What is Special Education

Special Education is defined as the total number of teachers provided services to students with special educational needs. The special educator prepares specialized or customized materials and methods based on data that serve the creation of individually designed, intensive and targeted teaching.

What is the purpose of Special Education

The purpose of Special Education is to ensure equal opportunities to children and adolescents with identified special needs and/ or educational needs  to prepare them for participation in  and contribution to society,. In addition, the goal is their personal well-being  and through this,  independent living and financial self-sufficiency and autonomy.

What are the goals of Special Education

Special Education sets individual goals, with its long-term goal being the functionality of students with special educational needs.

The first goal is to improve and utilize skills and capabilities to join or re-join the general school population , if possible.

The next goal is the integration of children into the educational system, social life and in their professional life to correspond  with their capabilities

The last goal is to ensure the acceptance of students with special education needs, their coexistence with society as a whole and equal social development, in order to  make all infrastructure, services and goods offered  accessible to them and their parents / guardians .

Who are the students with special educational needs?

Children with special educational needs are more similar  than different to  other children. However, these differences concern important points so that the  recognizing and addressing of  these points has an impact on the children’s success  at school and later in life. The different learning abilities vary as do the physical characteristics of children (e.g. some children are taller, some thinner, and so on).

Some children's learning abilities differ from the average (either lower or higher ) to the extent that they require a personalized program in order to benefit from education. Hence the term special educational needs concerns children with learning difficulties , behavioral difficulties , physical disabilities, sensory disorders, gifted at  a mental level or with a special  talent.

To which categories of different abilities is Special Education addressed?

• Learning difficulties
• Speech and language disorders
• Mental disabilities (mental retardation)
• Emotional or behavioral disorders
• Attention and concentration disorders
• Autism
• Hearing disorders
• Vision disorders
• Physical disabilities or health problems
• Traumatic brain injury
• Psychomotor delay
• Charisma and talents

How Special Education is carried out

A key role in making decisions that will define its goals intervention, is the assessment of his cognitive and learning abilities child or adolescent. The results of the evaluation will determine its type intervention to be adopted by the Special Educator.

Preventive intervention

Actions that prevent the development of a possible or small problem and reduce the negative effects.

Corrective intervention

It attempts to eliminate the consequences of an identified problem by teaching academic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic), social skills (start and discussion discussion), self service, professional (preparation of students in secondary education for the labor market).

Compensatory intervention

Teaching alternative skills that allow the child to implement projects despite the difficulties (use of support machines, alternative forms communication, etc.).

Parental counseling on education issues

The Special Educator is trained in mental health issues and behavioral and able to analyze and suggest techniques regarding assimilation of school material and educational and social requirements environment.

Skills utilized

• Imitation skills
• Visual perception
• Acoustic perception
• Memory
• Concentration
• Phonological awareness
• Oral speaking skills
• Acoustic perception
• Execute commands
• Self-image

Learning areas cultivated

• Reading ability
• Writing
• Spelling
• Understanding grammar and syntax rules
• Writing
• Elaboration, comprehension and memorization of written speech
• Mathematical thinking