If one of your children has been classified as a special needs student, you will need to advocate for their right to get an education suitable for their needs and abilities. Today’s public schools know that working with special needs students requires an individualized approach. Many schools also acknowledge that their Special Needs Classes require more than academic instruction; psychological counseling and social support should preferably be included in the students’ days.
The importance of special education seems almost implicit; every child needs an education – although some need extra help. According to Exceptional Lives, a special education program will help students develop learning strategies to help prepare them for future independence. The advantages of special schools may also include cognitive or behavioral therapy. Those interventional strategies may offer specialized autism therapy or occupational therapy for physical disability.
According to Regis College, teachers who work with special needs kids need qualities like patience, empathy, and creativity. If a teacher wants to specialize in teaching special needs students, they may want to pursue a special needs certification. The certificate requires a bachelor’s degree in education, experience with special needs students, and a passing score on the certification exam.
For parents who want to provide the best for their children, choosing between public schools and private schools can be a big decision. In the case of children with learning disabilities or LD, the choice can be even more significant. Private schools for special needs children provide the level of teaching and activities that can help them succeed in later life.
Private schools in the U.S.
Private schools are typically smaller in size than public schools, with fewer students and a better student to teacher ratio. This allows them to give individual attention to students, and this is reflected in results. While one out of four schools in the U.S. is private, only 10% of the total number of students are enrolled in these.
The total number of private schools in the country at this time is 33,619, with a total enrollment of 5.4 million PK-12 students. The great majority of private schools, or 87%, have less than 300 students.
Choosing private schools for special needs children
All children benefit from the extra attention that smaller class sizes and qualified teachers can provide. In the case of children with special education needs, such attention can make a big difference to their future lives and careers.
Statistics show that children with LD lag behind the general population by many indices. At the same time, statistics also show that special needs education can help them to achieve academic success, leading to college and a career.
Challenges for special needs students
Students with LD face a number of challenges throughout their lives. On graduating from school, only 10% are recorded as enrolling in a four-year college within two years, as compared to 28% for the general population.
Research shows that with proper teaching, students with LD can reach the same level of academic skills as students in the general population. Based on these findings, the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act (IDEA) made it a requirement that early schooling should prepare them for continuing education and independent living. Such education is best provided in schools for special needs and private autism schools.
Schools for special needs can help students with LD succeed
Schools for students with special needs provide specialized teaching and attention. Private schools for special needs children can provide the support they need but don’t receive when they are schooled with the general population. Nearly half, or 45%, of parents with special needs kids report that their children have been bullied in school.
Private education for special needs students can also take part of the heavy burden off the parents. As many as one third of all parents of special needs kids feel that they’re not prepared for the challenges involved in raising a special needs child.
Private schools for special needs children can provide the extra attention and special teaching that can help them to learn and succeed. For parents of students with LD, the choice between public and private schools can be even more significant. Private schools for special needs children can offer the individual care and attention that can make all the difference.
