The Basic Types of Special Needs: A Guide to Special Education

Students returning to college after serving in the military may require disability accommodations due to traumatic brain injury and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. These students may exhibit qualities of any combination of the above disabilities. Students diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders may require sensitivity due to the episodic nature of their impairments. Depression may be wrongly attributed to inattention, irritability, and apathy. Anxiety may impede concentration and be characterized by withdrawal, fear, and panic.

Instructors may consider alternate assessment methods as well, such as oral exams. Children with behavioural difficulties can show anti-social behaviour, disruptive behaviour, aggressive behaviour and have difficulties forming relationships. Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common causes of inherited intellectual disability.

In regards to mental health, 7.1% of children are living with anxiety, and 3.4% deal with depression. Based on healthcare trends, ever-improving ways of diagnosing special needs, and increasing amounts of young people diagnosed with mental health concerns, that number will likely continue to increase. Though being a parent of children with special needs can be emotional and feel isolating at times, families in these situations are far from alone, especially with the help of an experienced treatment team. There are many other mental health and behavioral special needs, many of which are still being categorized as we learn more about these fields. Behavioral therapies and functional treatment can often improve the symptoms of this variety of special needs over time. Usually, testing is needed to diagnose special needs, and many public schools provide resources to get an answer on why your child is struggling in the classroom.

1. Learning disabilities typically develop at a young age and are often diagnosed during the person’s school years, since the primary focus at school is learning.
2. Relating maths to the context of real life can help dyscalculic students make sense of mathematical concepts.
3. Accommodations can include support for individuals with different medical or mental impairments from autism to epilepsy to visual impairments.
4. Accommodations at schools and workplaces across the country are made for individuals with sensory impairments.

Like you’d guessed based on the name, Traumatic Brain Injuries are caused by external blows, jolts, or punctures to the head. Because our brains are so sensitive, even small traumas can have long-lasting consequence. This might mean a wheelchair, a communication device, or even things like an electronic pointing devices.

One of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in kids today is Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. If a child has one of these conditions, they’ll qualify for an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. An IEP is what allows students to get special services, whether they’re in public school or homeschooled.

Almost one in three pupils with an EHC plan are identified with a primary need of ASD (116,000 pupils). Pupils with an EHC plan made up one quarter (25%) of all pupils with SEN in January 2022. Did you know our website’s “Explore” feature allows you to access all our resources on key topics? Check out what we offer to find the strategies, answers, and resources you need.

Traumatic brain injury

Accommodations can include support for individuals with different medical or mental impairments from autism to epilepsy to visual impairments. Since some of these individuals may require specialized care, there are several laws that ensure they are not neglected or bullied. For example, Johnathan’s Law requires facilities to notify the parents, guardians, or caretakers within 24 hours if an accident has occurred.

Data on type of need is not available for independent schools or general hospital schools and these are not included in totals in this section. The percentage of all pupils with an EHC plan who are in mainstream schools (state-funded primary and secondary) has increased from 51.4%  to 52.7% in 2023. The number of pupils in special schools continues to rise, the percentage of all school pupils with an EHC plan who attend state-funded special schools has dropped from 39.4% to 37.9%.

Support for Tourette’s syndrome includes behaviour therapy and sometimes language / speech therapy. Anorexia is a mental health condition which causes a child or person to constantly keep their body weight very low. A child or young person diagnosed with anorexia will keep their weight low by not eating or eating very little. They might also induce vomiting after meals, or exercise excessively after meals or whenever they can. Anorexia is recognised as a disability, it can also be treated as a special educational need.

Common Types of Special Educational Needs

Demanding they simply ‘stop worrying’ will usually do little to reduce anxiety or other challenging emotions. Instead, recognising and sincerely accepting what another is feeling can be the most effective response we can give. Research has shown that validating and accepting another’s emotions can have a soothing effect for that person. Validation and acceptance of another’s feelings is done by identifying, naming and sincerely accepting their feelings.

Physical special needs

The class teacher, along with the SENDCo, often have to dig a bit deeper to get to the underlying issue the child is facing. The classroom behaviours don’t always tell us the true picture and that’s why it’s important to involve specialists from the outset. This publication combines information from the school census (state-funded schools), school level annual school census (independent schools) and general hospital most common types of special needs school census on pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Learning disabilities are lifelong conditions that cannot be fixed or cured; however, with timely diagnosis, treatment, and support, people with learning disabilities can be successful at school, work, and among their community. This makes it very important to properly assess the educational need and what special educational provision will be necessary.

While wondering about your child’s health can seem overwhelming, we at The M Center believe that a good team around your little one can relieve much of the concern that comes with these conditions. Parents of special needs students should know their child is in need of specialized support to make the most of their education. Learning special needs indicate that the person needs additional support in an educational setting. There may be trouble expressing thoughts in a written form, reading, math, processing, and more. If your hardworking child is falling behind in the classroom, a special need in the learning category may be the cause.

An additional law related to special needs is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. Most recently updated in 2015, IDEA states that every child has the right to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Schools must provide this adequate education and specific procedures for identifying children with disabilities, formulating individualized education programs, and tracking progress. Down Syndrome, also known as Down’s Syndrome, is a genetic condition which occurs as a result of having an additional chromosome.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Relating maths to the context of real life can help dyscalculic students make sense of mathematical concepts. Items like measuring cups, scales and countable objects help ensure concepts are less abstract and more easily manipulated. Remember that students with AS are often more advanced in language production than comprehension. This means that although the student may be speaking very intelligibly about a subject, s/he might https://1investing.in/ not understand the meaning of what they are saying. As a teacher, the best strategies for dealing with student anxiety are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which aim to help students think about situations in a different way so they are able to better manage their anxiety. You do not need to be an expert in CBT, you only need to remember that how you respond to their emotions serves as a model for your students.

Whether it’s appointments for physical therapy or exercises to strengthen spatial reasoning at home, parents and siblings will certainly be along for the journey of understanding and caring for a child with special needs. For example, instead of talking about plants and showing images of different types of plants, you could actually have physical plants available in the classroom for the students to touch and handle. Asperger’s syndrome, which is an Autistic Spectrum Condition, is often referred to as a difficulty with social skills. That is because people with Asperger’s syndrome will typically have difficulties with social communication and interaction. Special needs stemming from someone’s behavior or emotions can be difficult to diagnose and almost always require the intervention of a trained professional.

Other Health Impairments (OHI)

Your empathy may also increase the likelihood that the students will accept your guidance and be more open with you in the future. ADHD can present with many different symptoms, such as trouble with focusing, impulse control, time management, hyperactivity, and working memory. Like Autism, there’s no one cause of ADHD, but many different factors including genetics and environment play a role. It is a part of linguistics that deals with language and communication.

These practical concerns are common when dealing with a medical special need. Thankfully, there are more apps and services available than ever before to juggle these considerations. This doesn’t mean, however, that their child can’t be successful in school. Many educational institutions have a special needs program that works individually with students throughout the school day. While only one individual in a family may have this diagnosis, the entire family is usually affected.