Middle School Teachers' Perception of Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities (Essay Sample)

Middle School Teachers' Perception of Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities
Name
Institution
Subject
Instructor
Date
Total maximum word count 3025 words 11 pages (double spaced, 275 words per page)
Style: APA
US English
Introduction (150 words)
Over the recent years, the number of children with disabilities (CWDS) who are attending middle school has been on the rise. Some learning disabilities are not readily observable, and as such presenting a challenge in determining some of the affected children (Nina and Dave 2013). Nina and Dave (2013) observed that disabilities such as white cane or wheelchair are not easily observable, and in most cases, they are overlooked or misunderstood. Teachers face a challenge of understanding the implication of the learning disabilities and designing a suitable method of teaching these students. Similarly, the teachers need to learn to accommodate students with learning disabilities by understanding the individual requirements of each child. Psychologists are responsible for diagnosing a learning disability. Their aim is to understand how the individuals receive, perceive, process, retain and communicate information (Lerner and Johns 2011). Lerner and Johns (2011) added that teachers should use the assessments provided by psychologists to aid in understanding their impact and adopt the appropriate accommodations as recommended.
Body (2675 words)
Background justification (550 words)
According to the findings presented by Karten (2011) and Atherton and Crickmore (2011), the US government introduced its support for individuals with disabilities after the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The discussions pertaining the best method of educating children with disabilities has abounded (Karten 2011). The term inclusion arose as a result of these debates and its definition, until recently, was decided by educators and school administrators.Karten (2011) added that Individuals with Disability Education Act of 2004 required a precise definition of inclusion with respect to the daily school environment. York defined inclusion as the involvement and provision of necessities to children attending the same institutions as siblings and neighbors (Atherton and Crickmore 2011). The Individuals with Disability Education Act of 2004 was formed to ensure equality in the education sector in the least restrictive environment regardless of any exceptionality, be it emotional, physical and intellectual. Inclusion is standard at all levels based on the individual requirements of the learner and the resources available in the school. The experts of inclusion included university faculty, teachers, specialists consultants and doctoral students. They identified seven components from the definition of inclusion. Out of these, five elements addressed disabilities that were considered moderate to severe. The other two components discussed the systemic concept of philosophy (Speece and Keogh 2013).
From the arguments presented by Speece and Keogh (2013), the experts noted that inclusion students should be included in a general education setting with students of approximately the same age. Speece and Keogh (2013) added that the students with disabilities should be involved in academic and non-academic programs to assist them in interacting with students without disabilities. The experts also observed that the education curriculum and interaction of teachers with students should be adjusted to ensure that children with disabilities receive individualized instructions (Speece and Keogh 2013). This, according to Speece and Keogh (2013) would provide the students with disability with a sense of belonging and feel accepted and valued in the education setting. Inclusion would also maximize the potential of the students with disabilities by considering their individual requirements. The experts also noted that inclusion needed to be adopted in the entire school system rather than being restricted to individual classrooms and schools (Karten 2011). Karten (2011) also added that middle school students require the systems more than the other students since they experience a drastic change in their socio-emotional, physical and academic lives. According to a research conducted amongst educators, 98% were willing to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate students with disabilities (Atherton and Crickmore 2011). The teachers also noted that the students with disabilities should not be taught in the general classrooms, irrespective of the simplicity or severity of their disability (Atherton and Crickmore 2011). The research also noted that the teachers and other educators supported inclusion and believed that with adequate training, resources, and administrative support, they would substantially change the lives of the children with disabilities. However, Karten (2011) contrast with the findings presented by Atherton and Crickmore (2011) by noting that children with disabilities spend limited time in the classroom, thus limiting the educational curriculum benefits. Karten (2011) added that some misconduct issues such as fighting results from student removal from classes, thus limiting their exposure and participation in the curriculum. In addition, Karten (2011) observed that experts have not been able to access what students with disabilities are learning.
Research problems (550 words)
According to the arguments presented by Wong, Graham, Hoskyn and Berman (2011), students can be diagnosed with a disability at an average or above-average age. They also noted that there is a discrepancy between the academic achievement of the students and their intellectual ability. A qualified psychologist does a diagnosis of disability with training in administering and interpreting psycho-education assessments. They added that some disability functions could not be directly observed hence creating a challenge in determining the impact of the disability and recommending the most appropriate accommodation. Authors like Flink (2014) and Waber (2011) argued that learning disabilities are present along with other disabilities such as psychiatric disabilities, brain injuries, sensory impairments and attention deficit. Schools and other institutions should have supportive services for children with disabilities (CWDS) to provide quality accommodation. Waber (2011) however noted that the student is entirely responsible for meeting the course requirements by using the approved accommodations. Waber (2011) added that individualized accommodation is aimed at ensuring equality in the education systems. Waber (2011) also noted that the accommodation systems are not designed to alter fundamental aspects of the course curriculum or give the students an advantage over the other students. The parents and teachers should use the specified individualized accommodation systems as recommended by the psychologists to maximize the benefits and potential of the child.
University of Washington (2012) provided some of the functional limitations that may require accommodation. One of these constraints is the auditory perception and processing. University of Washington (2012) defined auditory perception and processing as the difficulty in processing information communicated in classrooms or lectures. University of Washington (2012) added that the student may have a difficulty in differentiating subtle differences in sound. Another limitation as noted by the University is the visual perception and processing. This is the challenge in differentiating objects, shapes, images or skipping/repeating words when reading. This problem is mostly common when the student is interpreting a video, a graph, charts or within a web-based distance learning. The third problem noted by University of Washington (2012) is the information processing speed. This challenge prevails whereby the student processes auditory or visual information more slowly than an average person. This can make the student a slow leader due to the additional time required to decode and comprehend written information. The fourth limitation is the abstract reasoning that occurs when the student has a difficulty in understanding an individual context of the subject such as philosophy that requires a high level of reasoning skill. The fifth challenge as noted by Flink (2014) is the lack of memory. Flink (2014) added that a student may lack short term or long term memory for storing and recalling information. The other challenge provided is the executive function whereby Flink (2014) noted that the child may have a problem in breaking larger projects into smaller sub-projects and following a timeline to enable him/her to meet the deadline. Flink (2014) also identified mathematical calculation as another challenge whereby the student may have a problem in manipulating numbers. Flink (2014) added that the child may have a challenge in interpreting mathematical problems described in words to mathematical expressions. Finally, University of Washington (2012) noted that a student may have a problem in spoken and written language whereby the student experiences a problem with spelling or speaking.
Deficiencies in evidence (450 words)
Students with disabilities, however, face challenges irrespective of the consideration accorded to their rights and freedoms. The main problem noted is the lack of the necessary equipment in the learning institutions. The literature presented by Nina and Dave (2013) indicates that CWDS require specialized and expensive equipment, which may not be available to all children with disabilities. Nina and Dave (2013) also added that some disabilities may be misdiagnosed due to lack of clear signs that can be accorded to these diseases. The arguments presented by Karten (2011) does not clearly state the criteria used in diagnosing a disability. As such, a child may be provided with the ...