Special Education Needs

A child with special-education needs will often struggle in the public school system. Teachers may look for obvious signs of dyslexia, such as reversed letters or difficulty copying from a book, but those are not the only signs of a learning disability. In some cases, a dyslexic child may simply be labeled slow, or he may be misdiagnosed because of behavioral outbursts. This does little to solve the condition and may even lead to additional problems, such as depression or low self-esteem. Dyslexic children usually need a course laid out that matches the way they process information. A multisensory approach often works better than simply telling or showing the child something, but few school districts are set up for such specifics.

A Developmental School Meets Special-Education Needs

A developmental school like the Center School in Pennsylvania understands the necessity of handling each child individually. The Center School adopts a tag-team approach to education, with two teachers and a reading specialist in each class. They are trained to vary their approach based on the special-education needs of each student, and they allow their perception of individual progress to dictate their work in the classroom. The emphasis is on reading skills--no matter what the subject--and on the use of language to engage students in the process of learning. The small size of our classes allows the faculty to pinpoint areas of strength in each student. The result is a brighter and happier child, whose disability no longer disrupts his or her life. If you'd like to know more, write us at 2450 Hamilton Ave., Abington, PA 19001, call (215) 657-2200, fax us at (215) 657-2646, or email us at centerschool@centerschoolpa.org.