Category Archives: Teaching strategies

Teaching Strategies for Students with Orthopedic Impairments

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The definition of orthopedic impairment under IDEA means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s education performance. Causes include:

  • genetic
  • disease
  • injury
  • birth trauma
  • burns
  • fractures
  • cerebral palsy amputation

There are 3 classifications that an orthopedic impairment can fall under:

  1. Neuromotor impairment, this would include cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, and seizure disorders
  2. Degenerative Disease such as muscular dystrophy and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
  3. Musculoskeletal Disorders including scoliosis and deformed limbs.

Students with orthopedic impairments often qualify for therapy including physical and occupational therapy. assistive technology should be included for accommodating the students needs.

The following links provide resources on teaching assessment, modifications, and teaching information.

Orthopedic impairment: A guide for parents and teachers

Orthopedic impairment characteristics: Classroom modification and assistive technology

Orthopedic impairment and special needs students

Orthopedic impairment disability

Teaching strategies for mobility impaired students

Teaching strategies for orthopedic impairment

Teaching students with disabilities: Orthopedic impairment

Teaching students with orthopedic impairment

Understanding individuals with physical, health, and multiple disabilities

10 Activities That Teach Money Skills

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The following sites provide resources on teaching money skills. The links teach the critical skills including coin identification including skip counting and matching. Teaching a child or an adult with special needs money skills should include teaching in a multiple settings at appropriate times such as a grocery story, dry cleaners, and playing money games.

There are also good ideas on using functional materials to create money skill opportunities.

4 awesome games for teaching children money skills- Lemonade Day

5 best educational board games for money management– Money Crashers

7 board games that help teach kids about money– Amy Boyington

17 fun money activities for kids– Self-Sufficient Kids

50 fun ways to teach your kids about money– Policygenius

Interactive learning money games and exercise– Money Instructor.com

Money activities for kids– Education.com

Online games and apps that teach kids about money– Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Online money games– math-play.com

Teaching coin counting strategies– Caffeine Queen Teacher

Free President’s Day Activities

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Here are some free activities to work on to honor President’s Day. This article includes 3 activities. the first is a President trivia activity. This activity gives the student an opportunity to look up information on past Presidents using their research skills on the computer.

The second activity reinforces counting skills. The student will first identify the coins and then will count each box and place the correct number in the box below. The third activity focuses on fine motor skills giving the student the opportunity to trace and identify the word of each coin.

 

Download the links below:

president day trivia

president day trivia answers sheet

counting presidents

president trace.coins

 

Fragile X Syndrome Teaching Strategies Resources

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Fragile X Syndrome is a genetic disorder and is the most common form of inherited intellectual and developmental disability. It is estimated to affect 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females. Characteristics include learning disorders, sensory issues, speech and language and attention disorders.

Learning challenges include, difficulty in processing information, understanding concepts, poor abstract thinking and cognitive delays. The following sites provide information on teaching students with Fragile X Syndrome.

Best Practice in Educational, Strategies and Curricula (National Fragile X Foundation)

Education Planning for Fragile X Syndrome for Patients (UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg)

Fragile X in the Classroom (TeAchnology)

Fragile X Syndrome Teaching Strategies and Resources (Teacher’s Gateway to Special Education)

General Educational Guidelines for Students with Fragile X Syndrome (National Fragile X Foundation)

Student Teaching Tips: Helping your students with Fragile X (Magoosh)

Strategies for Learning and Teaching (National Council for Special Education)

Strategies In Training Dyslexic Employees

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According to the Learning Disability Online website, It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have dyslexia which is between 5 to 15% of Americans.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is also known as a language-based disability. It is defined as difficulties with accurate and word recognition and by poor spelling which can affect reading fluency, reading comprehension, recall, decoding, writing, spelling, and sometime speech. Signs of dyslexia in adults include:

  • Poor spelling
  • Avoids writing task
  • Gifted and creative
  • Difficulty in following oral and written instructions
  • Difficulty staying on task
  • High level of frustration
  • Difficulty in retaining information
  • Test-taking anxiety.
  • Highly curious
  • Insightful
  • Curiosity
  • Good communication of stories read to them

American Disabilities Act

Employees diagnosed with Dyslexia are protected under the American Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits discrimination in all employment practices, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. It applies to recruitment, advertising, tenure, layoff, leave, fringe benefits, and all other employment-related activities.

Disability Definition

The American Disabilities Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communication and working.

Challenges in training employees with Dyslexia

recalling information

following instructions

May experience anxiety from test-taking

Reading takes longer

Training Strategies

People with dyslexia are visual learners. They learn best by seeing, watching, and observing. When training, use pictures, computers, PowerPoint and text.

Multisensory training helps the employee to use all senses when learning something new on thejob. Multisensory learning should include combining all senses including visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic.

Use demonstration when possible and give feedback whenever possible.

Accomodations

A diagnosis of dyslexia also qualifies under the American Disability Act (ADA).  While some may not want to disclose their diagnosis, It’s always a good idea to make sure each person is comfortable in the training. The following are some suggestions:

  • Asking a participant diagnosed with dyslexia to read out loud can be tricky and make them feel uncomfortable
  • If your organization gives, test, look for alternatives such as allowing time to complete the test longer or giving a test orally.
  • Too much information may be overwhelming. Make sure instructions are clear.