An ever-increasing population of children in the U.S., about one third in the 2022–23 school year, some of whom are English learners facing intersectional issues, identified as having a specific learning disability.
The immediate outcome of her investigations resulted in multiple adjustments, including repurposing selected rooms in the family’s newly built home to meet this occasion. Maybe you or someone you know has faced a similar scenario. What does it all mean? Where do you begin? What is your next move? When and how do you pivot?
Parents and educators alike face questions and opportunities of how best to nurture and teach the spectrum of children and persons — those who learn differently; those with physical, learning, developmental and behavioral exceptionalities; who press educators to veer from scripted teaching plans to design instruction that is attentive to the neuropathways of learning; those who are responsive to how students learn, to their personal and academic success, and to embracing the reality that learning challenges has its roots in biology, and not exclusively, ability.
Approaching learner exceptionalities from the premise of a growth mindset, and doing so with honesty and with factual understanding, places parents and educators on divergent paths, from stigmatization and deficit thinking that potentially leads to failure, towards a strengths-based approach of instructing neurodiverse and other learners. Along with students and their families, educators, too, learn of the plasticity of the brain, and that learners benefit from being taught how their brains change in response to learning.
An ever-increasing population of children in the U.S., about one third in the 2022–23 school year, some of whom are English learners facing intersectional issues, identified as having a specific learning disability. With the rapidly increasing number of neurodivergent learners and learners with other disabilities in classrooms across urban, suburban and rural landscapes, still, a corresponding increase in special education teachers and the funding to hire these specially trained personnel, continue to elude us. Yet, a heightened need lingers to persist in the face of those realities.
The Journey to Excellence 2.0’s premise is that Adventist Education exists to create experiences that foster a lifelong love of learning in safe and secure environments, where students’ abilities, gifts, and talents are both honored and accepted. In our Lake Union schools, we welcome students to inclusive Christ-centered education designed to help them succeed; where standards-based, differentiated learning is practiced; where the learner resides at the center of our planning and implementation; where learners can participate in age-appropriate, regular classes, and are supported in their learning journeys; and where they have opportunities to contribute and take part in various aspects of school life.
The majority of our LUC schools and learning centers provide multi-age, multigrade classrooms which allow for flexible grouping that promotes collaboration among learners, allowing students to apply critical thinking strategies and enjoy opportunities for self-directed learning.
Increasing attention to ways we can better attend to learners with exceptionalities is top of mind for the LUC education department, a truth further advanced by the addition of a special education coordinator and instructional coach. Our desire is to provide our conferences, educators and students with support, training and resources in this area, as requested and needed.
Special education is a specialized branch of teaching designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities or learning differences. It provides individualized instruction, accommodations and modifications to ensure students can access and succeed in the curriculum. Special education services are specifically designed for students whose cognitive, neurological or developmental differences significantly impact their ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting.
The history of special education dates to the Christian church, which was among the first institutions to provide care for individuals with physical or mental impairments. Many are familiar with the inspirational story of Helen Keller, showcasing the potential for individuals with disabilities to succeed.
Modern special education began developing during the Renaissance, emphasizing the dignity of all individuals. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) now provides a framework for ensuring students with disabilities receive appropriate educational opportunities.
The newly established Lake Union Special Education division, led by a special education coordinator and instructional coach, plays a crucial role in ensuring individualized learning experiences. This division supports educators through professional development, seminars, school visits and consultations to help them develop effective strategies for assisting students with diverse learning needs. The goal is to create an inclusive learning environment where students can thrive academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
Have you ever wondered why, for example, one individual feels the need to ask a question after or during every presentation, while another appears to grasp the content more readily? Or why does another individual prefer information delivered verbally rather than textually? How about a child who cannot sit still and talks excessively at inappropriate times? The answer lies in the profound diversity of human experience. No two individuals are alike. Even identical twins exhibit differences. These variations are shaped by a complex interplay of neurological, genetic and environmental factors, which influence how we perceive, process and learn information. The differences between neurodiverse and neurotypical children are often obvious but neurodiverse students are sometimes labeled and even punished as naughty.
For instance, students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a neurodevelopmental disorder, may display negative behaviors that naughty neurotypical students may display. Some exceptionalities such as dyslexia, or being gifted, are hereditary, and students cannot just change that. This inherent diversity among students is not a hindrance, but a testament to everyone’s uniqueness. Special education is dedicated to identifying the underlying causes of challenging behaviors and learning differences and implementing targeted interventions to address them effectively.
Under the umbrella of special education in LUC schools are students suspected of or identified with disabilities, gifted and talented, as well as those with temporary disabilities. A student who sustains a fractured arm, for example, may be allowed to use speech-to-text technology to complete her work while she recovers. Similarly, a student diagnosed with ADHD, whether or not they have undergone formal school-based evaluation, may be eligible for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or through the Measurable Action Plan (MAP) developed by the NAD’s Reaching to Educate all Children for Heaven (REACH) Committee.
While there is often a stigma surrounding students with learning differences; providing specialized instruction in an Adventist inclusive environment offers valuable opportunities for differently abled students to learn from one another. Peers of students with disabilities can become advocates for rights and access, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of diversity.
Inclusion nurtures an environment where students with disabilities not only gain knowledge and skills but also develop social and emotional resilience as they interact with their non-disabled peers.
Early intervention works — remarkably. My close relative embarked on asking countless questions to persons she knew, as well as her child’s pediatrician, to better understand and process the full import of observations of her toddler, diagnosed with profound autism, but who, with early detection, intense intervention, and learning supports in an inclusive classroom, led his graduating class into the auditorium — 13 years later. The journey continues.
Collectively, we are invited to debunk skewed narratives and misconceptions about learning differences and exceptionalities and more heartedly embrace cognitively and other diverse learners. We are charged to learn and grow as parents, educators and influencers, in ways that increase our effectiveness and impact in best attending a population who learns differently. And too, how important it is to teach up, to every learner. Every Learner.
Identifying students who may require special education services involves recognizing potential challenges, such as:
Ruth Horton, EdD, is the Lake Union director of education. Wadzanai Bepe, PhD, is the special education coordinator and instructional coach for the Lake Union.
Ignacio Estrada-Nora. (n.d.). Biographies.net. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2025, from https://www.biographies.net/biography/ignacio-estrada-nora/m/0f_c57m.
National Association of Gifted Education (2025). https//nagc.org/page/gifted-education
