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Individualized Teaching Programs for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Teaching a child with cerebral palsy requires patience, experience and knowledge. The severity of cerebral palsy varies greatly from child to child so it's difficult to lay out a general course of education. Teaching children with cerebral palsy usually requires individually tailored education programs combined with various types of therapy.
Many parents worry about teaching their child with cerebral palsy. Concerns range from how their child will be viewed by a "mainstream" teacher to how their child's teacher with experience in developmental difficulties can be most effective.
Since cerebral palsy is a non progressive disorder, extensive initial testing is crucial to determine the severity of both physical and mental symptoms. Any future teacher of a cerebral palsy child should have access to all initial test results. This information assists teachers in developing individualized educational and therapeutic programs specifically geared toward maximizing a cerebral palsy child's improvement.
To help a cerebral palsy child in the early years, most teaching focuses on functional gains in movement. Intense repetitive physical therapy helps cerebral palsy children learn needed movement skills. Teaching should focus on progress and positive change in a child's current abilities rather than in lessening a specific cerebral palsy disability. For example, a teacher might encourage a cerebral palsy student to participate in activities which require two-hands rather than focusing only on the use of the disabled limb.
As with mainstream students, a cerebral palsy child's mental capacity varies. Some can participate on an even playing field with mainstream kids and some have degrees of mental retardation or learning difficulties. Each child should be encouraged and challenged to become as mentally active as possible from an early age.
Individualized teaching programs are not cheap, and the long-term financial drain can put undue stress on a family. A cerebral palsy lawyer can be an invaluable resource in making sure that patients get the financial support they need to pay for individualized teaching and other care and rehabilitation needs.
Teaching Cerebral Palsy Children in Mainstream Schools
If academically possible, a cerebral palsy child should attend a mainstream school. The results are usually positive for both the child and their classmates, especially if the child is incorporated at an early age. Some parents worry their cerebral palsy child might not be able to keep up with mainstream classes. However, experts find few accommodations need be made if a cerebral palsy child is not extensively cognitively disabled. Generally, only slight changes in teaching and testing procedures are required for a cerebral palsy child to have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. Mainstream teachers shouldn't need to raise or lower instructional difficulty or curriculum standards. Usually they only need to allow reasonable changes; such as providing oral instead of written exams or more time to complete required work.
Teaching Standards for Disabled Students
Education for disabled students is governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA.) This Act sets down guidelines intended to help insure teaching standards for disabled children in public schools. Teachers used to teaching in developmentally disabled classrooms will often be more assistive in the education of a cerebral palsy child. Support for the family of a cerebral palsy child is often more robust at schools specializing in teaching children with disabilities as well. Specialized schools usually have a person knowledgeable in helping parents design a teaching curriculum which maximizes the education potential of a disabled child.
When speaking with a cerebral palsy child's teacher, the most important things to remember are to ask questions and ask for help. Most teachers have a special love for teaching students and are happy to help parents who feel the same way.
Tips about the Physical Aspects of Teaching a Cerebral Palsy Child
- View the classroom as if you were going to have to navigate it in a wheelchair or walker.
- Make sure the classroom is set up to provide accessible resources for someone in a wheelchair or with a limited range of movement.
- Try to have a way to secure paper or moveable objects to the workspace so they can be utilized without having to be secured by another hand.
- Look around for areas where a cerebral palsy student might benefit from additional support, like a handrail.
- Understand a cerebral palsy child might require additional time to reach the classroom or get set up for the class.
- Insure the teacher has some understanding of what to do if a cerebral palsy child begins to seizure
Tips about the Academic Aspects of Teaching a Cerebral Palsy Child
- lnsure the time allotment for taking tests and completing assignments is compatible with the cerebral palsy child's abilities.
- Allow lectures to be taped.
- Seat cerebral palsy children in the front of the class to help with vision or hearing problems.
- Use small groups for discussion and work collaboration to encourage active listening and communication skills.
- Use and point out key words and phrases that will help students organize notes and information
What Does a Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Have to Do with Teaching?
Individualized teaching programs can be expensive, and are often well beyond the means of most cerebral palsy victims. A cerebral palsy lawyer can be instrumental in making sure a cerebral palsy victim gets needed individualized teaching programs or medical care that they currently are not receiving. It's the duty of a responsible cerebral palsy lawyer to protect the rights of cerebral palsy victims, making sure they have the resources needed to afford things such as individualized teaching programs, in order to live the best life possible.
