What are the behavior and needs of special children?

Question

please provide some valid web links in here amybe an article.

i am designing a school for the special children by innovating the issues and problems of their behavior and needs through using color and furniture.

so first i need to know their psychological behavior and their need in a school?

please do help me. this is for my design thesis..

thank you

Answer 1

Special needs children don't have a uniform set of behaviors and needs.  

That means that your challenge should be to design rooms that are maximally multi-purpose.  

Don't think in terms of color therapy.   DO make the walls easy for special ed teachers to decorate and re-decorate.   The special teachers are the ones who need to control what goes on the walls and ceilings.  

Don't think in terms of a certain type of chair or table that will suit all special needs children.   DO design tables, desks, and chairs that can be arranged in a variety of ways:   into circles, rows, small centers, or big surfaces.      

Include removable and re-arrangeable barriers, like the ones used in cubicles, among the furniture you design.   That way, the special ed teacher can control the layout of the rooms.   For instance, she could make quiet little spaces, or just have the room open, depending on her students' needs.

Do include generous amounts of storage and cupboard space--more than you find in a typical classroom.    Make sure this space contains organizers and adjustable shelves.  

These suggestions are not just for the convenience of the teacher:  maximizing the teacher's ability to control the decor and configuration of the learning environment maximizes the teacher's ability to address the individual needs of the students.  Design the furniture and wall-coverings accordingly.  

As far as the whole school goes, have rooms of different sizes.   Be sure to make the classrooms big--big enough for gross motor activities.   Have at least least several smaller rooms for educational staff associates such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, counselors, and psychologists.  

Some of the rooms should have minimal decor and soft lighting for students who need to have environmental distractions minimized.  

Be mindful of safety concerns:   a school for special needs children should not have remote corners and hidden spaces for wayward children or unscrupulous/abusive staff to hide in.  

Hope this helps.   Good luck!  

Rainchild

Answer 2

one thing you could consider is the Miller Method for autism-they put the students on a platform to help them  attend better

many special needs students have sensory needs-they often use something called a Rifton chair which has sides to help them sit better-

also things like bean bag chairs, rocking chair, swing

as far as colors-sometimes plain neutral colors are needed-sometimes designs and bright colors-

maybe you could make a quiet corner with a couple pale colors and an activity corner with bright designs-the rest of the room could be left bare for teh teacher to decorate

Answer 3

My suggestion is that you visit some special needs classrooms in your area. You must know what the real thing looks like before you try designing something.

I have concerns that you seem to jumble all the special needs kids together, which shows that you really need to know more. You would set up a room for kids with autism in an entirely different way than you would for children with mental retardation, etc. For instance in Au classes you would use subdued colors with not much on the walls at all. On the other hand, for children with MR, you might want to stimulate them with colors and visuals.

Here are a few links. Try to decide what disability you are designing a classroom before you begin the design.

www.ldonline.org

www.centerforautism.com

www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm

www.aamr.org

Answer 4

www.ed.gov has info on special ed

www.disabilityinfo.gov  not all kids are the same just as normal people are not the same. it depends on parents spec ed therapy and the child too.

Answer 5

what are the specific issues/disabilities - autism, physical disabilities, hearing impaired - is a bit hard to specify for you unless the actual focus/disability is included in your question as the range is so broad!