Public K-12 schools in the United States educate about 7.3 million students with disabilities – a number has grown over the last few decades, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Public K-12 schools do not always succeed in educating students who require Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Online schools handle this task much better.
Online schools for IEP students are specialized educational institutions aimed at helping students with disabilities get an education despite different problems. Let’s take a closer look at these schools.
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Why Is Online School the Best Choice for IEP Students?
Only students with autism made up 12% of the nation’s schoolchildren with disabilities in 2021-2022, according to the Pew Research Center. Traditional schools are a bad decision for such children. Online schools have specific features. These features are a “magic pill” in the learning process. Let’s look at five reasons why online schools are a helpful solution.
Unique Curriculum for IEP Students
Traditional schools use a standard curriculum, which doesn’t adapt to students. Online schools for IEP students develop personalized learning programs tailored to each student. These programs take into account the students’ problems and help them overcome these problems.
Support Services IEP Students Can Rely On
Such online schools provide students and their parents access to experts with knowledge of children’s disabilities. These experts include:
- Teachers skilled in teaching children with special needs
- Doctors knowledgeable about specific disabilities who can offer or recommend therapy and other methods for the child
- Counselors providing students with guidance on various issues
All these experts collaborate with students actively, helping them solve problems and achieve success.
Safety and Community Support
Students with disabilities face bullying and teasing in traditional schools because they are different from other children. Online schools are structured differently, and this does not happen. Students with disabilities are accepted as they are and receive support in online schools. Virtual classes protect students from bullying and other issues. The online community allows them to be heard and to get support or advice when they need it.
Freedom in Scheduling
Such students cannot adhere to the rigid schedules of traditional schools. Online schools provide them with an adaptable schedule, which students can adjust as needed. This freedom helps them plan their learning process and time for rest.
Assistive Technologies
Online schools provide these students with a range of assistive technologies helping them deal with their challenges. Here are some examples of these technologies:
- Tools reading aloud text on the screen
- Books you can listen to instead of reading
- Tools letting you highlight important text on the computer
- Programs turning written words into spoken words
- Programs typing what you say
- Tools guessing the next word you want to type
How Does Online School Work for IEP Students?
The learning process is quite similar to traditional schools but has specific features helping IEP students. We explained how online schools work for IEP students in this article.
How to Find the Right Online School for IEP Students?
We have put together three tips to help parents and students choose the right online school:
- Understand the problems. Consult a doctor if needed to better structure the issues related to learning and overall well-being
- Use Google or websites like Niche to compile and compare a list of online schools providing education for children with special needs
- Talk to the school and find out how well it meets the needs. Choose a school aligning with the student’s requirements closely
Try to schedule a trial lesson if the school offers one, and always trust your intuition. Consider choosing a different school, if something seems off.
5 Tips for IEP Students to Succeed in Online School
It’s not enough to just be enrolled in an online school, as learning can be challenging. We’ve gathered five tips to help students with special needs succeed in virtual learning:
- Set up a dedicated learning space where nothing distracts you from your studies
- Set simple daily goals and track your progress to stay motivated
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions if something is unclear or requires extra effort to understand
- Observe yourself and find a learning style suiting you best without wearing yourself out. Some students prefer studying for hours at a time, while others work for 15 minutes, take a break, and then return to studying
- Reward yourself for small achievements to develop a positive attitude toward the learning process
How Does Legacy Online School Help IEP Students with Online Learning?
The main reason parents choose our school for their kids is our professional teachers and experts. Our school staff has over 5 years of teaching experience and practical work with children with special needs. Our specialists understand the unique characteristics of different groups of children with disabilities and provide them with the necessary support.
Parents value our specialists because they put their heart and soul into their work. Our teachers assist children in the educational process and offer parents advice to help them succeed in their personal lives.
We understand how unique children with special needs are. Our specialists study each child carefully and develop an individualized plan for them. Teachers collaborate with parents to consider all the child’s specific needs. This plan changes over time to better suit the child’s learning needs.
Contact us to learn how we can help your child.
