Tips for setting up a special education classroom
RelationshipWhen it comes to children with special needs, organizing the classroom can be one of the most important things you can do to make your year successful. Many children with special needs, regardless of their diagnosis, have similar things that they find difficult. Below are many ideas to help the teacher organize and prepare the classroom for the beginning of the year.
1. Make a visual schedule for students to follow each day.
2. Place tennis balls at the bottom of chairs to reduce noise in the room.
3. Be very aware of sensory issues. If a child is overwhelmed by sensory stimuli in the classroom it will be distracting, making it impossible for him to concentrate.
4. Let students know when they get off task. Sometimes this can be just walking up to the student and putting a hand on their back.
5. Use things like visuals, however make sure the visuals are not so cluttered that the child is overwhelmed by them.
6. Teach organization. This can be a notebook with all your information in one place.
7. Have open communication with parents so they can move forward and there is a consistent way of doing things.
8. Model appropriate behaviors.
9. Many children have memory problems, help them make cards so they can find what they are looking for and help them study.
10. Seek and understand success as much as possible.
11. Break tasks down into smaller tasks. Don’t give them a huge task or list of assignments and expect them to do it. They are much more successful when broken down.
12. Go for quality over quantity with class work and homework. Keep in mind that many children with special needs take medication, and remember that the effects of medication wear off by the end of the day. Before assigning homework is it really necessary?
13. Make consequences logical and reward often. Create a reward system so children receive positive reinforcement on an ongoing basis.
14. Use privacy boards when things are in the room.
15. Move the student’s desk to a location where there are fewer distractions. Most of the time you will be next to the teacher, in front of or next to a quiet child.
16. It is often better to use rows of seats if possible. Group seating is too much stimulation for them.
17. Keep a part of the room free from visual stimuli, noise and windows.
18. Use headphones to play while there is noise or soft music to help block out what is happening in the classroom.
19. Give instructions, write them down, say them and repeat them. Children with special needs need information more than once and in multiple formats.
20. Make sure to make eye contact. Sometimes they are not “able” to pay attention. Reward or praise them when they make eye contact. This is very difficult for them.
21. Let a child run away if he can’t solve a problem. Let them go to the assigned area in the classroom where they can go and calm down.
See how these tips help. Please leave me a comment and let me know if it was helpful to you.