Orthopedic Impairment
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines an orthopedic impairment as one that severely and adversely affects a child’s school performance. Orthopedic impairments can be caused by congenital anomalies such as club foot, diseases other causes such as cerebral palsy or amputation of limbs. Orthopedic impairment involves bones, joints, limbs, and muscles, and neuromotor impairment involves the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Common characteristics of orthopedic impairment and neuromotor impairment involve problems using hands, arms, and legs. Relationships also exist between orthopedic and neuromotor impairments. Many students with orthopedic impairments, however, do not have learning, language, perceptual, or sensory problems. Most students with orthopedic impairments will require educational modifications and accommodations, and assistive technology to function as independently as possible. Although classroom modifications and accommodations will vary dependent on a student’s individual needs, common characteristics of orthopedic impairment often make these provisions necessary. General classroom teachers and special educators should collaborate to include students with disabilities student in the general curriculum. To participate as fully as possible in educational activities, the student may require these accommodations:
a) Special seating arrangements, larger tables.
b) Note-taking assistance.
c) Instruction focused on impairments in and the improvement of gross and fine motor skills.
d) Securing assistive technology and augmentative communication devices.
e) Extended time to complete assignments.
f) Teacher awareness of student’s condition and its affect (such as tiring easily).
Instructional adaptation for inclusive setup
Instructional adaptation is the basic needs of the children with special need because they have exceptionalities. Educational practices must be child-centered in inclusive setup. This means that teachers must discover where each of their students are academically, socially, and culturally to determine how best to facilitate learning. Indeed, child-centered teachers view their role more as being facilitators of learning rather than simply transmitters of knowledge.
1. Curriculum adaptation
2. Methodology
3. Classroom environment
1. Curriculum adaptation
In inclusive classrooms, curriculum takes on a major significance since, in the past, the principal reason for removing students was the inability to benefit from the general education curriculum. Children with orthopedic impairment have normal intelligence and don’t need a special curriculum. What they need from you is acceptance, and a little adjustment. They’ll contribute more to your classroom than what you could ever contribute to them.
Adaptive Lesson Plans and curricular activities
Student with orthopedic impairment in classroom, it is important to modify the lesson plans to make sure that all students can participate.
a) Adapting the materials you provide
b) Assigning a helper
c) Allotting a task that they will be able to do independently.
d) If planning a group activity, ensure that there is a table where the student with orthopedic impairment can sit with the rest of his or her group and work.
e) If taking the students out for a field visit, ensure that it is wheelchair accessible.
2. Methodology
A student with orthopedic impairment has the ability and the right to a full education. However they may have difficulties in locomotion, hand functions and even communication. In this scenario, we as teachers need to be supportive, encouraging, and willing to adapt. We may have to modify our teaching strategies to suit the student. Thus, these are a few teaching strategies for orthopedic impairment that can be used in your classroom. It does require a little more effort and understanding. However it is responsibility to give equal opportunity to a complete education to all children irrespective of their impairments in inclusive setup.
Assistive Technology
Children with severe orthopedic impairments and are not able to express themselves through speech or writing, and may require additional assistive technology for expressing themselves. Assistive technology devices help students with various levels of severity of orthopedic impairment. These devices enable access to the educational curriculum and may include one or more of the following:
c) Math pad
d) Assistive computer software
e) Speech recognition software.
f) Alternative keyboards and mice.
g) Augmentative and alternative communication devices.
h) Word prediction software.
i) Screen reading software.
j) Academic software for students with disabilities.
3) Classroom Environment
The greatest barrier to inclusion is usually architectural, teasing and exclusion by peers. So prepare class to receive and include a child with an orthopedic impairment.
i) Classroom seating
Students with orthopedic impairments may need some modifications to help them sit comfortably in class.
a) Adaptive work surface
b) Modified chair can ensure that they have enough neck support, back support and other support they may require.
c) Adaptive boards can be used to help them to do activities while sitting on adaptive wheelchair.
d) Appropriate Table, the table must be of a height that is most comfortable for them to work on and write. Students with good upper body posture may be comfortable with a table at an elbow level, however students with poor upper body posture may need a table at chest or shoulder level to be able to stabilize and write.
ii) Accessibility in classroom layout
When the teacher expecting that student with orthopedic impairment in the classroom. There is some issues that take consider to the teacher
a) Accessible by wheelchair in classroom
b) Flooring is adequate for the child’s needs.
c) Door width,
d) Stairs or thresholds
e) Door knobs
f) Toilet accessibility
Classroom is not suitable, there will need to consider shifting to a different room.
iii) Social acceptance in Inclusive Classroom
Teacher is the role model for the students so he can only develop the thinking of acceptance and social integration in classroom. So he should discuss in informal conversation.
a) How they need to care for and treat the child?
b) How that child is just like them and thinks and feels just like them?
c) Assign responsibilities for one child to help him go to the toilet.
d) One child to sit with him in class,
e) A child to accompany him during lunch break.
The responsibilities will give the children opportunities to get to know the child better. In class, focus on the child’s abilities.
4. Adaptation in Evaluation procedure
Some students with orthopedic impairment may also have hand function difficulties. So there is need to adaptation in expressive mode so that evaluation can be completed.
a) writing boards
b) special paper
c) pencil grips
d) special pencil holders
e) Special writing aids to help them write.
f) Some simple adaptations, allows the student to write large letters and provide a good seating position where the shoulder and elbows are stable.
g) Use markers, if he or she finds it easier than a pen or a pencil.
h) Use thick pen or pencil is often easier than using a thin one.
