Perspectives on Special Education Needs and Disabilities Essay

Perspectives on Special Education Needs and Disabilities - Essay Example ith students with learning disabilities has also indicated that a recognition of and capitalization on their specific strengths of mind fosters their development, whereas a focus on their specific weaknesses compromises their development. This would be a good guiding principle when dealing with children with all kinds of disabilities. In doing so, their self-esteem is built up and they are empowered to push themselves towards their optimal potentials. Studies such as Levine’s among others have encouraged the provision of education of children with disabilities in order to optimize their potentials. The Salamanca Statement has been influential in that all children have the right to receive an education regardless of their culture and social background (UNESCO, 2005). Concern for children with disabilities has already spread in the UK from the 1970’s thanks to some advocates such as Mary Warnock who raised the issues on helping children with SEN. The Warnock Report in the year 1978 was developed to appraise the provision for children with psychological as well as physical disabilities. The report had sponsored various ranges of abilities, from low-functioning to high functioning, of special needs for children. The report laid the foundations for the issuance of statements of special education need in the UK. Warnock’s committee found that 20% of children in schools have SEN but 2% of this group may need more elaborate services that are not offered by the mainstream school system. Hence, they need to be diagnosed, issued a statement that they are entitled to special needs provision (Douglas Silas Solicitors, 2010). The Warnock Report paved the way for the â€Å"Education Act† which was imposed in the year 1983. This act presented different methods to the description... This paper stresses that in terms of gaining academic skills, one intervention is class-wide peer tutoring. Students are paired, provided the curriculum materials and take turns tutoring each other. To further reinforce the effectiveness of peer tutoring, points may be earned for correct answers, successful error correction and correct procedures. Another strategy is instructional modification wherein the student’s tasks are modified into shorter ones so he can easily complete them because they are more manageable and not overwhelming for his challenged attention span. Finally, computer-assisted instruction, a popular intervention among students today, makes use of computer-based software programs designed to supplement the teacher’s instruction while providing additional academic material. All these interventions have been found to decrease inattentiveness of students with ADHD as well as help them complete their tasks with more accuracy. It has also been found to decr ease hyperactivity, disruptive behavior and increase their compliance to directions. This report makes a conclusion that children with special education needs and disabilities are fortunate to live in an age where their conditions are better understood so there is more likelihood that they will be helped. It is heartening that people from various disciplines as well as the government are concerned enough to reach out to children like them so he can still maximize his potentials, no matter how limited they may be.