09/29/2010 11:27 AM - General
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Special
Class for Mild General Learning Difficulties in St Catherines National School - Information submitted by school
What is a Special Class
If a school
is allowed to run a Special Class it means that the school is entitled to an
extra teacher to address the learning needs of the children assigned to the
particular class. There are Special Classes for children with Autism children
with Multiple Disabilities children with Speech and Language Disorders etc.
Our schools Special Class is for children with Mild General Learning
Difficulties.
What
does Mild General Learning Difficulties Mean?
A child who is assessed by a
psychologist as having Mild General Learning Difficulties (MGLD) is a child
whose learning across the board is
lagging behind others of his age as opposed to a child who for example is
doing well in other subjects but has a particular difficulty with learning to
read (dyslexia) or doing maths (dyscalculia). For a child to be assessed as
having MGLD his / her IQ should fall into the 50-70 band. Over 70 is regarded
as Borderline. The average IQ is considered to be 100. Children with MGLD
can of course also have other difficulties such as problems with attention /
concentration visual or hearing disability speech and language disorder etc.
How Does the Special Class Operate?
Our belief is that children with Mild
General Learning Difficulties do best in a situation in which they can spend a
significant portion of the school day with their mainstream peers but where
they also have access to a dedicated teacher who will (a) work with them on a
one-to-one basis or in small groups for intensive tuition in the vital areas
of literacy and numeracy and (b) plan alongside the mainstream teachers to
enable the child to benefit from mainstream lessons in other subjects such as
Art History / Geography / Science Music Social Personal and Health
Education. In our school there is a specific room for the Special Class but
the children also have a place in the mainstream classroom alongside children
of their own age.
How would being in a Special Class be
advantageous for my child?
If your child has been assessed as
having MGLD and is enrolled in a mainstream school with no Special Class he /
she will have no entitlement to any dedicated resource teaching unless another
syndrome such as Autism or Emotional/Behavioural Disorder has also been
diagnosed. The school may arrange for the child to receive help from the Learning
Support Teacher but the amount of help and the form it will take is at the
schools discretion and will depend on the schools priorities and the
perceived needs of other pupils. A Special Class placement means that there is
a specific teacher with overall responsibility for your child. In addition the
child will be exempt from learning Irish.
How many children are in a Special
Class?
The Department of Education considers
that there should be between 9 and 11 children in a class designated for Mild
General Learning Difficulties. Currently we have 6 Special Class pupils so we
have a few vacancies.
If a child is enrolled in a Special
Class will s/he always remain in it?
This very much depends on ongoing
assessment. While generally speaking IQ does not vary hugely with age there
are some children whose later assessments indicate that they are not in the
MGLD bracket. This may be because they were too immature for an accurate
assessment at an early age or because another difficulty (e.g. Attention
Deficit Disorder) has been diagnosed which explains a poor performance at the
earlier assessment. It is important to remember that the child is enrolled in
the class only with your consent which you can withdraw at any stage.
Is there a stigma attached to being in
the Special Class?
In our school the children seem to
accept that different children may require help in certain subject areas. Some
children attend the Learning Support Teacher others a part-time Resource
Teacher while others go to the Special Class Teacher. Comments or questions
about this are rare. Often the children who attend the extra teachers are
regarded as lucky because the one-to-one and small-group activities they
engage in are seen as being more fun and they have more adult attention.
Special Class children are included with
their mainstream peers for many lessons during the week for playtime and for
any activities such as field trips concerts religious services etc. They are
totally accepted as valued members of the class.
Will my child
learn to read and write?
Almost all MGLD children can be taught
to read and write at least to a basic level and many of them learn to read
fluently. Being in the Special Class gives them that extra bit of time and
teacher expertise that they may require. A child with MGLD can learn s/he just
may take a bit longer and need more teacher input.
Where do
Special Class children go on to Secondary School?
We try to arrange an assessment for
Special Class children in 6th Class so as to advise parents with
regard to secondary school placement. In some cases children from the Special
Class may be placed in a Special Secondary School in which they will have the
opportunity to do modified versions of the Junior and Leaving Cert and to
train for employment. Some Special Class pupils however go to ordinary
mainstream secondary schools and manage the curriculum and public exams with
some support from a Learning Support Teacher. (At least one former Special
Class pupil is now at college pursuing a degree.) In many cases a school which
can offer some practical subjects may be a better option than a school with an
exclusively academic curriculum.
