Yes, the title seems rather confusing but I guarantee that if you were to read all the way to the end, it becomes rather clear. One of the biggest fears my teachers face, is having to deal with special needs children in the classroom. To give you a bit of a context, special needs is a taboo subject that no one talks about. There is support available, but not as much as there are in other countries. To make matters worse, a lot of parents lack the proper information needed to deal with children who have special needs.

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As a teacher trainer, my skill set extends as far as teaching a conventional classroom. However, I have dealt with special needs children before. They get sent to my classroom because they have certain needs that are not easily identifiable. These include ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and even Tourrete syndrome. Now, onto my stance on special needs children in the classroom. My heart aches for them. They are placed into a class where they will probably be rejected by their friends. In time, they will likely be rejected by the school system too. So as much as I don't want to admit it, I feel that I should pay more attention towards them. 

### **Here Are Two Examples...**
I took a class for the first time and noticed this one student who frequently asked questions. That was definitely a mark of an engaged and good student. That is, until he/she starts asking you questions every two minutes. As I was new and wanted to make an impression, I took every single question he threw at me and went on speaking for a good two hours. His current teacher, who was observing from the back commended me on what I did. Actually, she was relieved. 

According to her, this boy who kept asking questions was suffering from ADHD. The parents placed him in the class, hoping that he would 'heal' in time. The teacher was relieved because if I were to ignore him just once, he would shout, scream and cry on the floor. Personally, that was not an issue, because I did not have to take the class for long, the next one was more exciting. 

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I had James in my class for four years. James has Tourrete syndrome which makes him say things that he has no control over. A game the children like to play was to whisper certain words such as, sex, boobs, fuck and ass countless times. He will then begin shouting those words uncontrollably in the class. This of course causes the entire class to laugh uncontrollably. I however, would have to take extra time repairing the damage done to his self esteem, often having lunch with him if the opportunity arises. 

James is off to college now, but those four years were extremely challenging. However, what handling James and that child with ADHD taught me was how to enter into this 'Zen Mode'. 

### **Some Tips** 
I think everyone has a way of handling extremely stressful situations. For me, my brain shuts off all the anger, frustration and I go into 'Zen Mode'. How that works is that I would just answer every question that gets thrown at me, or carry on managing the class if chaos breaks out. This is especially useful when a child shouts 'boobs' in the middle of an English class. 

To get into your very own Zen Mode, set yourself to solve the issue one at a time. You could assign a general task for the entire class to complete and check if the child with special needs is alright. In addition, don't forget to breathe and remember this, if you lose control in any way, you lose the respect and the class for the rest of the year. As such, stay in control, stay calm and go 'Zen'. Of course, doing so can be mentally draining. That's why I have my triple shot coffee in a huge mug back at the office. 

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However, if Zen Mode is not really your thing, do consider speaking to the parents. It is important for them to acknowledge that every child learns differently and that they may need assistance that other children may not. Sadly, some parents may not acknowledge this. As such, you may need to create multiple lessons to run concurrently within one period of the class. 

To do so, you can start off with a topic and teach it to the class. Later, you can divide the class into different groups according to their levels and needs. From there, assign different tasks to be completed by these groups. If you have special needs children in the class, one of the groups would consist of these children with special needs. 

### **Conclusion**
I am writing this as a means to share my experience. All in all, I love the experience of having the opportunity to deal with special needs children in the classroom. The thought of being there for someone who needs you is definitely worth the trouble. I remember seeing James' father rather recently. He was rather happy speaking of how his only son is now in college and getting used to life there. Before we said goodbye he thanked me and mentioned how much of it was attributed to me being there for him. 

Thus, if you are facing a similar situation in the classroom, I hope you will have the same opportunity to experience the same.

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