Special Education

The cognitive function of the brain is to engage in processes that allow us to experience the environment, remember, think, act, and feel emotion. These processes are complex, diverse and highly interrelated. Special education is a framework that best uses the cognitive function of the brain. For the child with special needs, there are multiple issues relating to behavior, attention, physical impairment, sensory integration and more that affect the child’s ability to engage with the regular classroom environment while learning. This calls for some added support and a specific environment to facilitate their cognitive development and learning processes. Special education, thus, is exactly that; a tailored classroom set up specifically for your child to ensure that all students’ educational needs are provided for. 

The following components of the cognition are assessed using various methods and techniques to understand the cognitive abilities of the child

Perception, Selective, distributive and shared attention; Exploration as stimulus seeking; Executive function; Short term and long term memory; Pattern recognition; Facial/emotion recognition; Processing emotional content; Imitation; Cause and effect association; Deducing rules for responding; Processing multiple sources of information simultaneously; Reasoning and concept formation; Response flexibility; Analogous reasoning; Problem solving; Language; Perspective taking; Social context and rules 

When to opt for Special Education

Ideally, when the parents have understood and learnt to engage with the child using the framework of coregulation, opting for special education will help build the foundation required for higher level academics. Since it includes learning functional academics and other core concepts, earlier is better. 

Role of special education in treatment

Reading, writing and arithmetic are core components of special education which will help the student build their own ways and strategies of acquiring knowledge. This is an important milestone as it will instil self-confidence as true inclusion is about every child getting the same opportunities like other children of their age. As we know, academics is a significant milestone for every child. Furthermore, when the child is not very motivated to learn or has low intrinsic motivation, playstreet’s approach to special education brings about the joy of learning in a child. 

Playstreet approach to Special Education

At playstreet, our approach to education is grounded in the whole-human perspective where we bring a multifaceted teaching strategy into a traditional classroom setup. We want to make classrooms a healthy space for expression through learning by meeting the needs of the child, and guiding them to their true potential. Including other methods of learning, like arts, movement, AAC, Play and Music, really sets SPED at playstreet apart from the traditional table-top approaches (worskheets, question answer drills etc..). Special Education not only takes care of academic education but helps in different areas of cognitive development (as described above)to improve the quality of life of a child. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for the child takes care of the individual needs and education of the child in the following areas:

Attention (awareness of others, objects, or activities): Attention goals focus on sustained attention; joint attention; and shifting attention from event to event, object to object, object to person, and person to object.

Imitation: Imitation is an essential prerequisite skill in learning from others. Imitation goals include imitation with objects, motor actions, oral motor actions, vocalizations, verbalizations, gestures, academic tasks, and social skills.

Communication: Communication goals focus on expressive and/or receptive language and include verbal or augmented communication skills, social-communication skills, and the use of functional communication systems to provide alternatives to challenging behaviours.

Social development: Social development is a core deficit area for individuals on the autism spectrum. Goals in this area include body language, manners, conversation skills, friendship management, cooperative play skills, self-regulation, empathy, and conflict management, among others.

Play: Developmentally appropriate and functional play skills are targeted as an avenue to increase social skills with peers.

Cognitive development: Cognitive goals include a focus on conceptual development, problem-solving, academic performance, and executive functions (i.e. flexible, strategic plan of action to solve a problem or attain a future goal).

Challenging behaviors: The function of challenging behaviors are identified and appropriate alternative behaviours are taught using positive behavior supports.

Sensory and motor development: Individual differences in motor and sensory functioning are identified and planned for, including tactile/touch, visual, smell, sound, and taste; environmental stressors are identified and modified.

Functional Academics: Essential life skills, including hygiene, self-help and safety are considered and planned for in order to enhance personal independence and create opportunities for greater community participation, including independent living, working and recreating.

Recreation/Leisure/Physical Education: Recreation skills are important goals as they enhance cognitive, social and motor skills; enhance relationships between self and environment; shape appropriate use of unstructured time; increase opportunities to get physical exercise and stay healthy; and increase enjoyment of life.