Facts and Tips About Handling

Children with Special Needs

By:

Imelda C. Raymundo
Special Education Consultant
Tayabas East District
Mental Retardation
 What is Mental Retardation?

“a person has certain limitations in mental

functioning and in skills in
communicating, taking care of herself and
social skills.”

American Association for Mental Retardation

Causes of Mental Retardation
Genetic Conditions – Abnormal genes

Problems During Pregnancy - Baby does not develop

inside the mother properly

Problems at Birth – e.g. Not enough oxygen

Health Problems – E.g. diseases like whooping cough,

measles, meningitis, extreme malnutrition, exposure to
poisons like lead or mercury etc

Mental Retardation is NOT a Disease!

Signs of Mental Retardation
 What are the Signs of Mental
Retardation?
Children with mental retardation may:
Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children
Learn to talk later or have trouble speaking
Find it hard to remember things
Not understand how to pay for things
Have trouble understanding social rules
Have trouble seeing the consequences of their actions
Have trouble solving problems and/or
Have trouble thinking logically
Needs of Mentally Disable Child
 Adaptive Skills
Teachers and parents can help children with mental
retardation adapt to live, work and play in the community

Communicating with others

Taking care of personal needs
Health and safety
Home living
Social Skills
Reading, writing and basic math; and
As they get older, skills that will help them in the
workplace
Tips for Parents
Learn about mental retardation

Encourage independence in your child

Give your child chores

Find out what skills your child is learning at school

Find opportunities in your community for social activities e.g. Scouts,

recreation centre activities, sports etc

Talk to parents whose children have mental retardation

Meet with the school and develop an educational plan to address your
child’s needs
Tips for Teachers
Learn as much as you can about mental retardation
Recognize that you can make an enormous difference in
this student’s lie
If you are not part of the student’s Individual Education
Program (IEP), ask for a copy of his or her IEP
Be as concrete as possible
Break longer, new tasks into smaller steps
Give the students immediate feed back
Teach the students life skills such as daily living, social
skills, and occupational awareness and exploration as
appropriate
Work together with the student’s parents and other school
personnel to create and implement and educational plan
tailored to meet the student’s needs
AUTISM
 What is Autism?

Students with Autism have significantly impaired

social and communication development. They show
minimal interest in most, and in some cases all
learning and social situations.
Autism Society Of America (ASA)
Best Practices
should be with their same ages peers as much as possible

should have a safe and predictable environment

The environment should have minimal transitions and

stimulus

Consistent routines and procedures should be in place

Provide many verbal and visual cues and supports to help

with routines
Keep distractions and sensory stimulus activities to a
minimal

Focus on very specific strategies – 1 or 2 at a time

Use behaviour modification techniques

Communication needs to be the main priority

Teach specific skills explicitly

Provide incentives and reinforcement

Emotional and Behaviour Disorder
Best Practises for Behaviour Disorders
Students with Emotional or Behaviour Disorders have many
characteristics that hinder academic growth

Academic Implications
Disruptive
Impulsive
Inattentive
Pre-occupied
Disregards all classroom rules
Poor concentration
Extreme resistance
Speaks out repeatedly

Aggressive

Bullies and intimidates others

Regular truancy

Dishonest

Low self esteem

Unable to work in groups

Engages in self injurious behaviour

Has no regards for personal space or belongings

Persistently tries to manipulate situations

Best Practices and Accommodations
Develop consistent behaviour expectations

Involve the student in setting academic and

personal goals

Engage in role playing situations

Communicate with parents so that strategies are

consistent at home and school
Set limits and boundaries

Apply established consequences immediately and consistently

Acknowledge and reinforce behaviour

Avoid confrontation and power struggles

Provide a highly structured classroom environment

Clearly post rules and expectations

Establish a quiet cool off area

Provide and teach opportunities for the student to use self
control/self monitoring techniques to control behaviour

Teach self talk to relieve stress and anxiety

Teach and provide time for relaxation techniques

Establish cues as reminders for inappropriate behaviour

Redirect to avoid situations that may increase anxiety levels

Remain calm and aware of your body language when addressing
the student

Provide a positive and encouraging classroom environment

Use a study carrel

Use visually stimulating material for assignments/learning

presentations

Use specialized technology and software

Develop and use behaviour contracts

Give frequent feedback

Hearing Impairment and Visual
Impairment
CAUSES
•genetic factors,

•illnesses,

•accidents,
•
•problems in a pregnancy(rubella for instance),

•complications during the birth or a

•variety of early childhood illnesses (such as

mumps or measles)
Tips for Programming Success
Make sure the child can see your lips and facial expressions
Never turn your back to the student
 Speak naturally and not too loudly if the child wears a
hearing aid
Try not to move around too much when you are speaking
Do not overuse hand gestures
Always ensure that directions, assignments, instructions are
understood before the child begins working
Ask the child to repeat instructions and directions back to
you, rather than ask if he/she understands
Use visual aids when appropriate
If Appropriate, teach some sign language to the class
Maintain close contact with the professionals that may
be involved
Always speak from a well lit area to enable the child
to see your face
Use as many audio/video components as possible in
your program
Reduce extraneous noise whenever possible
Always ask yourself how you can make the lesson or
activity more visual
Needs
To be made welcome

To be challenged to take risks and grow

To become aware of personal strengths

To have opportunities for experiential and

incidental learning

To be included in discussions and asked

questions
To have opportunities to develop goals, dreams
and aspirations

To feel safe and comfortable throughout the school

To have optimum lighting situations

To work with people who understand the

educational implications of vision loss

To have appropriate learning resources and

technology made available
Tips for Helping with Schoolwork
Show an interest in your child’s homework
Help your child organize homework materials
before beginning
Establish a regular time with your child to do
homework -developing a schedule helps avoid
procrastination
Find a specific place for your child to do
homework that has lots of light, quiet and plenty
of work space
Encourage your child to ask questions and
search for answers
Make sure your child backs up answers with
facts and evidence
Practice school taught skills at home
Relate homework to your child’s every day life
Be a role model – take the opportunity to read a
book or newspaper or write a letter while your
child studies
Praise you child for both small steps and big
leaps in the right direction
Professionals Who Can Help
Audiologist
Educational Consultant
Educational Therapist
Learning Disabilities Specialist
Neurologist
Occupational Therapist
Pediatrician
Psychiatrist
Psychologist (Clinical)
School/Educational Psychologist
Speech and Language therapist
Thank You!