Contents
- 1 Understanding Special Needs Students
- 2 Key Stats You Shouldn’t Miss
- 3 Types of Disabilities
- 4 Special Education in Schools
- 5 Benefits and Opportunities of Online Schools for Children with Special Needs
- 6 Official Criteria for Online Schools Offering Education to Children with Special Needs
- 7 Legacy Is Proud of Our Students with Special Needs
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 FAQs
Understanding Special Needs Students
Special needs students are those who face challenges in learning due to physical disabilities, developmental disorders, emotional difficulties, or cognitive impairments. These challenges may include conditions such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and visual or auditory impairments. For example, a student with dyslexia may struggle with reading but excel in art, while a student with ASD may have difficulty with social interactions but possess advanced computer skills.
Key Stats You Shouldn’t Miss
If you are not sure whether you should consider online schooling for your child with special needs, check out the experiences of other parents. Research by the Online Learning Journal highlighted key motivations for choosing online schooling for special education students among parents who reported satisfaction with the switch:
- Flexibility in scheduling and environment (78%).
- Previous poor fit in traditional schools (65%).
- Teacher availability (59%).
- Bullying in traditional schools (54%).
- Health concerns (47%).
Types of Disabilities
Auditory Impairment
Auditory impairment affects a child’s capacity to understand spoken language and other sounds, consequently impacting their academic performance. Hearing loss ranges in severity, from severe loss known as “deafness” to mild loss. Mild hearing loss refers to a situation where a child can hear loud sounds and understand a teacher’s speech in a quiet environment, but may have difficulty recognizing words in a noisy setting.
Even with the assistance of hearing devices, kids may still struggle to understand a teacher’s instructions because of background noise. Moreover, these ambient noises make it more difficult to converse with other students during recess, resulting in feelings of loneliness and irritation.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
ASD is a developmental disorder noticeable before the age of three, characterized by difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, resistance to changes in routine, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
Deaf-Blindness
Deaf-blindness is the simultaneous impairment of both hearing and vision. In contrast to traditional schools, children in online K-12 schools, children with deaf-blindness can use assistance tool, like braille displays. These displays allow them to read text from the computer, and captioned videos with audio descriptions. Particularly Legacy Online school offers one-on-one virtual support of children with teachers, so they can ask questions directly, either using a hearing aid device or through a braille keyboard.
Emotional Disturbance
Emotional disturbance is a general term that covers conditions resulting in challenges maintaining positive relationships, persistent feelings of sadness or depression, and physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or academic problems. These emotions might not be caused by the educational process itself, yet they always complicate, if not interrupt, it.
A common issue emotionally disturbed students face in traditional schools is sensory overload. Crowded hallways, bright lights, constant movement of classmates, and unpredictable loud bell ringing may frustrate and disorient these students, heightening anxiety and reducing their focus.
Learning Disability
Learning disabilities imply that a child has difficulties in processing information, leading to challenges in listening, speaking, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or mathematical calculations. A slower, individualized pace of learning is key to their success in K-12 schools.
Online schools are specifically designed to allow for an individualized approach, allowing children with learning disabilities to take their time when learning new concepts, as well as to use specific tools.
Orthopedic Impairment
Orthopedic impairments are caused by congenital anomalies, diseases, or other factors affecting movement. Online K-12 schools by definition eliminate the need to move through school spaces, bringing the classroom home. The home environment also allows parents to support their child by providing ‘adaptive’ technologies, such as voice-activated commands, modified keyboards, or stylus pens to ease typing.
Speech Impairment
Speech impairments are disorders such as stuttering, articulation problems, language impairments, or voice disorders. Online text-based communication tools and chat functions allow kids to communicate and express themselves in an online classroom and during online breaks. Legacy Online School also offers instant messaging in the classroom, removing the pressure of verbal communication for those who struggle with speech or are simply too intimidated to speak up.
Visual Impairment
Visual impairments include both partial sight and blindness, affecting a child’s educational performance. Visually impaired students are arguably the group that needs online K-12 education the most, as they can benefit from a customized pace of learning along with screen readers, audio descriptions, and high-contrast display settings online as the class proceeds, rather than only at home. As mentioned earlier, braille-compatible devices and keyboard shortcuts also enable visually impaired students to access information effectively.
Non-Categorical Early Childhood (NCEC)
NCEC refers to children aged three to five diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, emotional disorders, specific learning disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders. For these children, the most essential need is a flexible environment that can adapt and change dynamically, depending on the general and current state of the child’s mental and physical health. In addition, NCEC-challenged children will always need support focusing, so interactive and engaging activities that stimulate them without overwhelming or overstimulating them are crucial—a tricky combination to implement in offline schools.
Special Education in Schools
Special education programs are designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. These programs offer tailored instruction, smaller class sizes, specialized teaching methods, one-on-one assistance, and various educational resources. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are developed to outline each student’s educational requirements, the support the school will provide, and methods for evaluating progress.
Benefits and Opportunities of Online Schools for Children with Special Needs
Online schooling is developing faster than traditional schooling. As the format of online schooling has formed only recently compared to the hundreds of years of traditional schooling, it is more flexible. This flexibility allows online schools to adjust to the latest standards for students with special needs, providing an alternative educational environment.
Key advantages include:
Adaptable Timetable
Students have the flexibility to finish their coursework at times that work for their medical appointments, therapy sessions, or when they feel ready to learn. This freedom enables them to handle personal obligations, study during their most productive times, and modify schedules based on their health.
A recent research by the Journal of Research on Technology in Education Emphasized states that the key issue of students with special needs in traditional schools was the lack of flexible scheduling and tailored instruction. The same research reported the overall satisfaction of parents of students with special needs currently enrolled in online schools, as they considered digital education to be a great solution for their child.
Easy Access Learning Environment
Students can gain knowledge from any place with internet connection, which is advantageous for individuals with mobility problems or long-term health issues. They can get educational materials at home, join in no matter where they are, and use different devices and tools to help them.
Minimized Interruptions
Studying at home can reduce the amount of things that might overwhelm the senses and interruptions that are often found in regular classrooms, especially for students with autism spectrum disorders. It decreases noise and disruptions in the classroom, enables students to make their own study area, and supports concentration for those with attention challenges.
Personalized Learning Speed or Tailored Learning Rate
Students can advance through content at a speed that fits their specific learning requirements, improving comprehension and memory. They can dedicate more time to difficult subjects, advance swiftly through familiar material, review lectures when necessary, and manage learning alongside relaxation.
Implementation of Latest Assistive Technology
Online platforms can include tools like screen readers, speech-to-text software, and adjustable text sizes, a rare case when it comes to traditional schools. They supply subtitles for videos, present customizable interfaces, incorporate interactive content, and endorse note-taking tools. Traditional schools that support assistive technology are still relying mostly on the face to face communication due to lesser flexibility in structural organization. The vast majority of them are private, with a cost significantly higher then online schools.
Secure and Cozy Atmosphere
Studying at home creates a safe environment without bullying or social stress, enabling students to concentrate on the content of their studies and decrease the number of stress factors, such as threats of bullying and social interactions in general.
Official Criteria for Online Schools Offering Education to Children with Special Needs
When choosing an online school that serves special needs students, ensure it complies with regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Individualized Support
Teachers and counselors should modify lessons to meet each student’s specific learning needs. In addition, a fully inclusive online school require a counselor or a team of counselors specifically trained to work with children with special needs.
Variety of Accessible Materials
Course content should be designed to be accessible, with options for text enlargement, audio descriptions, and captioning. The online school should also ensure their staff utilizes multimedia resources effectively to engage different learning styles.
Progress Monitoring
The school’s administration should perform regular assessments to track academic development and adjust educational plans accordingly. The assessments should be performed on a daily basis and sometimes in form of a live monitoring of an online classroom.
Legacy Is Proud of Our Students with Special Needs
“Ever since we’ve started building our curriculum, we have been developing it with a consideration of every student’s needs and capabilities. These are the factors that should lie at the base of any educational institution.”
— Legacy Online School
Legacy Online School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy reflects our mission to deliver education that will cover the needs of every student with our personalized learning plans.
Our teachers are trained in supporting students with special needs and provide them with a quality educational experience leading to future success. All of our teachers have either state or international certification, guaranteeing they have met rigorous standards and requirements.
Conclusion
Online schooling presents an effective option for special needs students by providing a flexible, accessible, and personalized educational experience. By leveraging technology and specialized teaching methods, online schools like Legacy Online School can meet the unique requirements of these students, fostering their academic growth and preparing them for higher education or the workforce.
FAQs
Who are special needs students?
Children who require additional support due to physical disabilities, cognitive impairments, emotional difficulties, or developmental disorders that impact their learning process.
What types of disabilities might affect students?
Disabilities can include auditory impairments, visual impairments, physical disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, emotional and behavioral disorders, among others.
How does online schooling benefit special needs students?
Online schooling offers flexible scheduling, a controlled learning environment, personalized pacing, accessibility from any location, and the use of assistive technologies, all of which can enhance the educational experience.
Does Legacy Online School provide programs for special needs students?
Yes, Legacy Online School offers programs tailored to special needs students, with personalized learning plans and trained educators who support each student’s unique learning requirements.
