What are the effects on children with special needs as a result from teachers leaving special education?

Answer 1

In my experience I have seen many teachers leave special ed for many reasons includng personal/health reasons, feeling unsupported by the system and many other reasons.. Some left special ed altogether, some simply switched from working with kids who have severe disabilities to working with kids who have mild disabilites, some schools lost some of their funding for their special needs kids and so kids were mainstreamed, my own daughters whole school had to close its doors because of a lack of government funding, with one year of schooling left my daughter had to change schools to a school that is less effective in helping her.
So the answer to your question lies in the answer to the question of why are the teachers leaving?
If like in my daughters case the teacher left because the school closed, then the effects on the students are immense, they are split up from one another and sent out to different schools which causes them to lose contact with classmates, they have a new school environment to learn to cope with, their entire education system has suddenly shifted into a totally unknown gear, and not only can the students not express how they are feeling about it they can not complain and are totally powerless to stop it from happening. Needless to say they go backwards in all areas of development and learning ...
If you are talking about one teacher leaving a particular class who is then subsequently replaced by another teacher then the disruption to their learning is less so but is still significant. Children who had grown to trust their previous teacher now have to establish if they can trust with their new teacher.
If you are talking about the systemic movement within the edcation movement to mainstream kids into 'non-special ed' schools then the effect on children again vary and depend greatly on the skill, compassion, and experience of the teacher in the mainstream school.

I think it would be helpful if you could be more specific with your question.

Answer 2

Special education students are being put into the regular classrooms more often. In some cases this is good, as some students could benefit from the challenge of regular education. Other students, however, who cannot handle the regular curriculum, will suffer. Even though they have an Individual Education Plan, the regular education teachers often cannot handle the demands of school teaching requirements and individual student needs, especially if there are several in one classroom. As a result, these students will suffer, and often, so will the rest of the classroom.

Answer 3

Children with special needs do not have as much access to fully trained specialists. Instead, more and more special ed classrooms are being taught by people with regular education credentials, on waivers.

These regular ed teachers do NOT have training in alternative learning styles, disability metholology, detailed task analysis, diagnostics, etc.

Therefore, the kids learn less and have increased levels of frustration.

Almost all special ed classrooms are overloaded. This means that regardless of the teacher's level of speciality, there isn't enough time per student to provide adequate individualized instruction.

Answer 4

depending on the child, he or she may be unsettled for a while whilst getting used to a new teacher, but if the child is in mainstream education, they should be able to cope. just make sure that you and the teachers discuss any concerns and keep a close eye on the child for a couple of weeks until he or she settles. all children are a little out of sorts for a while when there is a change like this, so try not to worry too much. maybe introduce the new teacher to the child a few times before the old teacher leaves so that the transition may be a little easier for your child.

Answer 5

Changes regardless of how big or small affect these kids.I know for my child, it affects him greatly.His emotions and behavior get totally out of whack for a few days

Answer 6

they won't cope with everyday living as much as their parents would expect them to be.their level of thinking wouldn't transcend much more.there is less hope for them,unlike when there's someone who teaches these children,unless there is someone who cares there would be a chance for brighter future.