Today is "Must Have" Monday and I thought I would highlight some things that I think are "must haves" for the special education class.
"Children with Disabilities: Reading and Writing the Four-Blocks Way" is an awesome book for teachers that have children with disabilities in the regular classroom. If you have a child with severe disabilities in your class, this book is for you. It offers real ideas for Working with Words, Guided Reading, Writing and Self-Selected Reading.
Velcro. I swear I need to buy this by the truck load. I use Velcro to keep interactive pieces in place in my math and literacy work stations.
Loop Scissors are a must for children with poor fine motor skills or a weak grasp. They work right or left handed and children can use all their fingers to help.
Adapted toys and switches are important for children with very little fine motor control. The switch can be placed anywhere (by a foot, a knee, the child's head) and pushing it makes the toy work. Children with severe disabilities often can't "play" with much independently. Toys like the one above give them a sense of control over their environment.
Since adapted toys can be quite expensive, we often use one of the adapters pictured below. You put the little circle piece in between the battery and connector of any motorized toy, and plug a switch like the blue one pictured, into the other end. Instant switch toy. You can move the connector to any toy you want.
I hope I've given you a few ideas for the special education class.
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