Supporting Learners with special needs online

1. Supporting Learners with special needs online By: Cassandra, Joy, Maggie, & Molly

2. Introduction • Online learning offers unique benefits to students with a variety of disabilities. • While students with disabilities may face unique challenges in the online setting, there are many modifications, accommodations, and levels of support that can increase student success. • Currently, there are no specific federal guidelines regulating special education in the online setting, online programs do fall under IDEA.

3. Assistive Technologies • Examples of Assistive Technologies in Online Setting: • Speech-to Text and Text-to-Speech software • Talking software • Word prediction software • Modified hardware (monitors, keyboards, mice, tablets) • Screen readers • Technology resources that reduce barriers to learning for students with disabilities in the traditional and online setting • Assistive technologies help students access information and demonstrate their understanding

4. Laws and Statutes for Individuals with Disabilities Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery

5. IDEA • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act • Provides federal funds to state agencies to guarantee that children with disabilities will receive a free and appropriate public education. • Disabilities are defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities.” This also includes but not limited to developmental disabilities, hearing impairments, speech and language impairments, visual autism, and traumatic brain injuries. • What teachers should do to ensure you are in compliance? • Identify students who qualify for special services • Development and management of an individualized education program (IEP)

6. Section 504 of the RA • Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act • Is particularly important to schools because this act defines disabilities more broadly than IDEA and includes most physical and mental impairments. (Cerebral Palsy and other chronic conditions). • No funds are available for students designated as meeting the criteria for section 504.

7. ADA • American with Disabilities Act • Similar to 504 but this act does not address education specifically. • Title I, II, III of ADA is intended to eliminate discrimination against individuals with disabilities in work and public spaces. • In regards to education, ADA applies to those elements of the learning environment that students use to access school. It also applies to brick-and-mortar facilities, which must be ADA compliant.

8. Applying Special Education Laws in Online Environments • Students with disabilities are entitled to the same rights in all public schools regardless of whether that school is a traditional school, a charter school virtual school, or some combination of the three.

9. What are online teachers responsible for? • Identifying and evaluating learners in need of Special Education • Creating IEPs • Providing accommodations and modifying lessons and curricula • Contracting for face to face or virtual speech, occupational therapy & social work. • Providing accommodations for testing.

10. Students with autism

11. Autism in the Online Setting • The success of students with Autism in an online learning program often depends on the severity of the disability. • Many students with Autism have found success in the online setting. • Benefits of the virtual classroom for students with Autism: • Reduced social stigma found in traditional classrooms and schools • Reduced sensory stimulation • Common and consistent schedules and routines • Allows for hyper-focused behavior Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery

12. Online Socialization and Autism • Socializing and improving communication skills are critical for students with Autism. The online learning environment offers unique and effective ways to address these issues: -Modeling of expected communication online by the instructor at the beginning of the course -Scaffolded and structured communication that is closely monitored by the instructor -Facilitated interaction between students (structured) -Guiding of communication and teaching opportunities done individually (and privately) with student

13. Gifted students Source: google.com/images

14. Important stats • 3 million -Number of U.S. students identified as gifted and talented • 28- Number of states that require a program or service for gifted and talented students • 36- Number of states that do not require general education teachers to have • any training in working with gifted and talented students • 68% Identified gifted students who are white • 13% Hispanic • 9% African-American • 9% Asian/Pacific Islander • 1% American Indian • Jason Arthurs for Education Week Source: google.com/images

15. Challenges gifted students face • Lack of sufficient challenge in schoolwork • Depression (often manifested in boredom) • High levels of anxiety • Difficulty accepting criticism • Hiding talents to fit with peers • Nonconformity and resistance to authority • Excessive competitiveness • Isolation from peers • Low frustration tolerance • Poor study habits • Difficulty in selecting among a diversity of interests • Staying engaged during lessons • Being challenged • Acceptance from peers • Perfectionism • Competitiveness • Unrealistic view of abilities • Rejection of peers • Parent/Social Pressure • Underachievement • Difficulty with social relationships • Refusal to do routine, repetitive assignments • Inappropriate criticism of others • Lack of awareness of impact on others

16. Benefits of an online environment • Individualized attention • Expanded course selection • Flexibility and Pacing • Reduce of social pressures • Establish connections with peers • Allows students to explore more advanced courses

17. Strategies to Help gifted students • Provide meaningful communication with peers • Incorporate Multiple Intelligences • Allow students to be creative • Provide highly adaptive curriculum (so it can constantly assess and evaluate students understanding • Provide synchronous opportunities so students can communicate in real time • Balance individual and collaborative activities • Provide flexibility/pacing • Provide clear, consistent, and specific feedback • Create highly engaging and interactive learning environment • Provide highly adaptive curriculum (so it constantly assesses and evaluate students understanding)

18. Strategies to Help gifted students • Create highly engaging and interactive learning environment • Provide synchronous opportunities so students can communicate in real time • Provide highly adaptive curriculum (so it can constantly assess and evaluate students understanding

19. At risk students

20. At Risk Students An online environment can provide at risk students with flexibility and the ability to take control of their learning • Engagement is the key • Students need to feel successful early on in order to stick with it • Teachers need to build positive relationships to promote confidence • Steady communication with support team is necessary for students who are not taking responsibility for their learning

21. Available Research: Online learning for students from special populations “We don’t really know at this point which [methods] tend to be the most effective…We need to get a much more fine-grained level of understanding.” • Cathy Cavanaugh, University of Florida

22. Resources Scenarios retrieved from NSBA http://legalclips.nsba.org/?page_id=2 Rice, Kerry. (2012). Making the Move to K-12 Online Teaching: Research-Based Strategies and Practices. Boston, MA : Pearson. Ash, K., Quillen, I., & O'Conner, M. C. (n.d.). E-learning for special populations. (2011). EDUCATION WEEK, 31(1),1-13. Retrieved from http://1educator.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/educatio n_week_elearning_specialpopulations_8-24-2011.pdf Challenges gifted students face retrieved from http://www.sengifted.org/archives/articles/gifted-kids-at- risk-whos-listening

23. Resources Challenges gifted students face retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/RtI/downloads/PDF/Unit4_O bstaclesGifted.pdf

24. Breakout sessions

25. Scenario #1 The USA Today reports that the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has sent a letter to school officials across the United States informing school districts that they must give disabled students equal access to extracurricular activities. According to the Laws, is this legal?

26. Scenario #2 A mother contacted T and T Community Care Center, a private daycare provider, about enrolling her daughter there. After disclosing to T and T Community Care Center that the child suffers from a tree nut allergy, the mother was informed that T and T could not enroll the child because it lacked the staffing to meet the child’s special needs and attending liability issues. The mother filed suit against T and T, alleging its decision to refuse admission amounted to discrimination on the basis of a disability in violation of Section 504.

27. Scenario # 3 • The boy entered kindergarten in 2007 and by January 2008 was promoted to the first grade and evaluated for gifted education. He was identified as gifted in May 2008. J.P.’s education went well, the suit states, until the second half of the 2009-10 school year, when he “began to experience peer harassment,” including comments, gestures (some of a sexual nature), aggression, and one instance of a notebook containing derogatory writing and drawings of the boy. According to the suit, J.P.’s behavior deteriorated to the point he began injuring himself. Although the teacher and a counselor wanted an evaluation done, the unidentified principal’s policy was to reject efforts to get any students evaluated for disabilities.

28. Scenario 4 • You have just been told that your English Literature 101 course will consist of only gifted students. What can you do to ensure your students will be successful in this course? What roadblocks should you avoid?