Learning disabilities may hamper the usual learning processes for students in a normal school, hence they need to attend a special school or learning disabilities schools that is tailored to their needs and goes at their own pace, not with the school’s flow. These schools are known as special education schools, and they cater to students with one or more forms of learning disabilities.
Most special education schools support IEP (Individualized Education Program) for students, which is the roadmap for a particular child’s development, both mentally and physically. After receiving an approval letter for special education for your child, the next step is looking for a good school. The following points will help you decide which school to choose.
Here are the top 5 features that every special education schools should have:
Individualized Education: The first and foremost thing to look for is special individualized education plans. Most students with learning disabilities cannot progress with the normal learning pace, hence special education schools offer to teach them individually at their own pace for maximum effect.
Self-Contained Classrooms: While regular schools keep all the children together in classrooms, special education schools have their own self-contained classrooms where a teacher is assigned to a child individually. This helps them pick their own pace and makes it easier to track their progress efficiently.
Sufficient Aids and Support: Children with learning disabilities need support at every stage of their education, and parents need to see if the teachers offer their support frequently or not. The school also should have sufficient learning aids that will help in imparting education to those who find it hard to understand the conventional means of teaching.
Low Teacher-Student Ratio: One particular feature of special education schools is their extremely low teacher to student ratios. This is important as most students need individual attention, hence the less the number of students per teacher, the more teachers can put their attention into students.
Specially Trained Staff: The teachers teaching in such schools need to have the proper qualifications needed to teach children with learning disabilities, for they require extra training as compared to regular teachers. Parents should inquire whether the staff is well-trained or not.