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When the world faced an unexpected pandemic situation, the online or the virtual classes took the charge of education. However, with this change, there have been constant remarks as well for and against the move for virtual classes, especially when it comes to children with special needs.Well, Kerala is India’s most well-educated state and the education department has also been making continuous efforts to strengthen the public education system.When it comes to the special educational needs field, the Social Justice department of the state has set up many early detection centres to diagnose autism in all districts of Kerala.

‘Changathikoottam’ is one more initiative of the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSA) that is helping children with special needs in the state to attend regular schools at least once a week.This move helps those children to socialize and interact with other students and promotes their mental besides social skills. Not only that, numerous government-aided schools in Kerala have special education classes along with inclusive education for the kidswith special needs. IED (Inclusive Education for Disabled) resource teachers are provided to support such students and here comes the significant demand for the special educational needs teachers.

Virtual Classes for The Special Needs Children in Kerala

Now, what happened is that the parents of children with special needs are somehow worried about their kids' different therapy sessions that were being disturbed due to the lockdown. Therefore, the educational department of the state has brought out a number of online teaching-learning resources including videos for them. Through these resources, parents can manage to carry out some of the rehabilitations or therapies by using simple household items.

Although, the National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NIPMR) affiliated institutions in Kerala were offering some intensive programmes and the lockdown was announced suddenly. Therefore, the NIPMR has been conducting online activities for these special kids. On the other hand, the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) in Thiruvananthapuram has set up a 24-hour helpline for counselling and it also provides therapy to over 200 people with speech and hearing special needs.

However, quite evidently, not all children with different special needs can sit quietly to be in front of a screen for a long time. Well, there is a range of special needs of different kinds -- physical, intellectual and learning and for this, separate strategies for each of these groups are also required. As the COVID19 pandemic happened all of a sudden, teachers are trying their best to support the children with special needs, they are sending the learning resources via Telegram and WhatsApp groups of parents, sometimes also through different YouTube channels. Also, since these children do not understand the session on online fully well (sometimes), subject teachers at special educational needs of the state have started sending notes and recorded audio-videos on WhatsApp to parents or neighbours or relatives, etc.

Moreover, the teachers are also clearing the doubts over WhatsApp and parents watch the videos and help their children with coursework.

To make online teaching more effective, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has given following instructions:

• Use of subtitles in each video before sending it for broadcast.
• Teachers have been urged to include more pictures, graphs, presentations, animations, and videos in the case of hearing-impaired students.
• Videos, presentations, and animations used in the recordings should be accompanied by audio support for visually-challenged apprentices.
• Fonts should be large enough so that learners who have limited vision can benefit from these, as also those with learning disabilities.
• Slides used in the presentation should be shown in a way that students get time to read each.
• In the case of home-based students who are ailing, teachers should adapt the content in association with subject teachers.
• Worksheets should be sent for intellectual special needslearnersand those with learning disabilities.

Well, for special children without access to technology,learning activities or therapies have to be provided by teachers or therapists in the required format by making home visits.

If you're considering a teaching career, you might find the most opportunities in special education right now. Over the past decade, the country has experienced a severe shortage of special education teachers and the demand is huge in Kerala.

Now, let’s quickly see what are the duties of a special education teacher:

• Special education teachers deliver distinguished instructional strategies to meet the need of students with physical, emotional, mental, learning, and behavioural special needs.
• Special education teachers develop individual education plans (IEPs) for each student.
• Special education teachers create different customized plans to meet the learning goalsfor each student.
• Special education teacherswork with students one-on-one or in small groups.
• Well, it's a special education teacher's job to familiarize with students and support them to secure all the resources that they need to safeguard a positive school experience.
• Special education teachers need to be patient and understanding.
• Some special education teachers specialize in a specific subject, such as reading or math, while others have a more general focus.
• Special education teachers also provide the metal support to the children.

We are sure there are many but the above-mentioned are the most significant ones!

Because the number of students with developmental special needs is increasing, the demand for special educational needs teachers is also growing. The significant growth has produced a crucial need for a new wave of skilled and trained special education educators with the right background. Also, pursuing an advanced degree will give you the real-world tools to be a skilled teacher by allowing you to specify in the elements of teaching that matter most to you!