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There's some evidence that the best teachers have an innate capacity to pay attention to everything that's going on in a classroom. There is such a thing as a born teacher, one who is alert to children's attention, their distractions, their confusion and the moment when they get the lesson. But there's still a lot for that teacher to learn: how children learn to read; ways to manage the classroom; and how to identify and address ordinary obstacles to learning, from hunger and low self-esteem to poor eyesight and test anxiety. And not all good teachers were born to it. Teaching is a skill that can be taught. Some states require that all teachers have a Master's degree.

However, special needs children have big obstacles to learning. They need teachers who have studied the research and know what works. Dyslexia, elective mutism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fragile X, fetal alcohol syndrome and mental retardation are just a few examples of the problems children bring to school.

Let's consider ADHD. It's a common diagnosis and many children respond well to medication. But these children depend on their special needs teacher to assess if the medication is working and if the dosage is correct. The case is more complex if the child is also deaf or has mild mental retardation or some other condition that the ADHD has been masking. It's not enough for a teacher to pay attention to this child; the teacher must have deep knowledge of behavioral symptoms and the tools to test the child.

Dyslexic children can learn to read more readily if the teacher knows the research and has a repertoire of teaching strategies. Selective mutism can be hard to spot in a busy classroom and the interventions depend on school and family cooperation to implement treatment plans. Fragile X is a genetic mutation with multiple symptoms, difficult to diagnose.

Special needs like these are present in every classroom. The good teacher will know that something's wrong and consult with parents, the principal, the school counselor and the special needs teacher. Together they can take steps toward a remedy, following the lead of the special needs teacher who knows the community resources to draw on as well as teaching methods.

In graduate school, these teachers not only study the research but they participate in case treatments and internships, working with experienced teachers and psychologists. They learn what to pay attention to and what to do about it.

Special needs teachers also work with children with more severe learning needs such as autism, often in special learning environments. But their expertise in your neighborhood school makes it more likely children's learning obstacles will be met and overcome. That's the benefit of the Master's degree.

Learn more about this author, Mary Ann Mcgivern.
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