When Should You Consider A Special Needs School?

Published October 01, 2008
Is your child struggling in school? Do you not understand why she is not doing well in school? Does she hate going to school instead of going eagerly each day?
 
 
At the first sign that their child has a learning disability, many parents go into a state of denial. That will not help the child. The first thing any concerned parent should do is have the child evaluated professionally. You must identify your child's strengths and weakness and proceed accordingly. Only professional learning specialists, pediatricians and psychologists are equipped to do these sorts of evaluations. Based on an evaluation you can explore the many options available to you and your child.

Helping children with learning differences become life-long learners is the mission of the 21st century special needs school. Generations ago these children were left to fend for themselves. Because learning was such a difficult, frustrating experience, many children with learning differemces simply gave up and dropped out of school. But the 21st century special needs schools have highly trained, well-qualified and experieced teachers who have committed themselves to teaching students with a wide variety of learning differences.
  
The Definition Of A Learning Difference
What exactly constitutes a learning difference? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),  a federal law, defines it as follows:

The child does not achieve adequately for the child’s age or to meet State-approved grade-level standards in one or more of the following areas, when provided with learning experiences and instruction appropriate for the child’s age or State-approved grade–level standards:
 
          o Oral expression.
          o Listening comprehension.
          o Written expression.
          o Basic reading skills.
          o Reading fluency skills.
          o Reading comprehension.
          o Mathematics calculation.
          o Mathematics problem solving.
 
Explore the special needs schools on the list below. Read about them. Visit them. One will be the right fit for your child. One of these schools will prepare him for college and life after college by giving him back his love of learning.

Resources

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Identifying Schools

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Evaluating Schools

Doing your due diligence.

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