For parents of young children with special needs, it can be difficult to find the right school program to help children learn and grow. One type of program not to ignore, however, is special education. Special education programs work with children with learning disabilities and those on the autism spectrum, among other conditions that can impact a child’s ability to learn.
All parents need to know three things about special education programs before choosing the one their children need. These facts include:
1. More children are being diagnosed with learning disabilities than ever before.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around one in 50 school-age children in the United States is diagnosed with autism. While that doesn’t mean that the prevalence is on the rise, it could signal that medical professionals have become better at spotting the symptoms of autism and diagnosing this condition, and the number of children diagnosed since the 1980s has increased dramatically. In addition to autism, more teachers today are taught to recognize children with learning disabilities in schools, so they can pick up on which children have the most trouble. These children can then be placed into special education programs for kids to get the attention they need in the classroom.
2. Special education programs offer custom solutions, not cookie-cutter learning.
The hallmark of a good special education program is that it will feature individualized instruction and creative solutions for learning. It takes the theory that all children learn differently and applies it to a special education setting to allow kids to learn at the pace they need.
3. Special education programs for kids give them a future as teens and adults.
It’s true what people say about early education: it really does set the stage for the rest of a child’s academic career. The sooner that children enrolled in a special education program, the sooner they can begin discovering their strengths in academics. A good education can also ensure success for the future: within just two years of high school, fewer than half of all students on the autism spectrum have paying jobs — a lower rate than any other group of disabled individuals. A good education isn’t only beneficial academically — it can also give students the social skills they need to work and be independent.
Have more questions about the benefits of special education programs for kids, or want to enroll your child in a special needs school? Make sure to find teaching professionals in your area who are adept at working with special needs children of all types before making this decision. Remember, you’re not just making an impact on your child’s education — you’re also determining the path of that child’s life when you find the right special education program.
