Understanding Special Education and students’ challenges

Students with special needs require extra support. Accommodations help address their unique needs. These needs include learning, developmental, physical, emotional, and behavioural aspects. These needs may arise from various disabilities and challenges. These include learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, physical impairments, sensory impairments, and emotional or behavioural disorders.

Students with special needs face various challenges in education. These may include difficulty in accessing appropriate support services, facing stigma and discrimination, and struggling with academic tasks due to their unique learning

styles. Additionally, they may encounter social challenges such as feeling excluded or misunderstood by their peers.

Navigating these obstacles requires understanding and patience. It also requires dedicated support from the immediate stakeholders and the community. Special education encompasses a wide range of services designed to meet these unique needs of students. These include specialised instruction, assistive technology, individualised education plans tailored to their specific strengths, challenges and learning styles, and support services.

Within this framework, school counsellors play a pivotal role. They ensure that every student, regardless of their abilities, receives the support they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.