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This book connects to what we discuss in class because it shows a true representation of what goes on inside students with disabilities minds. It covers the challenges and discrimination that people with disabilities face. This book prepares future teachers for what they may encounter in their own classroom someday and helps to give them an idea on how to prevent or help that. It helps educators to gain a greater appreciation for inclusion and acceptance. Additionally, as we discuss in class, this book emphasizes the value of meeting the needs of all learners. Furthermore, as discussed in class, this book can help educators start conversations about individualized support, differentiated instruction, and inclusive teaching methods that can meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with disabilities. Overall, this book connects to EDA303 because it emphasizes the importance of student-centered learning, creating a positive classroom community/environment, and celebrating student's differences.

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The portrayal of Melody's unwavering resilience to overcome the difficulties presented by her disability is one of the best aspects of "Out of My Mind." Despite being mute, Melody has a strong inner voice and intelligence, and her strength in the face of adversity is truly admirable. Her struggle to find her voice and establish her value in the eyes of others is proof of her resiliency and power. I also liked how the book emphasizes the significance of inclusion and acceptance in society and the need to acknowledge and value the special skills and viewpoints of people with disabilities. Melody's story dispels myths and prejudices about those with disabilities and encourages empathy and understanding. Overall, "Out of My Mind" is a moving and thought-provoking book that brings to mind the value of inclusivity and acceptance in our society.

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Wondering what you can do to support and accommodate a student with cerebral palsy in the classroom?

This article will help you understand what cerebral palsy is and how to help a student with CP succeed academically.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a spectrum disorder, meaning that individuals can demonstrate a wide range of symptoms at varying severities. Therefore, classroom accommodations should be different for each child.

In fact, not all children with cerebral palsy will need accommodations. Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder, meaning that it affects an individual's movements, balance, posture, and coordination.

While all children with cerebral palsy have motor impairments, the severity and locations of their motor impairments will vary from person to person. Some are able to walk independently, while others need the assistance of a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker.

If cerebral palsy affects the hands, individuals may struggle with fine motor tasks like writing. Likewise, if cerebral palsy affects the oral muscles, individuals may be non-verbal.

Children with cerebral palsy can exhibit a wide range of associative conditions. These are conditions that are not directly related to CP but often co-occur. Associative conditions of CP include:

Generally, the milder a child's cerebral palsy is, the easier it will be for them to integrate into an inclusive classroom. However, with the right support, children with more severe forms of cerebral palsy can also succeed in school.

In the following section, we'll discuss what accommodations can help children with cerebral palsy maximize their potential at school.

Accommodations for Students with Cerebral Palsy

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) "prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications."

This means that reasonable accommodations must be made to help students with disabilities succeed in the classroom and participate in activities and events. It's essential to create an environment that promotes success in the classroom for everyone.

Accommodations will vary depending on the individual needs of the student. Some common accommodations for children with disabilities include:

allowing additional time to finish assignments

providing adaptive tools

making sure the classroom is wheelchair accessible

adjusting the formatting of tasks and assignments (taking a written test verbally, allowing the student to type their answers, etc,)

taking advantage of alternative communication (iPads, speech-generating devices, etc.)

having an aide (for physical assistance, or reading and writing support)

Up next, we'll discuss what steps a teacher can take to support a student with cerebral palsy.

How to Support a Child with Cerebral Palsy in the Classroom

With the right support, children with cerebral palsy can excel in the same classroom as children without disabilities.

Below, we'll discuss 3 steps for helping students with cerebral palsy succeed in the classroom:

1) Develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written document created for public school students with special needs. It outlines their specific accommodations, goals, and progress.

Ensuring the success of a student with cerebral palsy in mainstream schooling requires a collaborative effort between the parents, teachers, school administrators, and ancillary staff. They must come together to discuss the child's unique needs and determine what kinds of supports and services can help them succeed in the classroom.

Accommodations can also be provided to increase participation in activities outside of the classroom, such as allowing extra time to navigate hallways and having appropriate utensils for mealtimes. These accommodations, supports, and services should be written in the IEP and distributed to all the individuals involved.
Learn more about developing an IEP "
2) Frequently Communicate with the Student's Parents

Frequent communication with the student's parents is essential. They can offer insight into their child's interests and what strategies work best for them at home. By learning about the student's strengths, weaknesses, and triggers, teachers and administrators can improve the child's learning experience.

Additionally, parents need to know how their child is doing when they're not around. Are they getting along with others? Do they get easily frustrated by schoolwork?

By communicating these problems, both teachers and parents can work to resolve behavioral problems at school and home.

3) Focus on Inclusion

A sense of belonging can also positively affect a student's performance in the classroom. Inclusion is about focusing on a student's ability rather than their disability.

Some ways to help students feel more included in the classroom include:

Organizing small group discussions. Not all children are comfortable speaking in front of the entire class. Small groups help relieve the pressure and allow each student to voice their opinion.

Speaking to the student privately. It's a good idea to check in on the student every now and then to discuss how they feel in the classroom and whether further accommodations are needed.

Acknowledging their efforts and improvements. Whether it's laughing at a joke or providing positive feedback on an assignment, acknowledging the student's efforts can encourage them to keep up the good work.

When children feel safe and accepted in their environment, they're more likely to participate and ask for help.

Supporting Individuals with Cerebral Palsy in the Classroom

Cerebral palsy affects movements, so students with CP may need extra space, time, and support to get around the classroom and complete assignments.

While their motor impairments may make it difficult for them to write, move around, or speak, most children with CP have average or above-average intelligence and are perfectly capable of learning.

We hope this article helped you understand how to help a child with cerebral palsy succeed in the classroom.

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Cerebral Palsy in the Classroom: How to Promote Success

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Wondering what you can do to support and accommodate a student with cerebral palsy in the classroom? This article will help you understand what cerebral palsy is and how to help a student with CP succeed academically. Understanding Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy is a spectrum disorder, meaning that individuals can demonstrate a wide range of ...

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What Teachers Should Know

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a condition that affects muscle tone, movement, and coordination.

CP affects each child differently. Some kids have balance problems that affect how they walk. Some have trouble with small movements, like forming letters on a page. Others have problems with more areas of the body, including the arms, legs, and face. This can make it hard to walk, talk, see, hear, learn, and more. Some kids with CP also have other medical problems, like seizures.

There's no cure for CP, but therapy can help improve a child's skills. Kids may benefit from occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech therapy. To get around, they may have braces, crutches, or a wheelchair. Kids also may use technology for writing and communicating.

What Teachers Can Do

Educators, therapists, parents, and students with CP can work together to create an educational plan. This may include setting up an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan to help kids reach their full potential. Plans may include therapy, a classroom aide, and more. As a child grows, this plan will change.

To support students in your classroom:

Keep walkways open. Make your classroom easy to move through and free of obstacles. Students may need extra help moving around or reaching things.

Be aware of seating arrangements, and adjust if they aren't working. Kids with CP who are self-conscious of uncontrolled movements or other differences may want to sit in the back or away from others. Try to put kids near other students who encourage them to be involved in activities.

Give extra time, if needed. Some kids may need more time to travel between classes, complete assignments or activities, and take tests. They might need extra bathroom breaks too. Talk to the student and parent to find out what's best.

Have a plan for missed instruction, assignments, and testing. Students with CP may miss class time to go to doctor visits or to see the school nurse to take medicine. Know how the student will make up for missed time.

Talk about and celebrate differences. Students with CP want to be accepted like everyone else. But sometimes they're targeted by others who see them as "different." Talk about and celebrate differences, and focus on the interests that kids share. Be mindful of bullying, and keep a zero-tolerance policy for that behavior.

Be prepared for medical emergencies by planning ahead with parents. Know what to do and who to call if a student with CP has a medical emergency or event, like a seizure.

By addressing a child's unique needs and offering support when needed, you can help students with CP learn as best as possible.

Date reviewed: March 2021

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Cerebral Palsy Factsheet (for Schools) (for Parents)

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What teachers should know about cerebral palsy, and teaching strategies to help students with CP succeed in school.

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About cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy describes a disorder that affects the way a person moves. Cerebral palsy occurs when there is damage to the brain when it is developing, and it affects a child's ability to control their muscles. It is the most common form of physical disability in childhood.

A child with cerebral palsy may face challenges with muscle weakness and stiffness. Some children might have trouble with slowness or shakiness, and they may not be able to control their movement. Balance, coordination and walking can be also be difficult. Cerebral palsy can affect different parts of the body. Some children may have trouble with motor control on one side of their body, some may have challenges with both sides, and some may have challenges that affect only the lower part of their body.

About one third of children with cerebral palsy also have epilepsy, which means that they have recurring seizures. There are different types of epilepsy, and they affect children in different ways. Some children may stare blankly or look as if they are daydreaming during a seizure. For some children, a seizure may involve stiffness or jerking movements. Some children will benefit from medication, which means that seizures may be rare. If a child in your group has epilepsy, ask the child's parents and support team about how you can recognise a seizure and what to do.

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Primary School Teacher Strategies for Cerebral Palsy | AllPlay Learn

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Learn how cerebral palsy might look like in students, understand common strengths and use evidence-based strategies to support students with cerebral palsy, and view relevant resources that can help to create an inclusive environment at school. Resources include a strengths and abilities communication checklist, class schedule, emotion cards, character strengths poster, being different poster, stay play talk poster, and peer mediations posters.

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Melody Brooks, an 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who cannot speak but has a brilliant mind, is the subject of the powerful story "Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper. Melody struggles to be heard and establish her worth despite obstacles and discrimination. She earns the respect and admiration of her peers and teachers by proving her value. Melody gains knowledge about the value of acceptance along the way as well as the significance of friendship. However, Melody's journey faces several difficulties along the way. She encounters prejudice, misunderstandings, and obstacles, but she never gives up. Melody learns to stand up for herself and become a champion for people with disabilities as she navigates the challenges of living with cerebral palsy, demonstrating that a disability does not define one's worth or abilities. She competes in a quiz team competition with the help of her family, friends, and caregivers, speaking up for herself and challenging social stereotypes about disability. The readers of this motivational story will come away with a profound understanding of the value of inclusivity and resiliency as well as the strength of the human spirit.