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I chose to explore different techniques used to reach Special Education students for teachers/school librarians because I am currently becoming aware of these learning disabilities with my own children. I am learning a great deal about EBD and other learning disabilities, so that I can engage in the conversations I am having with school officials and therapists of my children. This project took longer than I anticipated because I wanted helpful techniques that I believe teaching professions can use with my children, as well as other children like them. The technique of  clapping or beating out letter sounds has worked with my daughter and the use of calming techniques is helping my son self-correct his behavior. I have downloaded a few apps and websites for my children to work with to help with reading, spelling and comprehension, so this mini curation project was a labor of love. I hope the point of creating a list that includes different techniques to use in multiple curricular needs comes across. Overall, if it's technology, music, supplemental materials, and/or visual techniques, the point of encouraging deeper learning in Special Education students is present in all of these techniques I have mentioned. Padlet is great for this type of curation, but I had a difficult time grouping similar topics without the other tiles moving as well. One tile was super-imposed over another, but I've since been able to remove it. This is my first time using Padlet for an assignment.

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"Let's Talk!" Video help from a colleague

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"Let's Talk!" Video help from a colleague

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YouTube Video - Special Education, Teaching Strategies. (August 7, 2019)
by AwarenessModule.com

Watch this 11 minute video on how to use a Consecutive Task-Based System in your classroom. the lecturer suggests creating 5 tasks for students to complete that vary in type, are short, yet challenging to complete, promotes repetition for deeper learning, and/or meets an IEP goal. The outcome is learning what a student can do, while accessing their cognitive function and  getting rid of the extemporaneous information in general education that Special Education students have difficulties understanding.

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YouTube Video - Differentiated Writing Curriculum for the Entire Year. (January 18, 2016) by Autism Awareness

Teachers, this video will give a quick look into how to conduct a writing curriculum for your Special Education students who have Autism. Assignments range in difficulty and skill as the school year progresses.

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Differentiated Writing Curriculum for Students With Special Needs Product  Preview

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Lazar, M. It's a Snap! 4 Ways to Use Music with Special Needs Students. (September 2014). Retrieved from https://edutopia.org

Explore four ways to incorporate music therapy into curriculum. Special Education teachers can use music and visual cues, such as pictures, popular mainstream songs, and rhythm to help students with memorization, reading and understanding difficult lessons. However, it's important to reinforce non-musical dialogue to students learn when singing isn't appropriate. A fun video featuring rhythm and song is embedded as an example.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Grumbine, R & Brigham Alden, P. Teaching Science to Students with Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from https://nsta.org

Though science can be a difficult curriculum for some Special Education students to comprehend, this article discusses different teaching techniques that enhance the learning concepts for these students. Assessment of learning skills can be gained from reviewing varied test formats, oral presentations, role play of experiments, the use or graphic organizers, grade templates, and encourage varied forms of feedback throughout the year.

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National Science Teachers Association - NSTA

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Clare, J. Social and Emotional Apps for Special Ed. (November 2015). Retrieved from https://edutopia.org

Let's take a look at nine apps that can stimulate learning in students with special needs in an effort to build social and emotional learning, gain confidence, problem solve by using technology. Most of the apps featured are for younger students with apps that focus on understanding facial expressions and feelings, while the apps for middle and high school students center on mediation and developing meaningful relationships.

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Here are nine apps to help special ed students of all ages build emotional literacy, learn self-regulation, and focus on problem solving and task planning.

Photo credit: Jayne Clare

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, as these abilities do not come naturally for some special education students. Children in special ed settings need to have their confidence, courage, and emotional awareness nurtured in order to successfully play, work, cooperate, and be productive in their studies. We have all heard that technology can be a great playing-field leveler in a classroom with diverse learners. It can also assist in providing social and emotional skills. Let's face it -- the digital lifestyle is here to stay, so using digital technology to enhance SEL makes perfect sense.

However, I have yet to encounter research that focuses on the effectiveness of using apps designed solely to enhance the social and emotional health of children. Researchers and educators have only begun to closely investigate the impact of these technologies on SEL. For special ed teachers, that research can't come soon enough.

Young children acquire and utilize their initial social skills mostly in the context of play and shared activities. Through play, they form their first interpersonal interactions and develop important social skills related to empathy, cooperation, conflict resolution, and self-control, which will be used throughout life to maintain healthy relationships with others.

9 Skill-Building Apps

1. Breathe, Think, Do (Sesame Street) teaches children to keep calm and carry on by introducing three possible strategies for working through problems. It touches on familiar emotional challenges such as problem solving, self-control, planning, and time on task. Intended for very young children, this simple app gives players different scenarios in which the Blue Monster character needs to regulate his or her emotions using the breathe-think-do technique.

2. Touch and Learn -- Emotions (Innovative Mobile Apps) is chock full of wonderful photographs representing four different feelings per page. The child is prompted to match the verbal cue with the appropriate photo. This app focuses on helping kids read body language and understand emotions by looking at pictures and figuring out which person is expressing a given emotion.

3. Avokiddo Emotions provides opportunities for younger children to explore a wide range of feelings through several silly characters and a plethora of props. This app incorporates activities to help children understand the subtle cause and effect of facial expressions. The main idea is exposing young children to a variety of feelings and helping them grasp emotional connections with those feelings.

4. Emotionary (Funny Feelings) is designed to give a wide age range of kids the tools and skills to express themselves well in our world of emoticons. The app has become a popular resource for the special needs population. This collection of emotions and funny feelings now allows users to draw their own emotionary "selfie" to match how they are feeling.

5. GoNoodle is a wonderful web-based way to get younger kids out of their seats and moving. These short physical activities provide brain breaks that can help keep them focused throughout a long day. Studies have shown that physical activity increases blood flow, which increases concentration and attentiveness. This enhances students' ability to acquire and recall information. These activities make them cross the mid-line of the body, engaging both sides of the brain. GoNoodle provides teachers with fun, interactive ways to get kids moving and feeling good about themselves.

6. IF. . . The Emotional IQ Game (If You Can) promotes teamwork and collaboration, accentuating how to be in touch with our own feelings and the feelings of those around us. With this app, kids (recommended ages 9-11) learn to listen, make friends, and deal with bullying in an adventure story/game format. IF's motto: "Play Learn Grow: Succeed at school with friends in life!" This pretty much says it all.

7. The Middle School Confidential series is a powerhouse of SEL lessons by tween/teen expert Annie Fox. The book/app series for ages 8-14 is a graphic novel sequence focused on making stepping-stones out of stumbling blocks on the road to becoming a teenager. Readers follow the adventures of a group of seventh-grade friends trying to navigate the ever-changing drama of their friendships, families, and school. Excellent resource!

8. Stop, Breathe & Think (Tools for Peace) promotes mindfulness, meditation, and compassion for middle and high school students and adults. Research has shown that people can develop kindness and compassion by focusing on them through mindfulness and meditation practices. You can cultivate your frame of mind in a very short timespan with simple meditation.

9. I would be remiss if I didn't include the The Social Express in this collection of apps. Its quality content keeps students engaged and on the path to mastering healthy social and emotional skills. Research-based webisodes give kids the exposure necessary to develop meaningful relationships and become more socially competent in all realms of life. This program covers the gamut from preschool through high school with a robust SEL curriculum.

Several apps can be used in the classroom or at home to assist in reinforcing social and emotional learning while also helping kids cope with the pressures that we all face. These apps can help teachers and parents in addressing students with special needs, and many are also available in a web format.

The Puzzle of Tech Use

Most students with or without disabilities can and do benefit from SEL-focused technology in the classroom. Incorporating these tech tools should increase student incentive to learn through individualized lessons, especially when tailored to a student's specific needs. When done well, tech not only reinforces key SEL skills that children need to learn, but it can also drive student enthusiasm and promote self-assurance.

This topic may seem like an oxymoron since we want children to learn how to focus during "real time" and how to live with less tech. A wonderful TED Talk addressing this conundrum is Sherry Turkle's " Connected, but alone?"

Do you know of any digital SEL resources for special education students? Please tell us about them in the comments below.

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Here are nine apps to help special ed students of all ages build emotional literacy, learn self-regulation, and focus on problem solving and task planning. Photo credit: Jayne Clare Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, as these abilities do not come naturally for some special education students.

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Scholarly Article on Peer-Mediation Techniques 

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Scholarly Article on Peer-Mediation Techniques 

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Ryan, J. B., Reid, R., & Epstein, M. H. (2004). Peer-mediated intervention studies on academic achievement for students with EBD: A review. Remedial and Special Education, 25(6), 330-341.

This academic article will give teachers insight into studies conducted regarding Special Education students who have Emotional and Behavioral Disorder (EBD) and how peer-mediation can be beneficial to learning in the classroom.

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Waters, P. Inspiring Students with Special Needs through Filmmaking. (December 2016). Retrieved from https://edutopia.org

The integration of the arts into curriculum for Special Education students is a proven technique. Filmmaking is one such art form that is discussed in this blog. The completed project, not only resulted in interactive films, but overall resulted in increased executive function, such as meeting deadlines and completing tasks, increased student confidence, promoted  scaffolding of learned skilled, and evidence of peer feedback and collaboration among students.

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I have seen similar benefits in populations of students with neurological differences (autism spectrum, ADHD, Tourette's). While each student has a specific diagnosis, many need increased motivation, increased engagement and empowerment, and explicit scaffolding for social skills and executive functioning. The creative arts provide a multitude of opportunities to incorporate such scaffolding through collaboration and project-based learning.

Students on Set

Last year, Brave Little Company, with funding from Young Audiences of Houston, a theater troupe, brought puppets into my high school classroom. Brave Little Company provided artists and filmmaking support, while the school provided academic structure and a makerspace for producing props and puppets. The students incorporated their science-fiction unit in English with a hands-on creative building process and a foray into digital filmmaking. The end product, a 15-minute video written, filmed, and edited by students, was shown during the annual academic showcase to the entire school.

We began with teacher-artist planning. As the classroom teacher, I came up with a list of objectives based on each student's individual education plan, and translated those objectives into measurable actions in the classroom (e.g., student X participates in collaborative writing, student Y engages in the editing process). The artist designed each session's narrative flow, while I covered academic objectives, visuals, and support.

We (the artist, students, and teacher) collaborated through the first three stages: set design, character design, and the writing process.

We chose a dystopian, polluted setting-think something like WALL-E's home-which could be explored in the students' English, environmental science, and maker classes. It also immediately sparked student interest and engagement, which increases student learning and is especially essential for students with neurological differences.

Next, we began designing characters. We researched various characters from popular culture and fiction, researched puppets, and brainstormed with materials in the school's makerspace. We introduced a character-design sheet which used role-playing game tropes to help the students move from their ideas to fully realized fictional characters.

The Advantage of Working With Puppets

Working with puppets physically reminded the students to think about things from new perspectives, and provided context for social interactions and collaborations. Students improvised different scenes (such as "your character finds food") and emotions ("your character is angry") by themselves to become more and more familiar with their particular character. Eventually, they wrote and performed short, one-person scenes. Each scene was filmed, and the artist provided feedback.

Finally, the students engaged in an improv-esque collaborative writing process. They practiced improvisational conversation and techniques, especially the "yes, and . . ." concept, which helps the student practice engaging in conversation with another person on non-preferred topics through the safer point of view of their character. We had each student speak as their character and practiced accepting other actors' choices. Only then did they write duet scenes with a peer.

The investment in practice meant our students had proficiency in the specific writing skills they would employ, which lowered anxiety and increased creativity. This steady increase encouraged larger group writing sessions, as students suggested title credits, ending scenes, and soundtracks. Eventually, the students themselves led large-group writing collaborations, which ended up becoming the opening and closing scenes.

Lastly, we began filming. The artist collaborated with students to frame individual shots and backgrounds for their work. The students constructed their own green screen and commandeered a conference room to be their puppet studio. In each previous stage, our focus on student engagement, interest, and ownership manifested itself in a "director's cut" of the project. Our artist was to utilize his professional contacts to edit the final footage, but our students beat him to the punch.

The collaboration was a resounding success. In academics, we saw students engage in the complete writing process, especially in revising their work and incorporating their peers' feedback. Students increased their stamina, practiced collaboration, and published their work in both written and visual forms. Students strengthened their executive functioning skills by working toward a deadline, setting their own goals, and completing their work. The students' successes were a direct result of teacher/artist collaboration, student empowerment, and scaffolded instruction.

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Inspiring Students With Special Needs Through Filmmaking

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I have seen similar benefits in populations of students with neurological differences (autism spectrum, ADHD, Tourette's). While each student has a specific diagnosis, many need increased motivation, increased engagement and empowerment, and explicit scaffolding for social skills and executive functioning. The creative arts provide a multitude of opportunities to incorporate such scaffolding through collaboration and project-based learning.

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Watson, S. Special Education Teaching Strategy Lists for Classroom Success. (July 2019). Retrieved from https://thoughtco.com

Here are some tips for teachers/librarians to encourage the need to identify student's learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile). Meeting the needs of Special Education Students in a classroom environment, time management of assignments and transitions between assignments are also discussed, and links to articles are embedded relating to the topics listed above and behavioral issues.

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There are many practical strategies that are effective in the classroom. It is up to the classroom and special education teacher to ensure that appropriate strategies are being used to assist individual learning styles and allow all students with special needs to succeed. It is recommended that a multi-modal approach be used: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile for optimum success.

Classroom Environment

Provide the use of a study carrel when necessary.

Seat student in an area free from distractions.

Eliminate all unnecessary materials from the student's desk to reduce distractions.

Use a checklist to help the student get organized.

Keep an extra supply of pencils, pens, books, and paper in the classroom.

You may have to allow the student frequent breaks.

Have an agreed upon cue for the student to leave the classroom.

Reduce visual distractions in the classroom.

Time Management and Transitions

Space short work periods with breaks.

Provide additional time to complete assignment.

Allow extra time for homework completion.

Inform student with several reminders, several minutes apart, before changing from one activity to the next.

Reduce the amount of work from the usual assignment.

Provide a specific place for turning in assignments.

Presentation of Materials

Modify expectations based on students needs.

Break assignments into segments of shorter tasks.

Give alternative assignments rather than long written assignments.

Provide a model of the end product.

Provide written and verbal direction with visuals if possible.

Break long assignments into small sequential steps, monitoring each step.

Highlight to alert student attention to key points within the written direction of the assignment.

Check that all homework assignments are written correctly in some kind of an agenda/homework book. Sign it and have parents sign it as well.

Number and sequence steps in a task.

Provide outlines, study guides, copies of overhead notes.

Explain learning expectations to the student before beginning a lesson.

Make sure you have the students attention before beginning a lesson.

Allow for the student to use tape recorders, computers, calculators and dictation to obtain and retain assignment success.

Allow oral administration of test.

Limit the number of concepts presented at one time.

Provide incentives for beginning and completing material.

Assessment, Grading, and Testing

Provide a quiet setting for test taking, allow tests to be scribed if necessary and allowing for oral responses.

Exempt student from district-wide testing if possible.

Divide the test into small sections.

Grade spelling separately from content.

Allow as much time as needed to complete.

Avoid time test.

Change the percentage of work required for passing grade.

Permit retaking the test.

Provide monitored breaks from testing.

Avoid confrontations and power struggles.

Provide an appropriate peer role model.

Modify rules that may discriminate against a student with a neurological disorder.

Develop a system or code that will let the student know when behavior is not appropriate.

Ignore attention seeking behaviors that are not disruptive to the classroom.

Arrange a designated safe place that student can go to.

Develop a code of conduct for the classroom and visually display it in an appropriate place where all students can see it, review it frequently.

Develop a behavior intervention plan that is realistic and easily applied.

Provide immediate reinforcers and feedback.

Delivering an academic program to a room full of unique students is certainly a challenge. Implementing some of the listed strategies will provide a comfortable learning place for all students regardless of their academic abilities.

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Create an Effective Special Education Classroom With These Checklists

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Get strategies to provide support for IEP students in self-contained, resource, and inclusion classrooms to support appropriate success and function.

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Clare, J. & Bryla, J. News-O-Matic in the Special-Needs Classroom. (July 29, 2014). Retrieved from https://commonsense.org

News-O-Matic is a digital app that provide nonfiction reading material and kid-friendly games to Special Education students. Struggling readers, students who are ELL and students with speech delays, among others, benefit from the many features that include reading aloud opportunities, video clips and a chance to learn globally about current events. Students work through material independently or in a group setting and gain confidence as tasks are completed and peer collaboration is undertaking.

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Most students with moderate to mild cognitive disabilities have the ability to achieve the same academic standards as their peers without disabilities if appropriate modifications are made to the curriculum. This is easier said than done, however, and it takes a creative, out-of-the-box thinker to accomplish it. Most special education teachers are of that ilk, and most will go to any length to help their students blend in and participate in whatever is going on in the general-education classroom.

A Swiss Army Knife of Classroom Apps
The three basic components of the teaching process are:
* Content (what is being learned and how it is presented)
* Process (how the content is taught and applied)
* Product (how the learning is observed and evaluated)

As a special education teacher in a resource room that includes students in grades five through eight, I need to cover a lot of ground, curriculum-wise. Due to our particular setting, there's a great need to differentiate presentation of content, adjust and change up the process, and evaluate the product with a different lens. News-O-Matic is a perfect companion for meeting the diverse needs of my students.

News-O-Matic is like a Swiss army knife for students with special needs in a classroom setting. The application presents five new stories every day, and they cover pertinent and diverse current events topics as well as "wacky" kid-friendly stories. Having the option to hear each article read aloud is an invaluable asset for struggling readers. This one option alone allows students with special needs to work on the same material as their peers in the general-education classroom without being singled out. For any current events assignment, students can simply plug ear buds into their iPads and find an article that's just right for them.

Education Applications
I've seen students get so excited about learning via News-O-Matic's aligned video clips -- which also aid in the comprehension and appreciation of the articles -- that many use it as their go-to resource for nonfiction reading reports.

A recent entrant to our school, who spoke no English, got a kick-start in the language by listening to News-O-Matic articles over and over again. He was immediately drawn to the colorful photographs and the simplicity of the sentence structure. Whenever an event that happened in his homeland was featured, he was all over it, and News-O-Matic was what eventually gave him the confidence to share his cultural background with other students.

Another student, who followed all the stories related to environmental issues, chose to write an assigned persuasive letter to a group of local government officials urging them to ban the use of plastic bags, not only in our village, but throughout the county. The look of delight on his face when one representative wrote back was priceless.

One of my eighth-grade students insists on using News-O-Matic every week for her Thursday "Science in the News" assignment. I've tried to add other multimedia news applications to her repertoire of resources to no avail. This application meets her needs so perfectly, and she is so comfortable with the format, that my attempts to persuade her to use alternate sites or media fall on deaf ears.

Therapeutic Uses
In addition to day-to-day curriculum use, there's also true therapeutic value in this application. A colleague whom I recently turned onto News-O-Matic works with a speech and language pathologist, in a classroom where instruction is delivered either in small groups or individually. In this setting, the application is used to spur conversation and get kids communicating more effectively.

There, News-O-Matic serves as a springboard to target speech and language goals, including conversational speech, restating, sequencing events, and answering the five "WH" questions: who, what, when, where, and how. It also addresses such pragmatic goals as staying on topic and bridging questions. How many times have you tried to engage in conversation with a student, only to get one-word answers? "How was your weekend? - Good." "Did you do anything special? - No." News-O-Matic has proved to be an automatic engager that ends the one-word answers when carrying on conversations with students.

For many of my colleague's students, speaking fluently and intelligibly at the conversation level is one of their speech and language goals. News-O-Matic is often used to initiate the conversation with relevant current events that kids are interested in. Students choose and read an article from The Daily Newspaper Just for Kids, and the discussion begins. This has been an incredible way to facilitate conversation that allows the therapist to track students' articulation success during therapy sessions. Students naturally begin to converse with both peers and adults.

Why News-O-Matic?
In many cases, the resources provided by general-education teachers are too difficult for students with special needs to read and comprehend without extensive assistance. With News-O-Matic, these students are able to work independently on assignments and share orally with confidence. The app's straightforward presentation of information delivered in a no-nonsense way with multimedia components really helps children with special needs, including students who struggle with reading or are intimidated by the often more technical and mundane texts found in many classrooms.

This post was co-written by Jackie Bryla and Jayne Clare and Jackie Bryla.
Jackie Bryla, founder of a.c.t. - Apps, Consulting and Training, is a licensed speech language pathology assistant (SLPA) in California. Her experience includes working with transitional kindergarten through high school age students as well as students with special needs within the functional skills and autism classrooms. She is highly experienced in technology and creatively uses apps with students. Jackie has extensively beta tested for many app developers including JumpApp, AVAZ, Cupcake Digital, Virtual Speech Center, and I Can Do It Apps. She has presented numerous workshops throughout California on apps to use in the classroom and therapy sessions. Jayne Clare has taught special education for the past 30 years. She puts the utmost value in motivating students creatively and getting them excited about their own learning. She has always known the importance of integrating technology across all curriculum and content areas. Jayne Clare's passion is working with struggling readers, and reading readiness is her expertise. Jayne is co-founder of Teachers With Apps, an educational app review site. In addition, she offers her expertise in working with developers to achieve appropriate educational content for their apps via Jayne Clare Consulting. Jayne hosts the weekly Educational App Talk, a Facebook forum that discusses hot topics in the app world. She recently won the NSBA 20 to Watch Recognition Award, which identifies emerging leaders within the edtech community. She holds an undergraduate degree in art education from Southampton College, and master's degrees in special education and educational technology from C.W. Post.

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News-O-Matic in the Special-Needs Classroom | Common Sense Education

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Most students with moderate to mild cognitive disabilities have the ability to achieve the same academic standards as their peers without disabilities if appropriate modifications are made to the curriculum. This is easier said than done, however, and it takes a creative, out-of-the-box thinker to accomplish it.

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Greenberg, K. Welcoming Students with Special Needs to the Library. (2009). Retrieved from https://knowledgequest.aasl.org
A high school librarian recognizes that Special Education students have different learning abilities and more interest in learning how to conduct research in the school library's databases. Collaboration with Special Education teachers adds to the success in teaching these special students skills that can further their education and potential careers.

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As I presented my database introduction lesson to a class of ninth-graders, I wondered if I was going too quickly for them. I looked at their focused faces and continued speaking, making a decision not to simplify my words. When I began demonstrating the search methods for GALE, I asked for suggestions for topics.

"It!" a cheerful boy in front yelled. "The Stephen King movie!" he clarified.

I typed the words into the search bar and when the list of results appeared, I watched his eyes widen as he smiled. His classmates all laughed in amazement. I looked around at the ten students sitting at the tables before me and noticed that each of them wore an expression of curiosity.

As a high school librarian, one of my roles is to guide students toward using information responsibly. What we often forget, however, is that students with special needs are regularly excluded from this important aspect of instruction. My recent collaboration with a social studies teacher in the special education department proved to me that students with special needs are not only equally deserving of information literacy lessons, but are just as (if not more) willing and ready to participate in a discussion and learning session about the topic. The group of students I was teaching-which included a boy with Down syndrome; a girl with a learning disability; one student on the autism spectrum; and several others with ADHD-were researching current events articles for a future assignment. They were able to follow the directions I set out for them to access the databases, search for a topic, limit the date ranges of their results, and cite their sources. Some were adept at the process; others needed reinforcement from their one-on-one teacher's assistant. But they all came out of the lesson with new tools and a sense of efficacy. An added plus for them was the fact that their teacher is a warm, effective instructor who works tirelessly to give them the tools and encouragement they need to succeed.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics , "In 2017-18 the number of students ages 3-21 who received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 7.0 million, or 14 percent of all public school students" (2019). IDEA was passed to ensure that children with special needs were given the chance to have the same classroom education as students with typical needs. It's important to carry those same privileges over into the library.

The traffic that flows through my space is made up of diverse individuals. While some students with special needs spend the bulk of their time in classrooms designed to meet their specific needs, many others come into the library, either with or without teacher's assistants, to use the computers or spend time among their peers. While such students want to be treated the same as their schoolmates, they also may have distinct triggers, limitations, and preferences that are more pronounced than the majority of the students in the room. If we, as librarians, are attuned to these attributes, we can be better prepared to help all students enjoy the environment within the library.

In addition to scheduling information literacy lessons with special education classes, there are other actions librarians can take to ensure that the library is a welcoming, inclusive setting. Before the school year starts, I talk to as many special education teachers as I can to discuss any concerns they may have about particular students. Then, when classes begin, I ask the teachers or assistants to introduce me to students who will be spending time in the library. I make it a point to learn their names, make small talk with them, and give them a friendly welcome each time they walk into the library. I also engage the students in conversation, and try to get to know their unique personalities. This way, when an issue arises, the student involved trusts me and is comfortable taking gentle direction from me.

Another helpful action is encouraging students with special needs to check out books. It's a common misconception that students who don't have the same reading or comprehension level as typical teenagers lack interest in the book collections housed in the library. I have guided several students with special needs toward works of literature that captivate them, whether they are colorful graphic novels, large-print books, or biographies that may be above their reading level but spark delight just by being in their possession.

As our libraries continue to grow and change due to advances in technology, innovative practices, and more collaborative instruction, it is important for librarians to stay on top of the current research relating to students with special needs. By reading the latest professional journals, seeking out articles focusing on special education practices within libraries, and keeping open lines of communication with co-workers, we can make our libraries destinations where students with special needs feel comfortable and intellectually stimulated.
Work Cited:
National Center for Education Statistics. 2019. " Children and Youth with Disabilities." nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp.

Author: Karin Greenberg

Karin Greenberg is the librarian at Manhasset High School in Manhasset, New York. She is a former English teacher and writes book reviews for School Library Journal. In addition to reading, she enjoys animals, walking, hiking, and spending time with her family. Follow her book account on Instagram @bookswithkg.

Categories: Blog Topics, Community/Teacher Collaboration, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Professional Development, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models

Tags: inclusion, inclusive learning, inclusive library, inclusive school lbirary, special education, special education teachers, students with special needs

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Welcoming Students with Special Needs to the Library -

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As I presented my database introduction lesson to a class of ninth-graders, I wondered if I was going too quickly for them. I looked at their focused faces and continued speaking, making a decision not to simplify my words. When I began demonstrating the search methods for GALE, I asked for suggestions for topics.