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Adec hosts special education workshop

Special education teachers and school leaders across public schools now have specific policies and procedures regarding special needs students, following a workshop hosted by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to help integrate special needs students into a healthy school environment.

Based on the current combined data, approximately 4,700 special education students across the emirate require specific intervention, including those with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, behaviour disorders, speech and language disorders, physical and health related disabilities, visual and hearing impairment, and students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Transitioning students are diagnosed with disabilities such as, ASD, hearing impairment, learning difficulties, Down Syndrome, and physical disabilities.

At the recently held Special Education workshop for 130 special needs teachers in Abu Dhabi, titled ‘Strategies for working with Speech and Language Disorders’, teachers were taught various techniques on how to work with speech and language disorders, touching upon disorders such as articulation, language fluency and hearing impairment.

Teachers from across Al Ain and the Western Region are due to receive the same training by the end of the week.

“The Adec regional support team, through its central office, has brought together our special needs teachers to be given information on best practices in managing students with speech and language disorders,” said Adam Hughes, Education Special Programmes manager at Adec.

“Teachers will be able to take back to their schools, knowledge and more experience. The training offers Individual Education Programme development, internal systems and procedures for identifying students with special needs,” he added.

Following the training, school leaders from across Adec’s 268 public schools will be offered training opportunities to better understand their roles and functions regarding special education in accordance with the implementation of Adec’s new policy and procedure handbook. The handbook offers training modules on how to enhance integration methods for special needs students.

“This will be considered the biggest training for our special needs sector to date. This training will help to strengthen the way in which schools can identify and respond to the needs of their diverse student population. Schools will also gain a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities required to accommodate and support students with special educational needs,” said Hughes.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com