The Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs program is a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum for early childhood. The program is aligned with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and the national standards of state early learning guidelines.
if a child has special needs, the best thing for them is to be around their peers. That way, they get to play and interact with other children, which helps them learn and improve their social skills. However, this can be difficult if you don’t know how to support the child in your care with their needs.
The secret to helping preschoolers with special needs is supporting them with their education while also giving them the opportunity to integrate with their peers. This will give them a sense of belonging and help them feel confident in themselves.
Preschool is an important time for the development of children with special needs. The curriculum gives your child the tools he or she will need to succeed in school and throughout life. Children who are three to five years old are developing socially, emotionally, and intellectually at a rapid pace. Your child will benefit from a curriculum that addresses each of these areas.
Children with special needs may have developmental delays or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn and function independently. These children may have special health care needs, limited attention spans, or trouble controlling their emotions. They might have difficulty communicating or have behavioral issues such as aggression, self-injury, or elopement (running away). Some children with special needs might need help with dressing, eating, using the bathroom, or moving around.
Because of these challenges, many children with special needs require more individualized attention from caregivers than other children their age. Fortunately, there are many strategies that teachers can use to provide this support in a way that helps preschoolers learn new skills at their own pace.
The book is organized according to the skills that children typically develop in the preschool years—skills such as language, gross motor, and fine motor development. It offers strategies for promoting these skills in young children with special needs. You will also find tips for collaborating with parents and other professionals to help young children reach their full potential.
Children with special needs can benefit from visual support. This includes pictures and objects that represent concepts being taught. For example, if you want to teach the concept of “happy,” show your students a picture of someone smiling and give them an object, such as a toy or stuffed animal, that they associate with happiness. In addition to using visual cues while teaching your lessons, you can also hang up posters on the walls of your classroom that show a variety of words and concepts so students can reference them whenever they need to as they go about their day.
This book is a guide for early childhood educators who work with preschoolers with special needs. It focuses on the social, emotional, and behavioral development of these children and on how teachers can help them become more independent.
The authors of this book have extensive experience working in early childhood education and working with children who have disabilities. This guide is full of practical information about what to expect from different types of disabilities, how to handle challenging behaviors, and how to help young students make friends and learn to care for themselves. The book offers real-life examples throughout the text.
Preschoolers with special needs face unique challenges that educators, parents, and therapists must understand in order to effectively foster learning. While many of these students benefit from the same learning environment and strategies as their typically-developing classmates, some require modifications that allow them to thrive in the classroom.
Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs takes a look at developmental milestones, common disorders and disabilities among preschoolers, the role of technology in the classroom, and strategies for fostering a positive learning environment.