Dr. Manuel Salazar

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works…”
Psalm 139:14

The Lord has called us to reach and teach all children: the excellent scholars, the average students, the struggling ones, but also the students with legitimate special needs! For a variety of growing reasons, we are seeing more students with special needs in the day in which we live. Current statistics report that up to 1/5 of American students are slow learners with special needs. While a percentage of these students struggle because they missed the basics of education in a poor-performing school and/or they were not diligent in applying themselves in their studies, a sizable percentage (up to 15%) have legitimate special needs that Christian educators must be able to identify and to provide strategies to help these students.

While most Christian schools today are not equipped or able to handle major special needs children, all Christian schools can and must help minor special needs students reach their full potential. It takes a combined effort of parents, teachers, and students working together to help every child overcome the challenges they experience as slow learners. Below are seven basic special needs areas that Christian schools should identify and understand, followed by seven proven strategies to help slow learners achieve greater success.

Seven Basic Special Needs Today

1. Speech and Language Disorders
2. Hearing Impairments
3. Visual Impairments
4. Emotional Disorders
5. Learning Disabilities (dyslexia, etc.)
6. Physical Health Impairments
7. Mild Retardation

Seven Basic Strategies for Helping Slow Learners

1. Be sure the parents have the student tested to identify a legitimate need. Be careful with secular organizations which like to label students. For example, some students that are hyper-active may be labeled as ADHD, when in fact they have SDD (Self-discipline disorder). This can often be overcome with a consistent environment of love, instruction, discipline, and encouragement at home and school. Thus, parents must seek tests that remove behavioral issues and focus more on cognitive, learning, and kinesthetic areas of development.
2. Communicate often with parents about the student’s progress, needs, and upcoming assignments and assessments. Position the students in class to maximize their learning.
3. Provide some out-of-class assistance via tutoring or special programs for slow learners.
4. Emphasize quality; provide small victories to encourage the slow learner.
5. Take class participation and effort into account for grades as you work out exceptions to school procedures with your principal. Other modifications may also be approved by your principal. Be sure to help slow learners be part of the class, never embarrass them or make them feel inferior.
6. Provide parents with tools that can be used at home to help slow learners.
7. Keep the goal to mainstream and help the students’ progress. We want to help them overcome their learning challenges, always improving to maximize their full potential.

It is our prayer that Christian schools will continue to seek ways in which they can reach and educate all children whom our Lord has created. May we always remember that every child has worth and value in the eyes of Christ.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is the reward”
Psalm 127:3