Planning Special Education Activities

Special education requires careful planning because its students have learning disabilities that do not allow them to understand lessons as fast and as well as their non-disabled classmates. In designing and planning special education activities, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

• Whether the students have physical or emotional deficiencies
• Whether the students are developmentally disabled
• Whether the students have learning disabilities
• If the students are impaired in vision or hearing

• Be aware that special students may face unique stressors not typically recognised or seen in a normal student. For example, what may seem to be a fun and engaging activity for a mainstream student could be stressful for an autistic student.
• Strictly monitor the incoming sensory stimulation brought about by each activity: hearing new sounds, smelling new scents, recognising new tastes and touching new textures and shapes.
• Always assure the students of their personal safety. Understand that for students with special needs, change can be very difficult to accept because their comfort zone is narrow. Thus, introducing new things and new people can seem intimidating.
• Be mindful about limiting variables in the environment. Special education students easily experience sensory overload, so keep as much of the environment consistent as possible.
• Special education students, as a result of their condition can make difficult situations for a teacher or caregiver. Be prepared for this by keeping a calm and consistent manner. Seeing these traits will build your students' confidence in you when new situations arise.
• Take the time to discuss options with your students. Often, a child with special needs have a perspective that there are only two choices when encountering a difficult situation: fight or flight. Practice them to do compromising activities such as asking help from an adult or going into a hallway when they feel threatened.