Gender and Special Education

There is a myth that boys have more incidence of disability than girls, but the issue is more complicated than that. While statistics prove this idea to be true, the statistics may be missing some key information. These stats only show students that have been identified with a disability, not those who have gone mis- or undiagnosed. Boys are more likely to have autism than girls, but this is a large problem for girls and boys and special education. Girls may be severely underrepresented in special education, but boys are also overrepresented in the category.

There are many resources online that deal with this issue directly. The first article deals with how to effectively teach girls in special education, and how boys and girls are different, in terms of how their disability is displayed, and how much research (or lack thereof) we have on girls with disabilities. The second resource is a short, but incredibly informative study, deals with issues of culture, violence, abuse, and how these issues play into gender and special education. For each issue they bring up, they give resources, and promising programs and strategies to use.

Race and Special Education

It is not secret that minorities are severely overrepresented in many special education categories, and despite what a recent study may say, this remains to be true. After the release of this study, the issue of over and underrepresentation in special education has become a hotly contested issue. Many, if not most articles, have come to the defense of the overrepresentation side, however, like articles from The Atlantic and the Huffington Post.

The Atlantic article points out many issues with the underrepresentation study, and the Huffington Post article includes a very informative video featuring Denise Marshall, the Executive Director for the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Daniel Losen, the Director for the Center of Civil Rights Remedies at CRP at UCLA, and Donna Ford, a Professor of Education and Human Development and Vanderbilt, all discussing the issue of overrepresentation, why it's still happening, and possible policy changes.

Religion and Spirituality in Special Education

While not a general education subject, religion and spirituality is a large part of many people's lives, and associates with quality-of-life outcomes. With this in mind, it is important that students with disabilities learn about religion and spirituality. Like health and sex ed, this topic can raise controversy and be somewhat taboo, but there are ways to integrate religion into the curriculum. These articles discuss how an educator can weave religious texts into other lessons and how religion and spirituality are linked to overarching goals in the IEP, respectively.

Language Barriers and ELL in Special Education

Language and English Language Learners, or ELL, play a large part in the education of students with disabilities. There are often issues with instructing ELL students who are also in special education. This is a very detailed and helpful article on various strategies and interventions that can be used with ELL students with disabilities.

For special education students who are in the ELL classroom, there is an entire other issue. There are many cultural factors at play, and often, the trouble is attributed to cognitive difficulty rather than issues with language acquisition. This link is also very helpful with introducing strategies and support in these classrooms.

For purposes of being an informed teacher, this article details why ELL students are often misidentified as having special needs. I somewhat mentioned the main reason last paragraph, and it's that there is a misattribution of ability, and that the learning difficulty is believed to be caused by a cognitive deficit as opposed to a the difficulty they're having trying to learn a new language.

All three of these articles come from Colorín Colorado, a website with resources, data, activities, and information for parents and educators of ELL students.

Art in Special Education

The following link goes to the main webpage for an organization called the Special Needs in Art Education (SNAE). On the homepage, there is a link to their private Facebook group, where you can converse with other members and special education art teachers. If you don;t have Facebook, there are still plenty of resources, though! There are art education conventions you can attend, two books you can purchase through Amazon concerning autism and other disabilities and art, and through their Links & Resources page, there are dozens of publications, references, and  organizations you can contact to help you out.

Music Therapy for Students with Disabilities

This link includes various resources for using music therapy for students with all different types of disabilities. This web site and program, Coast Music Therapy, includes information of how music therapy helps students with autism and other disabilities, and offers many other programs and clinics. However, there are a number of free resources on the site, from activities to detailed articles explaining ho to use music therapy. There are even links on Adapted Music Education and Holiday and Seasonal Music activities.

5 Reasons Why Music Helps Kids With Special Needs

This simple infographic, from The Rhythm Tree, found on Friendship Circle, details how music helps students with disabilities learn. There are many advantages to including music in your lessons, and sometimes you can base lessons entirely around music and yield great results!

To make this image larger, simply right click the image and press "Open Image in New Tab," where you can then zoom in on it.