Resilience in the Classroom: Helping Students with Special Needs

A leading child development expert offers teachers the tools they need to make a difference in students' livesChildren are often described as resilient, yet that can mean many things depending on the individual child. For a special needs student, resilience can mean the difference between success in the classroom, and possible failure in life. Dr. Lisa Medoff, a recognized expert in the field of child and adolescent development, demonstrates just how essential it is that these children be reached and aided with the tools necessary to cope with the challenges they face. The number of children with special needs in our schools has grown exponentially over the past decade. The classifications range from dyslexia to ADHD, from non-English speaking students and children living in dire poverty, to students struggling with learning disabilities and emotional disorders. In Resilience in the Classroom, Dr. Medoff tells the stories of actual students with special needs and shows how they succeeded with the help of their educators. When faced with students who have so many different special needs, teachers might despair of how to engage and encourage the children in the classroom. Dr. Medoff offers insight into the process of reaching students as individuals, and demonstrates how educators can help students strengthen and grow in order to achieve on their own.