Understanding the Needs of Exceptional Students When Assessing Appropriate Educational Schools and Programs
Understanding the Needs of Exceptional Students When Assessing Appropriate Educational Schools and Programs
By Dana Stahl, M.Ed., Educational Alternatives LLC
Reprinted from “Insights” The Newsletter of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, April/May 2015
Individual profiles provide essential information for educators. Interpreting these formal evaluations enables educators to build on the recommendations in the profiles to create effective teaching strategies for their students with learning issues. Using these profiles to supplement their own observations, educators can distinguish among various learning and behavior issues. They are thus better able to understand their students’ individual differences and design successful academic lessons. Educational consultants who also rely on understanding a student’s individual profile will deepen their skill set by acquiring a better appreciation of their client’s needs, thereby expanding their ability to secure appropriate educational placements for exceptional clients. By familiarizing themselves with specific learning issues, educational consultants will increase their realization of the academic, social, and emotional issues that exceptional students face, thus gaining an increased command of their client’s unique learning needs. Read more
The social/emotional component of learning disabled students when applying to colleges is often fraught with fear and apprehension beyond what their non-learning disabled peers experience. After all, the application process demands solid skills in executive functioning, organization, time management, processing speed, reading comprehension skills, written language skills, working memory and mature social judgment.