In years past, teaching students with severe disabilities was usually limited to “functional” activities: such as learning to go to the bathroom, to feed ones self, wash hands, and brush teeth. Gross motor skill development was pushed, if the teacher had the mindset to do so, and fine motor skill development was often centered on holding on to a spoon/fork to eat, and pushing a button to communicate. And academics? Well, that was limited to a book or two and adapted multisensory activities. Still today, some teachers educational program for their students with severe disabilities mirror the same. Yes, a teacher might read a book or use a switch activated computer program, but academics (English, math, history, science) are out of the question. After all, are they learning anything? That was a question a teacher posed to me. I suppose it was her way of justifying why she wasn’t using/teaching academic curriculum to her students. I wish this teacher, and the teachers who think like her, would see our students with severe disabilities like I do.
I see them with infinite potential. I see them with a love for reading and a curiosity for learning. I see them as yearning for knowledge and thirsting for more. I don’t see Annie’s inability to hold her head up as a hindrance to learning her letters and her numbers. I don’t see AJ’s inability to communicate as a hindrance to learning spelling words and understanding the concepts of in, on, and under. I don’t see Josh’s inattention as a hindrance to enjoying science or history. I choose to err on the side that they are getting it, and be surprised, as opposed to erring on the side that they don’t, and never know. Believe it or not, providing a strong academic program opens the doors to everything else we are teaching them as well: communication, attention, fine motor, and more. For example…
My students were doing a poster on California. They were presented with five questions to answer (state flower, one neighboring state, state flag, state bird, state motto), and two fun facts to find about California. With the help of their teachers, students went to work on the computers/tablets to find the answers. Working with my group, we had found the state flower (poppy). I proceeded to show each student the picture of the state flower, identify it by name, and describe it. When I get to Ken, before I could say a word, he looks at me and says, “poppy.” As clear as day, he said the word poppy! When prompted to say it again, he does. I was shocked, excited, happy, all rolled into one!!! Up until that point, Ken had vocalized a lot and babbled, but no words. Just saying the word poppy meant so much potential to say other “p” words and/or approximations.
Just this past Thursday, my students were engaging in science, a study on dolphins. To start out the discussion, and introduce what they were going to learn about, I showed a ten-minute video of dolphins performing at Sea World. Sitting as a group, for ten whole minutes, that video had the attention of ALL of my students. Now, keep in mind, for three of my students, that’s a miracle!!! In our small group study, the second video on dolphins equally gained the attention of each of my students. I have more examples, but the point I am trying to drive home is that learning is occurring.
How much learning? I don’t know for sure. How much retention? I don’t know that either. Do they get it? Maybe. These questions can be asked all day!!! But, as teachers of students with severe disabilities, can we honestly answer them? So, once again, I ask you, what do you see? I see; I speak potential, possibilities, opportunities, yes answers!!! That is why my favorite quote is; “The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.”