Early Childhood Special Education Video Analysis

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I felt that the video Early Childhood Special Education, for Parents (2013) was a great example of why those who teach love teaching, whether it is a child with special needs or not. Not only is play essential for all young children, but according to Teaching Strategies (n.d.), “play is a critical component of development for children with special needs”.
I felt that the video was congruent with the play-based philosophy. Play has proven to meet the needs of all children. This was evident in the video.
According to Edwards & Brooker (2010, p. 185), “educators need to work for the inclusion of young children with disabilities, and at the same time be passionate advocates for a meaningful, relevant curriculum that helps them learn about
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The video displayed this because play was not all about the teacher being active, but by allowing the students to be actively engaged. The three roles that teachers need to ensure that they are doing during play include “manager, facilitator, and participant” (“Teaching Strategies,” n.d.). A good example of this is one of my ex-students who was confined to a wheelchair and could not move his lower body. When he would come to my class (physical education), his paraeducator came with him so that she could help him. However, in my opinion, she did not help him at all. For instance, when he was supposed to play ball, she would be his partner. I felt that by her being his partner, she was not providing him play time with his peers. He was more than capable of playing with is classmates; however, she never gave him the chance. When he really needed her assistance, by taking him out of his wheelchair so that he could play the games, she did not. After a while I told her that I did not need her in the classroom. During this time, I allowed him to play with his classmates the way that he should. Then during games, I took him out of his chair and modified the games so that he was able to play with his classmates with my assistance. Honestly, I had never seen him smile so much. My role in this was to manage what he could do, facilitate how he was going