how come they dont teach people how to read in special ed?

Question

insted they tell people to read but they dont realy teach people how to read books better.

Answer 1

I am a special education teacher for children ages 5 to 8. Some of my students learn to read, and some do not. One of the things about special education is that each student's curriculum is based on his or her Individual Education Plan. Some children in my class are doing well with a "sight vocabulary" program, in which they learn to read by recognizing the entire word as a unit, rather than "sounding it out." I sometimes have students who can learn the sound/ symbol associations required in a phonetic approach, and that is great, because a truly fluent reader needs to be able to approach an unfamiliar word and analyze it, blending together the sounds represented by the letters. And some of my students have not reached a developmental level in which they are ready for reading instruction, although we incorporate pre-reading activities (sorting out "letters" from "numbers," matching letters, using magnetic letters to match a template of the child's name, etc. etc.) The truth is, though, that reading is a very complex set of skills, and some children will never master it.

I am guessing from your question that you are writing about a personal experience. If a student in a special education class is having difficulty with reading skills, he or she should be entitled to specialized instruction. Be sure that there is an IEP goal written about it. You are right - it doesn't help at all to be told to read; you need someone to assess what areas are giving you difficulty and develop a plan of instruction based on the information from the assessment.

Sometimes a reading disability isn't diagnosed as early as it could be. In earlier grades, the reading vocabulary is limited, and kids can get a lot out of the context, "filling in" the words they aren't sure of by making a guess about what would make sense. As the course content gets more difficult and the vocabulary is larger, context clues are no longer enough.

But in any case, it's never too late for a motivated student to improve his or her reading. So make sure that there is an IEP goal about increasing reading proficiency, and ask how it will be addressed. You might ask for practice work to be sent home, too, both to reinforce skill development, and to be certain that there really is relevant instruction going on.

Answer 2

I'm in Texas and there are very few qualified / certified Sp Ed teachers. Also schools districts are too cheap and do not want to spend the money on a researched based reading program that would benefit the child. Administrations feels that most of these children are incapable of learning, so why bother. Children are all below grade level in these classes and only getting further behind. Because of the different learning styles of the children and age differences in these segregated classes, Teachers give a packet of paper with the daily lessons and child is made to self teach themselves. Districts get away with this due to subjective, non measurable IEP goals that are enforce. Plus your local ARD Committee lies and always claim the child is making significant progress; even if not. These programs are usually just babysitters. Parents wake up before it's too late; if you child's not getting FAPE, take your School District to Due Process. If you're in TX you have only a 1 year statute of limitations; whereas IDEA gives 2 years to file. Check what your state allows and get on it before it's too late. These children need to read, and become social so they can become independent. Also since the school time line is only 180 days = to about 6 months, that's really all the time you have in one year.

Answer 3

When you talk about how well a person reads, there are a whole bunch of ways to look at it. Many kids are in special education because they have trouble reading, but there are many different kinds of trouble.

In a special education class, you have some students who have difficulty making the groups of letters look like words they know or they can figure out. You have some students who have to decode every word they read because they haven't practiced enough to learn the words by sight.

You might have one student who can read aloud fine, but doesn't know what they have just read. You have some students that have all the abilities they need, except the ability to make themselves sit down and practice reading. Some of these problems can be solved by the teacher teaching in different ways, but often, the student can help themselves by just practicing more.

It could be that your teacher knows ways to help one kind of problem in reading, but it does not really address the problems you have in reading. If you can talk to your teacher about that, it will probably help.

You probably took some tests to become a special education student. Sometimes the reports from those tests can tell your teacher how he or she can better teach you. If you haven't taken this kind of test in years, some new tests might help your teachers know more about exactly what kind of problems you have with reading, and they may be able to come up with a better way to teach you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

This is what I have noticed, it depends on the level of Special Ed class and the students capability. Some just do not learn how to read, some do. To learn how to read the student has to keep doing it and have someone helping them individually. Some students don't get that individual attention. I have worked in many Sp Ed classrooms as an aide and worked with many students on their reading abilities. It is a very, very slow process for the limited individuals. I really can't remember hearing a teacher telling students to read literally when they weren't capable of doing it on their own. In other cases, just having them looking at a book may help in some way to help them learn to read. I help alot of kids that I know can't read and we instruct them to go get a book to "read" so that they learn to love books anyway and they can look at them.

Answer 5

If a school is not making every attempt to teach special populations to read then they are not doing their job. I've never seen a sp. ed. classroom that does not make a concerted effort to teach their students to read. If you have witnessed a classroom that does not I would immediately schedule an appointment with the district's superintendent to discuss the matter. Depending upon your state's laws and the IEPs of the students they very well could be in violation of the law as well!

Answer 6

In some special education programs in schools they do teach reading--and the other subjects--and teach them well.

But unfortunately, in many school systems, special ed is underfunded and/or has become little more than day care. Partly this is due to school administrators. Studies have shown that administrators (and teachers, but to a much lesser degree) still biew students with disabiolities in negative terms. Partly its due to funding policies--at the local, state, and federal level--that don't provide adequate funding and training, especiallly for special ed teachers.

And, quite honestly, its also partly the publics fault. Far too many people continue to stereotype people with disabilities, and to assume we are helpless or stupid. That creates barriers to progress--including (on this isssue) a lack of public support for reforms.

Answer 7

I am not sure where ou got this information, or if it is because of your own experiences. however, this is not the norm for children in special education. each student has a IEP and follows a schedule daily. Many children are at different levels and have specific goals in an area ti help them learn. It is the special education teacher who designs and implements the teaching strategies for the children in her classroom. My son has been in special education since the age of 4. He is 13yrs old now, and can read well. It is his best strength.

Answer 8

You are asking a question that I as a parent am feeling right now. I have a son that hates school because he get's picked on because of his dyslexia. He rather struggle through reading silently and risk getting questions wrong than stand up ask for help. I think for some special education is a crutch for other children like my son that crutch is stopping him from pushing his self further.

Bottom line: We all have to go out on a limb in this case that limb means getting up and finding help beyond school, it means going to the local area library and seeking out reading programs, it means practicing with all kinds of books and putting forth an effort beyond Public schooling. After all school is merely a tool and not meant to replace using other learning tools and gaining knowledge from other places and experiences.

Answer 9

Growing up in a emotional disability program scoring a 135 IQ and a reading comprehension level four grades ahead yet having to study from coursework two grades down, I can't answer, but I can identify.

Find a tutor, someone who you can hang out with, someone who won't patronize you, it's tough, but they're out there.

Hang out at the library, ask the questions you need answered no matter how silly you think they are, learn from your mistakes, and never ever ever let anyone call you stupid.

Edit: I left out one very important thing: those test scores I mentioned above were from high school; I was illiterate until I was eight when I realized that the only way I was ever going to learn how to read and write was to stop waiting to be taught and struggle to do it myself, along the way trying to find people who would encourage me, support me, and lend a helping hand.

Answer 10

Once your in High School sped teachers most often presume that you know how to read. Teaching basic decoding skills and phonemic awareness should have been taught by your el ed even middle school teachers. However, let your teacher know that you are struggling and that you need help with the elementary basics.