This list could be endless and you may have other things on your list. The chances are that you have more items on your list of things that you are NOT good at than you have on your list of things that you ARE good at. This is normal. No one can be good at everything and many people with Learning Disabilities/Difficulties will be good at many of the tasks that their academically able peers are not good at.
This is why we must value everyone for what they CAN do since the whole of society needs people with a very wide range of skills.



Pupils with a Learning Difficulty may have an inherently low I.Q or a sensory impairment which makes it difficult for them to learn as much, or as quickly, as other pupils but they can learn and must be helped to learn as much as possible. Pupils with a Learning Disability have average to high I.Q but also a condition that affects concentration and/or the way they do things such that different teaching approaches are needed.

The Role of Headteacher in the Management of Special Educational Needs
In Module 8, you will read that the Headteacher is not merely an administrator or a manager but first and foremost a Leader. Some of the characteristics of a leader are as follows:-

¨ Creates a vision for the school for its short and long term development
¨ Empowers staff to work toward achieving the vision
¨ Provides and enabling environment in which they can work
¨ Encourages team work
¨ Is the lead professional of the school

All of these characteristics are essential when leading the staff in the management of S.E.N.
As the Lead Professional and in relation to the provision for SEN, consider what your vision for the school would be and how you would work with, encourage, empower and enable your staff to achieve it.

In answering the above, let us consider the reality of the situation in Guyana. It is probably true to say that almost all children will have a special need at some time during their time in school. This may be permanent, semi-permanent or temporary and it may be caused by external factors or personal circumstances. The permanent will remain with the child throughout his or her life (e.g. some physical disabilities for which there is no cure). The semi-permanent may improve as the child gets older and learns to cope with the disability, a cure may be found or he /he responds to treatment. The temporary will be short term and may very well be as a result of factors relating to home circumstances or the quality of education.

Many Guyanese children have a temporary special educational need which is related to external factors. They are of a normal ability range and are able to learn. This need may not be permanent although it often is because it is not recognised and appropriate strategies put into place to deal with it. Unfortunately, it is often a result of the following circumstances

¨ Knowledge, skill and ability of teachers
¨ Availability of resources
¨ Large class sizes
¨ Poor motivation of teachers
¨ Lack of adequate supervision of staff
¨ Low levels of teacher / pupil contact time
¨ Inappropriate teaching Methods

The skill is to be able to differentiate between children who have SEN and those whose performance is a result of these external factors. This is where the leadership of the Headteacher comes into play. You must take the initiative in relation to SEN and must make suitable provision happen. As Headteacher, in doing so, you will have a total commitment to “equality of opportunity”, a commitment to “Inclusive Education” in the mainstream (where it is in the interests of the child) and will be dedicated to meeting the needs of all children in every classroom.

The Statement and Framework for Action (UNESCO, 1994) re-affirms the right to education of every individual, as enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and renews the pledge made by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on “Education for All” to ensure that right for all, regardless of individual differences. The Statement also mentions the 1993 UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities which states that the education of disabled children should be an integral part of the education system.

It states:-
¨ Every child has a fundamental right to education, and must be given the opportunity to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of learning,
¨ Every child has unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs,
¨ Education systems should be designed and educational programmes implemented to take into account the wide diversity of these characteristics and needs,
¨ Those who have special educational needs must have access to regular schools which should accommodate them within a child-centred pedagogy capable of meeting these needs,
¨ Regular schools with this inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all; moreover, they provide an effective education to the majority of children and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost-effectiveness of the entire education system.
¨ Special needs education…. assumes that human differences are normal and that learning must accordingly be adapted to the needs of the child rather than the child fitted to pre-ordained assumptions regarding the pace and nature of the learning process.

Consider to what extent these maxims, which are now accepted by almost all developed countries, would apply to your school or education generally as you know it in Guyana.

The Headteacher, therefore, has a serious responsibility:-

¨ To set the expectations about inclusive education in the classroom
¨ To monitor the performance of teachers and children against those expectations
¨ To evaluate staff performance.
¨ To train and coach the staff on appropriate methods and behaviours
¨ To lead by example as the Lead Professional

However, in reading this, if such actions are not part of your normal practice, you will ask “How can this be done?” This is where there is an obvious link between what we are discussing now and the assessment procedures as outlined in Unit 6 of this Module. Baseline, Formative and Summative Assessment and Record Keeping are essential tools in the process. Teachers should be encouraged to follow the process outlined below:-

¨ Identification of child with SEN through observation and testing
¨ Comparison of data with the normal range for the age and ability of the child
¨ Recognition of the need through diagnosis of specific learning or physical / learning disability
¨ Creating an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with strategies for learning, teaching, monitoring and evaluating progress for children with severe needs and a Group Plan for more general needs (e.g. low class literacy levels)
¨ Monitoring the plan by the teacher and ultimately the Headteacher
¨ Testing for progress against baseline assessment
¨ Reviewing and updating the plan


Strategies for Meeting Special Educational Needs
Needless to say, these are numerous and to outline more than just a few would be impossible in this programme. However, you and your staff should consider the following once the need has been recognised:

¨ Setting children in classes where the type and pace of the lesson meets their needs
¨ Arranging children into groups of similar abilities and needs
¨ Matching the work to the needs of the children. This is commonly known as differentiation. With practice it is possible to provide several levels of work in the same class on the same subject.
¨ Adapting the curriculum – not a new curriculum – to meet children’s needs
¨ Holding remediation classes
¨ Appointing a fully committed SEN coordinator or giving an existing senior teacher this responsibility
¨ Finding ways of using classroom assistants, perhaps parents who volunteer, to assist and guide the children
¨ Involvement of health professionals
¨ The use of reward systems to encourage and motivate children for the small steps they make
¨ Focusing on classroom inclusion (keeping children involved)
¨ Creating an Educational Psychology Service. Although this is perhaps for the future, it is a role which could be carried out in the short term by the School Social Workers.

Consider whether any or all of these strategies might work in your school, given a willing staff.



Activity 9.4
You may ask why “inclusive education” is important. Consider these statement and decide whether you agree with them. If not, why not?



¨ All children must be equally valued
¨ Maintaining barriers to some students’ participation in the cultures, curricula and communities of local schools is unacceptable. (Reference to placing children in Special Schools where their SEN does not require them to be isolated from the main community)
¨ Inequalities occur when the school system is not responsive to diversity.
¨ Inclusion is not just about pupils with disabilities
¨ Viewing differences between students as problems to be overcome is disrespectful and limits learning opportunities
¨ Identifying academic achievement as the main aim of schooling detracts from the importance of personal and moral development
¨ Isolating schools and local communities from one another deprives everyone of enriching experiences
¨ Inclusion in education should not be a separate issue from inclusion in society


Comment
We would hope that you would not have found reasons to disagree with any of the statements.



Finally, a headteacher must be very proactive about achieving a special education for special children in a special way, whether in the mainstream or a special school or unit.

“Children learn better when excited and engaged. What excites and engages them most is truly excellent teaching which challenges them and shows them what they can do. When there is joy in what they do, they learn to love learning”.

The education system must excite, challenge
and engage special children too.

Summary
A Headteacher must be clear about the meaning of the term Special Educational Needs and how its history and international context has led to the current position on S.E.N. It is essential that, as the Lead Professional, he / she appreciates the reasons why all children have a right to an equal education and, in particular, his / her role in the management of Special Educational Needs.

Once all of this has been accepted, the challenge is to be able to devise strategies for meeting the needs of children with S.E.N. In short, the Headteacher must understand the issues of inclusion, be committed to equality of opportunity and to meeting the needs of individual children.

He / she must “make it happen!”