Essay on Evidence-Based Strategies for Students with Physical Disabilities and Health Impairments
In 1975, the legislation which is now called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted. According to the IDEA, students with disabilities have the right to receive appropriate free public education in the least restrictive environment. The IDEA applies to children who have learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, autism, hearing and vision impairments, mental retardation, brand injuries, mental retardation, physical disabilities, etc. (Hunt & Marshall, 2012). Schools are responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to such students, and teachers should implement strategies for engaging students with special needs, for integrating their developmental goals in the educational setting, for promoting students’ social skills and for securing safe and accessible learning environment for children with special needs (Hunt & Marshall, 2012). In the context of this paper, evidence-based strategies for educating and developing children with orthopedic impairments and physical disabilities are discussed.
Student Population Description and Characteristics
Among the whole student population, there are about 8.4% of students who need special education services (Institute on Disability, 2014). Among them, the number of students with orthopedic impairments is about 0.9% (Institute on Disability, 2014). In 2012, there were more than 52,000 students with orthopedic impairments that required special educational services (Institute on Disability, 2014).
IDEA defines physical disabilities as orthopedic impairments and includes such impairments as disease-caused impairments (e.g. impairments that emerged due to poliomyelitis, cancer, bone tuberculosis, etc.), impairments caused by congenital anomalies (e.g. missing body part, clubfoot, etc.) and other physical impairments (e.g. the ones caused by cerebral palsy, burns, amputations, etc.) (Hornby, 2014). Students with orthopedic impairments might have different functional issues in the classroom such as atypical motor abilities and movements, fatigue, communication impairments, sensory loss, etc. (Hornby, 2014). In addition, such students often have learning challenges caused by environmental and psychosocial factors. In particular, students with orthopedic impairments frequently have motivational deficits, emotional and social difficulties, mobility problems; they are prone to having language disorders, hyperactivity and academic deficiencies (Hornby, 2014). The teacher’s responsibility is to develop and utilize strategies helping such students to become more engaged and motivated, strategies aimed at making the environment more accessible and safe for such children, strategies for developing motor skills and social skills in the educational setting (Hornby, 2014).
Strategies for Engagement and Participation in Instruction for Language Arts and Math
In order to address the needs of students with orthopedic disabilities and to maintain the proper quality of education for other learners, teachers should pay more attention to differentiating instruction according to student needs. According to Hornby (2014), 96% of general education teachers have students with learning disabilities in their classes. Students with orthopedic impairments are not so numerous as students with learning disabilities, but, as it was shown in the previous section, students with physical disabilities might also have to deal with additional educational challenges and psychosocial factors affecting their learning abilities.
Specific strategies that were found useful in a diverse class setting in general and for educating students with special needs in particular were providing specialized instruction (tailored to the needs of different students) and flexible grouping of students (Hornby, 2014). The challenges of specialized instruction for teachers, according to the findings of Heller & Coleman-Martin (2007), can be reduced by using technology – e.g. using audio and visual supports to provide for the needs of IDEA-eligible students. Furthermore, teachers need to change their behaviors and act as facilitators in order to make differentiated learning effective (Hornby, 2014).
Heller & Coleman-Martin (2007) demonstrate evidence in support of a teaching strategy aimed at promoting literacy among students with physical disabilities – Nonverbal Reading Approach. This strategy is based on subvocal rehearsal and helps students decode new words; furthermore, this approach allows the teacher to assess reading level of students. The evaluation part of the strategy is based on diagnostic distractor arrays combined with corrections and analysis of errors if necessary (Heller & Coleman-Martin, 2007). This strategy is recommended for using with phonics-based reading programs (Heller & Coleman-Martin, 2007).
In terms of math, one effective strategy for increasing engagement and participation in math for students with orthopedic impairments is TouchMath (Avant & Heller, 2011). TouchMath focuses on key computational skills and allows to train students on solving basic mathematical problems. This approach proved to be efficient for students with physical disabilities – the students’ ability to solve problems after using TouchMath notably increased. In general, students with orthopedic impairments have a propensity to cognitive issues making it more difficult for them to study math. Abstract approaches often used for teaching problem-solving skills might therefore be too challenging for such students, while multisensory representational dot notation used in TouchMath gives rather positive results in such cases (Avant & Heller, 2011). Other plausible interventional strategies might be peer instruction or drill and practice approaches (Avant & Heller, 2011).
Strategies for Manipulating the Environment for Safety and Access
Teachers should ensure that the educational environment is safe and accessible for students with special needs. To achieve this, the teacher should research the information pertaining to specific student impairments, study the characteristics of the disorder, treatment, restrictions and course of the disorder/impairment (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003). In addition, the teacher should be aware of the signs of problems associated with the specific impairment and should be able to intervene properly when needed. The teacher should specifically consider the issues of endurance and fatigue as these are very important for students with orthopedic impairments (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003). Teachers should identify and minimize potential sources of fatigue in the learning environment. Environmental issues might also emerge during motion or transition between different rooms; students might have difficulties balancing their bodies or experience troubles with bodily fluids (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003).
Teachers should also consider adjusting tests and assessments to the needs of students with orthopedic impairments. For example, assessment speed should match the student’s ability to move between questions, or it might be necessary to alter the speed or manner of assessment when student experiences motor difficulties or fatigue.
The teachers should also provide assistive technology or modifications of the environment when needed. One efficient strategy is using a computer as an alternative means of input; other frequently used modifications are preferential/modified seats, alternative organization of assessment or teaching, use of assistive hardware and software (e.g. a talking calculator) and mobility assistance (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003).
Strategies for Integrating Motor Goals in the Educational Setting
Maintaining reasonable physical health and motor development of students with orthopedic disabilities is also included in the teacher’s responsibilities. The teacher should be aware of the child’s condition in terms of expected and actual developmental goals and motor goals (Hunt & Marshall, 2012). Depending on the type of subject taught by the teacher, the student’s age and needs, it is necessary to use different strategies for integrating motor goals in the educational setting. For example, if the child has specific motor goals, it might be relevant to include activities stimulating these motor goals as part of the class.
Teachers might use assistive materials to improve the student’s abilities to concentrate and to enhance fine motor skills; group activities and experiments might be used for stimulating general motor activity and reducing fatigue. It is recommended to use the assistance of the Developmental Adapted Physical Education teacher to address motor needs of students with orthopedic impairments in the educational setting (Hunt & Marshall, 2012).
Strategies for Promoting Social Skills
Students with orthopedic impairments tend to have pervasively low social skills (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003). It is very important for teachers dealing with physically impaired students to help such students improve their social skills and assist them in integrating into the society in general. There exist different evidence-based approaches for helping students with physical disabilities acquire social skills. Firstly, the teacher should teach different forms and types of communication to the class, therefore helping students with special needs choose optimal forms of communication and helping other students understand the variety of communication forms and types (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003). In addition, teachers might share strategies of supporting disabled people with other students; such skills as mobility assistance, fatigue reduction or provision of environmental adjustments will be useful for peers as they would be more aware of special needs and for students with orthopedic impairments, as they might prefer peer assistance rather than adult assistance.
Teachers should create low-risk settings for building friendships such as role-playing, team competition or other structured activities. In such situations, students with physical disabilities might have richer social interactions and might notably improve their social skills. Sharing a culture of social diversity and helping students with similar needs meet outside school are two other strategies that will improve social skills of students with special needs (Heller & Swinehart-Jones, 2003). In general, the teacher’s strategies should address developmental and social needs of such students along with academic objectives (Hornby, 2014).
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