tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/special-education-needs-63875/articlesSpecial Education Needs – The Conversation2023-11-28T12:02:18Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171562023-11-28T12:02:18Z2023-11-28T12:02:18ZGirls less likely to be diagnosed with special educational needs – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561328/original/file-20231123-15-vctgar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=121%2C0%2C4372%2C3002&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/upset-caucasian-girl-sitting-desk-writing-2105450654">Mariia Korneeva/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The point when <a href="https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs">a child with special educational needs (SEN)</a> is diagnosed is an important moment in their lives. </p>
<p>It allows schools to provide them with access to additional resources, such as assistive technology, specialised teaching programs or the services of professionals such as educational psychologists. These resources help to meet children’s academic, emotional or social needs.</p>
<p>But girls and boys don’t fare equally. My <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rev3.3437">recent research</a> with colleague Hsin Wang, conducted using UK government data, found a consistent gender gap in SEN identification.</p>
<p>Of the roughly 1.5 million children in English schools identified for SEN services in 2022-23, only 0.5 million were girls. We found the same pattern across the country, with girls making up between 34% to 36% of all students accessing SEN support in most regions.</p>
<p>In some cases, this may be because certain disabilities are more common in boys. But it is likely to be also down to gender bias in assessment and from those referring children for assessment, as well as girls being better at hiding the challenges they face from some conditions.</p>
<h2>An established pattern</h2>
<p>When we looked at specific types of special educational needs we found that boys were more likely to be diagnosed for all of them. Boys made up 75% of those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They were also about two times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with speech, language and communication disorders, as well as mental health disorders.</p>
<p>We did find some changes when looking at SEN identification rates over time. Between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of girls out of all students identified with autism spectrum disorder increased from 17% to 25%. Similarly, there was an increase in the proportion of girls being identified for specific learning difficulties – from 38% in 2015 to 44% in 2022. </p>
<p>However, this trend of increasing female identification does not apply to all disability categories. For example, from 2015 to 2022, girls consistently accounted for 44% of those identified with visual impairments. </p>
<p>Past research has suggested several reasons for these gender differences. Biological factors may make boys more vulnerable to certain disabilities. For instance, research has suggested that neurobiological differences between girls and boys make <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6509633/pdf/CroatMedJ_60_0141.pdf">boys more likely</a> to be diagnosed with speech, language and communication needs. </p>
<h2>Gender bias</h2>
<p>But social factors can also play a big part. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11881-997-0024-8">Past research</a> has suggested that gender bias among people who refer students for diagnostic assessment, like teachers, contributes to this unequal distribution. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17903118/">One study of twins</a> reports that teachers may be more likely to refer boys because boys are more disruptive and command more attention, while girls go under the radar. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children putting hands up to answer teacher's question" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561339/original/file-20231123-23-uhd0zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Boys may command more attention in class.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pupils-raising-hand-during-geography-lesson-253351462">ESB Professional/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Research on autism also points out the “<a href="https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-016-0073-0">camouflage effect</a>”. This means girls may be better at masking or hiding their autism-related challenges, leading to under-identification or delayed diagnosis. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-018-3510-4">Some researchers</a> have also reported that assessments used for diagnosis are typically based on male characteristics, and potentially overlook how autism spectrum disorder presents differently in girls. </p>
<p>This imbalance is likely to mean that some girls are not getting the recognition and support they need. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7557860/">Past research</a> has found that girls have higher rates of mental health disorders such as anxiety compared to boys. Importantly, for some disability categories such as visual impairment or intellectual disabilities, data on gender differences is scarce. </p>
<p>The low number of girls identified with disabilities is worrying. Early detection of disabilities is vital to provide students with necessary services to support their development. Delayed or missed diagnoses for girls can worsen their challenges and affect their long-term outcomes. </p>
<p>Awareness of the differences between girls and boys who need support for special educational needs is crucial. For example, teachers and schools should adopt standardised criteria for SEN diagnosis. This can help reduce subjective judgements that are influenced by biases and ensure fair support for all students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217156/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Johny Daniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Of the 1.5 million children in English schools identified for SEN services, only one in three – 0.5 million – were girls.Johny Daniel, Assistant Professor, School of Education, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1753082022-01-28T13:27:44Z2022-01-28T13:27:44Z5 tips to help preschoolers with special needs during the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443047/original/file-20220127-4399-1t0101f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6709%2C4466&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parents say there has been a lack of academic and social learning opportunities for children during the pandemic. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/preschool-students-play-with-modeling-clay-royalty-free-image/866452962?adppopup=true">SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Four months in reading. Five months in math. That’s <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning">how far children are behind</a> where they should be for their grade level, according to a 2021 report that says the COVID-19 pandemic – and the transition to virtual learning – are to blame.</p>
<p>For young children in particular, parents report that opportunities for both academic and social emotional growth were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2021.1930936">lacking during the pandemic</a>. But what is the effect of the pandemic on young children with disabilities, many of whom <a href="https://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NIEER_Seven_Impacts_of_the_Pandemic_on_Young_Children_and_their_Parents.pdf">did not receive</a> their federally mandated special education services as many schools shifted online?</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hjKz3uYAAAAJ&hl=en">researchers</a> who <a href="https://psychology.umbc.edu/sonnenschein/">specialize</a> in issues of education for <a href="https://education.umbc.edu/faculty-list/michele-stites/">young children with disabilities</a>, we found that parents of such children are <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/9783030969769">worried about the impact of virtual learning</a> because of the lack of special education services, their own child’s inability to participate in virtual instruction, and the lack of opportunities for social emotional growth and development. </p>
<p>While we know that parents are very busy, based on our research, here are five things parents and caregivers of young children with disabilities can do to help bridge the gap caused by the pandemic and distance learning.</p>
<h2>1. Communicate frequently with your child’s therapists and educators</h2>
<p>In the years before COVID-19 it was common for teachers and therapists – such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists and the like – to initiate communication with families. But as the pandemic persists, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/23/1067077413/teachers-pandemic-school-classroom-return-to-in-person-learning">educators face overwhelming</a> staff shortages, constant COVID-19 outbreaks and children who have not been in traditional school settings for months on end in some cases.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C0%2C3483%2C2329&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A teacher helps a child in a wheelchair cut a pink piece of paper with scissors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C0%2C3483%2C2329&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442766/original/file-20220126-25-11ioqzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Parents of children with special needs worry that their children have fallen behind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/art-teacher-assists-little-girl-in-wheelchair-royalty-free-image/157614956?adppopup=true">ktaylorg/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Since school faculty and staff are overwhelmed, parents may need to take the lead when it comes to communication. Emailing teachers and therapists about your child’s progress is a good place to start. Meetings can be set up from there if needed.</p>
<h2>2. Create opportunities to socialize with other children</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2021.1930936">Parents</a> and <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/online-learning-mental-health">psychologists</a> have reported that missing out on opportunities for socialization is one of the biggest side effects of the pandemic. Consider reaching out to parents of your child’s classmates to set up small social gatherings where children can practice age-appropriate socialization skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Being COVID-19 responsible is important, so be sure to follow local safety guidelines.</p>
<p>You can also work with different advocacy groups like the <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org">Special Olympics</a> to see what types of programs are available in your area.</p>
<h2>3. Work on goals in the child’s individualized education program</h2>
<p>A child’s individualized education program should outline the child’s strengths and weaknesses. The IEP should also include goals to support learning in all areas, such as language skills, social skills and the like.</p>
<p>Asking teachers and therapists about how those goals are being addressed at school can give parents ideas about how to naturally incorporate them into a child’s daily routine. For example, if a child is working on counting items one at a time, parents can count oranges at the grocery store or Goldfish crackers on a lunch plate.</p>
<h2>4. Take a play-based approach to learning</h2>
<p>Embedding learning into play allows parents to <a href="http://talkingtogether.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/childrens-early-home-learning-environment-and-learning-outcomes-in-the-early-years-of-school.pdf">teach their child</a> without the formality – and, let’s face it, dullness – of tools like flashcards and worksheets. </p>
<p>Reading and asking questions, playing games like Go Fish where children can identify colors and numbers, spraying a small amount of shaving cream on a flat surface and writing letters in it, and even counting snowballs can be used as learning opportunities.</p>
<h2>5. Engage children in conversation</h2>
<p>Providing young children opportunities to hear and practice language is critical for their learning. Taking time to talk with a young child is particularly important when the child has a disability. It is also important to give the child the needed time to answer questions. Parents can demonstrate responses for the child to repeat as necessary. </p>
<p>Incorporating some of these ideas into a daily routine <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.04.004">can go a long way</a> in bridging the gaps left in the wake of COVID-19 and virtual learning.</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175308/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic and shifts to virtual learning have set many children back academically. The setbacks can be particularly challenging for children with disabilities, but recovery is possible.Michele L. Stites, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountySusan Sonnenschein, Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1690382021-11-03T14:48:33Z2021-11-03T14:48:33ZToo many neurodiverse children don’t have a full diagnosis – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428215/original/file-20211025-17-gxszox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It is often at primary school that symptoms of neurodiverse conditions first come to light.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-photo/rack-coats-on-pegs-595873274">AndrewHeffernan</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Neurodiversity is an elaborate word for all the different atypical ways in which individual brains can function. It covers both learning difficulties, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-rose-tinted-cure-the-myth-of-coloured-overlays-and-dyslexia-120054">dyslexia</a>, and developmental conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (<a href="https://theconversation.com/gifted-children-with-adhd-and-the-challenges-their-parents-face-168644">ADHD</a>). </p>
<p>These conditions are more likely to be diagnosed in school-aged children than in later life. It is at school that the differences in how certain children function can become more apparent: the way one child might find it harder than others to grasp new concepts or another might have trouble regulating their emotions.</p>
<p>Over recent years, through research, TV, film, books and government strategies, there has been a greater awareness and understanding of <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-25-years-since-we-redefined-autism-heres-what-weve-learnt-125053">autism</a>. Concurrently there has been a ninefold increase in <a href="https://theconversation.com/therapy-for-babies-showing-early-signs-of-autism-reduces-the-chance-of-clinical-diagnosis-at-age-3-167146">autism diagnoses</a> over the past 20 years, according to a <a href="https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.13505">recent study</a>. </p>
<p>Other neurodiversity conditions, though, have not seen the same kind of rise in diagnoses. But this is not to say that they are less prevalent. Many cases are incorrectly diagnosed, or not diagnosed at all. </p>
<p>According to Department for Education <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814244/SEN_2019_Text.docx.pdf">statistics</a> on special educational needs in England, over 20% of children with such needs are labelled as having <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-new-approach-to-assessing-special-educational-needs-heres-why-53055">moderate learning difficulties</a>. Yet as a developmental psychologist, working in schools in England, I have assessed over a thousand children but have rarely diagnosed children with moderate learning difficulties. Each child has had a range of specific needs that require targeted support, such as those apparent in dyslexia, or difficulties related to coordination, the senses, attention or language. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02671522.2012.729153">research shows</a> that the label “moderate learning difficulties” is often used in an overgeneralised way in schools as well. When teachers assess children without the involvement of a specialist, there is no reliable way of distinguishing between moderate learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. </p>
<p>This suggests that a large proportion of children in England could have a neurodiversity that remains undiagnosed. Without a specific diagnosis, these children will not get the support they need. There is no informed and targeted plan in place to help them in their schooling. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A little boy in a stripey T-shirt sits on the floor with his hands over his ears." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428217/original/file-20211025-19-aijtf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">With a specific diagnosis, neurodiverse children won’t get the support they need.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-photo/little-boy-sitting-corner-room-feeling-1423016582">myboys.me</a></span>
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<h2>How conditions are diagnosed</h2>
<p>In childhood, diagnoses are generally carried out by specialist teachers, education psychologists, paediatricians and other health professionals. In order for a diagnosis to be accurate – and each child to be given the exact support they need – health workers and teaching staff need in-depth knowledge. </p>
<p>The fact that we use an umbrella term – neurodiversity – to designate these <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6099274/">different</a>, yet highly <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22976615/">prevalent conditions</a>, demonstrates the extent to which they can either seem similar or actually overlap. </p>
<p>Children with autism and dyspraxia often have similar <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-87455-w?proof=t%29">coordination difficulties</a>, for instance. Likewise, a dyslexic child might also have <a href="https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/news/definition-of-dyslexia">attention difficulties</a>. Equally, 60% of children with reading difficulties and 80% of children with ADHD are reported to meet the criteria for having <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002221940003300206">both dyslexia and ADHD</a>. </p>
<p>All of the different difficulties a child might have will make it harder – in ways specific to them – to learn and understand how they feel. This is why health workers and educators, whose job it is to ensure the wellbeing and education of our children, need to understand each neurodiversity in all its specificity. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A teacher sits with a pupil in class" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428216/original/file-20211025-19-mxdc9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children need teachers, psychologists, doctors and specialists to work together.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/editor/image/teacher-helping-girl-work-her-desk-432876487">Monkey Business Images</a></span>
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<h2>Lack of training</h2>
<p><a href="https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9604.12368">Research shows</a> that these professionals are frequently untrained. And where they are trained, it is usually in one specific condition. Dyslexia is seen as the purview of specialist teachers; <a href="https://theconversation.com/dyspraxia-is-more-than-just-clumsy-child-syndrome-it-can-cause-emotional-distress-and-anxiety-throughout-life-66948">dyspraxia</a> is diagnosed by occupational therapists; and paediatricians and psychologists have the final say on autism and ADHD. </p>
<p>The more teachers, doctors and professionals know about a particular neurodiversity, the more they can recognise the features. However, where they know more about one than another, they run the risk of mistaking the symptoms a child displays for those of a condition they do not have. </p>
<p>Oftentimes only a fraction of a child’s needs are investigated, and a diagnosis can be incorrect or incomplete. And if a child does not fit a specialist’s skillset, their getting a diagnosis then involves another professional, another budget, another year.</p>
<p>When on the one hand, teachers and doctors are not trained to recognise and understand neurodiversity, and on the other, specialists are so narrowly specialised, children are not assessed in a holistic way. The overlap between various conditions is not unravelled; the whole child – the full gamut of their individual needs – is not considered. </p>
<p>If specialists were comprehensively trained in all neurodiversity conditions, they would be able to piece together a complete picture of each individual child’s needs. This would prove invaluable in ensuring that the child receives the care and support they need both in education and emotionally.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Penelope Hannant does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>These children are not getting the help they need to thrive at school and at home.Penelope Hannant, Lecturer within the Disability Inclusion and Special Needs team, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1322352020-07-28T12:14:23Z2020-07-28T12:14:23ZMany students with the potential to excel in STEM fields struggle in school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349005/original/file-20200722-34-1a2ququ.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C3653%2C2598&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What else might she build someday?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/little-girl-with-pig-tails-playing-with-legos-at-royalty-free-image/176829483">Kobyakov/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Students who have the kinds of talent scientists and engineers need to solve problems by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016127">visualizing how objects could be rotated, combined or changed in three dimensions</a> often struggle at school. These students, whose strong spatial talents allow them to imagine new technological innovations, generally fare worse than their <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/29/16720.short">classmates who excel at English and math</a>. In addition, as we observed in an article recently published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12343">British Journal of Educational Psychology</a>, there’s some evidence that spatially gifted and talented people are less likely to go to college. And, if they do enroll, they’re less likely to get their degrees.</p>
<p>After looking at three major databases that are representative of the U.S. population and that span six decades, we estimate that between 2 million and 3 million K-12 U.S. students may have spatial talents and are not be getting the <a href="https://www.prufrock.com/Serving-Visual-Spatial-Learners-P1767.aspx">specialized support they need</a> to flourish between kindergarten and high school. We found that these students were more likely to dislike school and to have trouble paying attention in class. Compared to other gifted and talented students, spatially talented kids tend to be less organized and less likely to turn in their homework on time.</p>
<p>We also found that spatially talented children and teens were more likely to be suspended from school or get in trouble with the law compared to students with math or verbal talents. Our findings suggest that students whose strengths in spatial reasoning could make them especially adept in science, technology, engineering and math as well as many <a href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/why-spatial-reasoning-matters-for-education-policy/#:%7E:text=Spatial%20reasoning%20is%20linked%20to,being%20identified%20or%20developed%20effectively.">hands-on vocational fields</a> and the <a href="https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0016127">visual arts</a> are missing out on making the most of their potential.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Spatial thinking is part of everyday life. It’s what you rely on when you pack a suitcase or decide how to cut a tray of brownies into 10 pieces. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it8SCZGdqvc">Video game fans tap these skills</a> whenever they move squares and blocks around while playing Tetris and Minecraft.</p>
<p>Students with exceptional spatial skills should be eligible for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102846">gifted and talented</a> services and given personalized support. But many never register on their school’s radar. It’s not unusual for them to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2372732215621310">fail to complete high school</a> or, if they do graduate, to not attend college. For years, <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.126.8184">researchers have speculated</a> about this problem, without proving that it exists.</p>
<h2>What other research is being done</h2>
<p>Other researchers are seeking ways to help students <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028446">with less developed spatial thinking skills</a> strengthen them. The goal is seeing if that helps them master <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ889152">science, technology</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028446">engineering and math</a> before college, making it possible for these students to pursue related careers.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>We still want to discover why these students <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00028312035003515">often struggle in school</a>. Is it because they’re bored and act out? Do they tend to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986210382575">specific learning disabilities</a> that hamper their reading and other skills? Another big question is what K-12 educators can do to help these students become more successful. We’re also developing a new system that schools can use to get better at identifying students with extraordinary spatial skills.</p>
<p>If you wonder if you have these spatial thinking skills, <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/iq/visual-spatial-intelligence-test">try this quiz shared by Psychology Today</a>.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132235/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joni Lakin receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Office for Naval Research. She is affiliated with Riverside Insights as an author of the Cognitive Abilities Test. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Wai received funding from the American Psychological Foundation Esther Katz Rosen Fund Grant to conduct research highlighted in this article.</span></em></p>Students with exceptional spatial skills should be eligible for gifted and talented services and given personalized support. But many schools fail to identify and engage these children.Joni Lakin, Associate Professor of Educational Studies, University of AlabamaJonathan Wai, Assistant Professor of Education Policy and Psychology and Endowed Chair, University of ArkansasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1394222020-06-04T13:29:41Z2020-06-04T13:29:41ZHow to support children with special educational needs as they return to school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339535/original/file-20200603-130903-160pskn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C17%2C5165%2C3811&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/children-students-medical-masks-leave-school-1720444717">David Tadevosian/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children and parents have struggled to adjust to homeschooling. Now, some have to cope with returning to schools which will seem very different to those they left at the beginning of lockdown. One group of children, though, are facing challenges beyond those experienced by the majority.</p>
<p>Children with special educational needs (SEN) make up around 15% of all pupils in mainstream education. Developmental dyslexia is the most common condition in this group, estimated to affect between <a href="https://www.cache.org.uk/news-media/dyslexia-the-facts">10%-16% of the UK population</a>. Autism is much rarer, affecting <a href="https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/myths-facts-stats.aspx">about 1.1%</a>.</p>
<p>Our research suggests that children with these conditions might find it especially difficult to adapt to changes in their education. We need to recognise the extra challenges homeschooling and online learning have posed for many children – and take this into account as schools reopen. </p>
<h2>Extra challenges</h2>
<p>Many people think of dyslexia as a language disorder, but <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dys.278">it also affects the memory</a> and people’s ability to verbalise ideas and to pay attention. Even in the best of learning environments, struggles in school are likely to lead to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/dys.1531?casa_token=jPb28Vx3d9IAAAAA:h1pYE52tUFmOjQc9lbrDRakNp7ZLK8wbHGy-UfBJ-3C2FSDuKjsplUElzmz9CfaMIyDmpjoJMjd0BaZ1">low self-esteem</a> for dyslexic children. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339536/original/file-20200603-130912-gs4om4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dyslexia can affect many aspects of a child’s life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/learn-write-208531888">Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH</a></span>
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<p>These difficulties are also experienced by autistic children, who may perceive the sensory world differently. Sounds can be magnified, for example, making it hard for a child working at the kitchen table to drag their attention away from the ticking of a clock or the dripping of a tap. Their experience of “not fitting in” also affects their self-esteem. </p>
<p>Another aspect of autism is concrete, black and white thinking. Some autistic children <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1053451213513955">struggle with homework</a> because they think school is for work and home is for play. Routine and predictability is crucial for these children. The move to home education has been another change for them in a sea of turmoil caused by the pandemic. </p>
<p>In school, autistic and dyslexic children would often have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475214000954?casa_token=902CkYOtircAAAAA:oyMM1fT5VUsmusbxXo4GuL8-u3n_-1aVLymHNGByUCl3VfPL-S_y89RM-93TvhRy8MqXyWfDvRM">specialist support</a> in place to help them with these problems. Without this kind of support, problems with attention and self-esteem may make learning at home very difficult. </p>
<p>It’s also important to recognise that dyslexia and autism are often inherited. Educational and emotional support at home may be limited, further disadvantaging the child and reinforcing the parent’s own <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2012.695526?casa_token=YFyZ-WU-AZAAAAAA:t5jkE2GyNlXY0WPMopwNZdV42fn24_WyYejVRxLPeDSLxd98PNvzJgoetCvtSXKm0YyjMEJaxIMqgA">potential sense of inadequacy</a>. Children with SEN are also more likely to come from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891422218300581?casa_token=PnnINyg8NzEAAAAA:v8EmMhijnkc9jMYgU5dgNHHRptRdg0dlwOM9XGaNRTfFrAhxJV-91ioEs12odNZzF3KWyjHQ1SM">poorer families</a>, an additional layer of inequality.</p>
<h2>Positive impacts</h2>
<p><a href="http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/159930/">Recent research</a> has found that while many children with SEN (and their parents) are indeed more anxious and sad than usual, some families actually report minimal or even positive impacts of distance learning under lockdown. For some children, lockdown is a respite. For <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-9604.2010.01465.x?casa_token=JO51tB4jGxIAAAAA:e7qKSH3q0GaoQXloflsGWiZq1EodF5jEFKIm3PUMFOXTUfePr6elBlg6C7LQNZX20i7QdIhqOZiDrd9d">dyslexic children</a>, it means they are not the child who is taken out of typical lessons to catch up on other work. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339537/original/file-20200603-130940-vnfp3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some parents of children with SEN have reported positive outcomes from home learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-girl-student-online-learning-class-1675256440">MIA Studio</a></span>
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<p>For autistic children, it may be an escape from the bullying which is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aur.1568?casa_token=ys8dC7JcGh8AAAAA:MN7WXJ-oa3VVe9VjsCXVDsFp-KNxCqDB5SaRP1jGU8dEowEObDuyQaCchFjj1OEULyGGFvgWFh8AQrJ-">tragically endemic</a> in this group. Many autistic children, including those with a type of autism called <a href="https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/resources/being-misunderstood-in-education/">pathological demand avoidance</a>, are simply too anxious <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750946717300739?casa_token=5ZOBXCN0BsgAAAAA:zd_U6cP7yUhgTgfGsM7VJ0XZUhECLxVxRr8ZsFnsNkAB16j99DicMpA3qT8-5YGN-f1G2gmPywY">to attend school regularly</a>. </p>
<p>Remote online education may offer children a greater opportunity for personalised learning at their own pace. For these reasons, many parents of SEN children <a href="https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com">choose to homeschool</a> their children even under normal circumstances. They argue that home-schooling allows teaching to be built upon the child’s interests, while removing them from rigid standardised testing which is focused on the majority of learners and may set children with conditions like autism or dyslexia up to fail.</p>
<h2>Back to school</h2>
<p>As schools begin to reopen, advice is already emerging around how best to protect and support children. It’s important to make children feel <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1521/psyc.2007.70.4.283">safe and in control</a> as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. </p>
<p>Experts suggest that emotional and social development should take precedence over school work. Some children may need special help with this. Autistic children, for instance, may need to be <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1000.8104&rep=rep1&type=pdf">explicitly taught how to play appropriately</a>, and may need <a href="https://www.int-jecse.net/index.php/ijecse/article/view/212">adult assistance</a> to make friends. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339538/original/file-20200603-130903-a07kwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Learning in small groups may benefit children with SEN.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-helping-students-school-classroom-horizontally-44513719">iofoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Before the coronavirus pandemic, teachers were advised to set up small circles of friends for vulnerable children. As such, the current advice, which recommends that children should stay in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings#class-or-group-sizes">small groups</a>, may be well suited to those with special educational needs. However, teachers will also need to actively adopt <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heidi_Hollingsworth/publication/249836189_Establishing_friendships_in_early_childhood_inclusive_settings_What_roles_do_parents_and_teachers_play/links/5555043a08aeaaff3bf45818/Establishing-friendships-in-early-childhood-inclusive-settings-What-roles-do-parents-and-teachers-play.pdf">other strategies</a> to foster social bonds between the child and their peers. </p>
<p>As always, it will be important for parents and teachers to collaborate closely to ensure as much consistency as possible. There are things that teachers and parents can do to help children <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/96whj/download?format=pdf">deal with difficult emotions</a>. Children might also be dealing with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7156240/">bereavement and new financial insecurity at home</a>. The involvement of other child specialists, like psychologists and social workers, might therefore be beneficial. </p>
<p>To help build a <a href="https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/cms/lib3/ga01000373/centricity/domain/31/self-efficacy_helping_children_believe_they_can_suceed.pdf">sense of control</a>, we need to do more to help children with special educational needs succeed in school, respecting their own pace and learning styles. As this situation evolves, we must be mindful of its impact on the already entrenched inequality that hampers these learners. However, the situation also forces us to come face-to-face with the cracks in our previous systems and come up with new ways of doing things which might, in the long term, reap surprising benefits.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As lockdowns end, schools are reopening. But it will be far from normal.Julie Kirkby, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Bournemouth UniversityRachel Moseley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1216122019-12-04T23:08:46Z2019-12-04T23:08:46ZOntario’s high school e-learning still hasn’t addressed students with special needs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305282/original/file-20191204-70122-tbz8fl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C231%2C6720%2C3913&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Following a negotiation impasse, Ontario public secondary teachers walked off the job on a one-day strike. Here, striking teachers are seen outside the Toronto District School Board office on Yonge Street in Toronto, Dec. 4, 2019. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among the issues for Ontario secondary public school teachers who walked off the job for a one-day strike on Dec. 4 is quality of learning for students, including class sizes and <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-one-day-ontario-teacher-strike-1.4713520">mandatory online learning</a>.</p>
<p>For months Ontario families have been on tenterhooks about looming school strikes after the Doug Ford government announced both <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-ford-education-cuts-1.5208212">education funding cuts</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5954159/ontario-class-size-changes-fewer-teachers-five-years-fao/">larger class sizes</a> — as well as a requirement that would force high school students to take <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2019/03/education-that-works-for-you-2.html">four online courses beginning in the 2020-21 school year</a>.</p>
<p>The government partially backtracked in November and said that instead of four online courses <a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/11/21/ford-government-backtracks-on-mandatory-e-learning-courses/">only two will be required</a>, and that some students could be exempted on an individual basis. </p>
<p>The mandatory online learning announcement last spring <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/elearning-ontario-high-school-internet-problems-1.5096657">sparked many questions and concerns</a>, and changing the number of online courses required still does not address these. </p>
<h2>Significant obstacles</h2>
<p>Beyhan Farhadi, whose PhD dissertation in geography at University of Toronto examined online learning in the Toronto District School Board, said mandatory online learning is no <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/04/09/news/ontario-may-create-student-inequality-mandatory-online-learning-report">substitute for the classroom and will devastate the many students who struggle face to face</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-doug-fords-e-learning-gamble-high-school-students-will-lose-122826">In Doug Ford's e-learning gamble, high school students will lose</a>
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<p>An Ontario ministry spokesperson said this past spring, “<a href="https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/lots-of-questions-around-elearning-in-high-school">school boards will also provide accommodations for students with special education needs, as required, to access the curriculum</a>.” But with no details on how this will happen, particularly in schools that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/fewer-teachers-thunder-bay-high-schools-1.5360043">have lost staff due to cuts</a>, not to mention <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-education-programs-funding-cuts-1.4948200">cuts to funding for specialized programs</a>, the province has yet to instil confidence that students with special needs have been considered in the online learning requirement.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305279/original/file-20191204-70174-1mp02d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The province has yet to instil confidence that the needs of all students have been considered in the online learning requirement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Ministry of Education defines students <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/os/onschools_2017e.pdf">with special education needs</a> as including “all those … who are receiving special education programs and services” to meet exceptional learning needs. These include <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/os/2017/spec_ed_2.html#categories">five categories defined by the Education Act</a>: behavioural, communicative (such as autism spectrum disorders, hearing loss or learning disabilities), intellectual (such as giftedness or developmental disability), physical (such as low vision) and multiple exceptionalities.</p>
<p>As a researcher who has studied <a href="http://www.canadianaudiologist.ca/issue/volume-5-issue-3-2018/column/in-the-classrooms/">accessibility for students with hearing loss</a>, and <a href="http://canadianaudiologist.ca/getting-students-ready-for-back-to-school-the-college-and-university-edition/">post secondary accommodations for students with hearing loss</a>, I am concerned that mandatory online learning could create significant obstacles for students with disabilities. </p>
<p>All high school students should be able to take advantage of online learning. But requiring online credits has the potential to place a high hurdle between some students and graduation.</p>
<h2>Potential barriers</h2>
<p>Online learning is <a href="https://www.tonybates.ca/2017/11/11/why-does-canada-have-so-much-online-learning/">increasingly popular</a>; it offers flexibility that is not always available for face-to-face courses. However, <a href="https://miamioh.edu/regionals/academics/elearning/ecampus-faculty-staff/eccoe-news/2019/01/differences-between-f2f-and-online.html">taking a course online is not the same as taking a course in person</a>. </p>
<p>Research suggests that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.03.002">four skills are required for successful online learning</a>: reading and writing, independent learning, motivation and computer literacy. Many students with special needs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0040059914528105">struggle with one or more of these</a>. For example, students with learning disabilities who have difficulty with writing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2006.08.010">may struggle in an online learning course where they are required to communicate exclusively in writing</a>. </p>
<p>Teachers in a regular classroom can spot struggling or disengaged students. A confused student can ask the teacher or a classmate, or obtain additional help at lunch or before school. None of these are available in the same way in online learning.</p>
<p>The burden is on the student to contact the teacher for help. Students with special needs who do not have <a href="https://www.ldatschool.ca/self-determination-and-self-advocacy/">excellent self-advocacy skills</a> or who are not already confident in navigating their educational challenges or exceptionalities will be at significant risk of quietly falling through the cracks.</p>
<p>In addition, students with special needs may already be <a href="https://disabilitycreditcanada.com/bullying-kids-teens-with-disabilities/">at risk for bullying</a>. When everyone in the class is online, could this increase social isolation and create more opportunities for online bullying?</p>
<h2>Extra time, thought, money</h2>
<p>What is good practice for online learning may actually create barriers for students with special needs. Consider an <a href="https://www.d2l.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Online-teaching-best-practices-fin.pdf">often-recommended strategy</a>, having the instructor create a short narrated PowerPoint or video lesson.</p>
<p>This is easy enough to do with today’s technology — turn on your laptop, pull up a PowerPoint, press record and talk for 10 minutes. This could be a nice strategy to complement the textbook and personalize the course.</p>
<p>However, what about a student who is deaf or hard of hearing who needs this video captioned or interpreted into sign language? Captioning requires <a href="http://www.canadianaudiologist.ca/issue/volume-6-issue-1-2019/column/in-the-classrooms/">technology and skills</a> that few teachers have.</p>
<p>What about a student who is blind or has low vision who cannot access the text because text-to-speech screen readers do not work with video, or the student with an anxiety disorder who, unable to play the PowerPoint because of technical issues, and feels further stress and anxiety?</p>
<p>What about the student with ADHD who has difficulty maintaining focus or processing information or the student with a sports-related concussion who is required to limit screen time?</p>
<p><a href="https://elearningindustry.com/designing-accessible-elearning-6-tips">These are not insurmountable problems</a>, but do take extra thought, time and, often, money. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305203/original/file-20191204-70116-k32wqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What’s typically good practice for online learning may actually create barriers for students with disabilities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Increased time, inadequate training</h2>
<p>In their <a href="https://www.tonybates.ca/2018/12/20/summary-of-the-2018-survey-of-online-learning-in-canadian-colleges-and-universities/">2018 survey of online learning in post-secondary education</a>, the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association reported the main barriers to teaching adult learners online were increased time required by instructors, and inadequate instructor training and support.</p>
<p>There’s no reason to date to think that Ontario has a plan, or has allocated resources, for added demands of teaching online learning. Will staff teaching online courses be provided with extra training and professional development to ensure the online course meets all students’ needs? </p>
<p>Accommodations or supports that are listed on a student’s <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/individu.html">Individual Education Plan</a> may not work online, or may be difficult to implement. For example, captioning requires skills and resources that the teacher is unlikely to have. Some current accommodations that a student may have, like preferential seating, are not relevant in an online course. </p>
<p>In high schools, a designated Learning Resource Teacher (LRT) provides support for students with special needs. Will this teacher be responsible for online accommodations as well, and, if so, what training and support will they have? How many of these high school specialists will be among those potentially affected by layoff notices, like <a href="https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/school-boards-factor-ford-government-cuts-into-layoff-notices">staff working with students with special needs in the Stratford area</a>?</p>
<p>Ontarians need to feel confident that if high school students will be required to pass online learning courses, everyone has a level playing field. Right now, students with special needs, their families and their teachers have a lot of questions and no real answers.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pam Millett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ontario high school labour negotiations broke down over student quality of learning — including mandatory e-learning. Ontario has yet to explain how this will work for students with special needs.Pam Millett, Associate professor, Faculty of Education, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1073842018-12-12T13:41:58Z2018-12-12T13:41:58ZTeachers don’t understand the depth of dyslexia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250205/original/file-20181212-76962-18ak5j0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Helping - but is it enough?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-male-elementary-school-pupil-problem-485303140?src=g471WUm5QTzAYEhHiD7B6A-1-9">SpeedKingz/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that most of us know for causing problems with writing, reading and spelling. But it is more than this, and can affect people in many different ways. </p>
<p>It is <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11881-003-0001-9.pdf">generally accepted</a> that underlying neurological aspects, such as slight differences in brain structure, can change the way that dyslexic people process information, and this affects the behaviour they might display. <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/symptoms/">In addition to literacy difficulties</a>, people with dyslexia may also have trouble expressing themselves, even though they are very knowledgeable about a topic. People with dyslexia also have <a href="http://madebydyslexia.org/">many strengths</a>, such as being able to visualise things differently, thinking outside of the box and being creative. </p>
<p>School is often the place where dyslexia is first discovered, however, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/dys.1593">my recent survey</a> found that the majority of teachers in England and Wales describe dyslexia as a problem with literacy – and don’t understand the biological and cognitive aspects.</p>
<p>For the study, I asked 2,600 primary and secondary school classroom teachers in England and Wales to provide a description of dyslexia. The majority of teachers (79.5%) described dyslexia at the behavioural level. They mentioned the outward symptoms of dyslexia, mainly issues with reading, writing, and spelling.</p>
<p>Only 39.3% of the teachers in the survey described the cognitive aspects associated with dyslexia. They talked of things like phonological processing differences – the cognitive ability to identify sounds in words, for example, breaking down “cat” to “c”, “a” and “t” – as well as issues with decoding, and memory problems. Finally, 9% described the condition’s biological aspects. These teachers described dyslexia in relation to the brain, as well as neurological differences, or genetics being the cause of the dyslexic symptoms. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250207/original/file-20181212-76989-12qxjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Learning to write.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/learn-write-208531888?src=WGKlbxTBxa2Bb0hSKiU_gQ-1-9">Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Together these results reveal that most teachers have a stereotypical understanding of dyslexia, focusing more on the behaviour they see. But while teachers certainly need to update their own understanding of the condition, and play a better part in changing the way dyslexic children are taught, it is not down to them alone. My research also found that there is a problem with the way in which teachers themselves are taught about dyslexia. </p>
<p>During the survey, the teachers were asked, in their opinion, how well dyslexia was covered on their teacher training programme. A large majority (71.8%) said it was “not covered well at all”. This lack of training could help to explain why teachers tend to only understand dyslexia based on how it impacts students at the behavioural level. </p>
<p>Research suggests <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/340/6130/300">between 4% and 20% of the population have dyslexia</a>. As the average primary school class consists of 27 students, and the average secondary school class is <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/552342/SFR20_2016_Main_Text.pdf">20 students</a>, it can be estimated that teachers will have between one and five dyslexic students in each class. This is a significant proportion and in order for teachers to be able to properly help each dyslexic pupil, it is vital that they understand the condition at more than just a behavioural level. </p>
<p>Effective interventions have been found to help those showing dyslexic symptoms. A large body of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4538781/">research</a> links dyslexia with a phonological processing difficulty. A 2009 report commissioned by the UK government concluded that prioritising phonological skills <a href="http://www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/media/downloads/inline/the-rose-report.1294933674.pdf">is an effective</a> way to teach children with dyslexia how to read. So it is now <a href="http://www.4d.org.nz/school/dyslexia_intervention_research.pdf">recommended</a> that teachers use phonic-based reading approaches with all students, to best help those who might struggle with literacy. And as the children grow older, teachers must provide work in different learning styles to help pupils that process information in different ways.</p>
<p>To ensure school children with dyslexia are getting the help they need, teacher training needs an overhaul. Educators need to know about all the different aspects of the condition, and have access to good quality, evidence‐based training too. Only with up-to-date knowledge of how to best help their students with dyslexia can they help them reach their full potential.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107384/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathryn Knight receives funding from ESRC.</span></em></p>Teachers’ understanding of dyslexia is mostly limited to behaviour, new survey finds.Cathryn Knight, Lecturer in Education, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.