Describe the special educational needs of the child and outline the role of the multidisciplinary team: Special Need Assistance Case Study, OC, Ireland

TASK 1

Describe the special educational needs of the child and outline the role of the multidisciplinary team.

Special educational needs of the child – Robert arises when a child has learning difficulties and cannot comprehend the elements of the learning process as compared to the other children in the class without special educational needs. This implies that a child suffering from ADHD, anxiety, anorexia, aphasia, dyslexia, autism, auditory processing disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, etc., and other behavioral difficulties, might need additional care and attention in order to enhance the holistic growth and development of a child. It implies that students with special educational needs are actively included in school activities and mainstream education without being discriminated against based on any grounds.

A special need assistant is a crucial part of the life of a child with special educational needs since they help them feel included in mainstream schooling and enable the students to have the same experience as all the other students or peers within a development environment. Similarly, a special need assistant also makes sure that all the educational needs of the child are fulfilled.

In the current case, Robert is a nine-year-old who has special educational needs due to his difficulties in expressing and understanding speech. He also has a poor ability to read and write. He has been diagnosed with ADHD. Currently, Robert stays with his mother and father. They have reported that Robert is a very quiet kid. He spoke very little in his early years and used to spend much time alone. Robert now attends a speech and language unit outside of school and has been assigned an SNA to support him within his mainstream school, where his in-class behavior was causing concern.

A multidisciplinary team can be of great help since it facilitates organizing and coordinating the health and care services that Robert with special education needs due to ADHD must have in their regime. Moreover, a multidisciplinary team helps in having all-encompassing feedback and offers a different perspective on the case of ADHD and its treatment. According to the study by Hero and Lindfors (2019), students understand things better when there is a multidisciplinary approach to education. The study also shows that a multidisciplinary approach helps students with special education needs with their content knowledge, future orientation, social skills, crafting skills, creativity, and so on.

The multi-disciplinary team involves teachers with varied skills having the right specialties to identify and meet the needs of students with ADHD. ADHD requires a multi-disciplinary team having members who are empathetic and have experience in dealing with kids like Robert. Therapists, pediatricians, psychologists, physicians, art teachers, and environmental teachers who have dealt with such children before can help Robert to understand his surrounding, know what is best for his physical and mental health, and help him increase his focus on learning by increasing his curiosity over art and surroundings.

Hero and Lindfors explain that the need for education for ADHD children is their need for adaptability. Robert will grow up someday and will have to be able to take care of multiple things which today, his parents are taking care of. This requires his consciousness to adapt and know what is required for him to remain healthy and safe. Education is important for Robert in order to keep him ready for a challenging life if someday it arises for him. It is important for the parents and the multi-disciplinary team to inculcate values within Robert so that he is aware of the difference between right and wrong as well.

TASK 2

For this child, identify sources of ‘challenging behavior.’ Suggest a range of behavior management techniques and their suitability to the child.

Robert is a nine-year-old who has special educational needs due to his difficulties in expressing and understanding speech. He also has a poor ability to read and write. He has been diagnosed with ADHD. Currently, Robert stays with his mother and father. They have reported that Robert is a very quiet kid. He spoke very little in his early years and used to spend much time alone.  Robert now attends a speech and language unit outside of school and has been assigned an SNA to support him within his mainstream school, where his in-class behavior was causing concern.

It is fairly common that Robert will come up repeatedly to the Teacher or SNA and say he cannot do his work. Whenever he is asked to read something on his own he says, “I can’t read.” However, when he is encouraged by the beginning of the paragraph or words being read aloud for him. After that, he can manage well. In writing, Robert often cannot recall many words, but he has been taught the strategy where he writes the words he knows and leaves the rest for the teacher to finish. That helps him complete the task without being unproductive and sitting idly till the teacher comes and helps him with his task.

Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder is a chronic condition that affects both children as well as adults. It is a persistent problem that causes a lack of sustainability in terms of attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior, among other challenges. Many children with ADHD struggle with their mental health which deteriorates due to low self-confidence, low self-esteem, poor educational and academic performance, problematic relationships, and so on. Moreover, kids with ADHD tend to get angry much more quickly and start throwing tantrums.

Some of the key challenges of Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder include impulsiveness, disorganization, lack of prioritization, poor time management, tendencies of procrastination, lack of focus, cannot multitask, excessive restlessness, excessive frustration, and so on (Mechler et al. 2021)

A child with special educational needs can have different intensities of the difficulties that they face in processing the learnings and teachings at school or any other educational institution. This has been classified into two main types, namely: (1.) High incidence special needs and (2.) Low-incidence special needs, which have been briefly discussed below: