Think of some questions that you have about special needs and write them down. What are "special needs" and how do they compare to all children's needs? What do I need to know to include children with special needs in my care?

What does "special needs" mean? Take a moment to compare your own responses to the things said by the people in the program. What can you do if you suspect a child has special needs?

Children with "special needs":

• Have challenges in speech, language, motor, or social skills
• Fit the legal or educational definition of special needs
• Have certain conditions, e.g., autism, Down Syndrome, dyslexia, etc.

Main Points:

• A child's special needs might be temporary or lifelong
• Daily routines are important
• All strategies discussed here apply to all children

First Steps when you notice a problem:

• Talk to a pediatrician and other people who care for kids
• Check with your regional center and your school district
• Ask for an evaluation
• Plan your child's education

As you watch, look for things that the child care provider does that you would find helpful. How can you structure your daily activities to include everyone? What techniques are they using to include children with "special needs"?

Consider what you do with your children. How are your practices the same as what you saw? How are they different? How can/do you adapt your activities for different children's needs?

Inclusion Strategies:

• Establish daily, predictable routines
• Observe a child's strengths, challenges, likes and dislikes
• Watch for signs of overload (and have somewhere they can retreat)
• Everyone shares same toys
• Break up big tasks into small steps
• Give children the time they need to complete tasks
• Repeat activities and words
• Use pictures, signs, sign language in addition to print and words
• Ask children to express themselves in words and sentences

Prepare to watch how the panelists react to the video. Keep your questions and the active learning questions in mind and take notes on one topic that interests you. What can you see yourself doing to help a child with "special needs" learn and develop? What does an inclusive environment look like?

Did anyone notice the same things as you? What are the benefits of inclusion? for children with special needs? for all children? What are the main points to remember when working with a child who has special needs? What do you think of how the panelists approach caring for the children in their care?

Inclusion requires:

• Creativity
• Willingness to be flexible and open
• Knowledge about what a person's needs are
• Focus on what a person can do rather than what they can't do

Main Points:

• Observe your child
• Work within your child's learning zone (the level of difficulty where a child can do a task with minimal support)
• Be consistent
• Repetition is key
• Teach skills one step at a time
• It is up to the adult to understand that different children learn differently

Here's your chance to think about how to apply what you've learned. How can you support children with special needs during an activity? Imagine that you are a child with special needs. What would you want/need in order to fully participate? As a child care provider what could you do to fill those needs?

How did the activity compare with your expectations? What did they do to include everyone? What might have been done differently for different children? What does the name song teach?

The name song:

• Teaches children that they are each special
• Can be easily adapted for children of different abilities
• Shows that getting involved is enough for a growing experience
• Allows for repetition and personalization
• Helps children learn each other's names
• Provides a chance for children to use pre-literacy skills