Instructions
Identifying exceptional learning needs typically involves the work of a reading specialist. This person conducts evaluations on children to determine any special needs they may have. For this assignment, interview a reading specialist to help you better understand what they do and what an early childhood teacher does to serve children with special needs. If the class you are observing is in a public school, there should be someone in this role on staff. If the class you are observing is a preschool, military, or private school, they may contract with an outside agency for screening children with possible special needs. Talk to the classroom teacher to find out how to connect with this person.
Your interview will have two sections. In the first part, you will ask general questions about the overall support of children with special needs. In the second part of the interview, you will narrow your focus to a specific category of disability—in this case, dyslexia.
Use the interview outline below as a starting place and add any other questions you think are important.
If you like, you can share these questions with the reading specialist before the interview so they know what to expect. Then, submit in the assignment area a report of the interview, including answers to the questions listed below, along with your brief analysis of the responses.
Your paper should be 4–5 pages long. Support your statements with APA citations from the course resources and other readings, along with your interview.
Interview Outline
General Questions
These questions look at the overall considerations and practices that support children with special needs.
- Pre-evaluation.
- What should a teacher look for, and what would be a red flag warning that a child may have a special need?
- What information would be required from the teacher if an evaluation was necessary?
- Evaluation.
- What tools would you use to evaluate a child? When and why would you use them?
- Post-evaluation.
- What information is included in the final evaluation report?
- How is the report used to plan appropriate learning activities for a child?
Specific Disability Questions
Now that you have addressed some general guidelines and practices, ask some questions related to the specific disability of dyslexia. You may also choose to explore an additional disability if you are interested. In this case, model your questions on the ones given here for dyslexia.
- Understanding dyslexia:
- What are the symptoms and characteristics of dyslexia?
- What would you say are some of the main unsupported beliefs and claims about dyslexia?
- Resources and services for students with dyslexia:
- What resources are in place and available for students who show characteristics of dyslexia?
- Are there specific evidence-based interventions or instructional strategies for students who show characteristics of dyslexia? Would the interventions change if you simply assessed the child’s reading skill deficit and provided more of a structured literacy approach to instruction?
- What are some provisions of federal and state laws that pertain to learning disabilities, including dyslexia?
"96% of our customers have reported a 90% and above score. You might want to place an order with us."
