Regardless if a teacher teaches in a regular or a special education classroom, you have probably encountered special kids who face special challenges. Today, in almost every classroom there are any numbers of students who are dealing with a disability, either emotional, educational, or some combination of all three. Most teachers probably looking for resources and information that will them help them teach those students effectively and help them to learn successfully.
However, the number of websites for teachers who have students who have disabilities can be overwhelming, so overwhelming in fact that it can be difficult to sort through them all.
Although most of the websites are intended primarily for use with students who have disabilities, many can be adapted for use with all students. The following is a review of four of these websites.
A great site for teachers is called Teachers Helping Teachers, However, its Special Education section provides numerous of activities that are aimed at teaching basic skills to students who have disabilities. These activities are geared for students from kindergarten through high school and are submitted by classroom teachers from around the country. They include lessons in study skills, current events, geography, math and reading. For example, the activity Weird Letters helps students who have learning disabilities identify and remember letters that don’t always look the way they’re supposed to. The use of newspapers is a functional activity that is designed to teach language arts or social studies to students who have learning disabilities. This website also has information on the mainstreaming and inclusion of learning disabled students and a Guest Book which is a forum where teachers can exchange advice and ideas.
A good website for teachers who teach younger students is called Resources for Early Childhood Special Education. This website’s teaching section has numerous activity ideas which are all arranged by theme, from Animals to Valentine’s Day. Also, there are two additional sections for the preschool teacher who has students that have disabilities and wants to maintain this website. The Technology section provides activities that can be downloaded for disabled or regular students and the Jump section provides links to other great sites containing activities for preschool students who have disabilities.
The website called Special Needs, Special Kids was created by a special needs mediator and provides a plethora of information about specific disabilities, such as spinal bifida, epilepsy, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism. Also, the website provides educational material, which includes discussions of a variety of disabilities and special education issues, activities for the development of fine motor skills, games and suggestions for adapting them to children with a variety of disabilities. The website also provides insights into such topics as wheelchair etiquette and American Sign Language, as well as the Ten Commandments for Educators.
Finally, if the special education teacher wants to promote home school interaction the website Very Special Home Pages allows for the sharing with families of special students. This website provides free home pages for adults and children who have disabilities. Each of the biographies is written by a caregiver or parent and displays the personality, hobbies, and talents of each of the people who have a disability and allows visitors to see beyond the disability.