Society, School, and Family
Introduction
The needs of students are not uniform. This is essentially because their learning styles, needs as well as personalities vary and hence instructional methods should be adjusted appropriately. In this text, I define mental retardation and other disabilities and speculate on the impacts of such disabilities on the education of students affected. I also identify the curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities and use my local school to carry out an investigation on the policies, procedures as well as programs for education of students with various disabilities.
Mental retardation
According to Hardman et al. (2009), mental retardation is a disorder which is largely generalized and it manifests itself prior to adulthood where it results to cognitive functioning impairment. It can also inform adaptive behavior deficits. When it comes to the causes of mental retardation, experts claim that about half of the reported cases of the same have unknown causes. However, when it comes to inborn causes, mental retardation has been known to be brought about by fetal alcohol syndrome, velocariofacial syndrome and the downs syndrome. Some environmental factors have also been known to cause mental retardation including deprivation syndrome. The impact of mental retardation in education can be brought about by the behavioral defects amongst those affected. For instance, those with mental retardation have memory skills deficits and problem solving skills difficulties.
Autism
Autism is a neural development disorder which is manifested by communication and social interaction behaviors which are impaired. It is caused by cognitive and genetic dysfunctions. Though it has a genetic basis that is largely strong, Autism genetics still remain to be complex. The impact of autism in education can be brought out by failure of those with autism to develop speech (natural) that is capable of sustaining the needs of daily communication. This hence may make it difficult for students affected by the same to communicate effectively with their peers and teachers in the school setting.
Severe disabilities
Severe disabilities can be defined as all those mental or physical impairments which may end up inhibiting the functional capabilities of an individual including but not in any way limited to work skills, tolerance, interpersonal skills as well as self-care and communication. The causes of severe disabilities are many and varied. They include spinal chord conditions, paraplegia, neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, mental illness and retardation, head injury, cerebebral palsy, cancer, blindness as well as other conditions (mental or physical) resulting from amputation etc. The impact of severe disabilities on education can be brought out by inability of the student to effectively interact with others in his or her class as well as inability to perform routine assignments or directions.
Multiple disabilities
Multiple disabilities according to Westling & Fox (2008) is a combination of a wide range of disabilities including brain injury, visual and healing impairments, mental retardation as well as physical mobility and speech issues. These are what are known as concomitant impairments. The causes of multiple disabilities are as varied as the multiple disabilities themselves and though according to Hardman et al. (2009), close to 40% of multiple disability cases have no known cause. However, for the remaining 60%, prenatal biomedical factors come in as the main causes. Apart from that, other causes of multiple disabilities include but are not in any way limited to brain malformations, metabolic disorders and enzyme production disorders. When it comes to the impact on education, multiple disabilities bring about motor delays and hence individuals with the same may find it difficult to follow instructional directions amongst other things which may impact on education of such individuals.
The areas of curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities
For those with severe disabilities, the main goal of education should be to enhance self sufficiency through teaching academics (functional) as well as a wide range of abilities required in the day to day life around the domains of leisure, work, community as well as home. However, the educational methods, focus and curricula shall vary with regard to school placement and support needs. According to Westling & Fox (2008), curriculum is the starting point for learners with severe disabilities. It therefore goes without saying that the degree to which curriculum addresses the diverse needs of learners is largely important and relevant. Hardman et al. (2009) goes ahead to note that today, it is not uncommon to have learners with more than one disability type in the class setting.
For students with vision impairment issues that significantly impairs their ability to socialize, play and even engage in casual activities, the curriculum should integrate a clear difference between functional skills and compensatory skills. When it comes to compensatory skills, these includes all those skills which may come in handy for those students who are visually impaired so as to gain access to the various curriculum (core) areas. Hence by students with severe disabilities being skilled as far as compensatory skills are concerned, access to learning is made easier. When it comes to functional skills, this includes all those skills that may come in handy for learners with multiple disabilities so that they are empowered to socialize, play, work, as well as perform class work with reasonable ability.Another area of curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities is on instructional adaptations. This essentially means that the curriculum is formulated with instructions that are high quality for purposes of catering for those with severe disabilities. This is also where the application of effective instructional practices comes in.
A local school district case
It is important to note that with regard to my local school district there have been significant efforts directed at ensuring that students with severe disabilities access not only technology support but also personal support. This goes a long way to enhance the ability of students to participate in their class activities. However, when it comes to the distinction between compensatory skills and functional skills, my school district does not fare well. Failure to distinguish these two essentially means that students with severe disabilities fail to access critical skills which might be of importance to them as far as the learning process is concerned.
Conclusion
It is also important to note that the design of curriculum for students with severe disabilities should be all inclusive bringing in the efforts of both the teachers and the families that are affected. This ensures that the various objectives of the curriculum are formulated based on facts and well researched information with input from every stakeholder.
References
Hardman, M.L., Drew, C.J., & Eagan, M.W. (2009). Human exceptionality: society,
school, and family. Allyn and Bacon
Westling, D.L. & Fox, L. (2008). Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities. Pe
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
