Special Education in the 21st century
As the name suggests, it is a specialised branch of education that deals with those students who have physical, cognitive, language, learning, sensory, and/or emotional abilities that deviate from those of the general population. Educators, trained and certified in special education, provide instructions that are particularly custom made to fit the needs of the individuals and thus making the education available to students who would have, otherwise, limited access to education. In the year 2001, special education started to spread in the United States and started serving over five million students. Children with disabilities and special needs have been present in the past, in every era and society. Records from the past have consistently documented the most severe disabilities, which go beyond task and setting. Reports of unusual behaviour from the 19th century describe conditions that could have well been interpreted as severe mental retardation, autism, or schizophrenia.
Special Education is constantly evolving
It's no secret that education is a constantly evolving process and after many years of research and thorough study in the arena, special education has came a long way and now offers services to students with varying degrees and types of disabilities. This includes mental retardation, emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, communication or speech based disabilities, deafness or hearing impairments, blindness or low vision, autism, traumatic brain injury, other forms of health impairments and severe/ multiple disabilities. Trends in special education has seen much changes as a result of further studies and researches and aids in fostering a better learning environment. The current trends include the effective use of technologies to help struggling students alongsidetaking advantage of current research to help dyslexic or struggling readers. As this is a learner centred way of education, more focus is being put into using various physical activities and combining technology along with it. Students have been seen to perform better under the trained supervision of a special educator, who not only prepares lessons and resources, but also play a major role in developing and adapting the conventional teaching methods to meet the individual needs of the students.
Certified and trained SEN teachers and special educators are in demand
As more and more people are becoming aware about special education needs and teachers in the 21st century, the more is a rise in the demand for certified and trained SEN teachers and special educators. Certified and trained teachers, who go through SEN teacher training or special education teacher training, are well acquainted with the required competency and methodologies that are necessary in the skilful handling of a student with special needs. It helps the aspiring teachers to understand the various needs of an individual and to guide them towards a better future. Special education is a quite diverse field and so, pursuing a course in this field not only restricts a person to the post of a teacher. Anyone with an entrepreneurial mind willing to open a day-care centre, or work as a caregiver, be an assistant SEN teacher etc. may pursue a course in Special Needs Teacher Training and shine in the said arena. This is why special education is so important and its significance will rise with each passing day.
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