interactive activities for special education students

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Special Education: Free Lesson Plans and Resources

About This Collection

Special education resources: helping all students succeed share my lesson’s collection of prek-12 special education resources has resources to support every child's learning journey, wherever they may be. educators and parents know that one size doesn't fit all, and this collection is designed to be a gateway to embrace learner variability and provide the support that every student deserves. whether you're a teacher creating an inclusive classroom, or a parent navigating their child’s education and special needs, this collection has something to help. from the abcs of individualized education programs (ieps) to the 123s of setting achievable goals, this share my lesson collection has tools that make education accessible and exciting for all. ieps are more than just documents; they're the roadmap to a student's success. our resources will guide you through understanding and developing ieps that are tailored to meet the unique needs and potentials of each student. by setting clear, reachable goals, we can help students soar beyond expectations. share my lesson also offers specialized materials for students with autism, adhd, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. these resources aren't just about coping but about thriving. they are designed by share my lesson partners to celebrate differences and foster an environment where those differences are strengths. this collection also provides a variety of lesson plans with accommodations, ensuring that every student can participate and learn effectively.  the share my lesson community continues to provide and build this collection of comprehensive special education resources that are as dynamic and varied as the students they aim to serve. join us on this educational journey, where we can foster every student's potential to reach new heights, and the possibilities for growth are infinite., more resources for the new school year.

Get the new school year started off on the right track with more resources on topics such as classroom management, social-emotional learning, family engagement, supporting English-language learners, building successful community schools, and more.

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30 Games for Special Need Kids & Activities for Them to Learn

Play is critical for children’s development and learning. This is especially true for kids with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, and other conditions. Games provide opportunities for cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth. They also help kids build confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills, and more.

Games should be tailored to each child’s unique needs and abilities. Some kids may need simpler games with repetition to reinforce concepts. Others may benefit from more challenging games to build new skills. The key is finding games that are accessible, playing to their strengths, and helping the child grow. With the right games, kids with special needs can develop key skills while having fun.

This list features 10 great games for kids with special needs. The games target different skills from matching, memory, and sensory processing to social skills and motor skills. With these games, parents and teachers can help kids learn critical developmental skills through the power of play.

Matching and Memory Games

Matching and memory games are great for developing cognitive skills like focus, memory, and pattern recognition in special needs kids. These types of games are simple but require concentration and repetition to master.

Some top matching and memory games include:

• Memory  – This classic game involves laying out cards face down and taking turns flipping them over to find matches. It helps build visual memory skills.
• Concentration  – A variation on Memory that uses images instead of matching pairs. Players try to remember the location of matching images. It improves visual memory and concentration.
• Match It!  – A game where kids match cards based on colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc. It helps reinforce early learning concepts.
• Spot It!  – A fast-paced matching game where every card has one image that matches another card. It sharpens focus and pattern recognition.
• Puzzle Games – Puzzles require piecing together parts to form a whole picture. They build visual processing and problem-solving.

The repetition involved in playing these games helps strengthen memory, focus, and thinking skills in special needs children. The games also provide a fun, engaging activity to practice cognitive development.

Cause and Effect Games

Cause-and-effect games are excellent for developing logic, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in kids with special needs. These types of games challenge kids to understand how one event leads to another. Figuring out the relationship between cause and effect promotes cognitive growth.

Some top examples of cause-and-effect games include:

• Rube Goldberg Machines – Rube Goldberg machines are contraptions made of everyday objects rigged together to complete a simple task in an overly complicated, indirect way. Building Rube Goldberg machines encourages creativity, planning, and trial and error. Kids must problem-solve to get each step in the chain reaction to work properly.
• Marble Runs  – Marble runs are tracks that marbles roll down, encountering obstacles and contraptions along the way. Like Rube Goldberg machines, marble runs require logic and critical thinking to construct. Kids must figure out how to get the marble from start to finish through chutes, ramps, levers, and more.
• Domino Effect – Lining up dominos in creative formations and then knocking them down is a classic cause-and-effect game. Kids can experiment with domino placements to see how the chain reaction unfolds. It’s an engaging hands-on activity for practicing sequencing, prediction, and fine motor skills.

Cause-and-effect games give kids the chance to tinker, experiment, and discover connections. The sense of accomplishment from completing these challenging and fun games builds self-confidence too.

Sensory Integration Games

Sensory integration games help children with special needs better process sensory information from their environments. They can improve focus, self-regulation, motor skills, and emotional regulation. Some top examples of sensory integration games include:

• Texture balls  – Making DIY texture balls with materials like yarn, beads, rice, and sequins provides great tactile input for hands and fingers. Feeling different textures aids sensory discrimination.
• Scooping rice/beans  – Filling containers with rice, beans, or sand and having kids scoop and pour back and forth integrates proprioceptive and vestibular input. This crossing the midline activity develops coordination.
• Sensory bins  – Filling bins with materials like water beads, shaving cream, kinetic sand, slime, or cloud dough creates an inviting sensory experience. Exploring the textures engages multiple senses.
• Fidget toys  – Toys like tangles, pop tubes, and liquid timers offer repetitive sensory input for calming and focus. The sensory feedback can help kids self-regulate.
• Weighted blankets/toys  – Deep pressure from weighted objects helps soothe the nervous system. Blankets and lap pads provide calming proprioceptive input.

Sensory play allows kids to get needed input in a fun way. Matching the activities to the child’s needs and challenges can help them process sensory information and participate more fully in learning and social activities.

Social Interaction Games

Social interaction games provide wonderful opportunities for kids with special needs to develop social skills like empathy, cooperation, and communication. Playing games together fosters connections and understanding between kids.

Some top examples of social interaction games include:

• Charades – This classic game encourages nonverbal communication, creativity, and teamwork. Players act out different words and phrases while their teammates try to guess what they are. Charades help kids read social cues.
• Heads Up!  – For this popular app game, players hold a card up to their forehead with a word they can’t see. Teammates give clues to help the player guess the word. Heads Up! promotes perspective-taking as kids try to view things from another angle.
• Go Fish  – This classic card game teaches turn-taking, conversation skills, handling winning/losing, and patience. Kids learn to engage with others, ask questions, and work together cooperatively. The back-and-forth interactions are great for social development.

The key is finding games that kids enjoy and that provide opportunities for positive social interactions. Playing together builds community, self-confidence, and essential life skills. Social games are an impactful way for kids with special needs to connect with peers and gain social competencies.

Fine Motor Skill Games

Games that involve using the small muscles in the hands and fingers can greatly benefit children with special needs by improving their hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Being able to manipulate objects with precision helps with many tasks involved in daily living. Some great examples of fine motor skill games include:

• LEGO  – Building with LEGO bricks is a fun activity that promotes fine motor skills. As children snap the pieces together and pull them apart, they are practicing their pincer grasp and strengthening their finger muscles. LEGO also sparks creativity and problem-solving.
• Lacing cards – Lacing shapes cut into cardboard cards with a shoelace or string is great for developing hand-eye coordination. Kids must concentrate on weaving the lace through the holes. It’s also a calming, repetitive activity.
• Peg puzzles – Fitting pegs into a puzzle board requires pinching, grasping, and rotating motions. Different-sized pegs and holes allow for graded challenges. Peg puzzles encourage concentration and completion of tasks.
• Beading – Stringing beads onto a shoelace or pipe cleaner involves fine finger manipulation. Finding patterns and creating designs provides cognitive benefits too. Beading helps improve dexterity, bilateral coordination, and visual motor skills.
• Tweezer activities  – Using tweezers or tongs to pick up and transfer objects strengthens pincer grasps needed for writing and self-care skills. Eye-hand coordination is also improved as kids grasp items with the tool.

Playing games that require controlled movements of the hands and fingers stimulates the sensory receptors in the skin. This feedback helps develop motor pathways in the brain. Fine motor play is key for preschool readiness and academic tasks like writing.

Gross Motor Games

Gross motor skills involve the large muscles that control arm, leg, and body movements. Developing strong gross motor skills provides several benefits for kids with special needs.

Some key benefits include:

• Improved balance and coordination
• Increased muscle strength
• Better body awareness and spatial relations
• Enhanced ability to navigate environments
• More confidence in movement and physical activities

Gross motor games that involve running, jumping, throwing, catching, kicking, and other full-body movements are fantastic for improving these abilities. Here are some top examples:

1. Ring Toss

Ring toss is a classic carnival game that is simple yet engages gross motor skills. Kids take turns throwing rings onto pegs to land the rings over the pegs. This game improves hand-eye coordination, muscle control, balance, and motor planning. It can be adapted by using larger rings and pegs for beginners.

Bowling allows kids to roll or throw a ball to knock down pins, working on shoulder, arm, and hand muscles. It teaches body positioning, aim, and release of an object. Ramps or bowling aids can help children who need assistance. Simplify the game by using fewer pins.

3. Jumping Games

Jumping jacks, hopscotch, and jump rope are fun activities that build leg strength. They help with bilateral coordination, rhythm, and cardiovascular endurance. Start with basic two-foot jumping before trying advanced skills like hopping sequences. Mark proper foot placement with spots or tape lines.

4. Obstacle Courses

Setting up obstacle courses with tunnels, hoops, and hurdles encourages whole-body movement. Kids crawl, climb, tiptoe, balance, and maneuver through the course. Adjust obstacles based on mobility levels. Focus on completion rather than speed. Spotters can provide support as needed.

The key is choosing games that engage the large muscle groups but start simple. Provide appropriate modifications to enable active participation. Celebrate movement accomplishments and gross motor development through play.

Educational Games

Educational games provide many benefits for kids with special needs when it comes to improving literacy, math, science, and social studies skills. These types of games present core academic concepts in a fun, engaging format that aligns with different learning styles. Some of the top examples of educational games for special needs kids include:

• Bingo – This classic game can be adapted in many ways to target math, reading, science, and social studies skills. Teachers can create customized bingo cards with vocabulary words, math problems, science concepts, historical facts, and more. As concepts are called out, students match them to their cards. This helps reinforce learning in a lively activity.
• Educational Apps – There are many stellar educational apps available today that interactively align with academic standards. These apps allow students to practice skills in areas like phonics, counting, telling time, money recognition, and more. The apps provide feedback and feature adjustable difficulty levels to challenge students at their own pace.
• Trivia Games  – Playing trivia games is an enjoyable way for special needs kids to build knowledge. Teachers and parents can create custom trivia games focused on academic subjects or themes they’re studying in class. This allows kids to answer interesting questions and get exposure to new facts and concepts.
• Flashcard Games  – Using digital or paper flashcards for learning games builds fluency with key terms, math facts, historical figures, science vocabulary, and more. Students can practice matching, sorting, or quiz-style games with flashcards tailored to their academic needs.
• Board Games  – Classic board games like Chutes and Ladders or Hi-Ho Cherry-O can be adapted to integrate math, reading, and other skills practice. Creating a custom board game, or modifying an existing one, allows kids to work on target skills while enjoying interactive play.

Educational games provide a valuable way for special needs kids to practice core skills in a low-pressure, engaging environment. Integrating games that align with classroom learning goals allows students to solidify knowledge while having fun.

Adaptive Games

Adaptive games are designed to accommodate children with a wide range of physical or cognitive abilities. The key feature of adaptive games is providing options to adjust and customize the gameplay experience. This adaptability allows children with special needs to participate and enjoy games alongside their peers.

The importance of adaptability stems from the fact that special needs children have abilities that differ from typical developmental milestones. Adaptive games account for these differences by providing adjustable settings and control methods. For example, a child with limited mobility may need larger, easier-to-grasp game pieces. A child with visual impairment could benefit from high-contrast colors or audio instructions.

Developers are increasingly recognizing the value of building adaptability into games. Some examples of adaptive features include:

• Adjustable size and shape of game pieces
• Alternate control methods like switches, eye tracking, or voice commands
• Customizable level of difficulty and pacing
• Options to reduce sensory stimuli like sounds or graphics
• Text or pictorial instructions to support learning differences

The goal is to remove barriers and open up gameplay to children of all abilities. Adaptive mechanics empower kids to play independently alongside friends. This fosters inclusion, builds self-confidence, and allows special needs children to reap the developmental benefits of play. Ultimately, adaptability expands the audience who can participate in and enjoy games.

Selecting Appropriate Games

When selecting games for special needs children, it is important to consider their unique needs and abilities. Here are some factors to consider when selecting appropriate games:

Age-Appropriate Content

It is important to choose games that are age-appropriate and match the child’s developmental level. For example, younger children may benefit from games that focus on basic skills such as color recognition, counting, and matching. Older children may benefit from games that focus on more complex skills such as problem-solving, strategy, and critical thinking.

Adaptive Technology and Interfaces

Adaptive technology and interfaces can help special needs children access and enjoy games that might otherwise be too difficult or frustrating. For example, some games may have adjustable difficulty levels, customizable controls, or visual and auditory cues to help guide the child. It is important to consider the child’s specific needs and abilities when selecting games with adaptive technology and interfaces.

Designing Inclusive Games

Designing games for children with special needs requires a user-centered approach that considers the unique needs and abilities of each child. Inclusive game design is the process of creating games that are accessible to all players, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or sensory abilities. Designing inclusive games involves incorporating user-centered design principles, accessibility features, and inclusive playtesting.

User-Centered Design Principles

User-centered design principles are essential to designing inclusive games. These principles involve understanding the needs, preferences, and abilities of the target audience and incorporating these factors into the design process. Designers should involve children with special needs and their families in the design process to ensure that the game meets their needs.

Accessibility Features

Accessibility features are critical to making games inclusive for children with special needs. These features include visual, auditory, and motor accessibility options. Visual accessibility features include high-contrast modes, subtitles, and text-to-speech options. Auditory accessibility features include captioning, sound effects, and audio descriptions. Motor accessibility features include customizable controls, touchscreen options, and adaptive controllers.

Inclusive Playtesting

Inclusive playtesting is the process of testing the game with children with special needs to ensure that it is accessible and engaging. Playtesting should involve a diverse group of children with various abilities, including those with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities. Playtesting should be conducted in a real-world setting to identify any potential accessibility issues and to gather feedback from children and their families.

Designing inclusive games requires a user-centered approach that considers the unique needs and abilities of each child. Incorporating user-centered design principles, accessibility features, and inclusive playtesting can help ensure that games are accessible and engaging for all children, regardless of their abilities.

Resources and Support

When it comes to finding resources and support for special needs kids, there are many options available. Here are some suggestions to help parents and caregivers find the right support for their child:

Online Communities

Online communities can provide a wealth of information, support, and advice for parents of special needs kids. There are many online forums and groups dedicated to special needs parenting, where parents can connect with others who are going through similar experiences. Some popular online communities include:

• Special Needs Parenting Forum
• Parents of Special Needs Kids
• Special Needs Moms Network

Parental Guides

Parental guides can be a great resource for parents who are looking for advice, tips, and strategies for raising a special needs child. There are many books, websites, and blogs that offer guidance on a variety of topics, including:

• The Special Needs Parent Handbook
• Understood.org
• Autism Speaks Family Services

Professional Recommendations

In addition to online communities and parental guides, parents can also seek out professional recommendations for support. This can include working with a therapist, counselor, or other professional who specializes in working with special needs kids. Some resources for finding professional support include:

• American Psychological Association
• National Association of School Psychologists
• National Institute of Mental Health

Games can provide many developmental benefits for children with special needs. Matching, memory, cause and effect, sensory integration, social interaction, fine motor, gross motor, educational, and adaptive games all help kids strengthen important cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills in fun ways tailored to their individual needs and interests.

The key is finding games that align with each child’s specific developmental goals. Work closely with therapists and teachers to identify target skills to build. Observe the child at play to note their preferences and challenges. Select games that feel enjoyable yet provide the right amount of challenge to encourage growth in needed areas. Adapt games as necessary to make them accessible. Most importantly, keep the focus on fun and bonding during playtime. With the right games played in a supportive environment, children with special needs can thrive.

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Special Education and Inclusive Learning

3 Engaging Maths Games

We got our hands on these three great maths game resources from Learning Resources . I had seen a post on instagram with the pirate treasure game. It was being used by a speech therapist so I was very excited when I got a chance to have a play learning session with it. I am currently resourcing our autism specific classes. These maths games are highly engaging, hard wearing and versatile. They have the added benefit of being great to use to encourage joint attention and interaction on top of academic targets. When you can use maths games for multiple purposes the learning becomes more organic. Inclusiveteach.com was not gifted or provided these for review we bought them as they seemed perfect for our needs. If you like the look of special education teaching resources for school or home learning please share this post.

Choosing Maths Games for SEND pupils.

With SEND learners, lessons and the resources we use have to be carefully chosen. The same goes for any Literacy or maths games . I will use these with secondary aged pupils but their initial design is for primary pupils. We wrote about age appropriateness here and think that these resources are a good compromise. I will also be using the resources to develop work tasks as part of the TEACCH system. They are great for sequencing and other independent maths activities.

Two of these maths games don’t seem overtly academic which may help demand avoidant pupils engage. We chose the mini motor maths game as transport and cars are highly motivating for one of the pupils I had in mind for this activity. These games can easily be lent out to support home learning . This is especially important for SEND learners who cannot access worksheets or online provision. Some of our pupils have clearly defined thoughts about mixing home and school. These maths games would be good to try and encourage the practicing of maths concepts at home. I hope the current disruption to learning will be drawing to an end soon but many of our pupils have significant health needs. These games would be great to send home if they needed time out of school in the future.

Maths Game 1: Sorting Surprise Pirate Treasure.

My favourite and possible the game that got the most engagement from our testers was Sorting Surprise Pirate Treasure *. It provides you with multiple opportunities for practicing numeracy skills and other games. We hid the keys around the room to give a competitive and active element to the activity. Each chest is labelled with a colour, number and shaped key so you have three concepts straight away. It was a challenge for our youngest (4) to open chests with a key. We need to focus on fine motor development and object manipulation as well.

Maths Game 2: Mini Motor Maths

A very motivating game that can be played with 2 players. Mini Motor Maths-Buy Here * comes with different coloured cars so you can involve counting, patterns and sequencing. The main aim of the maths game element is to roll a dice and get your car to the finish line first (basically a 1-20 number line). There is also a colour dice which you use in conjunction with the numbers. You can select an appropriate number of cars to create pictograms etc. These are really sturdy learning resources and can be integrated into small world play.

Maths Game 3: Counting Owls

Our final game is great for TEACCH stations and independent learning. The Counting Owls – Buy Here * set is also perfect for collaborative play, problem solving and working together. You can hide each owl in a tough tray or sand tray to add a sensory maths element. The owls themselves are hard plastic and take some finger strength to add or remove from the branch effect 1-10 number line. The game comes with pattern cards and a spinner so can be a very versatile resource.

*Indicates an affiliate link – inclusiveteach will receive a small percentage of the purchase towards our hosting costs – no extra cost to you if you decide to buy something.

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LIVE @ ISTE 2024: Exclusive Coverage

Bringing real-life skills to virtual special education

As technology evolves, digital learning tools play an increasingly vital role in special education, helping to create inclusive and engaging learning environments.

Key points:

• An educator shares an essential digital tool in her virtual instruction
• Why special educators are key to behavioral equity and inclusion
• Here’s how schools can better support neurodiverse students
• For more news on special education, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

As an educator who has been teaching before the COVID-19 pandemic, I have seen firsthand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with this mode of instruction. My experience has shown that special education students, in particular, benefit immensely from the right digital tools.

Classkick has been a vital tool in my teaching strategy, offering an engaging and flexible approach that meets the diverse needs of my students in a virtual classroom.

The importance of interactive tools in special education

Special education students often require personalized instructional strategies that traditional methods cannot fully address. In a virtual setting, it becomes even more critical to find tools that keep these students engaged and provide the support they need. Classkick excels in creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment that encourages participation and fosters a love for learning.

Benefits of using Classkick in special education

Classkick’s real-time feedback feature is particularly valuable for special education. It allows me to track student progress and offer immediate assistance, which is important for students who may struggle with conventional assessments. The platform’s customization options enable me to design assignments that cater to each student’s unique learning needs, promoting a more inclusive and effective educational experience.

Practical applications in a virtual classroom

In my virtual classroom, Classkick has become an essential tool for creating engaging and interactive assignments tailored to my students’ abilities. I utilize features like drag-and-drop activities, voice notes, and audio responses to craft lessons.

Preparing for job interviews

One of the most impactful ways I’ve used Classkick is to help students prepare for job interviews. Through the platform, I create interactive lessons where students practice answering common interview questions. They record their responses directly within Classkick, allowing me to provide immediate, constructive feedback.

Additionally, I guide my students in choosing appropriate interview attire by having them select outfits from their wardrobe and take pictures of their choices, using the tools directly in Classkick. This practical activity allows me to visually assess their understanding of interview dress code and making this a practical skill for real life.

These exercises have proven effective in preparing students for real-world scenarios, boosting their confidence and readiness for future job opportunities.

Role-playing a visit to the doctor

Another innovative use of Classkick in my classroom involves role-playing a visit to the doctor. Students learn about the information they need to provide during a doctor’s appointment and the types of questions a doctor might ask when they are sick. For the assessment, I simulate a conversation in which I play the role of the doctor, asking questions related to their symptoms and medical history using the audio recorder in Classkick.

Students respond by recording their answers as audio files within Classkick. This exercise helps them practice essential communication skills and familiarizes them with the process of visiting a healthcare professional. By offering these practical, real life exercises, Classkick allows me to help students prepare for situations they will encounter outside of the classroom.

Success stories and student impact

One of the best success stories with Classkick involves a student with autism who struggled with traditional learning methods. This student often found it challenging to stay focused and motivated with conventional paper-based tasks. To address this, I used Classkick to create visually engaging and interactive activities tailored to the student’s interests and learning style.

For example, I designed a series of math problems using colorful drag and drop elements that allowed the student to manipulate objects visually to solve equations. This hands-on approach captured the student’s attention and made abstract concepts more tangible. Additionally, I incorporated voice instructions and prompts to guide the student through each step, ensuring they received clear and consistent directions.

Classkick’s instant feedback feature played a crucial role. As the student worked through the activities, I could monitor their progress in real-time and provide immediate corrections and encouragement. This timely feedback helped prevent misunderstandings from becoming rooted, allowing the student to build confidence and a deeper understanding of the material. Over time, the student’s engagement increased significantly, leading to improvements in both academics and self esteem.

Another example involves a student with dyslexia who benefited greatly from Classkick’s audio features. This student often struggled with reading instructions and questions, which made it difficult to participate in the general education classroom. To support them, I used Classkick’s built-in audio tools to record and embed verbal instructions and questions into assignments.

For reading comprehension exercises, Classkick’s built-in text-to-speech feature makes reading comprehension activities more accessible for all students. The program automatically reads messages aloud, allowing students to follow along at their own pace and revisit sections as needed. This feature reduces the cognitive load associated with reading and ensures students can fully engage with the content. Using Classkick in this way has made the learning process more inclusive and effective.

Challenges and solutions

Despite its benefits, using Classkick in a virtual special education setting comes with challenges. Technical issues such as internet connectivity can disrupt the flow of lessons. To support families, I work closely with parents to ensure they have access to necessary technology and support. I provide training for families to help them become familiar with the platform and troubleshoot common problems.

Conclusion and future directions

Classkick has transformed my approach to teaching special education in a virtual setting, offering a dynamic and interactive platform that meets my student’s diverse needs. As technology evolves, tools like Classkick will play an increasingly vital role in special education, helping to create inclusive and engaging learning environments that empower all students to succeed. References and Links Using Learning Progressions to Build Student Confidence 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback

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Rebecca Jennings is a special education teacher at Minnesota Virtual Academy High School, with 25 years of experience working with students with disabilities and in special education.

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Engaging Group Lesson Ideas for Self Contained Sped

February 14, 2021 by Fiona

If you teach special education, you pretty much know that adapted resources are a necessity in your classroom (task cards, file folders, adapted books…etc)!  If your class/students are anything like mine, it is a task to get all of my students to sit for a half an hour and concentrate on a group lesson. Here I will show you how to use some of the resources and materials you probably already have in your classroom to create an engaging group lesson!

Adapted Materials

Task cards, file folders, flashcards, task bins, and adapted books.  These are adapted resources that you will find in every special education classroom.  These are also resources you might typically see being used for independent work to reinforce skills learned during a group lesson, but I want to share with you how I utilize these materials in a group lesson.  

It gives you a chance to model the task in front of the whole class, provided guided instruction, and practice before you send your student to independent work with these tasks.  

Supplemental Materials

Here are some additional things I use to supplement the adapted materials to make a group lesson a little more fun.  I use these items FREQUENTLY, so they were definitely worth the investment.  You will see them in use in the various pictures below.

• Portable Karaoke Microphone
• Light or sound buttons
• Portable white boards & dry erase markers
• Laundry clips (use with task cards)

My students are ALL ABOUT VISUALS so we use flashcards a lot!!  They are usually pretty simple (free of distractions and not complicated to read), and if they have visuals on them, chances are the visuals are bigger in size and easy to read!  Here are some of the activities I like to do with flashcards to work on vocabulary, sight-reading, item identification, item description, and so on.

• Distribute flashcards to students.  Teacher holds up a (matching) visual and asks students to make a match or “Who has…”
• Distribute flashcards to students.  Teacher writes the word (that matches one of their flashcards) on a small whiteboard and asks students to read the word, or asks “Who has…(word)”. (eg. Who has…Soap) pictured above.  Get these cleaning & grooming flashcards here!
• If you have at least two sets of flash cards, play Go-Fish to build social skills.
• Distribute flashcards to students.  Teacher describes the visual, whether it be the color & shape, or the definition.  Students have to guess if they have the flashcard you are describing.
• You can also turn your lesson into a fun competitive game.  This is a way to keep students invested and engaged in the lesson.  Students that correct answers get to collect more flash cards to win!
• Memory game- if you have two sets of flash cards, place all of the cards face down and have students try and find the matching visual.

I treat task cards very similarly to flashcards (at least the task cards that have a visual on them that ask to identify what they are).  Depending on the type of task card, you can go about this different ways. A majority of the task cards I have include visuals and an answer field of 3 options.  For task cards that focused more on discussion (such as job etiquette) before I begin, I will go over key concepts, and review a handful of the task cards.  Check out my huge library of life skills task cards here!

• Task cards that have a visual that asks to identify what it is.  Distribute task cards to each student and teacher asks “Who has… (visual)” or “I’m looking for…(visual)”. (eg. Who has…Milk) as pictured above. Extend the discussion by asking students other questions (eg. What food group?, What color is it? Do you like Milk?)  Get these food group task cards here !
• Distribute task cards to students.  Teacher writes the word (that matches one of their task cards) on a small whiteboard and asks students to read the word, or asks “Who has…(word)” The student that has the task card then has to clip (or dry erase circle) the correct answer.
• If you print out enough sets of task cards for each student, you can play a competitive game to see who clips the correct answer first.
• You can also turn your group lesson into a fun competitive game.  Students that get more correct answers can collect more task cards to win!

• Some task cards are more discussion oriented such as the “What To Do In An Emergency” task cards below. These are usually the task cards that I will turn into a fun competitive game by having students push on the button if they have the answer.  Student will then clip the correct answer and whoever has the most clipped at the end wins.

Smart Board

We use the smart board A LOT!  It tends to be the most engaging teaching tool for most of my students, I don’t know what I would do without it! My students love being able to use the digital pens, or clicking on buttons and so on.  There’s just something about reading on the smart board that is more engaging than looking at a book or piece of paper for most of my students.  On the smart board, some of the things my class loves to utilize include: GCFLearnFree.org, Digital Interactive Activities I have created, News2You (Unique Learning System), Epic! Books, SMART Exchange, CNN 10, Channel 1 News, and Google Earth just to name a few.

I frequently use the microphone with smart board activities, as well as a extendable pointer.  These two gadgets come in handy when it comes to read alouds, even if I’m the one reading. The microphone keeps students engaged and they are easily able to follow along when I used the pointer.  Read more about how the microphone benefits my students!

AD: Who said learning can’t be fun? Check out this game Double Up which targets functional leisure nouns, leisure actions, hygiene nouns and hygiene action vocabulary and leisure skills all at once! (Affiliate Link)

Work Task Bins

This may not work with all task bins depending on what it is.  Here are the different types of task bins that I have in the classroom:   Vocational Skill/Assembly, Sorting, and Task Cards.  Check out my work task bin/box resources here.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ms. Fiona | Adulting Made Easy (@spedadulting)

• Vocational/life Skills- this is a great opportunity to model the hands on activity/task, guided practice, then individual test if time allows.  Students can then use the same task bins during independent work at a later time.  

• Pictured below is a “Writing Receipts & Checks” work task bin with task cards that ask the student to write a receipt based on the scenario.  For this activity, I would read the scenario out loud and ask students to fill out the receipt paper.

• Sorting- I will distribute pieces that need to be sorted to all students.  After going over what goes in each category, depending on their level, I might go around in a circle and ask each student to identify/give me a specific item (eg. Show me a dairy product), or I might ask them to put the item into the correct sorting bin (eg. Sam, do you have an envelope addressed to California? If so, place it in the correct (CA) bin) or (eg. To all students: If you have an envelope addressed to California, raise your hand, then, place it into the correct bin).

File Folders

I will distribute the pieces/pecs from the file folder and then go over the actualy file folder as if I am reading a book.  From there I will ask students “Who has…”. Students can then practice their social skills by passing their piece to the next student “Here you go” or tapping lighting on their shoulder, until the piece makes it way to me to put on the file folder.  I might even assign a helper to be the designated person to put the velcro pieces onto the folder.

Cut & Paste Worksheets

When half of your class needs hand over hand support to write, it becomes a gruesome task trying to help all students complete a worksheet.  For this reason, many of my worksheets contain easy to read/circle answer banks or limited field of answer choices, or they are cut & paste.

Read blog posts on RECYCLING RESTAURANT MENUS & TRAVEL BROCHURES or  RECYCLE WEEKLY CIRCULARS & MAGAZINES to find out more about using environmental print in your activities!  Also, check out my cut & paste worksheets here!

Adapted Books

The great thing about a lot of adapted books is they come with interactive visual pieces to reinforce what was just read.  So think of this as any other read a loud, but now you get to have your students actively participate and recall what was just read by looking for the piece that goes!  Check out my adapted books here!

• During a small group lesson I will distribute those visual pieces to all students. I will then either read through the book out loud myself or have students volunteer.  When we get around to adding the visual pieces to the adapted book, I will either read the sentence and ask if anyone can guess what the answer is, or I will ask all students “Who has … (visual)”. This is a great way to check for comprehension as well as require all students to stay engaged by checking to see if they have the answer.  For my non verbal students or students that have a hard time with making an answer choice, I will reinforce what was just read by repeating the sentence then asking the student to “Touch the… (visual)”.

Interactive Bulletin Boards

These are a great way to get students up and moving to participate during a group lesson.  You can either ask students to get up and get something off of the bulletin board, or you can ask them to go put something on the bulletin board.

• Pictured below is a grocery store bulletin board that has various grocery items with price tags on them.  I have worksheets that go along with them for my high functioning students, but I love the interactive part of it that I am able to use with all of my students.  I can ask students to find a specific product, find a specific product that fits a description, find the price, next dollar up, find a sale item…and so on.  The items are thumb-tacked onto the bulletin and I will ask them to retrieve a specific item and bring it back to the group table.  From there, we might practice making a transaction with real money, or work on some of the other skills listed above.
• Another great way to make bulletin boards interactive is by making it a giant sorting pad.  This is a clear way to map out what you are sorting, and it may be more visually engaging for your students!  Check out this business reviews sorting activity here!

If you’re stuck on worksheets, ditch them and start creating interactive activities for your students.  Whether they are in special education or not, many students are visual and/or hands on learners, and these are just a few great ways to facilitate engaging learning experiences in the classroom.  Comment below with some fun activities you like to do that utilize adapted materials!

Thanks for reading!

Product Reviews

From special educators, this resource has been extremely beneficial. i teach students with moderate to severe disabilities who are on a certificate of completion for high school. this resource was helpful in establishing a routine for my students. students remained engaged and enjoyed many of the activities. the consistency of the warm-ups allow for me to introduce students to working together appropriately and seeking help and support from peers not just teachers. the differentiated levels help save time and support students varying levels. students remain engaged and it quickly hits on different life skills reviews., life skills daily warm up worksheets bundle.

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I love everything about this resource. there are enough activities to last a year. the lectures and digital activities are my favorite with the real photographs. my students are learning and there seems to be enless materials in this bundle. i also love the creative cbi (community based instruction) ideas that go beyond the typical scavenger hunt., vocation units 1-12 full year mega bundle + supplemental materials.

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Adulting Made Easy makes the absolute perfect resources for my Life Skills students who are about to graduate. Her resources teach practical skills that they will use in their lives and they don't view as being too immature for them (which is common in sped). Thank you so much for creating these resources!

As a teacher new to the role in vocational education, Adulting Made Easy's vocational products work great! It was an easy way for my students to understand various aspects of job searches and employment.   The vocational units saved me a ton of time by not having to create items on my own.

This was awesome to use with both my at-home learners and my in-person learners. I could use specific ones with our weekly theme during my vocational skills class. It was especially great at keeping my at-home kids engaged when I wasn't there to watch them.

Independent skills - boom cards & interactive pdf bundle.

Teaching Tiny Bugs (TpT Seller)

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12 Must-Have Teacher Essentials Tools for Special Education Classroom

In special education, having the right tools and resources is not just a good idea, it’s essential. For teachers who are passionate about helping students with different learning needs, the classroom becomes a place where anything is possible. Here, everything from laminators to sticky notes plays a big part in making learning better. This guide will show you the 12 things that every special education classroom needs to have, so that teachers are ready to help their students learn in their own unique ways.

Essential Tools for Classroom Organization

A well-organized classroom is essential for creating a positive and productive learning environment. Students are more likely to be engaged and focused when their surroundings are orderly and clutter-free. Teachers can save time and energy by having a system for storing materials and keeping track of paperwork. There are many different tools and resources available to help teachers organize their classrooms.

Being a special education teacher is the most rewarding job, but it can also be extremely exhausting! I have included links to the products on Amazon – these are affiliate links; therefore, I receive a small commission when you purchase the items using my links.

Here are my 12 must-have items for your special education classroom:

1. Laminator: Preserving Educational Materials

A laminator is more than just a machine; it’s a guardian of educational resources. By laminating key materials, teachers ensure that important documents and visuals withstand the test of time and frequent handling. This tool is especially beneficial in a special education setting, where durable, reusable materials are a necessity for ongoing learning.

I own three Scotch Laminators, this might be a bit excessive, but it saves me during heavy prep times! I own two 9-inch laminators and one 13-inch laminator. As a special education teacher, having a personal 13-inch laminator is my number one classroom must-have. The 13″ is great because you can put file folders through it! These frequently go on sale, so keep an eye out!

2. Colored Plastic Bins: Organizing with Color Coding

Color-coded plastic bins are not just organizational tools; they are visual cues that help students navigate the classroom. These bins make it easier for both teachers and students to find and store materials, reducing clutter and enhancing the overall learning environment.

I love to color-code my classroom ! I have six students, so I can assign each student a specific color. They place their communication folder and water bottle in their entry bin, and all of their work at their desk is in a bin (the same color). I also place their work in duo-tangs, which are the same color! Therefore, if you were assigned red, your entry bin, work bin, finished bin, and duo-tangs would all be red! I know another popular way is to assign a color to each subject! For example, all students would use their yellow bin for math work. Either way works!

3. Manipulatives: Hands-On Learning Tools

You will need the typical manipulatives like money, 2D shapes, and 3D shapes, but many other incredible manipulatives are also available. In a special education classroom, these hands-on materials cater to various learning styles, helping students grasp complex ideas through physical interaction and exploration.

You can use any manipulatives when it comes to sorting, counting, addition/subtraction, and so many other academic expectations. Those cute little erasers from Target and Michael’s work great! These manipulatives can also be used for break time or play. Use your students’ interests to pick the perfect set of manipulatives.

4. Personal Visuals: Customizing Student Learning

Personal visuals such as customized charts and aids are key in addressing individual learning needs. These tools help in breaking down tasks and instructions, making them more accessible and understandable for each student.

My students require several personalized visuals to help them navigate their day. Check out my classroom management bundle for all the visuals you may need! It includes posters, break cards, choice boards, first-then boards, token boards, behavior visuals, and so much more!

5. Classroom Visuals: Enhancing the Learning Environment

Classroom visuals like charts, diagrams, and labels play a significant role in creating an inclusive and engaging learning space. They provide students with constant, accessible references that aid in comprehension and recall.

I love functional classroom visuals! I use specific visuals that I place on each student’s desk, as well as their Individualized Activity Schedule (IAS). You can download these visuals for FREE from the resource library!

6. Timers: Managing Classroom Time Effectively

Timers are essential in structuring classroom activities and transitions. They help in maintaining a routine, which is particularly important in a special education setting where consistency and predictability can greatly benefit student learning. 

You can find these on Amazon for a reasonable price. Be sure to get a visual timer with sound. I also have small kitchen timers on each student’s desk. You can find kitchen timers at the dollar store; they work perfectly as individual timers.

7. Fidgets: Supporting Sensory Needs

Fidgets are more than toys; they are sensory tools that help students focus and regulate their emotions. In a special education classroom, fidgets can be instrumental in providing the necessary sensory input to keep students engaged and calm.

8. Velcro Strips and Coins: Versatile Classroom Tools

Velcro strips and dots/coins offer endless possibilities for special education classroom organization and interactive learning. They allow for the easy creation and modification of learning materials, making them adaptable to various teaching and learning styles.

  You will not regret getting them. Cutting Velcro is a tedious task; invest the extra few dollars and get Velcro coins instead.

9. Paper Trimming and Spring-loaded Scissors: Essential Cutting Tools

This is a two-in-one! Having a paper trimmer is a complete game changer when prepping adapted books, cutting out task cards, or anything that has a straight line. The spring-loaded scissors are essential when cutting out smaller pieces or any item that does not have a straight edge. 

10. Drawer Organizers: Streamlining Storage

There’s something so satisfying about having an organized desk! Drawer organizers help in maintaining an orderly and efficient classroom. By keeping supplies neatly arranged, teachers save time and reduce distractions, allowing for a more focused and productive learning environment.

I use drawer organizers at school and home to keep all the little items like elastic bands and clips neatly organized. I like to store my favorite treats in the larger bins, so when you’re having a tough day or things aren’t going well, you can quickly pick me up without leaving your classroom/school!

11. Colorful File Folders: Simplifying Document Organization

Colorful file folders are not just for storing papers; they are a system for categorizing and quickly accessing important documents. This organization is crucial in a special education classroom where keeping track of individual student records and materials is key.

12. Post-It Notes: Quick and Easy Reminders

Post-it notes are small but mighty tools in a teacher’s arsenal. They serve as quick reminders, placeholders, and interactive learning aids, providing flexibility and spontaneity in lesson planning and classroom management.

Special Education Classroom Setup

A special education classroom is a dynamic space where educators nurture the growth and development of students with diverse learning needs. Beyond the walls of this classroom lies a world of possibilities, where every individual student is empowered to reach their full potential. To create this nurturing environment, careful consideration must be given to the classroom setup , ensuring that it is both functional and conducive to learning.

Teacher Area: Creating an Efficient Workspace

The teacher’s area is the command center of the classroom. It needs to be organized, accessible, and equipped with all the necessary tools for effective teaching. This space should inspire confidence and efficiency, allowing teachers to focus on what matters most – their students.

Student Learning Areas: Designing for Diverse Needs

Student learning areas should be diverse and adaptable, catering to the various learning styles and needs of special education students. These areas can include quiet zones, group tables, and individual workstations, each designed to provide the optimal learning environment for every student.

Sensory/Calming Area: Supporting Emotional and Sensory Regulation

A sensory or calming area is a safe haven for students who need a moment to regroup or manage sensory overload. Equipped with soft lighting, comfortable seating, and sensory tools, this space is essential for helping students self-regulate and return to learning activities refreshed.

Morning Meeting Area: Building Community and Routine

The morning meeting area is where the day begins, setting the tone for what’s ahead. It’s a space for community building, routine establishment, and engagement in group activities. This area fosters a sense of belonging and prepares students for the day’s learning.

Game and Activity Area: Encouraging Interactive Learning

Games and activities are not just fun; they are powerful learning tools. A dedicated area for interactive learning through games and group activities can significantly enhance engagement and reinforce key concepts in a memorable way.

Schedules and Focus: Structuring the Day for Success

Clear schedules and focus areas are crucial in a special education classroom. They provide structure and predictability, helping students understand what to expect and when. This clarity reduces anxiety and helps students focus on their learning tasks.

Decorating Your Room: Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment

Decorating the classroom is about more than aesthetics; it’s about creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. The decor should reflect the diversity of the students and provide a warm, engaging atmosphere that stimulates learning and creativity. Special education classroom decorating ideas can range from thematic visuals to sensory-friendly elements, all aimed at enhancing the learning experience.

Curriculum Must-Haves for Special Education

Educators are constantly seeking ways to enhance the learning experience for their students with diverse needs. The classroom, therefore, transforms into a dynamic space where every tool and resource plays a significant role in fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment. From the versatility of manipulatives to the power of technology, these must-have essentials empower teachers to cater to the unique strengths and challenges of each student, ensuring that every learner embarks on a successful educational journey. Whether it’s fostering self-expression through creative arts, developing social skills through interactive games, or mastering academic concepts through hands-on activities, the right curriculum must-haves empower special education teachers to create a classroom where every student thrives.

Customized Learning Materials: Tailoring Education to Individual Needs

In special education, one size does not fit all. Customized learning materials are essential in addressing the unique needs and abilities of each student. These materials should be adaptable, accessible, and designed to maximize individual learning potential.

Interactive and Engaging Lesson Plans: Keeping Students Motivated

Lesson plans in special education need to be interactive and engaging to keep students motivated. Incorporating a variety of activities, multimedia resources, and hands-on learning opportunities can make lessons more dynamic and effective.

Assessment Tools: Tracking Progress and Development

Assessment tools are vital in monitoring student progress and development. These tools should be flexible and varied, allowing for the assessment of different skills and learning styles. Regular assessment helps in tailoring instruction to meet each student’s evolving needs.

Inclusive Curriculum Design: Ensuring Accessibility for All Learners

An inclusive curriculum is key in a special education classroom. It should be designed to be accessible and engaging for all learners, regardless of their abilities or challenges. This approach ensures that every student has an equal opportunity to learn and succeed.

Personal And Professional Support Essentials

It’s a path where personal and professional support is not just beneficial, but essential. As a special education teacher, you are tasked with the incredible responsibility of shaping young minds that learn differently. This role demands not only a deep understanding of educational techniques but also a heart full of empathy and patience. It’s about finding that perfect balance between being an educator, a guide, and sometimes, a friend to your students.

But who supports the supporter? This is where Supporting Special Learners comes into play.

Empower Your Special Education Teaching With Our Resources

Every step you take in teaching special needs students is important in creating a more inclusive and effective learning environment. Supporting Special Learners helps you not only improve your teaching skills but also become part of a community that supports and empowers special education teachers and their students.

Supporting Special Learners offers a wide range of tools and  strategies to help you deal with the unique challenges of a special education classroom. We can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth, learning, and positive change.

Remember, you are not alone in the world of special education. Supporting Special Learners is here to offer our resources to support you every step of the way as you help every unique learner reach their full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should every special education classroom have.

Every special education classroom should be equipped with a variety of tools and resources tailored to meet the diverse needs of its students. Essential items include sensory tools like fidgets and noise-canceling headphones, organizational aids such as color-coded bins and clear labeling systems, and adaptable teaching materials like laminators and Velcro strips. Additionally, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment with thoughtful classroom setup and decoration is key. This includes having distinct areas for different activities, such as a calming area for sensory regulation and interactive zones for hands-on learning.

What should be required of teachers in the classroom?

Teachers in the classroom, especially in a special education setting, should possess a blend of professional skills and personal qualities. They need to have a thorough understanding of educational strategies and tools, along with the ability to adapt these to individual student needs. Patience, empathy, and strong communication skills are essential for effectively engaging with students who have diverse learning needs. Teachers should also be committed to ongoing learning and professional development to stay abreast of the latest educational practices and technologies.

How do you prepare to teach special needs students?

Preparing to teach special needs students involves a combination of formal education, practical experience, and personal preparation. It’s important to have a solid foundation in special education theory and practices, often gained through specialized training and certification programs. Hands-on experience through internships or volunteering in special education settings can provide valuable insights. Additionally, preparing on a personal level by developing patience, empathy, and creative problem-solving skills is crucial for adapting to the varied needs of special education students.

What makes a successful special education teacher?

A successful special education teacher is one who can effectively tailor their teaching methods to accommodate the unique needs of each student. This requires a deep understanding of different disabilities and learning challenges, along with the creativity to develop engaging and accessible lesson plans. Successful teachers in this field are also characterized by their patience, empathy, and ability to build strong, trusting relationships with their students. They are committed to their students’ growth and are adept at celebrating small victories and progress.

What new teachers need to know about special education?

New teachers entering the field of special education should know that this area of teaching is both challenging and incredibly rewarding. It’s important to understand the legal and ethical responsibilities involved in special education, including developing and following Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). New teachers should be prepared to work collaboratively with families, therapists, and other professionals to support their students. Additionally, they should be open to continuous learning and adapting, as each student will bring unique challenges and opportunities for growth.

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NeuronUP. Web platform of cognitive rehabilitation

10 activities for students with special education needs

More than 7 million students, or about 15% of those ages 3 to 21, received special education services in the 2020-21 school year under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

To ensure the quality of special education services and meet the many needs in their classrooms, teachers must invest a considerable amount of time in tailoring lessons and materials to their students.

In fact, what makes the role of a special educator especially challenging is the number and diversity of needs in a classroom. Teachers must support not only the academic needs of their students, but also communication, behavioral and physical needs, among others. However, special education teachers often operate without adequate materials to address these needs.

According to a survey conducted by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 72% of teachers of students with special needs modify their curriculum to support their individualization either most of the time or always. Moreover, teachers rank adequate resources requirements as the most important criteria for their success.

The lack of materials places a significant extra burden on teachers. Therefore, here are 10 activities developed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community.

Activities for students with special education needs

Below you will find 10 exercises developed for special education teachers under the principles of ecological validity and generalizability with the aim of unlocking students’ potential by addressing their special needs through cognitive stimulation activities in the classroom.

You will be able to customize and adapt the activities to their needs and capabilities increasing students’ motivation and engagement , thus enhancing their performance.  

1. Word Fishing

What does it consist of.

The first activity to work with special needs students that we present is Word Fishing . In this game students have to make words by putting syllables or individual letters in the correct order. It is divided into six levels of difficulty. They will automatically move up or down a level depending on his or her successes or mistakes.

We show you an example in the following video.

Activity customization

You will be able to customize this activity to meet the individual needs and capabilities of each child, being able to set the general features and parameters.

General features

On the one hand, you can adjust general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning, or you can modify the instructions if you wish.

And, on the other hand, the parameters, where you can select:

• Number of word parts.
• Movement of elements.
• Type of word parts: syllables or letters.
• Maximum errors.

What does this activity work?

This activity works:

• Working memory.
• Vocabulary.
• Hemineglect.

2. Who raised their hand?

In this activity children have to remember the order in which the classmates raised their hands to ask for a turn to speak and reproduce it. We show you an example below.

You will be able to customize this activity and set the general features and parameters:

You can adjust general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity, the number of tries and an inactivity warning, or you can modify the instructions if you wish.

And, on the other side, the parameters, where you can select:

• Sequence length.
• Memorization time (sec).
• Number of elements.

This special needs activity works:

• Episodic memory.

3. Correct Image Name

Correct Image Name is a worksheet in which students must determine which word matches the image shown.

Work by levels

In addition, this exercise has different levels of difficulty so that the teacher can adapt the activity to the needs of each student with special needs: basic, easy, medium, difficult and advanced.

Here is an example of a medium level worksheet to work with people with special education needs.

This worksheet is available in both digital and paper format.

This activity works on discrimination.

4. Get Dressed

Another NeuronUP activity for k-12 students with special needs to work on ADLs that we highlight is Get Dressed . In this game they have to appropriately dress a mannequin in terms of the order and placement of the items of clothing as well as the type of situation.

In the example below, students have to dress the woman for a special occasion.

You will be able to customize the activity to suit the special needs and abilities of each student.

On the one hand, you can set general features. Here you can delimit the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning, or you can modify the instructions.

• Clothing: all or basic ones only.
• Presentation of the clothing in order.
• Matching clothing.
• Setting: categories or wardrobe.
• Type of distractors: none, obvious or diverses.
• Maximum errors per type.
• Decision making.
• Body schema.

5. Pack your Backpack

This daily living activity involves packing the backpack for school by selecting only the objects necessary for that day of school. The aim of the game is that the children with special education needs don’t forget anything , but also they don’t have to pack things that they won’t need . Here is a medium level example.

You will be able to customize this activity to suit the individual needs and abilities of each child and set the general features and parameters:

In this ADL you can adjust general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning, or you can modify the instructions if you wish.

And in terms of parameters you can select:

• Number of subjects and type.
• Hints: visible, hidden or none.
• Distractors: related, unrelated, all or none.

This special needs resource works:

• Selective attention.

6. Pocket Money

This exercise is a generator. Generators allow you to create  unlimited and ecological activities . The student can never memorize the answer, since each instance is different. This special education activity consists of selecting the amount of money requested . An example is shown below.

You will be able to customize this activity to suit the students’ individual needs and abilities. In addition, you can setup the general features and parameters.

In this generator you can configure general features such as the operation (correction or free mode and maximum errors allowed), the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning. Moreover, you will be able to modify the instructions if you wish.

As for the parameters, you can select:

• Type of currency.
• Type of amounts: integers or decimals.
• Range of amounts: from 0 to 1,500.
• Largest bill/coin.

7. What is the best thing to do?

This worksheet consists of  analyzing a situation and seeing what would be the right way to behave in it. Life is full of choices, and it is not always easy to make the right one. By showing different cases adapted to reality and giving them several behavioral options, we teach children to question several aspects of situations they may encounter in their daily lives and weigh the consequences of their decisions.

What is better to do? is organized into five levels of difficulty: basic, easy, medium, difficult and advanced.

In the following video we show you an example of how to work with this activity with students with special education needs.

Ways to work with this special education resource

Correction mode: the platform corrects the student after each action. Free mode: the platform does not correct the student until the end of the exercise.

This worksheet is available is also available on paper format for you to work with your students.

This activity works on social cognition.

8. Space Conquest

In this set in space game, students have to jump between the moving planets until they arrive to their final destination. As in all NeuronUP games, the difficulty levels up and down automatically according to their progress. In addition, the professional can choose the level manually. In this image we show you a medium level example to work with students with special needs.

This special needs activity can be customized to meet the needs and abilities of each student. You can also establish the general features and parameters.

In this game you can adjust general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity, an inactivity warning and you can customize the instructions.

You can customize some parameters such as:

• Number of rows on the screen.
• Number of total rows.
• Distractors: no, some or all.

This game works on:

• Spatial relationship.
• Sustained attention.
• Inhibition.
• Processing speed.

9. That’s Odd!

This generator consists of categorizing numbers as odd or even . It is an activity for students with special needs to become familiar with numbers before learning to do counting. Below you will find an example.

You can tailor this activity to the students’ individual needs and abilities and you can set the general features and parameters.

In this generator you can set up general features such as the operation (correction or free mode and maximum errors allowed), the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning. In addition, you can modify the instructions.

You can customize the following parameters:

• Range of numbers: from 1 to 9,999.
• Number of numbers.
• Adaptability: whether the student has to drag or click to select the numbers.

This activity works semantic memory.

10. Waiter in Action

Special education students, who take on the role of waiters, have to pay attention to the different dishes ordered in a restauran t in this activity. They must serve each customer the ordered dish and be attentive as the dishes will change. The game is divided into various levels. Level 1 being the easiest and level 9 being the most complicated. In the following video you can find an example of how to work with this exercise:

This special education resource can be customized to meet the needs and capabilities of each student. General features and parameters can also be set.

In this game you can configure general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning, or you can personalize the instructions.

In addition, you can edit specific parameters such as:

• Visible elements: number of diners and number of food items.
• The alternation.
• The variety of elements.
• The number of target stimuli.
• Correction criteria: totals, errors and omissions.
• Number of stimuli.
• Time of permanence of the stimuli.

Waiter in Action works on:

• Alternating attention.

Extra activity to work with students with special needs: Hidden Code

Hidden Code is the last activity to work at the classroom with students with special education needs consists of finding as quickly as possible the numbers that stay still among a group of numbers that are constantly changing.

For example, in the following medium level exercise students have to discover the hidden 4-digit code.

You will be able to customize this activity and set the general features and parameters.

You can set, on the one hand, the general features such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want a visible timer for the activity and an inactivity warning, or you can modify the instructions if you wish.

• Size of matrix: number of rows/columns.
• Number of motionless elements.
• Distribution of motionless elements: square, horizontal, vertical or random.
• Visual gnosis.

NeuronUP for Special Education

Unleash your students’ full potential by addressing their special needs through cognitive stimulation in the classroom.

Bibliography

Fowler, S. A., Coleman, M. R. B., & Bogdan, W. K. (2019). The State of the Special Education Profession Survey Report. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Students With Disabilities.  Condition of Education . U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg

If you liked this post on 10 activities for students with special education needs, you may be interested in these NeuronUP posts:

Guidelines to implement inclusive education and how to use NeuronUP for this purpose

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Inclusive Education: Breaking Barriers with Interactive Games for Special Needs Students

by Emily Garcia

August 10, 2023

Imagine a world where every child has equal opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Inclusive education is the key to making this vision a reality, as it aims to ensure that students with special needs are included in mainstream classrooms and receive the support they need to succeed. One powerful tool that is revolutionizing inclusive education is interactive games. These games provide a fun and engaging way for special needs students to learn and develop essential skills, while also promoting social interaction and breaking down barriers. In this article, we will explore the transformative impact of interactive games in inclusive education and how they are breaking barriers for special needs students.

The Importance of Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is a philosophy that advocates for the integration of students with special needs into mainstream classrooms. It recognizes the value of diversity and aims to provide equal opportunities for all students to learn and thrive. By fostering an inclusive learning environment, we create a society that celebrates differences and ensures that every child has access to quality education.

Understanding Special Needs Students

Special needs students encompass a wide range of individuals with diverse abilities and challenges. This includes students with physical, cognitive, sensory, or emotional impairments. Each student has unique learning needs and requires personalized support to reach their full potential. Inclusive education recognizes these individual differences and provides tailored approaches to meet the specific requirements of each student.

The Power of Interactive Games

Interactive games have emerged as a powerful tool in inclusive education. These games leverage technology to engage special needs students in interactive and immersive learning experiences. By incorporating elements of gamification, such as rewards, challenges, and competition, these games captivate the students' attention and stimulate their learning process. The interactive nature of these games allows for active participation, providing a hands-on approach to learning.

Enhancing Learning and Development

Interactive games offer a wide range of educational benefits for special needs students. They provide opportunities for skill development in areas such as literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Through interactive games, students can learn at their own pace, with the ability to repeat activities until they grasp the concepts fully. The visual and auditory elements of these games cater to different learning styles, making them accessible to students with various abilities.

Promoting Social Interaction

One of the significant advantages of interactive games in inclusive education is their ability to promote social interaction among students. These games often include multiplayer features, allowing special needs students to collaborate and compete with their peers. This social interaction fosters teamwork, communication, and the development of social skills. By participating in interactive games together, students build friendships and develop a sense of belonging within the classroom community.

Breaking Down Barriers

Interactive games play a vital role in breaking down barriers for special needs students. Traditional teaching methods may present challenges for students with disabilities, making it difficult for them to actively engage in the learning process. However, interactive games provide a level playing field where students can participate and succeed based on their abilities rather than their disabilities. This inclusive approach promotes confidence, self-esteem, and a positive attitude towards learning.

Empowering Special Needs Students

By incorporating interactive games into inclusive education, we empower special needs students to take ownership of their learning journey. These games allow students to make choices, solve problems, and experience the joy of learning through interactive and immersive experiences. Through this empowerment, students gain independence, self-advocacy skills, and a sense of accomplishment, enabling them to overcome barriers and reach their full potential.

Challenges and Considerations

While interactive games offer tremendous potential in inclusive education, there are challenges and considerations that need to be addressed. It is crucial to ensure that the games are accessible and inclusive for all students, considering factors such as physical accessibility, sensory considerations, and adaptability to individual needs. Additionally, teachers and educators need proper training and support to effectively integrate interactive games into their teaching practices.

Supporting Inclusive Education Initiatives

To support inclusive education initiatives and maximize the benefits of interactive games, collaboration among various stakeholders is essential. Governments, educational institutions, technology developers, and community organizations need to work together to create an inclusive environment where interactive games are widely available and integrated into mainstream classrooms. Adequate funding, research, and professional development opportunities for educators can further enhance the implementation of inclusive education practices.

Interactive games for kids with special needs offer a world of possibilities and boundless joy. WonderTree understands the unique challenges faced by these extraordinary children and has developed a remarkable range of interactive games that cater to their specific needs. With WonderTree's innovative technology, children with special needs can embark on captivating adventures, engage in meaningful learning experiences, and unlock their full potential. These interactive games ignite a spark of excitement, enabling kids to explore, discover, and grow in a safe and supportive environment. WonderTree 's commitment to inclusivity and the power of play empowers these incredible kids to overcome obstacles, celebrate their achievements, and experience the sheer delight of pure, unadulterated fun.

Inclusive education is transforming the lives of special needs students by breaking down barriers and providing equal opportunities for learning and growth. Interactive games serve as a powerful tool in this process, enhancing learning and development, promoting social interaction, and empowering students to reach their full potential. By embracing inclusive education and incorporating interactive games, we create a future where every child with varying abilities can thrive. 

Special Educator Academy

Free resources, how to use interactive whiteboards in the special education classroom the right way.

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Can we talk seriously about interactive whiteboards in the special education classroom?  I have a big love-hate relationship with them.

I soooo love their potential.  But I am so tired of seeing them used as giant TVs.  So often they aren’t used as interactive tools. Instead, they just play YouTube videos.  Videos are, by their nature, usually NOT interactive.

Can you tell this has been bothering me for a while?  I know how much everyone pines for an interactive whiteboard.  It is, after all, the 21st century and it certainly does seem like we should be moving toward using technology throughout the day.  But just showing a video on a whiteboard isn’t advancing us to the future. It’s bringing back the past with a bigger screen.

That’s not to say you can’t use it to show videos and that some videos are useful.  They are great for showing video modeling. But then we stop and have the student follow the model–not just watch it passively.

Let’s face it, most of our students are not passive learners.  Well, except for those video game and cartoon phrases you hear repeatedly, right?  But just watching a video in morning meeting of a song is not teaching them a concept.

So, today I’m talking about the Dos and Don’ts of interactive whiteboards in the special education classroom.  It’s based on what I often see when walking into classrooms and ways you can use them effectively with your students.

Trust me, there are a whole lot of ways we can use them and they are dynamite tools to have in our arsenal.  And they have even more potential because our students are often so drawn to watch the screen. The key is to make it a learning activity, not just watching.

Don’ts of Interactive Whiteboards for Schools

1. don’t just watch videos without engaging with the board.

The whole point of the technology is for it to be interactive.  Passively watching a bunch of videos that no one expects you to engage with is not interactive.

2. Don’t use interactive activities above the level of most students.

I see this happen most frequently with morning meeting and calendar time. Only one student in the classroom might know the calendar well enough to put the right day and date in the right place so that student operates the whiteboard each day.  And the rest of the students watch but don’t really learn how to do it for themselves or even what it means.

3. Don’t lose time cueing your programs up.  

Instead, put this task into your zoning plan so the whiteboard is ready to go when your students get there. Remember that downtime is not your friend, and when students have to wait for you to get the software running, it’s downtime for them.

4. Don’t use programs only the teacher controls.

I see this one frequently when the whiteboard is used in situations like preschool classes.  If only the teacher is interacting with it, the interactivity is not really benefiting the student.

5. Don’t use the whiteboard just to fill time.

Make sure that your plans for your interactive whiteboard activities align with the goals for the students. Integrate them into your lesson plans.  Don’t just use them as time keepers or presentations.

Do’s of Interactive Whiteboards for Schools

1. do use manipulatives to augment interaction with the students ..

The fact is that not every student can interact with the whiteboard at the same time.  And our students typically do best when they have something tangible to engage with during the activity.  So, even though you are using the whiteboard, have actual manipulatives, like visuals for songs or books, for the students to use.

2. Do make videos of your own for video modeling.

Video modeling is an evidence-based practice. Interactive whiteboards can be a great way to present the video model to the whole class or just to one or a small group of students.  Let them watch it multiple times, rewind it and use it as they want. If you have a tablet hooked up to the whiteboard, you might consider giving a student access to it to control the video.   You can get tips on how to use video modeling here.

3. Do use it for interactive programs the students use.  

For instance, if you use Unique Learning System , present the lesson on the whiteboard.  If you use Teachtown , use it with the white board.  Use it to demonstrate lessons. Use it to present the model of the art project.

4. Do have multiple students interact with the board.

Interactive whiteboards are tough because only one person can touch them at a time.  So, in a group activity, plan out multiple “helper” opportunities for student to interact with it.  Set it up so that each student answers questions on it, makes choices on it, and / or writes on it to interact with it in some way.

5. Do use it to present group lessons in limited quantities.

They are great for brain breaks for 5 minutes or so of exercise and movement.  But use it sparingly this way or it becomes just like a TV. And if you do that, consider having students make choices on the board by touching a picture or word.  This makes it more interactive than passive.

Ideas to Try With Interactive Whiteboards in the Special Education Classroom 

I am not the expert on interactive whiteboards and I haven’t spent a ton of time with them.  However, I recognize the potential they bring to the classroom if we use them well. Some strategies that I’ve seen that have worked well in special education classrooms include:

Using them to show the model art activity for the ​​​​student to follow

Demonstrating processes like math problems for the class

Presenting the Unique social studies or science lesson and then having the students follow with the activity for comprehension

• U se them to present News2You lessons
• Video modeling and then practicing or role playing the activity
• Having students look up things online using the tablet or computer and sharing it with the class
• Use it as an interactive choice board for activities where students put their names or pictures on the activity of his/her choice
• Present PowerPoint interactive social stories to the class (have students interact to change the slides / page, match picture to picture)
• Use books from Tarheel Reader to have students take turns reading from the projector.

Not all of those examples are interactive, but they do serve an interactive purpose within the classroom.  I know there must be lots of great ideas out there about how to use them effectively for instruction. Share them in the comments!!

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• Back to School Essentials: Interactive Calendar Activities for Special Education Morning Meeting
• June 16, 2024
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Morning meetings and circle time are essential for setting a positive tone and building community in any classroom, but they can be especially challenging to keep engaging and educational for students with special needs. Finding interactive calendar activities for special education morning meetings that cater to diverse learning styles and abilities can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But don't worry ! Let's look at three fun ideas that can transform your circle time into an exciting and enriching experience for all learners.

Don't miss these posts on 5 Tips for Running Circle Time using Names and Faces and 5 Tips for ECSE Circle Time . Or if you just want a general schedule for Special Education Circle Time , get some ideas in this post ! Hope those ideas help make your time with your littles super fun!

Why interactive calendar activities?

Interactive tools aren't just educational, they're fun power-ups for learning! Here's why they rock for ALL students:

• Engagement Boost : Say goodbye to yawns and hello to “ooh”s and “ahh”s!
• Learning Styles Unleashed : Like a choose-your-own-adventure for the brain!
• Active Participation : It's not just about sitting and listening, it's about DOING!
• Personalized Pathways : Tailored to fit each student's unique needs and interests.
• Sensory Exploration : Touch, see, hear… learning becomes a multi-sensory adventure!
• Confidence Builder : “I can do this!” No matter the ability level.
• Inclusion Champion : Everyone can join in the fun, regardless of learning style.

Product Spotlight -- Interactive Calendar

Looking for an interactive calendar that truly captivates your special education students? Look no further! This Interactive Calendar is a game-changer for morning meetings and circle time, packed with features that ignite curiosity and boost participation.

Digital and Printable Flexibility : Seamlessly transition between whole-group instruction on your smartboard and individual follow-along activities with printable options. Communication Symbols for All : Includes Boardmaker™ symbols, making it perfect for students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Differentiation Made Easy : Three levels of interactive activities cater to a wide range of learning needs, ensuring every student feels successful.

Calendar Skills Galore : From days of the week and months to weather patterns and seasons, this calendar covers it all, reinforcing essential concepts. Reusability : Laminate and bind for year-round use or opt for single-use printables to customize for specific needs.

With vibrant visuals, engaging activities, and adaptable options, this Interactive Calendar is the ultimate tool for transforming your morning meetings into a dynamic learning experience.

Product Spotlight -- Weather Bear

Dress your morning meeting for success with this Dress the Weather Bear activity! This engaging and interactive tool is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and special education classrooms, offering a fun way to incorporate weather concepts into your daily routine. And don't miss the silly song to start the daily activity!

With its multi-sensory approach and focus on real-world application, Dress the Weather Bear is the perfect way to make weather learning fun and engaging for all students.

Interactive Fun for All Learners : Students will love checking the weather, choosing the appropriate clothing visuals, and dressing the bear accordingly.

Digital and Printable Versatility : Engage the whole class with our digital Boom Cards™, Google Slides™, and Easel™ activities or use our printable visuals and worksheets for individual or small group learning.

Vocabulary and Social Skills Builder : This activity naturally encourages conversations about weather, clothing choices, and appropriate attire for different seasons, expanding vocabulary and social awareness.

Perfect for Special Education : The visual and interactive nature of Dress the Weather Bear supports diverse learning styles and makes it an ideal tool for special education classrooms.

Bonus Song and Bingo : Liven up your morning meeting with our original Weather Bear song and reinforce learning with our printable bingo game!

Product highlight -- Circle time songs

Get ready to transform your circle time into a musical extravaganza with the Preschool Circle Time Song Visuals ! This back-to-school essential is packed with features that will make your morning meetings sing!

25 Popular Songs with Lyrics : Spark joy and engagement with familiar tunes that children love. Interactive Manipulatives : 17 songs come with printable props to get little hands moving and brains engaged. Visual Supports for All Learners : Large, colorful visuals make it easy for all students to follow along, especially those with special needs or autism. Perfect for Back-to-School : Introduce routines and build community through shared musical experiences.

Versatile Resource : Use in preschool, kindergarten, ECSE classrooms, or any setting where engaging young learners is a priority. Bonus Silly Verses : Keep things fresh and fun with new lyrics for some classic favorites.

With these Preschool Circle Time Song Visuals, you'll have everything you need to create a joyful and inclusive learning environment that sparks creativity and a love of music.

So hey, transform your special education morning meetings into a vibrant and engaging learning experience with these interactive calendar activities for special education morning meetings. You'll create a dynamic and inclusive environment where every student feels seen, heard, and empowered to learn. Don't miss out on the opportunity to revolutionize your circle time – grab them today and watch your students blossom! Plus, they're fun!

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Vygotsky�s Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education for the 21 st Century B. Gindis, Ph.D. Published in: Remedial and Special Education , (1999). Vol.20, No. 6, pp. 32-64. INTRODUCTION. The last two decades of this century in the USA have been marked by an upsurge of interest in Lev S. Vygotsky's ideas. Several volumes of new translations of Vygotsky's writings appeared recently, the most prominent among them being "The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky" (Vygotsky, 1987-1998) and "The Vygotsky Reader" (Valsiner & Vanderveer, Eds., 1994). Since the late 1980s, literally dozens of books, articles and book chapters have been published by professionals in different fields interpreting, elaborating and expanding Vygotsky's scientific legacy. Lately, numerous websites and electronic discussion forums on the Internet have emerged to discuss ideas written by a fountain pen. Within the last two decades an "invisible college" of enthusiastic and inspired Vygotskians has formed in this country. Vygotsky has emerged as one of the major psychologists in the 20th century (Wertch, 1885, 1998), the "icon" of the "cognitive revolution" (Haywood & Tzuriel, 1992), post-modern educational progressivism (Newman & Holzman, 1993), and cultural pluralism (Rogoff, 1990). He is rightfully considered to be the founder of "cultural psychology": a psychological theory in which the human being is the subject of cultural, rather than natural processes (Ratner, 1991). What is it in Vygotsky's works that invite scientists from different fields to scrutinize his writings as if he were our contemporary? Indeed, many factors created the stage for Vygotsky's selection as a promising alternative to existing psychoeducational theories and practices. According to some observers (Brunner, 1987) what has brought Vygotsky into the limelight was, in fact, a powerful pendulum swing from biologically-based understanding of human behavior to the social/cultural explanation of human activity. The timeliness of Vygotsky's works is borne out by the fact that he discovered the connecting links between sociocultural processes taking place in society, and mental processes taking place in the individual. Vygotsky, as no other psychologists in this century, succeeded in developing an approach that connects social and mental processes and describes the essential mechanisms of the socialization and development of the human being. In education, Vygotsky's theory is viewed as a counterbalance to behaviorism, and what is more important, as an alternative to the influential concepts of Piaget. For years, the predominant theoretical framework for child care and education in this country had been Piaget's theory. In this theory, a maturational process determines cognitive competence and a child's ability to learn: learning follows maturation. Contrary to this, Vygotsky considered learning as a shared/joint process in a responsive social context. In the Vygotskian framework, children are capable of far more competent performance when they have proper assistance ("scaffolded learning") from adults. The optimism of Vygotsky's general message, substantiated by a number of concrete methodologies (such as "dynamic assessment", "mediated learning", "cognitive education" among many others) developed within Vygotsky's theory, found an enthusiastic audience in American education of the 90s. Vygotsky has become a powerful "identification figure" in education (Mall 1990, Gredler 1992, Kozulin 1998), developmental psychology (Wertsch & Tulviste, 1992, Valsiner & Vanderveer, 1991), school psychology (Gindis, 1995, 1996), educational psychology (Karpov & Bransford, 1995, Das, 1995) and, recently, in early childhood education (Berk & Winsler, 1995, Bodrova & Leong, 1996). Unfortunately, the powerful influence of Vygotsky�s ideas has not been as obvious and fruitful in the domain of special education in the United States. There is a sad irony in this fact because special education not only played a distinct role in Vygotsky's professional activity and personal life (Vygodskaya & Lifanova, 1996), but it also constitutes an important part of his scientific heritage (Kozulin, 1990, Valsiner & Vanderveer, 1991, Yaroshevsky, 1993). Special education was the main empirical domain from which Vygotsky obtained data to support his general theoretical conceptions. Being conscious of the "artificiality" of the data brought about in psychological experiments, Vygotsky considered special education as a huge natural laboratory where general psychological laws were discovered on the basis of various anomalies. Indeed, many of the major concepts of his cultural/historical theory were conceived, formulated and elaborated upon within the special education theoretical framework and terminology (Wertsch, 1985, Kozulin, 1990, Yaroshevsky, 1993). All this became apparent in the USA only recently, with the publication of the second volume of Vygotsky�s Collected Works, "The Fundamentals of Defectology", (Vygotsky, 1993). Finally, his major writings in the area of special education become available to English language readers. Nevertheless, we are still far away from utilizing the scope of intellectual treasures of Vygotsky�s writing in this domain. The translated book reflects the content of Volume V of the original (not complete) Russian publication (Vygotsky, 1983). Since that time, several important, previously unpublished papers relevant to special education written by Vygotsky (in one case in collaboration with A. Luria, in another with B. Warshava) appeared in the Russian language. In 1995, in Moscow, the most complete collection of Vygotsky�s writings on special education and related matters was published under the title: "Problemy Defectologii" (Problems of Defectology) (Vygotsky, 1995). This article will introduce Vygotsky�s ideas in special education based on all sources available. "Defectology" is the term reflecting the domain of Vygotsky's research and practice relevant to contemporary special education. Special educators, however, may need some clarification regarding this term which has no real parallel in the English language and sounds rather degrading. As once noted by an American scholar (McCagg, 1989, p. 40), this term would not survive for three minutes in a discussion of the "handicapped" in the Western world today because it carries too much negative connotation towards the "disabled". In fact, the word "defectologia" (or "defectology" in the English transliteration) literally means "study of defect". In Russia, for more than a century, this term has referred to the study of the children with disabilities and the methods of their evaluation, education, and upbringing. To be technically precise, in Russia this term covers the following disabilities: the hard of hearing and deaf ("surdo-pedagogika"); the visually impaired and blind ("tiflo-pedagogika"); children with mental retardation ("oligophreno-pedagogika"); and speech/language impaired children ("logopedia") (Petrovsky, 1998, p. 364). As one can see, "Defectology" includes neither psychopathology nor learning disability or emotional disturbance as known in this country. It offers services to roughly the same population as special education in the USA, minus two large groups of students with disabilities: the emotionally disturbed and the learning disabled (who account for more than half of the special education population in the USA, according to Schulte, et al., 1998). According to defectological principles, children with organically intact brains and sensory systems traditionally belonged to general education in spite of the wide range of educational problems they presented (Gindis, 1986, 1988). Moreover, "learning disability", as it is understood in the contemporary USA, was definitely unknown in the Russia of Vygotsky�s time (Gindis, 1992). That is why an attempt to explain Defectology as a combination of "learning disability and abnormal psychology", as was done by the publisher of the second volume of Vygotsky's "Collected Works" (Vygotsky, 1993) is somewhat misleading (Gindis, 1994). In spite of some obvious lack of congruence between the fields of Vygotsky�s defectology and contemporary American special education, Vygotsky�s theoretical and methodological finding is the most powerful single source of professional inspiration for current and coming generations of special education professionals. But this is not an easily digested source! It may be difficult for special education professionals to devour Vygotsky's texts: a difficulty that may be caused by many factors, including the differences in psychological and general humanistic traditions in American and Russian science (Valsiner & Vanderveer, 1991), the innovative nature of Vygotsky�s writing, "non-academic" and sometimes "unsystematic" and contradictory ways of expressing ideas, passionate argumentation with authors who are completely forgotten today, and last but not least - unfamiliar terminology (many of which are terminological relics sounding harsh to our ears!). No doubt, Vygotsky belongs to the cohort of the so-called "romantic" scientist (as it was defined by his most prominent student Alexander Luria, 1979) and his "romanticism" obviously determined the style of his discourse. This is not an "academic text" in the traditional sense, but rather an inspirational humanistic appeal (in the very broad, almost biblical, sense) to reconstruct the social/cultural reality. Stating this, let us go on to discover the essence of Vygotsky's ideas. There are two ways of applying Vygotsky�s theories to contemporary special education: his general theory, known in the West as Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and his special theory (less known in this country) which is called the theory of "disontogenesis" (literally: "distorted development"). UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL/CULTURAL ASPECT OF THE DISABILITY. Understanding the nature of a disability and the means of compensating for it are the core of any system of rehabilitation and special education. The uniqueness of Vygotsky's approach lies in his understanding of the disability not as a "biological impairment having psychological consequences", but as a socio-cultural developmental phenomenon. Based on the comprehensive review of many anthropological and historical studies (including reports authored by individuals with impaired organs) Vygotsky argued that a disability is perceived as an "abnormality" only when and if it is brought into the social context. The human brain, eye, ear, or limb are not just physical organs: impairment of any of these organs "leads to a restructuring of social relationships and to a displacement of all the systems of behavior" (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 63). Moreover, a defect varies psychologically in different cultural and social environments: "The blindness of an American farmer's daughter, of a Ukrainian landowner's son, of a German duchess, of a Russian peasant, of a Swedish proletarian - these are all psychologically entirely different facts" (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 70). Another argument: from the survival point of view, blindness, in the world of nature, is a more severe impairment than deafness. In the social world, however, deafness is a more severe disability because it prevents mastering of speech, blocks verbal communication, and bars entry to the world of culture. Therefore, being deaf "....disrupts a person's social connections in a more substantial way than blindness" (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 77). Vygotsky pointed out that from the social perspective, the primary problem of a disability is not the sensory or neurological impairment itself but its social implications: "Any physical handicap�. not only alters the child's relationship with the world, but above all affects his interaction with people. Any organic defect is revealed as a social abnormality in behavior. It goes without question that blindness and deafness per se are biological factors. However, the teacher must deal not so much with these biological factors by themselves, but rather with their social consequences. When we have before us a blind boy as the object of education, then it is necessary to deal not so much with blindness by itself, as with those conflicts which arise for a blind child upon entering life" (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 102). Within the context of his paradigm of the social nature of the disability, Vygotsky introduced the core concepts of the "primary disability, "secondary disability" and their interactions. A "primary" disability is an organic impairment due to biological factors. A "secondary" disability refers to distortions of higher psychological functions due to social factors. An organic impairment prevents a child from mastering some or most social skills and acquiring knowledge at a proper rate and in an acceptable form. It is the child's social milieu, however, that modifies his/her course of development and leads to distortions and delays. From this point of view, many symptoms such as behavioral infantilism or primitivism of emotional reactions in individuals with mental retardation are considered to be secondary handicapping condition, acquired in the process of social interaction. Vygotsky pointed out that from the psychoeducational perspectives the primary problem of a disability is not the organic impairment itself but its social implications: an organic defect is recognized by society as a social abnormality in behavior. Expectations and attitudes of social milieu and conditions created by the society influence the access of a child with disability to socio-cultural knowledge, experiences, and opportunity to acquire the "psychological tools". Changing negative societal attitudes towards the individuals with disabilities should be one of the goals of special educators (Vygotsky, 1995). The search for positive capacities and qualitative characteristics in the upbringing (nurturing) of children with disabilities is the "trademark" of Vygotsky's approach. He called for the identification of a disability in a child from a point of strength, not weakness - he labeled this "positive differentiation". With his slashing sarcasm he nicknamed the traditional approach to the individuals with disability an "arithmetical concept of handicap" because of its view of a child with disability as the sum of his/her negative characteristics. He suggested, for example, the identification of levels of overall independence and needs for support rather than levels of feeblemindedness in children with mental retardation ( see: "Methods of Study a Child with Mental Retardation", Vygotsky, 1995, p. 114). Sixty years later this approach was employed by the American Association on Mental Retardation in their newest manual (AAMD, 1992). UNDERSTANDING DISABILITY AS A DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS. Vygotsky tirelessly pointed to the dynamic nature of disability: he argued that constant changes in the structure and content of a disability take place during development and under the influence of education/remediation. Vygotsky formulated the following basic assertions of child development fully applicable to the child with a disability. Human development is a socio-genetic process carried out in social activities. Education "leads" development which is the result of social learning through the internalization of culture and social relationships. Development is not a straight path of quantitative gains and accumulations, but a series of qualitative, dialectic transformations, a complex process of integration and disintegration. The essence and uniqueness of human development resides in its mediation by material instruments and social signs/language. Culture is acquired through internalization of social signs starting with language. Within the context of development, Vygotsky stated, there are two classes of psychological functions: "lower" (natural) and "higher" (cultural). The first class comprises elementary perception, memory, attention, dynamic characteristics of the nervous system, in short, everything that creates a biological predisposition of the child's development. The second class includes abstract reasoning, logical memory, language, voluntary attention, planning, decision making, etc. These are specifically human functions that appear gradually in the course of transformation of the lower functions made through the so-called "mediated activity" and "psychological tools". The formation of individual consciousness takes place through relations with others: it is a socially meaningful activity that shapes the individual�s makeup. Vygotsky indicated that each psychological function in the child "... appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological), and then inside a child (intrapsychological) (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57). As one can see, the concepts of "natural" and "cultural" psychological functions discussed earlier are related to his notion of "primary" and "secondary" disability. Vygotsky wrote that progressive divergence in social and natural development leads to social deprivation as a society's response to a child's organic impairment. This, in turn, adversely affects the whole developmental process and leads to the emergence of delays and deficiencies, the so-called "secondary" handicapping conditions. QUALITATIVE VERSUS QUANTITATIVE DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING OF DISABILITY. Traditionally, a child with a disability has been considered to be either "underdeveloped/developmentally delayed" (in the case of mental retardation) or "a regular child lacking a sensory organ" (in the case of physical and/or sensory impairments). In other words, the difference between a child with a disability and his/her non-disabled peer is only quantitative. According to Vygotsky, the development of the individuals with a disability is not "slowed-down" or "missing" variations of normal development. For example, he objected to the terms "developmental disability" or "developmental delays" in relation to mental retardation. He called our attention to the qualitative uniqueness of a disabled child�s development mediated by a such powerful factor as the social implication of disability. He wrote: "A child whose development is impeded by a disability is not simply a child less developed than his peers; rather, he has developed differently." (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 96). The development of a child with a disability has major qualitative differences in the "means and ways" of his/her internalization of culture. The core of the development of a child with a disability is the "divergence" between his/her "natural" and "social" paths of development. Vygotsky pointed to two major differences in the development of a child with a disability in comparison with his typically developing peers: the formation of compensatory strategies (mechanisms) and the emergence of social complications of the disability. Without an understanding of these qualitative differences, no effective remediation is possible. Vygotsky suggested that in the future science will be able to create the disability-specific "profile" of this discrepancy as the most important characteristic in the psychological development of the child with a particular disability. He listed the dynamic and forms of socialization, adoption of "psychological tools", and formation/use of compensatory strategies as the "milestones" of this profile (Vygotsky, 1993, see: "Defect and Compensation" and "Principles of Social Education for the Deaf-Mute Child"). Compensatory strategies are by no means "mechanical substitutions" of impaired functions: they are the product of the child�s personality, his/her experiences, and education. Compensatory strategies are aimed at mastering of "psychological tools" and using them to acquire cultural forms of behavior. When the direct way of developing psychological functions is blocked (e.g. in the case of blindness) the compensatory strategies offer an "indirect" path to the same goal of cultural development. Creating the "disability-specific" compensatory strategies was Vygotsky�s vision of the future in remedial education. In Russia, based on Vygotsky�s theoretical foundation, an effective system of educating and raising deaf individuals was created (Knox & Kozulin, 1989, Lebedinsky, 1985, Zaittseva et al. 1999). Vygotsky�s understanding of disability as a social/cultural, developmental, and qualitatively-specific phenomenon has brought about two distinctive methodologies that may have a long-lasting impact on the field of special education: "zone of proximal development" and "dynamic assessment�. "ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT" and "DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT". Thousands of teachers and parents, well before Vygotsky, observed that with the proper assistance from an adult or a more advanced peer, a child is capable of much more learning than on his/her own. Vygotsky elevated this simple observation to a theoretical generalization known as the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD). He stated that the process of scaffolding brings about abilities that have been in the process of emerging, developing, (that is, have not yet matured) and thus reveals the hidden potential of a child which is crucial for both diagnosis and prognosis. The ZPD is one of Vygotsky's ideas that has a direct bearing on practice, both in psychological testing and in school instruction (Moll, 1990) and is, perhaps, the best known and most experimentally scrutinized concept in Vygotsky's entire legacy. (For an elaborate review, see: Rogoff & Wertsch, 1984, Valsiner & Vanderveer, 1993). The ZPD in its application to special education, however, still remains pretty much "terra incognita". It is known that in terms of individual differences, the depth of the ZPD varies, reflecting a child's cognitive and meta-cognitive learning potential. From this perspective, it offers a qualitative distinction between children with mental retardation and educationally neglected, temporally-delayed, or bilingual students from impoverished families. Those children might appear similarly backward in their functioning according to the results of standardized psychological testing because those tests report the current samples of behavior (Sattler, 1992), but they do indeed differ dramatically in their ability to benefit from an adult's help, as Vygotsky and his followers in Russia showed (Lebedinsky, 1985; Lubovsky, 1990; Rubinshtein, 1979). On the other hand, questions do arise about the validity and effectiveness of this notion applied to children with disabilities, whose unaided performance could be extremely limited ((G. Cole, 1987, p. 171-172). The real advantages of this concept and its practical application within the American system of special education still remain to be seen based on further verification of its merits and limitations (for a more in-depth discussion, see: Gindis, 1992). Vygotsky is rightfully considered to be the "founding father" of what is now known as "dynamic assessment" (Minick, 1987; Guthke & Wingenfeld, 1992; Lidz, 1995). In the early 1930s, at the height of the enthusiasm for IQ testing, Vygotsky was one of the first (if not the only one in his time) who defined IQ tests� limitations based on his understanding of disability as a process, not a static condition, and on his understanding of development as a dialectical process of mastering cultural means. He noted that standardized IQ tests inappropriately equalize the natural and cultural processes and, therefore are unable to make the differentiation of impaired functioning that can be due to cultural deprivation or can be the result of organic damage. In the essay "The Difficult Child", Vygotsky (1993, pp. 139-149) described the case of a bilingual Tatar (a nation within the Russian Federation) girl who was diagnosed as having mental retardation. In fact, her poor performance on the standardized cognitive tests was due to her social/cultural deprivation and related to her limited knowledge of both Russian and her native language. Vygotsky showed that as a result, she had not attained the level of acculturation expected at her age: her overall development was frustrated and she appeared to have mental retardation according to an IQ test. The most appropriate test in this case should be a "developmental assessment", which, Vygotsky insisted, should concentrate on mental processing and certain qualitative meta-cognitive indicators, such as cognitive strategies employed by the child, type and character of mistakes, ability to benefit from the help provided by the examiner; and emotional reactions to success and failure. Although Vygotsky had no chance to elaborate on his ideas to formulate specific assessment operations, he laid down the background for a family of testing procedures commonly recognized as "dynamic assessment" (DA). This is an interactive procedure that follows a test-intervene-retest format focusing on the cognitive processes and meta-cognitive characteristics of a child. Through an analysis of a child�s pre-test and post-test performance following test-embedded intervention, an evaluator can derive important information about the child�s cognitive modifiability, his/her responsiveness to an adult's mediation, and his/her amenability to instruction and guidance. Therefore, the DA provides information - not readily available through standardized testing - crucial for effective remediation, which is the ultimate goal of this assessment. As was observed by Lidz (1995), traditional standardized assessment trails the child's cognitive development to the point of "failure" in his/her individualized (independent) functioning, while DA in the Vygotskian tradition leads the child to the point of his/her achieving success in joint/shared activity. A breakthrough in practical application of the DA procedures in special education is attributed to the works of R. Feuerstein (1980) and his colleagues. As of now, DA is still mostly a "supplementary" procedure to the traditional assessment, however, the next century may witness an accelerated shift from standardized testing towards dynamic assessment (Haywood, et al., 1990). A group of prominent researchers in different countries: USA (Brown & Campione, 1987, Lidz, 1991, Swanson, 1995), Canada (Daz, 1995), Israel (Tzuriel 1992, Kozulin 1998, Feuerstein, 1997), Great Britain (Evans, 1993), Germany (Guthke & Wingenfeld 1992), Russia (Ivanova, 1976, Vlasova, 1984, Lebedinsky, 1985, Lubovsky, 1990), are productively developing different aspects of DA in its application to individuals with different disabilities. COMPENSATION, REHABILITATION, AND EDUCATION OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. Vygotsky wrote that the effectiveness of the compensatory strategies may be relatively free from the severity or type of the child�s disability. Timeliness and appropriateness (in terms of methodology used) are more important. One of the most outstanding confirmations of this rather bold statement was the work of Vygotsky�s compatriots I. Sokoliansky and A. Meshcheriakov (1979) with deaf-mute-blind children. An innovative idea of L. Vygotsky's was that the most efficient compensation for the loss or weakness of natural functions can be achieved through the development of the higher psychological functions. Paradoxically, while what may be impaired are the natural processes (visual, auditory, motor, etc.), the objects of rehabilitation are the cultural processes of abstract reasoning, logical memory, voluntary attention, goal-directed behaviors, etc. Vygotsky pointed to the limitations of traditional sensory-motor training, saying that pure biological compensation (e.g., superior hearing in individuals who are blind) has been an exception rather than the rule, while the domain of higher psychological activities has no limits: "Training sharpness of hearing in a blind person has natural limitations; compensation through the mightiness of the mind (imagination, reasoning, memorization, etc.) has virtually no limits" (Vygotsky, 1983, p. 212). In Vygotsky�s view, special education programs should have the same social/cultural goals as general education programs. Their specificity is in addressing the "secondary" disability syndrome, that is in countering the negative social consequences of the "primary" disability. Instructions in special education should follow the same principle as general education, namely, that "education leads development". In the essay "Defect and Compensation" Vygotsky (1993, pp. 52- 64) wrote about the "two-sided nature" of a handicap: an underdevelopment or absence of the functions related to an organic defect and forming an adaptive-compensatory mechanism. The effectiveness of this mechanism depends on the adequacy and timeliness of the methods of correction used in educating the child. The focus of the compensation should be the intensification of cultural enlightenment, strengthening of the higher psychological functions, the quantity and quality of communication with adults, and social relationship with a "collective" (an organized group of peers). Vygotsky believed that a physical/mental impairment could be overcome by creating alternative but equivalent roads for cultural development. Common laws of development (for children with a disability and their non-disabled peers) include internalization of the external cultural activities into internal processes via "psychological tools" and "mediated learning" provided by adults. The concept of the internalization of psychological tools as the main mechanism of development has a special importance for rehabilitation in the field of special education. Different "tools" (e.g. various means of communication) may convey essentially the same educational information, the same meaning. "Different symbolic systems correspond to one and the same content of education... Meaning is more important than the sign. Let us change signs but retain meaning."(Vygotsky, 1983, p. 54). Vygotsky pointed out that our civilization has already developed different means (e.g. Braille reading, sign language, lip-reading, finger-spelling, etc.) to accommodate the unique way of acculturation for a child with a disability through acquiring different symbolic systems. We should continue developing special "psychological tools" to address special needs, concluded Vygotsky. This appeal was made well before the era of sophisticated electronic gadgets and computers and is now more compelling than ever! An organized peer group (a "collective" in Vygotsky�s terminology) as a remedial factor is not a particularly popular approach in special education (Evans, 1993), although it was found that students with special needs may benefit both academically and even more so in social/emotional domains through peer-mediated activities (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1998). According to Vygotsky, a "collective" is an effective means of mediation and a powerful facilitator in forming the higher psychological function in a child with a disability. In a group of peers under the guidance of an educator, a child with a disability may extend his/her ZPD. In fact, Vygotsky believed that it is the "collective" that has the most promising remedial potential for a child with a disability (Vygotsky, 1993, an essay: "The Collective as a Factor in the Development of the Abnormal Child", pp. 191-209). This particular aspect of Vygotsky�s legacy applied to children with mental retardation has an interesting and practically significant development in Russia (Rubinstein, 1979, Vlasova, 1984, Lubovsky, 1990) and may be useful for American special education (Gindis, 1992). Lately, one can observe growing interest in this idea (Topping & Ehly, 1998). "INCLUSION" AS THE FUTURE DESIGN FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION. Within his general theory of child development, Vygotsky created a comprehensive and practice-oriented paradigm of educating children with special needs. Vygotsky's idea that the development of a child with a disability is determined by the social aspect of his/her organic impairment creates a new perspective for socialization/acculturation and overall remediation of children with special needs. It took Vygotsky several years to develop his unique vision for the future model of special education which may be called (using his own words) "inclusion based on positive differentiation". ("Positive deferential approach", according to Vygotsky, means a favorable societal outlook on a child with a disability from a point of view his/her strengths, not weaknesses). In order to properly comprehend and fully appreciate his conceptualization on this matter we have to understand the historical background of the development of this idea and Vygotsky�s dialectical mode of thinking (for more elaboration, see Kozulin, 1990 and Yaroshevsky, 1993). A reader of Volume ll of his "Collected Works" may be somewhat confused that Vygotsky was equally critical of what he called the "unlawful segregation" of the disabled and "mindless mainstreaming" of children with special needs. It is true that in the early stages of his career as a researcher and an administrator, Vygotsky did call for "normalization through mainstreaming" of all children with disabilities, going sometimes to the extreme. In many aspects his earlier writings had a lot in common with what is nowadays called "The Full Inclusion Model" as described in Stainback et al., 1989, and in Lipsky & Gartner, 1996). Vygotsky passionately argued against what he called "the social prejudices against the handicapped" (see, for instance, his essay: "Principles of Education for Physically Handicapped", Vygotsky, 1993, pp. 65-76) - an appeal that found a deaf ear in Stalinist Russia (McCagg, 1989), but was fully appreciated half a century later in the USA by a broad audience (Newman & Holzman, 1993). In fact, Vygotsky's idea of social inclusion of children with disabilities into the social/cultural life of their communities as a condition of effective rehabilitation and compensation was never realized in his native country (Lubovsky, 1996). His criticism of a "negative model of special education" as a combination of lowered expectations, a watered-down curriculum, and social isolation sounds very much up to date (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1994). On the other hand, in his later works Vygotsky expressed firm conviction that only a truly differentiated learning environment can fully develop the higher psychological functions and overall personality of a child with a disability. Special education should not be just a diminished version of regular education, but a specially designed setting where the entire staff is able to exclusively serve the individual needs of the child with a disability. It should be a special system that employs its specific methods because students with disabilities require modified and alternative educational methods. Vygotsky insisted on creating a learning environment which would supply students with disabilities with alternative means of communication and development, on using those "psychological tools" that are most appropriate to compensate for their particular disability. Students with disabilities need specially trained teachers, a differentiated curriculum, special technological auxiliary means, and simply more time to learn. How realistically can these demands be met in a regular classroom situation? His main premises were that a child with a disability must be educated with a special set of "psychological tools" (Vygotsky actually used the phrase: ""sign system"). The process of arming a child with a disability with these "tools" must take place within their "zone of proximal development" (which is "disability-specific") and in a mainstreamed social/cultural milieu where compensation for the "secondary defect" should take place through experiences and opportunities that are as close as possible to normality. In Vygotsky's view, the main objective in the field of special education was the creation of what he called a "positive differential approach". Special education in his vision should be a system that employs its specific methods (because students with special needs require modified and alternative educational methods), but remains within the mainstreamed social/cultural situation. The main goal of special education, therefore, is not only to compensate for primary defects through facilitation and strengthening of intact psychological functions but, mainly, to prevent, correct, and rehabilitate secondary defects by psychological and pedagogical means. The "mainstreamed" social/cultural environment is the only adequate context where it may occur. CONCLUSION. Lev S. Vygotsky formulated a unique theoretical framework for the most comprehensive, inclusive, and humane practice of special education known in the 20th century. By no means did he leave a completed system, ready for application and free from contradictions or "blind spots". It is more an approach than a paradigm ; a blueprint for further elaboration rather than a tested model. The timeliness and fruitfulness of many of Vygotsky's theoretical concepts in the domain of special education have been substantiated by empirical data accumulated within the half century since his death. Scientific validation and actual implementation of others are yet to be seen. Vygotsky�s appeal to consider psychoeducational assessment and methods of training/teaching as a social/cultural process is finding acceptance with thousands of professionals throughout the world. His idea that the development of a child with a disability is determined by the social implication of his/her organic impairment creates a new perspective for socialization, acculturation, and development of children with special needs. Vygotsky's scientific legacy contains a theoretical framework that might integrate all branches of contemporary special education. The socially, culturally, and developmentally oriented theory of the late genius has the potential to unify, restructure, and promote special and remedial education as a science, profession, and social institution. In spite of the fact that special education became the "testing ground" for many of Vygotsky�s innovative ideas, this domain itself remained for a long time in the shadow of his scientific heritage. Hopefully, this special issue of Remedial and Special Education will be the groundbreaking event in embracing Vygotsky�s ideas in special education in this country. On the whole, this issue of Remedial and Special Education testifies to the extraordinary timeliness of Vygotsky's ideas. Publication of this issue creates a knowledge base for the theoretical and practical implications of Vygotsky's ideas within the American system of special education. Indeed, Vygotsky's scientific legacy sets a course to follow for special education at the cusp of the 21st century. REFERENCES

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| | --> by Claudia Pesce 194,037 views What better way to start classes than to ? Here are some games and activities that are more than simple icebreakers; they will help your students really bond as a group: Once you’ve greeted all of your students and gotten all of the introductions out of the way, present them with a completely blank bulletin board. Tell them that their first task as a group will be to decide what they want to do with it. When they have chosen their theme, they must decide how they will decorate the bulletin board and which materials they will use (you may have a box of they can recycle).   Hand out slips of paper and ask each student to write two things about themselves that are true and one thing that is untrue. Shuffle the papers and give one to each student. Students must guess which statement is untrue about their classmate. Tell your class that they will have the chance to show off their best talent. Have students divide themselves into groups according to different abilities. Form groups of students who have , , or are . Each group has to work as a team to prepare something to show to the class. Dancers may choreograph one of their favorite songs. Artists may create a poster. Writers may write a short story. Give them enough time to prepare and choose a day for your talent competition. Each team has to vote for another team they consider the best. The winning team wins a special prize. Create a questionnaire with 5 to 10 questions like: Students must first complete this questionnaire and then walk around the classroom to find other students they share some of these things with. They must write the names down. When everyone’s done, each student counts how many people they share things with. The student with the biggest number wins! Ask students to bring in baby pictures of themselves and put them up on the bulletin board. Students take turns matching a student to a baby pic. The student who guesses the most correctly wins. For obvious reasons, this game works best with teens or adult learners. Give each of your students a paper bag and instruct them on what to do with it: You may have a class with students from different backgrounds and nationalities. While you may encourage them to share information about their countries of origin, it would be nice for them to also form their own little “ ”. Ask students to come up with a name for their class: , , or the like. Then, they may create their own class flag or banner, something that will represent them as a group. If you decide to , you can tell parents what your “English Ninjas” have been up to and proudly display their work. Want more icebreakers for your ESL class? Try reading . And if you have any suggestions of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments below! For more great Back to School tips, advice and worksheets, be sure to go to our . There you’ll find what you’re looking for! If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English. . That's 4,036 pages filled with thousands of practical activities and tips that you can start using today. 30-day money back guarantee. --> Copyright 2007-2021 пїЅ Submit a worksheet Mobile version Vygotsky's Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education for the 21st Century November 1999 Remedial and Special Education 20(6):333-340 20(6):333-340 Center for Cognitive Assessment and Remediation Discover the world's research 25+ million members 160+ million publication pages 2.3+ billion citations Nidal Jouni AM ANN DEAF Young Ah Lee Shariffa Khalid Qais Al-Said K. Lea Alexander Jane E. Knox Alex Kozulin SCHOOL PSYCHOL REV Ann C. Schulte Susan S. Osborne Jerome Bruner A. R. Luria Sheila Cole Recruit researchers Join for free Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up Virtual Tour Experience University of Idaho with a virtual tour. Explore now Discover a Career Find a Major Experience U of I Life More Resources Admitted Students International Students Take Action Find Financial Aid View Deadlines Find Your Rep Helping to ensure U of I is a safe and engaging place for students to learn and be successful. Read about Title IX. 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Common Tools Administrative Procedures Manual (APM) Class Schedule OIT Tech Support Academic Dates & Deadlines U of I Retirees Association Faculty Senate Staff Council Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mailing Address: College of Education, Health and Human Sciences University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive Moscow, Idaho 83844-3082 Phone: 208-885-6587 Fax: 208-885-1071 Email: [email protected] Special Education The Special Education Master’s Degree and Certification-Only Program at the University of Idaho is designed to offer certified teachers a convenient pathway to obtain a master’s degree in special education, coupled with the option of special education certification. Our program stands out as a top choice for students seeking distance learning opportunities, allowing them to complete their degree and certification remotely. All courses are delivered through distance technologies, eliminating the need for on-campus attendance. The University of Idaho's Special Education Program holds national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (formerly known as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) and is a state-approved program in special education. To qualify for entry into the program, candidates should possess an undergraduate degree in education or a related field and meet the university's enrollment criteria for the College of Graduate Studies. For those pursuing certification options, a valid teaching certificate is a prerequisite. Join our program to advance your career and expertise in special education from the comfort of your own location. Special Education Program Handbook pdf The coursework and practicum in the program will help prepare or further your knowledge of working with students with special needs. Special education teachers design and teach appropriate curricula and assign work geared toward each student’s needs and abilities. This includes behavioral, social, and academic development as well as preparing special education students for daily life beyond school also is an important aspect of the job. A degree in special education prepares you for a rewarding career providing services to those with special needs or training others to work with students with special needs. Addressing the Special Education Teacher Shortage by Certifying Paraeducators Paraeducators provide essential support to students with disabilities in special education settings and inclusive classrooms across the United States. The most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) indicate there were 883,071 instructional aids (i.e., paraeducators) in the United States. (NCES, 2021). Compared to teachers, the need for paraeducators is growing at an even faster rate. Since 2000, the annual growth rate for teachers is 0.46% compared to 1.98% for paraeducators (NCES, 2021). Preparing current paraeducators to become special education teachers could help address the special education teacher shortage. Paraeducators may be an especially good fit because: Strong Community Connections: Many paraeducators have strong connections to the community in which they serve. These connections are especially important for to racially, linguistically, and ethnically diverse communities, as paraeducators across the United States are more racially and ethnically diverse than the teacher workforce (Bisht et al., 2021; Morrison & Lightner 2017) Knowledge of Special Education: Through their work in schools, paraeducators also have first-hand understanding of school policy and procedures. As limited previous experiences in schools are associated with levels of special education teacher attrition (Billingsley & Bettini, 2019), paraeducators are especially well-suited for the transition to service as the teacher of record.  Career Interests and Job Benefits: Connally et al. (2017) described why paraeducators, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds, may want to make the transition to become certified special education teachers. Primary reasons include enjoyment of working with children and youth, monetary benefits, and career status.  Unfortunately, paraeducators face a variety of barriers in obtaining teacher certification, including a lack of specific academic credentials required to teach, licensure and student teaching rules, difficulty getting reliable information, low pay (students regularly work multiple jobs), and high tuition costs (Connally et al., 2017). The University of Idaho recently received federal funding (OSEP 325k) to develop Idaho’s Model Paraeducators Advancing to Certified Teacher (IMPACT). More information about the program can be found here , or by contacting Andrew Scheef . Billingsley, B., & Bettini, E. (2019). Special education teacher attrition and retention: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 89 (5), 697-744. Bisht, B., LeClair, Z., Loeb, S., & Sun, M. (2021). Paraeducators: Growth, Diversity and a Dearth of Professional Supports. EdWorkingPaper No. 21-490. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Connally, K., Garcia, A., Cook, S., & Williams, C. P. (2017). Teacher talent untapped: Multilingual paraprofessionals speak about the barriers to entering the profession . New America. https://na-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Teacher-Talent-Untapped.pdf Morrison, J., & Lightner, L. (2017). Putting paraeducators on the path to teacher certification. Phi Delta Kappan , 98 (8), 43-47. National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Digest of education statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_213.10.asp Quality University Experiences to Support Transition for students with IDD Many high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) learn in inclusive classrooms alongside their peers. However, when high school finishes and many peers transition to college or university, students with IDD may not have opportunities to follow this same path to higher education. Like their peers, students with IDD may need additional schooling to help achieve employment goals.  To address this inequity, many colleges and universities across the United States have developed inclusive postsecondary education programs to serve students with IDD. These are typically not degree-granting offerings, but provide students opportunities to develop employment and community skills while learning alongside their peers in college or university courses. Although the programming may look somewhat different, they are at college to pave a pathway to employment (much like their peers).  Those interested in learning more about inclusive post-secondary education should explore resources at Think College . They serve as the national coordinating center for inclusive postsecondary education programs and have resources for students, families, teachers, and those interested in promoting the idea that students with IDD can attend college.  Vandal QUEST (Quality University Experiences to Support Transition) is an inclusive postsecondary program at the University of Idaho. Students in QUEST enroll in university courses, participate in campus activities, develop individualized skills, and engage in a variety of work experiences. Another key component involves our partnership with Peer Mentors, who are traditionally-enrolled students at the University of Idaho. Our teacher education students have opportunities to engage with our Vandal QUEST students; it is an experience that benefits everyone.  To learn more about inclusive postsecondary education, watch these videos: Think College: https://youtu.be/SV84JbNTKyI?si=2a2qooKNa7vR0aCd Vandal QUEST : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPE5CoTFeS0 162 IMAGES First Week Activities in a Special Education Class (with freebies Digital Activities: Interactive Learning BUNDLE for Special Education Dollar Up Interactive Activities for Special Education Sensory play for special needs 15 Must Have Board Games for Special Education Free Choice Board Printable VIDEO Audio Visual Group Activities classes For the Children with Special Needs ages 3 to 10 brain Boosting activities Special Education Activities for Children New math #viralvideo #shorts #education New math activities #viralvideo #education #shorts Make the Day Easier for You and Your Special Ed Students with Classroom Schedules COMMENTS Best Special Education Sites and Apps As of 2020-21, 14.5% of all U.S. students were special education students (ages 3-21). That translates to more than seven million who need teachers with specialized training to help kids with physical, emotional, mental and behavioral disabilities. ... The site includes interactive games, visual aids, and printable materials to engage learners ... Special education online resources EmotionalABCs. Social-emotional learning resources for grades K-3. Google Chrome Extensions for Students with Special Needs. Help with text-to-speech, readability, comprehension and focus. Intervention Central. Clearinghouse for free RTI materials. IXL.com. Full curriculum with diagnostics and personalized learning. Meadows Center research brief. 8 Fun And Fulfilling Virtual Activities For Special Needs Students 1. Improve Social Skills. Today's technology offers a variety of virtual activities that are fun and fulfilling for special needs students. These activities can help special needs students develop social skills, such as communicating through text, video conferencing, and interactive educational games. 5 Interactive Apps Geared Towards Special Needs Students 5 Interactive Apps Geared Towards Special Needs Students. May 2, 2021August 28, 2020by inclusiveteach.com. A guest post on great SEN apps. For many children access to school ended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus. Now that the spread is slowing down, however, they're allowed to reopen fully. But a survey conducted by the National ... Kinems About. Education is a very challenging field. Kinems' vision is to transform PreK-5 education around the world by offering engaging multisensory learning experiences. Our intentions and purpose are moral. Kinems is an innovative educational platform designed to help All students, including students with multiple learning disabilities achieve ... Teaching with Online Platforms for Students with Special Needs Interactive games, activities, and videos may be a better alternative to handwritten homework for some students with learning disabilities. Special needs educators with students who may benefit from this type of learning should begin their search for resources with those provided below! Resources. Education is becoming more digital every day. 12 Resources for Special Education Teachers to Enhance Learning 2. Increased Engagement. Special education teaching resources also offer educators the opportunity to increase engagement in the classroom by incorporating interactive elements such as videos, games, and puzzles into their lessons. Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs. Do2learn provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioral regulation activities and guidance, learning songs and games, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills. In addition, we offer premier products including View2do ... Special Education: Free Resources Created and maintained by the American Federation of Teachers, Share My Lesson is a community of teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, higher education faculty, and parents and caregivers who contribute content, collaborate, and stay up to date on the issues that matter to students and educators everywhere. 30 Games for Special Need Kids & Activities for Them to Learn Some of the top examples of educational games for special needs kids include: Bingo - This classic game can be adapted in many ways to target math, reading, science, and social studies skills. Teachers can create customized bingo cards with vocabulary words, math problems, science concepts, historical facts, and more. Free Websites to Use with Switches in a Special Education Classroom As special education teachers, it can be difficult to find ways that our kiddos can access technology. I've always loved switch activated cause and effect toys and games, but switch toys are expensive and my kids get bored of them after a few weeks of playing with them. ... Although FisherPrice is geared towards infants, toddlers and preschool ... 3 Engaging Maths Games Maths Game 1: Sorting Surprise Pirate Treasure. My favourite and possible the game that got the most engagement from our testers was Sorting Surprise Pirate Treasure *. It provides you with multiple opportunities for practicing numeracy skills and other games. We hid the keys around the room to give a competitive and active element to the activity. Bringing real-life skills to virtual special education The importance of interactive tools in special education. Special education students often require personalized instructional strategies that traditional methods cannot fully address. In a virtual setting, it becomes even more critical to find tools that keep these students engaged and provide the support they need. Games for special education Games for special education. Sponsored. Life Skills Math Distance Learning Daily Special Education IEP Goals. Creative Resources. $10.00. Addition and Subtraction Worksheets Bundle: Grades 1-5, Single to Multi-Digit. Young Minds Academics. $4.00 $6.00. Life Skills Math Summer Shopping Price ID & Determining Change Canadian Boom. Engaging Group Lesson Ideas for Self Contained Sped Engaging Group Lesson Ideas for Self Contained Sped. February 14, 2021 by Fiona. If you teach special education, you pretty much know that adapted resources are a necessity in your classroom (task cards, file folders, adapted books…etc)! If your class/students are anything like mine, it is a task to get all of my students to sit for a half an ... 12 Essential Tools for Special Education Classroom Teachers In a special education classroom, fidgets can be instrumental in providing the necessary sensory input to keep students engaged and calm. 8. Velcro Strips and Coins: Versatile Classroom Tools. Velcro strips and dots/coins offer endless possibilities for special education classroom organization and interactive learning. 10 activities for students with special education needs Another NeuronUP activity for k-12 students with special needs to work on ADLs that we highlight is Get Dressed. In this game they have to appropriately dress a mannequin in terms of the order and placement of the items of clothing as well as the type of situation. In the example below, students have to dress the woman for a special occasion. Inclusive Education: Breaking Barriers with Interactive Games for Inclusive education is transforming the lives of special needs students by breaking down barriers and providing equal opportunities for learning and growth. Interactive games serve as a powerful tool in this process, enhancing learning and development, promoting social interaction, and empowering students to reach their full potential. By ... Use Interactive Whiteboards the Right Way in Special Ed Use it to present the model of the art project. 4. Do have multiple students interact with the board. Interactive whiteboards are tough because only one person can touch them at a time. So, in a group activity, plan out multiple "helper" opportunities for student to interact with it. Set it up so that each student answers questions on it ... Interactive calendar activities special education Morning meetings and circle time are essential for setting a positive tone and building community in any classroom, but they can be especially challenging to keep engaging and educational for students with special needs. Finding interactive calendar activities for special education morning meetings that cater to diverse learning styles and abilities can feel like searching for a needle in a ... Vygotsky's Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education for the Creating the "disability-specific" compensatory strategies was Vygotsky's vision of the future in remedial education. In Russia, based on Vygotsky's theoretical foundation, an effective system of educating and raising deaf individuals was created (Knox & Kozulin, 1989, Lebedinsky, 1985, Zaittseva et al. 1999). Music. Circle Time Activities Board. Autism Special Education ... This bundle includes fourteen songs and a song board! Each song has several visual supports to ensure every student is able to participate! This bundle is guaranteed to make your circle time more engaging, interactive and enjoyable for everyone! It is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, special education and ELL students. 7 Back to School Games And Activities To Help Your Students Bond Hand out slips of paper and ask each student to write two things about themselves that are true and one thing that is untrue. Shuffle the papers and give one to each student. Students must guess which statement is untrue about their classmate. 3. Show Your Stuff. (PDF) Vygotsky's Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education this country. Vygotsky has emerged as one of the major psychologists in the 20th century ( Wertch, 1885, 1998), the "icon" of the "cognitive revolution" (Haywood & Tzuriel, 1992), post-modern ... Special Education-EHHS-University of Idaho The Special Education Master's Degree and Certification-Only Program at the University of Idaho is designed to offer certified teachers a convenient pathway to obtain a master's degree in special education, coupled with the option of special education certification. Our program stands out as a top choice for students seeking distance ... assignment essay homework phd report resume review speech thesis