What we focus on
Special Education & Training
Special education, or special needs education, is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Special education is the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings, and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community than would be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.
How iHriday can help children with special educational needs
If your child has special educational needs, they may need extra help:
- With schoolwork
- Reading, writing, number work or understanding information
- Expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
- Making friends or interacting with adults
- Behaving properly
- organizing themselves
Learners with special educational needs experience difficulties because of any one of the following, or some combination of:
Behavioural and social skill difficulties
Includes self-regulation, getting along with others, etc.
Communication or language disabilities
Either receptive or expressive (e.g. autism spectrum).
Concentration difficulties
Either attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD).
Executive functions
includes difficulties in understanding, planning and organising
Hearing impairments
Includes both hearing loss and deafness, either congenital or acquired due to illness/injury
Literacy and language difficulties
Affects the learning process in one or more areas such as reading, spelling and writing (for example, dyslexia and dysgraphia).
Numeracy difficulties
Refers to learners who might struggle with tasks related to numeracy and mathematics competency (for example, dyscalculia).
Mental health issues
Includes depression, anxiety, etc. and can range from mild to severe. Learners can also have more than one mental health problem.
Physical or neurological impairments
Can be congenital or acquired (for example, muscular dystrophy or traumatic brain injury) and can range in severity. Neurological impairment may not be visible.
Visual impairments
Used to describe the consequence of an eye condition or disorder. The degree of impairment ranges from mild to severe.
1.Attention deficit disorder:ADD is a disorder that causes difficulties with focusing, sustaining and shifting attention. This can have a significant impact on a student’s ability to learn.
2.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: ADHD is a regulatory problem of attention, activity level and impulse control and it can have a significant impact on a student’s ability to learn.
3.Asperger syndrome: individuals with Asperger syndrome usually have difficulties with social interaction, social communication and social imagination. They are distinct from those with autism in that they do not have language delays. Due to the similarities between Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, there is a debate over whether two different terms are needed and ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ is now commonly used to describe the range of the autism spectrum including Asperger syndrome.
4.Autism spectrum: although every person with autism is unique, the following characteristics are particularly significant in the diagnosis of autism: communication, social interaction, learning difficulties, unusual/repetitive behaviour/s. Other characteristics can include unusual patterns of attention, unusual responses to sensory stimuli, and increased anxiety.
5.Differentiated Instruction: involves teaching in an organised, yet flexible way that allows all students in a class to learn; it is not specifically directed for students with learning difficulties. Differentiated instruction takes into account that students have different learning preferences, strengths, and abilities. Instead of teaching to the middle or average student, teachers proactively adjust their teaching to provide for more or less structure, direction, challenge or options depending on the needs and abilities of learners. This includes gifted children.
6.Dyscalculia: refers to a wide range of learning difficulties involving mathematics. There is no single type of maths disability and it varies from person to person. Children can exhibit visual spatial difficulties or language process difficulties making it difficult to understand ‘word problems’. Dysgraphia: refers to writing difficulties, including handwriting that is either illegible or difficult to read.
7.Dyslexia: refers to a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.
8.Dyspraxia: also known as developmental coordination disorder. Learners with this disorder have problems adequately registering, interpreting, organising or integrating information, and it affects basic and fine motor skills.
9.Inclusion: refers to integrating learners in the regular school system (and class) as opposed to placing a learner in a special school or class. Learners with special educational needs are provided with the technical, assistive or personal supports needed.
