It is every child’s right to be given access to quality education. For children and adolescents with special needs, a unique treatment and method of teaching are required which is often referred to as special education or SPED. Likewise, SPED teachers are specialists in providing educational programs that are in line with intervention programs designed by specialists for children with special needs and determination.
Teachers for differently-abled children have a harder job than normal educators. Having a specialized skill-set, SPED teachers are equipped with the right knowledge to deal with these children every day.
Oftentimes, SPED teachers deal with children with different needs such as ASD, ADD, ADHD, and Down Syndrome. In an education system that’s fast becoming inclusive, educators are looking for new and better ways to become effective in teaching and handling children of special needs.
Most SPED teachers are Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA-certified, this means they can handle challenging behaviors of differently-abled children.
Let us discuss how knowledge in ABA Therapy can help SPED teachers become efficient in handling children of determination.
What Are The Responsibilities Of A Special Educator?
Like most medical specialists that treat children with intellectual challenges, SPED teachers collaborate with other healthcare professionals in giving support for special children of all ages and challenges.
The primary role of a special educator is to provide academic support and develop IEPs or individualized education programs that are tailored depending on each student’s specific needs and goals.
Special educators also perform similar duties as general education teachers do, such as coordinating assignments, lesson planning, and arranging activities for the classroom. The thing that sets SPED teachers apart from general educators is that while general educators have a uniform method in addressing an entire class, SPED teachers approach depending on each student’s goals and learning capacity.
SPED teachers are also responsible for communicating with parents, teachers, guardians, and other healthcare professionals; a student’s progress depending on his or her IEPs.
Benefits Of ABA In A SPED Classroom
ABA is not just a therapy, it can also be used by SPED teachers in a classroom setting. ABA techniques help teachers of the special children handle a class efficiently. Some of these techniques include Pivotal Response Treatment, Discrete Trial, and Natural Environment training or PRT, DTT and NET respectively.
According to Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to ASD; PRT involves the process of breaking down a student’s behavior into practical components which are then reinforced to build-up the desired behavior. On the other hand, DTT utilizes play to improve developmental areas in line with a student’s needs and goals. This includes social interaction, self-sufficiency and motivation, and a student’s response to communication cues and stimuli; while NET is a system that comprises the study of a student’s reward systems and pairing these with desired behaviors.
Using these ABA techniques, SPED teachers can build motivation for students, making them actively participate in classroom activities with a system that will let them respond in their own way.
Apart from this, SPED teachers can have the knowledge to minimize disruptive behaviors in class. Additionally, it can give teachers an opportunity to construct a system where students can earn positive reinforcements while accepting the consequences of their unruly behaviors.
Learn More
ABA Therapy techniques are not just limited to SPED teachers. General educators and parents can also benefit from the ABA Foundation training at Pulse Therapy and Learning Center. Approach our specialists at the earliest to learn more about ABA Therapy.