Learning to cope with students' disabilities....

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Learning to cope with students' disabilities

Teacher's new book aims to help other educators and parents identify student

problems

Cook

The Ottawa Citizen

The Ottawa Citizen

Cheryll Duquette, a professor at the University of Ottawa faculty of

education, has written a book that describes strategies for working with

children whom teachers suspect are at risk of developing an academic or

behavioural problem.

The educational trend of placing children with disabilities and behaviour

problems in regular classrooms creates challenges for teachers, and puts the

children at risk of falling behind, says the author of a new book that aims

to help teachers cope.

" Kids who may previously have been in special education classes now have to

be taught by the regular teacher in the regular classroom, " says Cheryll

Duquette, a professor at the University of Ottawa faculty of education.

" It's not unusual for 30 per cent of the class to have exceptionalities. "

Ms. Duquette's book, Students at Risk: Solutions to Classroom Challenges,

Pembroke Publishers Ltd., 128 pages, $18.95, is a how-to guide for teachers

whose classrooms now include a wide range of students -- from the highly

gifted to those with developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder, physical disabilities, impaired hearing or sight and disruptive

behaviours.

" It's not easy being a teacher these days, " says Ms. Duquette, a special

education expert who has taught at Merivale and J. S. Woodsworth high schools

and at Greenbank, Manordale and Kars primary schools.

" They've had a new curriculum and insufficient training in the new

curriculum. They've had more and needier children in their classroom. There

are some teachers who could use some support. "

She was recently speaking with a Grade 1 teacher in the Ottawa-Carleton

District School Board who has 29 students. They include a child with autism,

a number of children on ritalin, youngsters who are exceptionally bright and

need an enriched program, as well as children who are lagging behind and

require extra attention.

" For the most part, kids with learning disabilities are placed in the regular

classroom, regardless of the severity, and without much assistance, " she says.

Over the last 20 years, there has been a movement to integrate most children

into regular classrooms.

This is driven by budget cuts, ministry policy, lobbying by parents, and a

philosophy that all children have a right to have their academic and social

needs met in a regular classroom, and that exposure to diversity breeds

tolerance among children.

Due to funding cuts, there are fewer special education classes, educational

assistants, opportunities for teacher training, and special education

consultants.

" Not every child's needs can be met in a regular classroom, " says Ms.

Duquette. " I think each board has to ensure that there are a range of

placements for children. "

While some teachers have upgraded their skills, many others have not had

training in working with special-needs children, she says. Five years ago,

the University of Ottawa became the first education faculty in the province

to introduce a mandatory special education course for student teachers.

At the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, more than 9,000 children out of

80,000 have been identified as having an exceptionality.

In her book, Ms. Duquette describes strategies for working with children whom

teachers suspect are at risk of developing an academic or behavioural

problem, as well as those who have been identified by the school system as

having special needs.

Ms. Duquette suggests that a caring and alert teacher can make a difference

by observing students, keeping notes on strengths and weaknesses, and

developing an informal plan for addressing them.

" Instead of saying 'Gosh, there's something going on with this kid, but I

don't know exactly what it is,' I have presented a plan for teachers to

observe the child and start planning some strategies. "

She gives the following case study:

was a Grade 9 student who was considered a " behaviour problem " for

arriving late for English class or skipping it altogether. He handed

assignments in late and refused to complete some assignments.

The teacher took notes of his strengths over two weeks, (expresses ideas well

orally) and weaknesses (written assignments too short and handwriting very

messy.) He told her he disliked writing because he found it hard to organize

his thoughts.

The teacher decided to work privately with on formulating his points,

allow some assignments to be done orally, encourage him to type assignments,

and to keep a log-book recording his late arrivals and absences.

By the end of the semester, 's mark in English had risen to 64 per cent

from 52 per cent, and attendance was no longer a problem. The teacher

suspected a mild learning disability, and referred him for testing; however

that would not take place until April.

's attempt to hide his weakness had been turning into a behaviour

problem.

Ms. Duquette argues in favour of really seeing the child and figuring out the

underlying issues.

" Sometimes we are so 'stuck' in our ways that we automatically blame the

student when we could act to improve the child's behaviours, " she writes.

Other methods that work include breaking work down into smaller components,

and a multi-sensory approach: For example in counting, the child sees a

number line, hears numbers counted orally, and points to the numbers as they

are being said to establish a link.

Ms. Duquette says that parents can also use the book to learn more about

problems their children may be having, and to make sure that teaching

techniques that could help them are being used.

" Parents have to be vigilant and advocate for their children, " she says.

© Copyright 2001 The Ottawa Citizen