Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities
Special-needs students need teachers who will fight and advocate for them. Each individual student should have an accurate, objective education plan written out for them. This plan should be based on their learning style and disability.
Teachers should have extensive knowledge of the scientific literature concerning the different types of learning disabilities, what they mean, and adjust their teaching methods accordingly.
“Strengthen teacher training and support: across the 15 papers, a clear need for ongoing professional development is evident. This entails equipping teachers with practical strategies for inclusive teaching—particularly for learners with complex needs (e.g. intellectual disabilities, deaf-blindness, and complex communication needs). Capacity building must extend beyond theory to include hands-on, context-relevant training. Inclusion cannot rest on individual teachers alone. Schools should adopt socio-ecological or whole-school frameworks that engage all stakeholders—teachers, parents, therapists, administrators, and learners—in shared responsibility for inclusive practices.” (Nel Bomman, 2025, 1)
Each student needs a teacher who knows their students both individually and collectively. Students need teacher assistants who are observant and detail-oriented, who can take notes to give to their lead teacher to help students and let them know what they have missed. These things can help the teacher design an accurate IEP instead of just throwing something together. For example, some students whose speech is delayed may learn to speak by hearing others. They can learn the words to their favorite songs and have conversations in the classroom.
Teaching students with special needs requires time and patience. A teacher must know that traditional lectures will not work; it takes hands-on, creative teaching. Teachers must be compassionate and enjoy what they do, because special needs students are capable of learning—they just learn at their own pace.
“Moreover, integral to a socio-ecological approach are value-driven, inclusive practices built on access, equality, rights, participation, respect for diversity, acceptance, tolerance, non-violence, trust, and compassion. In essence, we believe that a socio-ecological model enables teachers to better understand complex influencers, interactions, and interrelationships in terms of the learner and all the other systems associated with the learner.” (Nel, Bomman, 2025, 1)
Student-Centered Learning
The best solution to the educational problem concerning special-needs students is to remember that these students go to school each day to get an education like all other students do. But they are being cheated out of their education in some cases. The stigma of having a severe disability is still prevalent whether professionals want to admit it or not. Teachers should break down the information being taught to students into simpler terms so that everyone understands what is being taught.
Teachers should write better lesson plans, collaborate with other special-education colleagues if they have questions, and think about the best interest of the student. The student must be able to remember what they learn at school because they are going to see it again. It’s all about the student going on to the next level.
“Today’s educational development requires teachers to apply cognitive theory in learning. Research shows that this theory has a positive impact on students in terms of cognitive development. According to Marinda (2020), development refers to the changes in a person’s life to understand information, analyze, and solve problems. Teachers must find alternatives to ensure more effective teaching during lessons in the classroom. The application of cognitive theory is highly suitable for teachers in the classroom because one of the aspects is providing students with the opportunity to explore learning independently.” (Shukri & Hasnah, 2025, 1) (Marinda, 2020)
Teachers must be able to change their teaching styles and be flexible enough to adapt to each student’s learning ability. Special-needs students need this type of mindset from their teachers so that they can learn the correct ways to engage in a positive learning environment.
“One of the main challenges in special education is adapting teaching approaches to the varying cognitive development levels of students. Each special-education student has unique individual needs that influence how they think, learn, and develop.” (Shukri, Hasnah, 2025, 3)
Read more articles from Alexis Ellis on our Zealousness blog.
References
- Nel, Mima and John Bomman. “Cultivation inclusive classroom practices in special education.” Education Sciences 15, no. 8 (2025): 970.
- Shukr, Ahmad Radenan Mohd, and Hasnah, Toran. “Jean Piaget cognitive learning theory and student teaching strategies with special education needs.” Special Education [SE] 3 no. 1 (2025). E0033-e0033.
