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Tips for being patient, offering accommodations, things to say, ways to give instructions, and following the IEP. Learn how to understand the student and what might be going on in their head/thought process.

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Tips for Teachers: Understanding Students with Autism, from a former student on the Autism Spectrum

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Causes of Speech and language disorders, answers to frequently asked questions. Overview for understanding.

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Tips from a parent point of view to understand and support student. Tips for how teachers can help ADHD students succeed.

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How Can ADHD Affect Kids at School?

ADHD can affect a student's ability to focus, pay attention, listen, or put effort into schoolwork. ADHD also can make a student fidgety, restless, talk too much, or disrupt the class. Kids with ADHD might also have learning disabilities that cause them to have problems in school.

Most kids with ADHD start school before their ADHD is diagnosed. Teachers are sometimes the first to notice possible signs of ADHD. They may talk it over with the child's parent. The parent can then have the child evaluated by a health provider to see if it's ADHD.

How Can Teachers Help Kids With ADHD?

Let all teachers know if your child has ADHD.
Teachers can help you find out if your child needs an IEP (individual education program) or 504 plan:

An IEP is a written plan that provides individualized special education and related services. Your child's teacher might suggest an evaluation to see if your child could benefit from an IEP.

A 504 plan provides services and changes to the learning environment to meet the child's needs.

Teachers can talk with you about your child's progress. Ask the teacher to let you know how your child is doing. Using a folder that goes back and forth between you and your child's teacher is one way to share notes about progress.

Teachers can focus on your child's needs. Every student with ADHD is different. Some need help paying attention and managing distractions. Some need help staying organized. Others need help getting started with their work, or finishing work they start. Some students with ADHD have trouble staying seated or working quietly. Ask the teacher how ADHD affects your child in the classroom and what you can do to help your child with schoolwork.

Teachers can help your child succeed. Depending on what a student needs, a teacher can do things like:

Seat a student where there are fewer distractions.

Give instructions that are clear and brief.

Have simple classroom routines and rules.

Be warm, encouraging, and positive.

Praise efforts.

Help with organization.

Guide kids to slow down and take their time.

Give prompts to stay on task.

Give breaks to move around in the classroom.

Give extra time to complete work.

Teach students how to check their work and catch careless mistakes.

For older students, teachers can also:

Teach study skills such as taking notes, reading aloud, and prepping for tests.

Break down multi-step projects and assignments into smaller parts.

Teachers can bring out the best in your child. When teachers see the best in their students, students see the best in themselves. Teachers can convey that every student can grow, learn, and succeed - whether or not they have ADHD.

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ADHD can affect a child's ability to do well in school and even make friends. This article for parents has tips on working with teachers to help your child succeed.

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What teachers should know and what they can do. Information about IEPs and 504s

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What Teachers Should Know

Kids who have vision loss that can't be fixed with glasses, contacts, or other methods have a visual impairment. They may have complete vision loss (blindness) or partial vision loss.

Visual impairments can be caused by eye conditions like amblyopia ("lazy eye") or strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes), eye or brain injuries, or birth defects.

In school, kids may:

not be able to see objects at a distance, like on a whiteboard or blackboard

having trouble reading (or learning to read) and participating in class

not be able to focus on objects or follow them, may squint often and rub their eyes a lot, have chronic eye redness or sensitivity to light

bump into things often

In the classroom, there are many supports that can help make learning more successful. These include assistive devices, technologies, or special accommodations.

What Teachers Can Do

Educators, eye doctors, parents, and students with a visual impairment 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 a classroom aide or someone to assist with note-taking, and more. As a child grows, this plan will change.

To support students in your classroom:

Make seating changes, when needed, to help kids see you, whiteboards, blackboards, or learning materials. Extra lighting may be needed.

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

Give extra time, if needed. Some kids may need more time to travel between classes, complete assignments or activities, and take tests.

Know about assistive devices, technology, or other learning aids. Kids may use magnifiers for reading or read from large-printed books and handouts. Audiobooks are a good idea. For kids who can't type, voice-activated computers help them do classwork.

Allow verbal responses for assignments or tests to measure learning.

Have a plan for missed instruction, assignments, and testing. Students with a visual impairment may miss class time to go to doctor visits. Know how the student will make up for missed time.

Talk about and celebrate differences. Students with visual impairments 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.

By addressing special needs and offering support when needed, you can help students with a visual impairment learn as best as possible.

Date reviewed: March 2021

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visual impairments special needs factsheets

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Visual Impairments Factsheet (for Schools)

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What teachers should know about visual impairments, and how to help students with vision problems succeed in school.

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Instead of pushing kids out your classroom, pull them in by inviting parents to support their scholar by coaching, modeling, prompting and scaffolding, This student, teacher and parent collaboration strengthens social, emotional and language development.

Be child directed- use focus detention, imitation, gestures and descriptive communing to narrate children's actions and behaviors

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"Helping Preschool Children with Autism: Teachers and Parents as Partners" Program Overview

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Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD: Ideas to Help Every Child Shine

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Assigning work at their level, offer choices, visual reminders, increase active participation, and encouraging hands on learning. Focus on the positive and communicate and partner with parents.

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Parents: Is your child's teacher doing everything possible to support learning? Teachers often dictate the success or failure of a child's education - particularly if that child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD).

Next to parents, teachers are the most influential people in a student's life. The best teacher will develop ADHD strategies to show students that they are capable and worthwhile.

Here are some strategies for teaching children with ADHD that work to establish a supportive, structured classroom that will encourage learning, enforce discipline, and boost self-esteem.

Strategies for Students with ADHD

Assign work that suits the student's skill level. Students with ADHD will avoid classwork that is too difficult or too long.

Offer choices. Children with ADHD who are given choices for completing an activity produce more work, are more compliant, and act less negative. Establish, for instance, a list of 15 activity choices for practicing spelling words like writing words on flash cards, using them in a sentence, or air-writing words.
[Get This Download: How to Teach Children with ADHD - Classroom Challenges & Solutions]

Provide visual reminders. Students with ADHD respond well to visual cues and examples. For instance, demonstrate a skill like essay writing on an overhead projector or on the board. When children get to their independent work, leave key points about a topic visible on the board. Post important concepts the children will use again and again on brightly colored poster board around the room.

Increase active class participation. Group strategies include asking students to write their answers on dry-erase white boards and showing them to the teacher, asking students to answer questions in unison (choral response), having students give a thumbs up or down if the answer to the question is yes or no - a level palm, if they don't know the answer. Paired learning is also effective. Have students work through a problem in a group and discuss for maximized understanding.

Encourage hands-on learning. Create learning opportunities where children experience things first-hand. Have students write and act out a play, record an assignment on videotape or take apart and put together a model of a miniature eyeball when studying the human body.

Establish Rules & Routines for ADHD Students

Post classroom rules for student with and without ADHD. With input from students, establish short, simple classroom rules. State them in positive terms that convey what you want students to do.
For example, instead of saying: "No loud talking when you come into class," say, "When you come into class, check the assignment on the board and start working quietly." Or, "Sit down first and then you may talk quietly with your neighbor until I start teaching."

[Click to Download: 10 Teaching Strategies that Help Students with ADHD]

Establish classroom routines. This will help students with ADHD stay on task. Routines for all students can include: homework always being written on the board, "row captains" checking to see that assignments are written and that completed work is picked up, etc. Students with ADHD can check in with the classroom aide at the end of the day to make sure they understand the homework assignment and what's required of them.

Give appropriate supervision to ADHD students. Children with ADHD require more supervision than their peers because of their delayed maturity, forgetfulness, distractibility, and disorganization. Help these students by pairing them with classmates who can remind them of homework and classwork, using student partners to team up on a project, and involving classroom aides as much as you can during and after class.

Offer Accommodations for ADHD in the Classroom

Some students with ADHD may need school accommodations to address academic challenges. Make sure they get them. Some accommodations can be as easy as monitoring the student's work and developing a plan to help him not fall behind and even accepting the occasional late assignment - this can give the student confidence and get her back on track.

Other common ADHD accommodations include:

Extended time on tests

Shortened assignments

Instruction in note-taking or designating a class notetaker

Segmented assignments for long-term projects (with separate due dates and grades).

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association ( ADDA) makes the following recommendations for accommodations:

Reduce potential distractions. Always seat students who have problems with focus near the source of instruction and/or stand near student when giving instructions in order to help the student by reducing barriers and distractions between him and the lesson. Always seat this student in a low-distraction work area in the classroom.

Use positive peer models. Encourage the student to sit near positive role models to ease the distractions from other students with challenging or diverting behaviors.

Prepare for transitions. Remind the student about what is coming next (next class, recess, time for a different book, etc.). For special events like field trips or other activities, be sure to give plenty of advance notice and reminders. Help the student in preparing for the end of the day and going home, supervise the student's book bag for necessary items needed for homework.

Allow for movement. Allow the student to move around or fidget, preferably by creating reasons for the movement. Provide opportunities for physical action - do an errand, wash the blackboard, get a drink of water, go to the bathroom, etc. If this is not practical, then permit the student to play with small objects kept in their desks that can be manipulated quietly, such as a soft squeeze ball, if it isn't too distracting.

Let the children play. Recess can actually promote focus in children with ADHD so don't use it as a time to make-up missed schoolwork or as punishment as you might for other students.

Focus on the Positive

Establish a positive relationship with students who have ADHD. Greet them by name as they enter the classroom or when calling on them in class. Create a class bulletin board for posting students' academic and extracurricular interests, photographs, artwork, and/or accomplishments.

Provide frequent, positive feedback. Students with ADHD respond best to feedback that is immediate. Use positive praise, such as "You're doing a great job" or "Now you've got it." If a student's answer is incorrect, say, "Let's talk this through" or "Does that sound right to you?"

Ask questions rather than reprimand. If the student misbehaves, in class, ask, "Is that a good choice or a bad choice?" The student will get the message that his behavior is inappropriate.

Partner with Parents

For best results, teachers must partner with the parents to ensure that their child is ready to learn in the classroom. Here are some guidelines to share with the parents of your students with ADHD:

Communicate regularly with the teacher about problems.

See that your child's ADHD medication is working effectively at school and during homework sessions.

Help your child organize papers for evening homework and prepare for the next school day.

Watch your child put completed homework in the proper folder.

Monitor completion of work in the classes that he is in danger of failing.

Save all completed homework until the semester is over.

Talk with the teacher about using a daily or weekly report, if needed.

[Your Free Download: The Teacher's Guide to Better Assignments for Students with ADHD]

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Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD: Ideas to Help Every Child Shine

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Your child's teacher is your partner in a fair and equitable education, but does she have the ADHD tools she needs? The following ADHD teaching strategies will help all students - but especially those with ADD - learn to the best of their ability in any classroom.

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Do not teach them differently, Dyslexic students just need more practice. Isolate skills and emplace motivation, consideration and patience.

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Reading expert Linda Farrell: How do you teach children with dyslexia?

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Teacher preparation and practices for students with Dyslexia. Signs and symptoms, classroom strategies, screening, evaluation, diagnosis

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Many elementary school teachers have limited resources related to dyslexia and other learning differences. Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know was developed to open the door for these educators to a better understanding of dyslexia.

This handbook is intended to support all teachers in their passion to help every child reach his or her fullest potential. Use it to raise awareness, share best practices, and be a resource to your school's administration and staff.

Inside you'll learn more about find topics such as:

Signs and symptoms of dyslexia

Classroom strategies, tips, and tools

Components of effective reading instruction

Screening, evaluation, and diagnosis

We encourage you to share this handbook with as many people as possible. The more educators we can inform, the more children we can help!

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Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know - International Dyslexia Association

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Many elementary school teachers have limited resources related to dyslexia and other learning differences. Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs

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Overview of language and speech disorders. Helping children/students, detecting problems, treatment.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Language and Speech Disorders in Children

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Learning a language takes time, and children vary in how quickly they master milestones in language and s

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Information about specific visually impairing disabilities. Guidelines and classroom, teaching and assessment strategies.

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There is no 'typical' vision-impaired student: the impairment may be the result of a range of conditions and its impact will depend on the type, extent and timing of vision loss.

The impact of the impairment on learning will vary significantly according to the nature and extent of vision loss: some students will have been born without vision, others will have lost it gradually; some will have no vision at all, others will have some vision, be light-sensitive, or have limited peripheral vision. It is also possible that vision and light-sensitivity will fluctuate day-to-day.

Some students may rely on a guide dog or white cane to assist mobility while others have sufficient residual vision to get around independently. Students may require adjustments and assistive devices to facilitate access to education. An adjustment may be as simple as a seat near the front of the class, but most students use assistive technology (such as closed-circuit TV, screen-magnification or screen-reading software) to enable them to read and access the internet.

Impact of Vision Impairment and Blindness

The learning processes of students with vision impairment may be affected in the following ways:

Students with vision impairment may access information in a variety of ways, for example Braille, audio-tape, or enlarged print. Braille readers cannot skim read and may take up to three times as long as other students to read a text. Students with some vision may be large-print readers. Many will be unable to read examination questions and handouts in standard print or read their own handwriting when answering examination questions. They may also be unable to take their own notes. Extra time is needed to carry out some tasks, such as locating words in a text when shifting from one reading medium to another.

Students who need information put into alternative formats must wait, often up to six to eight weeks, for the material to be produced for them. This means that they will often fall behind other students in the class.

Students with vision impairment may feel isolated in the learning environment, which can have an impact on learning.

Headaches often result from eyestrain. This may reduce considerably the study time available to these students.

Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. It is difficult for students who cannot see the body language and interactions of others to feel comfortable about participating. Judging when it is appropriate to interrupt or to take a turn in discussion is particularly difficult.

Teaching Strategies

There is a range of inclusive teaching and assessment strategies that can assist all students to learn but there are some specific strategies that are useful in teaching a group which includes students with vision impairment.

We often take for granted the amount of visual information received every day. Many students with a vision impairment do not have a lifetime of visual experiences to draw upon. It may be necessary to consider the amount of assumed visual content in your subject when designing learning tasks.

Prepare as much information as possible in electronic format - this makes it much easier to provide materials in accessible formats and allows users with disabilities to adapt the information to a format which is suitable for them.

Make required book lists and course materials available early so there is sufficient time for them to be reproduced in audio or Braille, if required.

Indicate compulsory texts in your reading list, noting important chapters if possible. Specifying the order of reading within a text is helpful, as it can take many weeks to have a book reproduced into audio or Braille.

For students with vision impairment your teaching style will need to be 'verbal'. Think about how to communicate information to students who cannot see what you are doing.

Verbalise what is written on the blackboard and on PowerPoints. Talk through any calculations as they are made or procedures as they are carried out. Read any printed information and describe any charts or graphs being used.

Academic activities which take place off-campus (such as industry visits, interviews or field work) may pose problems and on-campus alternatives may need to be considered.

Provide an individual orientation to laboratory equipment or computers in order to minimise the anxiety likely in an unfamiliar environment.

Consider supplementing laboratory practicals, experiments or field trips, for example by audio taping commentaries.

Inform the student if you plan to use videos, slides or PowerPoints, and discuss alternative ways of presenting the necessary information.

Because students with vision impairment are generally slower than other students in completing reading tasks (reading is slower; considerable time is involved in getting material taped or Brailled), provide reading lists well before the start of a course so that reading can begin early. Consider tailoring reading lists and provide guidance to key texts.

Providing the student with a vision impairment with prior notice that you plan to use a film or video in class allows him/her the option to request to see it beforehand. This will enable him/her to sit very close to the screen or have someone explain the film or video. It would be helpful to 'pause' on important points when the student is viewing the resource in class with others.

A student may have difficulty finding his/her essay or assignment in a pigeonhole or amongst a pile of other students' work.

Students may not be able to read your hand-written comments. It would be helpful if you could negotiate alternative feedback mechanisms with the student.

Students are usually able to access online learning materials with the use of assistive technologies if websites follow accessible web design guidelines.

The vision of some students may be affected by the glare from fluorescent lights or sunlight so you may need to attend to some aspects of your teaching environment. This should be done unobtrusively.

Use tactile graphics where necessary

Assessment Strategies

In considering alternative forms of assessment, equal opportunity not a guaranteed outcome, is the objective. You are not expected to lower standards to accommodate students with a disability, but rather are required to give them a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. Once you have a clear picture of how the disability impacts on learning, you can consider alternative assessment strategies:

Students with a vision impairment may need particular adjustments to assessment tasks. Once you have a clear picture of how the disability impacts on learning you can consider alternative assessment strategies.

Provide extensions to assignment deadlines if extensive reading has been set. Consider setting alternative assignments in which students have the opportunity to work intensively on a few selected texts rather than having to read widely.

Examination papers may need to be enlarged or Brailled, with tactile diagrams, maps etc. It may be necessary to provide heavy line paper, a scribe or special writing implements.

Some students may undertake examinations using a personal computer with assistive software. Some may need other assessment adjustments such as a reader/scribe, an oral examination, audio taped questions or large print papers. It may be necessary to provide extra space for equipment and specific personnel or a separate examination venue if the noise from equipment being used is likely to be distracting for other students.

Provide extra time in examinations. Some students with vision impairment will require double time for examinations so time for rest breaks will be essential. Take-home examinations or split papers are a preferred option under such circumstances.

Tactile graphics

People with a vision impairment are finding tactile graphics extremely valuable and, in some cases, vital for successful study, work and leisure. While people with a vision impairment are routinely provided with text transcribed into Braille, audio or large print, the pictures, diagrams and maps which accompany text are often omitted or only very briefly described.

Visual graphics can effectively be converted into tactile graphics, even for the highly graphical information contained in maps and scientific material. This is not simply a matter of taking a visual image and making some kind of tactile photocopy - the tactile is a considerably less sensitive sense than the visual.

Visual graphics need to be re-designed by experts, in a variety of formats such as vacuum-formed (thermoform), swell paper (microcapsule paper) and embossed (such as that produced on a Braille printer). They can also be accompanied by labels and descriptions in Braille or audio format.

Tactile graphics are useful when:

the user is print-impaired but has some tactual ability

a concept not easily described in words

a real object is unavailable for touching

the shape, form or pattern is significant

it is necessary to illustrate scale and explain maps, technology or biological relationships

a one-time reference or reminder is needed

the educational experience can be enhanced

Tactile graphics are not, however, exact replicas of the original, nor are they good for fine detail and representing very large graphics. They should not be used without training and support materials.

Colour Blindness

Colour blindness (or colour deficiency) is typically a genetic condition, although it can also be the result of injury, disease or ageing. (Although not actually called colour blindness, age-related colour deficiency is a result of the yellowing of the corneas, which severely hampers the perception of violet and blue.)

It is much more common in men than in women - around one in 12 men have some kind of colour perception problem. There are many different types and degrees of colour blindness. It is extremely rare to have monochromasy, the complete absence of any colour sensation.

Related Resources

ADCET Webinars and other recordings

Weblinks and other resources

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Inclusive Teaching: Blind and Vision Impaired

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Inclusive teaching practices for students who are blind or vision Impaired