Children in special education have difficulties: it's time to rethink their education

Key points:

Relatively common diagnoses for which there is not enough conventional educational or behavioral support, such as autism and ADHDhave increased enough that they are now completely 15 percent of the school population has special educational needs.

This means that 7.5 million students – a record number – could not receive the support they need. In fact, one in five schools reported that they did not have enough staff for their existing special education programs in the fall of 2023. That is a serious problem.

Our children spend between 6 and 8 hours at school every weekday during the school year. Their classrooms are one of the most important sources of social, emotional, and intellectual support they have. However, many neurodiverse children and their parents continue to struggle, largely alone.

Esperanza School of technology It was founded, in part, because I didn't know any other way to make sure my own children with special needs had their needs met. In the more than 20 years that the school has been in operation, it has grown into something far beyond what I had originally imagined. It is a genuinely alternative and inclusive education model.

But most importantly, it is an example of what is possible when we are willing to radically rethink education and build a community around the needs of students.

We start from inclusion. Focusing inclusion is a way to ensure that the needs of all children are met, without ever compromising the quality of education or care offered to their neurotypical peers. Each child is as important as it is unique. Approaches we use, such as Universal Design for Learningembrace, rather than punish, diversity in learning styles and personality.

But teaching methods are only one part of meeting a student's unique needs. Any teacher knows that a child's educational experience is much richer and broader than the courses he or she takes. At school, children gain social skills, valuable relationships with peers and teachers, practical life skills, and the confidence they need to thrive.

For neurotypical students, most of these emotional, relational, and practical needs are met through normal daily classroom and after-school activities. But neurodiverse students often need more intentional support.

For example, HTS offers a variety of social and life skills classes. We can and should all do whatever it takes to ensure that every child feels empowered and capable upon graduation.

But a personalized and adaptive teaching and learning culture also requires significant resources and supports, which are often not available to public school teachers. Most public educators are already overwhelmed and lack support. A highly individualized teaching method would demand more than it could offer.

However, neurodiverse students can still succeed in these environments. You don't necessarily need an alternative school; you just need to rethink how you engage your students in the school you already have.

Enlist parents of your neurodiverse students to support personalized educational resources at home. Encourage them to create educational and social support groups outside of the classroom whenever possible. Develop relationships with them and their families. Set up meet and greets with them before the school year.

Whenever you have the opportunity to insert a little adaptability, empathy, and personal connection into your students' educational experience, do it. Each of these small victories is a monumental victory for each of them, and their aggregate effect can make all the difference.

If the children in your classroom have special needs, never give up. Are never only. Their education is one of the greatest gifts you can give them, as is your advocacy.