1. Resources and Instructional
Practices to address students with
special needs in the Classroom
FELISHA JACKSON
ITEC 7530
FEBRUARY 25, 2012

2. Special Education
 Special education is the specially designed instruction
provided by the school district or other local education agency
that meets the unique needs of student as disabled according
to federal and state eligibility criteria (Bursuck & Friend,
2009).
 Students with disabilities also may receive related services,
that is, assistance that is required to enable students to benefit
from special education ( Bursuck &Friend, 2009).
 Additionally, students with disabilities are entitled to
supplementary aids and services, such as preferential seating,
access to computer technology and instructional adjustments
that enable them to be educated with their peers who do not
have disabilities (Bursuck &Friend, 2009).

3. Least Restrictive Environment
 The least restrictive environment is a provision in
the federal laws that has governed special education
for more than three decades (Cooley, 2007).
 The least restrictive environment provision
guarantees a student’s right to be educated in the
setting most like that for peers without disabilities in
which the student can be successful with appropriate
supports provided (Cooley, 2007).

4. Inclusive Practice
 The concept of inclusive practice is found on the belief or
philosophy that students with disabilities should be fully
integrated into their school learning communities,
usually in general education classrooms, and that their
instruction should be based on their abilities, not their
disabilities (Cooley, 2007).
 Inclusive practice has three dimensions:
1. Physical integration: Placing students in the same
classroom as nondisabled peers should be a strong
priority, and removing them from that setting should
be done only when necessary (C00ley, 2007).

5. Inclusive Practice
 2. Social integration: Relationships should be nurtured
between students with disabilities and their classmates
and peers as well as adults(Cooley, 2007).
 3. Instructional integration: Most students should be
taught in the same curriculum used for students without
disabilities and helped to succeed by adjusting how
teaching and learning are designed and measured
(Cooley, 2007).
 Assistive technology is an important part of the inclusive
classroom. An assistive technology device is any piece of
equipment that is used to increase, maintain, or improve
the functional capabilities of a child with a
disability(Cooley, 2007).

6. Resources to address special needs
 Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI)
at www.seriweb.com. Topics on the site to explore
include legal resources, parent resources, medical
resources, and specific disability categories.
 Inclusion.com (http://inclusion.com) is dedicated to
the collaborative practices of educators and
professionals serving individuals with disabilities.
This site includes articles by leaders in the field of
inclusive practice.

7. Resources to address special needs
 Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) www.
Cast.org/tes. This site provides information on the
INCLUDE approach. INCLUDE gives teachers a
systematic process for accommodating students based on
their individual needs and the classroom demands on or
expectations of the teacher.
 National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards
(NIMAS) www.NIMAS.org. NIMAS sets a standard for
file formats used in producing textbooks so they can be
more easily converted into accessible formats such as
Braille and large-print using digital text.

8. Resources to address special needs
 The National Center to Improve Practice in Special
Education through Technology, Media and Materials
www.2.edc.org/ncip. This site has gathered and
synthesized information about technology, disabilities,
and instructional practices through a broad range of
resources. This site also provides opportunities for
teachers to exchange information, build knowledge, and
practice through collaborative dialogue.
 National Association of the Deaf www.nad.org. This site
provides information on topics related to hearing loss,
and serving individuals with these special needs.

9. Resources to address special needs
 Council of Educators for Students with Disabilities
(www.504idea.org/504resources.html). On this site
you can find a wide variety of presentation materials
and papers related to Section 504.
 ADD Warehouse (www.addwarehouse.com). This
site features many resources for helping children
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and
related special needs. You can find books, videos and
training programs for classroom use on this site.

10. Resources to address special needs
 U.S. Department of Education. “Teaching Children with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional
Strategies and Practices.”
www.ed.gov/teachers/needs/speced/adhad/adhad-
resources-pt2.doc. This online document from the
federal government has many ideas for accommodating
the needs of students with ADHD in the classroom.
 The Key New Readers Newspaper Project
(www.keynews.org). This site provides stories on all
different topics at beginning, middle and advanced
reading levels.

11. Resources to address special needs
 The ProQuest K-12 website, www.proquestk12.com.
This site provides lesson plans that include
modifications for students with special needs.
 Graphic organizers, sometimes called concept maps
can make your lessons multisensory and are helpful
for students with special needs. These two sites:
www.teachervision.fen.com/graphic-
organizers/printable/6293.html and www.graphic
.org provide collections of many ready-to-use graphic
organizers.

12. Resources to address special needs
 The CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology)
www.cast.org, has many helpful suggestions for the
universal design of learning materials and teaching
practices to reduce the need for developing
accommodations and modifications for individual
students in general education classes.
 The Instructional Strategies Online Database (ISOD)
http://edhd.bgsu.edu/isod. This site provides a wealth of
learning strategies for students. ISOD is designed to be
searched by content area, grade level, and other key
information about strategies such as rationale, material
needs, procedures, corresponding standards, and
adaptations.

13. Software Programs That Can Read Digitized Text
 Write OutLoud (Don Johnston Incorporated)
www.donjohnston.com
 Read OutLoud (Don Johnston Incorporated)
www.donjohnston.com
 Kurzweil 3000 (Kurzweil Educational Systems)
www.kurzweiledu.com
 Read and Write Gold www.texthelp.com

14. Software Programs that Assist students with planning
Compositions
 Draft Builder (Don Johnston Incorporated)
www.donjohnston.com
 Inspiration
(www.inspiration.com/store/main/index.cfm

15. Talking Word Processers
 IntelliTalk III (IntelliTools) www.intellitools.com
 Scansoft Dragon Naturally Speaking
(www.nuance.com/natruallyspeaking/standard

16. References
 Bursuck, W., & Friend, M. (2009). Including
students with special needs: A practical guide for
classroom teachers. Upper River Saddle River,
New Jersey : Pearson Education.
 Cooley, M. (2007). Teaching kids with mental
health and learning disorders in the regular
classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit
Publishing.