Does Early Intervention Truly Work?

The topic of this blog is one that is especially close to my heart, which is the topic of Early Intervention. However, before I go into detail concerning why I have such a close connection to this subject, I would like to discuss what it is and how certain people may feel about it. Early Intervention helps infants and toddlers with disabilities to learn the speaking, social and physical skills that they will need for success in school. Some people, such as myself, feel that Early Intervention is a great tool because it allows children with  the opportunity to discover, through the utilization of various educational techniques by their teachers, how to express their wants and needs in a more comprehensible way. However, other people say that these toddlers will learn how to perform these types and other types of daily activities on their own, making the necessity of Early Intervention unnecessary. Despite this, I know that Early Intervention can truly make a difference in the developing mind of a toddler, and this knowledge is from personal experience.

When I was diagnosed with autism when I was around 18 months old, my mother did not know what to do. She had little experience with children who had disabilities, but wanted to help me learn how to speak and interact with my family. She contacted my doctor, and the doctor referred me to a special Early Intervention program for students with autism. Through this program, I received music therapy, speech therapy and social groups that gradually helped me to learn how to talk to my family members and to play with other children. Although I agree with the opposition of these types of programs to the extent of my belief that I would have eventually spoken on my own, I do not believe that it would have happened as early as it did without the guidance of my Early Intervention teachers. As a result, I do not believe that it would be best for children with disabilities if their parents simply waited for them to improve, as these children would have no choice but to forfeit valuable interactions with the other people in their lives if this was to happen.

Is Early Intervention Important for Children with Autism?

What Factors Make Individuals Want To Teach?

One of the main reasons why individuals decide to pursue a career in education is because the need for qualified teachers is increasing significantly. This factor is very important because college students and recent college graduates may be concerned about the risk of their being unemployed upon finishing their career programs. Although this concept was not the deciding reason for my wanting to be a special education teacher, I have been told by my parents and family members that there is an especially high need for these kinds of teachers due to the increasing recognition of various learning disabilities that children may have. I do, however, understand how people may want to be educators for this reason, as this particular job provides individuals a sense of safety from the threat of losing work while still giving them the opportunity to have a professional career.

Another reason why individuals may desire to pursue this occupation is that teachers have the power to train their students to play instrumental roles in society. For example, elementary school teaches may teach hundreds (if not thousands) of students over the course of their careers. Through their work, they teach these students the essential mathematics and literary skills that they will need when they are adults. This results in students using these skills to assist them with their own careers. For example, students who I may have in my first days as a teacher may become important figures in society, such as the doctors who care for their fellow citizens when they are ill and the police officers who protect their cities from criminals. If I was to encounter a previous student who eventually had an esteemed career, I would feel a sense of pride of the work that I did in order to prepare this student for said career, and I would imagine that most teachers would experience similar feelings.

Ten Reasons To Teach

My Goals And What Interests Me About The Educational Process

Hello, readers!

My name is Nathan Hughes and I am a senior at Salem State University. My current major is English and my current minor is Educational Studies. However, when I graduate, I am planning on attending a graduate school in order to receive my master's degree in Special Education, as this is the career path that I wish to follow during my life. The reason why I want to be a teacher is because I enjoy helping children gradually increase their knowledge so that they are eventually able to pursue any career that they want to. Also, I decided when I was in high school to narrow my educational goals to teaching special education because of my own experience as a special education student during my formative years. Through the assistance that I received from my special education teachers, I was able to realize that they genuinely cared about helping me and other students learn and reach their complete potentials. Therefore, I feel that it is my responsibility to give back to the educational system that supported me by supporting students like me as a teacher.

The link I chose is a short explanation of special education for individuals who are unfamiliar with the concept and with how public schools support special education students. It is useful for this course because most, if not all, of the future elementary school teachers who are enrolled in it will have at least one special education student in their careers.

http://www.sfusd.edu/en/programs/special-education/parent-guide-details.html