Laura
Special Education Certified and Elementary k-8
Dear potential students and parents, I live in the Tecumseh area and am willing to work with you and your child. My education is primarily in special education, however, the techniques used in these areas are good for everyone. As students do not learn alike, attention needs to be focused on your son's/daughter's learning style as well as methods to learn to adapt. My education is in special ed. and learning disabilities with emphasis on autism. With high school students, I work on Tra...
elementary (k-6th)
ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
ADD/ADHD
I have a bachelor's degree in Special Education with a master's degree in Learning Disabilities. I have worked with special needs students with a big variety of disabilities; many having ADD or ADHD and some with multiple disabilities. First and foremost a teacher needs to establish a relationship with the student. Many students with ADHD are able to focus on instruction while listening to music, walking around a room or tapping etc. They need to be moving and have a difficult time conforming to sitting in a classroom for any length of time. Students with ADD and ADHD need breaks and usually do well when they are presented information in an interesting way one that is similar to their learning style, i.e. Visual or memorization tricks to learn and remember information. Distractions need to be kept to a minimum. Motivation and immediate feedback works well.
Aspergers
I have a bachelor's and master's degree in special education and learning disabilities. I have been trained with the START program in the State of Michigan; attended conferences, lead career transition groups and taught students with Aspergers. Additionally I have taken 15 graduate credit hours specifically on the topic of Aspergers and autism. Students usually need visual supports due to communication and social issues. Students need to be taught using things that are in their area of interest. They usually miss social cues and take things very literally. Behavior modification and speech are techniques used. I like to use social stories to teach a point.
autism
I have a bachelor's and master's degree in special education and learning disabilities. I have an additional 15 graduate hours in autism specifically designing curriculum for students on the secondary level of transition. Attended START training through GVSU, provided inservices to colleagues and have implemented programming in the classroom. I have 25 years of experience working with students with this disability. Visual and social stories prove to be effective, picture schedules and familiarity breeds success.