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Video Case Response 1
Amber Lachniet
Liberty University
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If you had to struggle to communicate your basic needs, how do you think it would
affect your behavior?
Not being able to communicate my needs would be very frustrating. This is
something that I think I take for granted on a daily basis. It is so easy to say I am hungry
or where is the bathroom, but for students with disabilities, expressing themselves might
not be as simple. I kind of imagine it as going to a different country and not knowing any
words in that language. It would be so hard to navigate or do anything really without
knowing the basic words of that language. However, that is when a common
communication needs to be found. For children with disabilities, communication might
not be through speech. It could be through sign language, writing, or even pictures. I
think it is so vital to find out which type of communication is going to work best for that
child; otherwise, the child will never be able to express even the most basic needs.
If a child can’t communicate his or her needs I imagine it would lead to anger. It is so
easy to get frustrated when you have to keep repeating yourself because somebody
couldn’t hear or understand you. Without finding a way for the child to properly
communicate, the child will always have that feeling. Over time I imagine it would just
lead to the feeling of hopelessness and eventually depression.
What are some of the supports that have been put into place for Tyler’s success in
kindergarten? List at least 3 different supports and how effective you think they are
for Tyler’s success.
Tylers’ learning support teacher, Whitney Mead, has found a couple strategies to
help Tyler succeed in kindergarten. Something that Tyler really seemed to like was the
picture exchange communication system. This system helps children associate a picture
with an item, so if Tyler gives Whitney a picture of a crayon, then Whitney would give
Tyler the crown. Tyler enjoyed this system and Whitney was also able to use the system
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to incorporate speech as well. Whitney would instruct Tyler to say “I want” and then the
word for whichever item he wants.
Another strategy that Whitney uses for Tyler is sign language. The sign language
gives Tyler a visual to go along with what she is saying. Although it didn’t appear that
Tyler was using sign language to communicate to her, it did seem to help him understand
when Whitney used it to communicate with him.
The last strategy that I noticed Whitney using was simplifying things. In the video
they said it was very important to not give the child too much at one time. When it comes
to instructions, Whitney would give him one step at a time. Furthermore, when teaching
Tyler the calendar, Whitney made it very simply rather than flashy and overwhelming.
Now consider the biblical approach to special education to inform your thoughts on
this topic. Consider a passage of Scripture to support the fruits of the spirit that
would guide your actions as Tyler’s teacher.
Scripture tells us to walk in the Spirit and not in flesh. Galatians 5:22-23 says,
“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Holman Christian Standard
Bible). I think it would be especially important to walk in the fruits of the Spirit as a
special education teacher. Working with students with disabilities is a lot of work and I
would imagine very tough on the body and mind. It would require a lot of self-control in
order to not get frustrated with the child. The job would require so much love and
kindness to be given to those children. Probably most significantly, the job would require
patience. It takes so much time planning lessons and persistency with the lesson for the
child to understand the concept. However, I believe that being a special education teacher
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References
Holy Bible, red-letter edition: Holman Christian Standard Bible. (2004). Nashville:
Holman Bible.
would also be bountiful in blessings. Children with special needs are so loving and can
bring so much joy to a person. So even though teaching special education would be hard
work, I imagine the joy that you would receive from it would make it all worthwhile.
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