My Experience Of A Special Needs School In NYC

It was a lot of digest at first when I realized that my child was specially abled. But with the continuous support of my husband and the fact that things in NYC are advanced enough to get a specially-abled child provide for himself at the later stages of his life, made things easy to large extent for me. However, choosing a special needs school in NYC was another big task that I still had to accomplish.

I started by preparing a list of best-known schools that could take care of my child’s ability. Now was the time to visit these schools in order to take first hand experience before sending off my child to one of them. I prepared my mind and drove to the first school on my list.

The school was beautifully decorated, taking utmost care to keep it child proof in every sense of the word. The teachers, principle and staff were very welcoming and put in every effort to make me feel at ease in the school. While walking past by the classes that teachers were only engaged with about 2 to 3 students at a time. These arrangements helped the students in getting one on one interaction with the teacher and learn lessons under complete supervision.

The play area had Labrador dogs playing in a congenial environment with the specially abled kids. At first this scared me but the principle explained that dogs were a proven way of acceptance for children who remained aloof. Also, animals tend to have a calming influence on children and I suddenly realized how happy kids were to play with the dogs.

The principle also informed me of the rewarding system they had started in the school. She explained that specially abled kids did not do well with a lot of criticism but rewards helped them get enthused about studying and performing well. So they instilled this information in their education system and gave stickers with beautiful cartoons to kids who did well in subjects. Collecting a certain amount could later be exchanged for a toy of their choice.

My first visit to the special needs school indeed made me feel special about the way my child would treated in future.

The Overview On DIR Model for Autistic Children

The Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship Model or DIR model is one of the most successful methods of starting the schooling and learning needs of kids with special abilities. Out of all the ways and means developed by various institutes to help autistic kids lead a normal life and provide for everything on their own, the DIR model is the widely used ones with the best success rate. The model primarily involves helping the development of neurobiological factors that can otherwise create a barrier in between parents and kids.

The developmental defines making activities that can help in the communication of kids with their loved ones. The symbols, languages, and signs that can help them communicate the immediate needs are taken care of in this part. The individual differences include the use of things that catch their natural interest and attention and use them for learning.  R or Relationship refers to relationships with caregivers that are the vehicle for affect-based developmentally appropriate interactions.

The idea basically revolves around the parents, teachers, siblings and other loved ones engaging in a floor time therapy that is pleasurable and educational at the same time. Spending time in an environment that is comfortable for the child and doing things that are of his/her natural interest can open up their prospects of learning to a large extent.

This can further help the parents and the therapists to ensure that the steps taken in their learning and education are going in a positive way and develop lessons on the same path.

The sessions can either be taken in a formal environment or an informal one depending on the comfort level of the child. Most of the teachers in the special education school are very well versed with this model and adopt in on daily basis with their students to develop a long-term understanding of them.

The sessions also involve the presence of parents to a large extent so that they learn ways and means of communicating and learning with their kids in a constructive environment. This can open up a lot of barriers to communication that is otherwise present in between the parents and the child.

Rights You Need To Know Before Sending Your Child to Special Education Schools In NYC

Education is important for all, irrespective of the state of mind of the child. No one has the right to take away what rightfully belongs to every child i.e. education. However, parents still remain unaware to a large extent about the rights that their child has in terms of education. Keeping this in mind the government made a few laws for specially abled kids. These are important rights that parents and teachers should know before sending kids to a special education school in NYC.

“The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was sanctioned in 1975 and revised in the year 2004 as the Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. The law mandates that the state provide an eligible child with a free appropriate public education that meets his unique individual needs. IDEA specifies that children with various disabilities, be entitled to early intervention services and special education.”

This law has basically worked towards establishing a combined approach for parents and teachers to help the child develop skills and educate them in order to prepare them to meet their own requirements in the future.

“In addition to the IDEA stipulations, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) sets forth, as a civil right, protections and provisions for equal access to education for anyone with a disability. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is another civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities, public and private that receives federal financial assistance. Generally, the individuals protected by these laws include anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities.”

Free appropriate public education (FAPE): The IDEA demands that every special child gets the required education that is tailored for his/her understanding and a subsidized method that allows them to make progress in the field of learning.

Special education services: The special education schools in NYC must be fully equipped to cater to the needs of a specially abled child. The ways and means that are required in making the child learn must be tailored to each and every child’s needs. The teachers must ensure an overall development of the child without pressurizing them to learn.

Importance of April as Autism Awareness Month

April is the month dedicated to Autism Awareness. 2^nd April is an internationally recognized day for members of the United Nations to take effective measures to create awareness about the people diagnosed with Autism.

The month of April has schools, non-profit organizations, governments and the public raising awareness, educating people, informing them about the manifestations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its effects, as well as about the potential of those who are on the spectrum.

About Autism

It is a condition wherein the diagnosed child or person faces challenges in communicating effectively, shows repetitive behavior and has underdeveloped social skills. The symptoms of Autism can range from mild to severe from person to person as this neurological condition can manifest itself in a multitude of forms.

The indicative symptoms of Autism usually become identifiable around the age of 2 and 3 years, but there can be cases where the symptoms are identifiable even earlier.

According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in every 68 children across the United States of America is found to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is a significant increase of 30 percent from the same value estimated in the year 2012.

When talking about Autism Awareness, the Autism Awareness Ribbon ought to be mentioned.

It was adopted in 1999 and is characterized by brightly colored puzzle pieces of different shapes and sizes. The puzzle pieces stand for the complexity of the disorder and the bright colors and unique shapes of these pieces serve as beacons of hope and remind us all of the diversity within the ASD community.

Educators in the special education schools of New York now have the opportunity to instruct and assist students diagnosed with ASD in the general educational settings. This has been made possible due to the increase in timely diagnoses along with the increase in the placement of students in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

In the present time, we can say that autism schools create environments that are accommodative towards the needs of the students, however minor they may be and the diversity among the students is celebrated.

This is how ‘Floortime Therapy’ Helped my Autistic Child Thrive

 

I had always heard of the phrase ‘never say never’ and didn’t really put much thought to it, until recently. My husband and I planned for an early pregnancy as both of us loved kids and wanted to start a family soon. I had a normal pregnancy and our beautiful baby, Joe turned out to be physically healthy, but he had a problem.

Joe had a developmental disorder called autism…

I had almost given up hope when my husband came up with a lot of data on how an autistic child could lead a normal life and indulge in self-enthused learning, despite the setbacks. We read and read some more to discover something called ‘Floortime Therapy’.

Getting a child to be socially ‘normal’ when he has special needs can get very challenging.

Floortime Therapy is based on the concept of inducing learning with the help of natural instincts and interests of the autistic child. These interests constitute the easiest way to make autistic children learn. The next step involved challenging their learning capacities by taking it a notch higher, while keeping them occupied.

At first we started with the Floortime Therapy sessions at home, and observed that Joe started responding quickly to the things he liked, and at a later stage, we thought that it would be best to take professional help in school. We did a lot of research and settled on a school that had the best reviews on learning through Floortime Therapy.

This school had adopted Floortime Therapy, based on the Developmental, Individual Difference, and Relationship-based model.

This was an upgraded form of the therapy we provided at home, wherein school teachers made sure that the learning process was based on the individual capacities of the child and the syllabus is programmed in the same manner.

It is because of such practices that my child has been getting individual attention and learning has become easy for him today.

This Incident Led Me to Become a Teacher at Special Needs School in New York

Since my teenage days, when I was big enough to understand the nuances of things around me, I wanted to contribute to the society in some way or the other. I thought myself to be privileged to have got everything that one would need to live a normal life. My parents taught me to be thankful for what I had and spread happiness through good deeds.

While completing my graduation, I still was not sure about the line of profession to choose. I had many interests, but none led to the fulfillment of the goal I wanted to achieve as a person. I felt so lost and a little annoyed with myself.

So, I called a few of my friends and we went out for coffee so that I could take my mind off it.

While we were at the café, my eyes wandered off across the street where I spotted a school for special children.

The school was over for the day and there were kids walking towards their parents looking happy as ever.

Their happiness was an obvious indication of the fact that these kids had a good time at school with their teachers and friends.

It was a definitive sign for me.

I went back home and searched online for the requirements of being a teacher at the special needs school in New York.

I stumbled across a website of this organization that gave training to aspiring teachers who want to work at a special needs school in NYC.

Teaching in a school for children with special needs would give me an opportunity to combine my avocation and vocation.

I instantly took down the number from their website and gave them a call to get the details of the program I wanted to pursue.

That day, the spark in the eyes of those kids made me pursue what I call my dream job today.

Know-how of Choosing a Special Needs School in NYC for Your Child

Kids are special in every way and structuring their future is as challenging for the parents as it is for the kids themselves. The day your kid starts going to a daycare and takes few steps towards learning, you know it’s time for making the decisions related to his/her education. But before making a jump for the best school around for admission formalities, it is imperative to know if your child needs special attention in terms of schooling and otherwise.

It might seem a bit disheartening at first but there is a possibility that your child might require special attention in school.

Here are a few pointers which can help you decide on the best school in NYC for children who have special needs–

Assessment of the child: We all know and understand that learning begins at home. When you start teaching the first words or rhymes to your kid, it is essential to observe the learning pattern of the kid. Take the advice and suggestions of the daycare teacher seriously and act upon the same.

Checking accreditations: There are a plethora of special needs schools in NYC, but in order to provide the best education for your child, you must check the school’s certificate and license issued by the state. These work as stamps which guarantee the effectiveness of the education provided.

Study structure: Along with the accreditations, one must know what the teaching format of the school is like, how a normal day is spent in school and the methodology adopted by the institute to impart knowledge to the kid.

Previous results: The best way to measure the quality of schooling is by evaluating the performance of the previous batch of the same school. Their knowledge and comfort with the teachers speak volumes about the study structure, thus helping you decide on the school.

Following these tips will help you to make the best choice for a bright future of your child.

 

 

 

 

What Makes Floortime Therapy Effective?

Floortime Therapy, which is a component of the DIR model (where DIR stands for Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-based) was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan as a holistic therapy for children on the autism spectrum.

Floortime Therapy requires parents, therapists and other adults to engage with children and follow their lead so as to connect and communicate with them at their developmental level. It can cause augmentation of existing strengths that eventually help autistic children acquire new functional skills.

Emulating a child’s actions:

The most effective and powerful way to understand the emotional side of a child on the spectrum is through their interests. Parents as well as therapists can gain insight into the reasons why the children enjoy doing what they do; this information can guide the adults when the kids have trouble expressing themselves verbally in some situations.

More importantly, this information can help the adults lead the reclusive children into a common shared world and provide the necessary impetus to make them more socially-interactive and communicative.

A Common Shared World

Leading the child into a common shared world helps the child achieve the skills, which Dr. Greenspan called Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDC). These skills are largely related to the important developmental aspects of communication, thinking and relating.

As a child opens up progressively with Floortime therapy sessions, he/she:

• Becomes more trusting towards others,
• Becomes less averse towards communicating with others,
• Can establish more meaningful interactions with their parents and other family members.

With Floortime Therapy, adults can lead an autistic child into more complex interactions and activities and effectuate advanced linguistic skills and problem solving capabilities in them.

It can be said that the ultimate goal of the dynamic Floortime Therapy is to help children with autism and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) become more reflective, empathetic, open, creative and trusting individuals after they have conquered all the developmental milestones.

 

Best Educational and Therapeutic Practices Employed in Autism Schools

Being one of the most challenging and confounding syndromes that afflicts approximately 1 percent of the global population, autism spectrum disorder is a highly-researched and much-discussed topic worldwide. In the wake of the growing prevalence of both autism and ASD which have been increasing by 6 to 15 percent from 2002 till 2010 every year, there has been an unprecedented rise in the need for comprehensive early diagnoses which should ideally be followed by a the right intervention program.

Some autism schools in Manhattan have made significant progress in their endeavor to help children on the spectrum overcome challenges related to social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communication and typical behavioral challenges. The key to successful and effective interventive measures delivered by such schools is the unification of a conventional structured regime with an unconventional therapeutic approach.

The ‘unconventional’ therapeutic approach employed in the Autism schools of Manhattan which was mentioned in the previous paragraph aims to work on an autistic child’s weaknesses and fortify them, and challenge his/her strengths so that the child can climb up the growth ladder by conquering every developmental milestone.

A coherent and disciplined academic program which focuses on learning through real life context for better relatability is an indispensable part of these autism schools in Manhattan. Moreover, these schools focus on learning through sensory activities that heavily rely on the relationships autistic children share with important people in their lives, like parents and siblings.

The best therapeutic treatments offered by autism schools have the following characteristics:

• They offer a predictable schedule
• A child’s strengths are built upon and fortified.
• Lessons are delivered in the form simple steps that are can be followed easily.
• Children’s attention is engaged through highly structured activities.
• They reinforce good behavioral practices.
• These therapies actively involve the parents of children.

The DIR (Developmental, Individual- difference, Relationship-based) Model that functions in conjunction with Floortime Therapy and therapies like ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) improve developmental outcomes of special education and intervention for children on the spectrum. These therapies, which are offered by many autism schools in Manhattan work collaterally with regular classroom instruction and can address the individual needs of children most effectively.

Promoting Education Reform within Special Education Schools

Not every child thinks alike, and not every child can work on the concepts and learnings of the standard educational establishments. While this might sound generic and cliché, this is often the very fact our society has to acknowledge sooner or later. The United States may be a considerably progressed first world nation with one of the highest quality of education programs.

The issue to contemplate is that there are many kids with some kind of psychological disorders or developmental delays in the United States. Some researches and studies have found that number to be close to five million children. Initially started as part of the standard curriculum offered in schools, the special education system has made significant strides in the reformation of the rights of children with special needs.

Children with special needs require special education. Faculties with traditional learning approaches don’t seem to be able to do justice to these children. Children with special needs are no different than “conventional” children in the sense that they can live a similarly full and exciting life and experience similar things typical children do. They only have a different perspective on life and different needs to be met. A special education school should cater to any and all of the needs of such children.

For starters, special education schools or special schools, as they’re simply referred to as, are educational institutions with a distinctive learning approach tailored for children with special needs. These faculties employ a course of study that can facilitate the development of cognitive skills in a child with special needs.

There are many well-reputed special education schools in New York that provide quality education to children with special needs. These schools have a professional staff with an expertise of working with children who need special attention. In addition, these learning programs are effective in helping develop social, communicational, emotional, mental and physical skills in children through professional learning methods and approaches.

Breaking the social stereotype that children with special needs cannot become successful members of the community, many folks who had learning disabilities during their younger years have become very successful adults and are prosperous and happy in their lives. All these folks owe their success to special education programs.