Teaching special education is a unique challenge. Having the classroom facilities you need can help you be successful.

Use dividers to segment the room for different activities. This can help kids understand where one activity ends and another begins.

Have a calming space with tools and toys to help students calm down when they become overstimulated.

Ideal Setups

A special education classroom should be a fun and comfortable space for students to learn. Self-contained classrooms and special ed classrooms with a range of ages should have a variety of seating arrangements and visual aids to make learning easier.

For example, many special ed classrooms use alternative seating such as pillows or bean bags to accommodate learners who cannot focus in regular desks. These seating options can help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation for kids. In addition, the ideal special ed classroom should provide students with tools for self-regulation. Break cards, fidget tools and social stories can all be useful for helping students manage behavior and communication challenges.

Additionally, it's helpful to have specialized areas for small group work, center work and a computer space in special ed classrooms. These types of setups can allow teachers to focus on the needs of their students and give them the individual attention they need to thrive.

Facilities

Facilitating learning for special education students should be a top priority, regardless of where the classroom is located. Students with disabilities may be placed in a variety of settings, such as inclusion classes, resource rooms or self-contained classrooms. These settings vary in their layouts and how they function while each offering its own unique set of pros and cons.

A special needs classroom should be equipped with the right tools to promote learning for all students, no matter their specific needs. This means incorporating universal design into the curriculum, using multiple intelligence theory and ensuring that teaching methods are flexible enough to accommodate different learning styles.

Special education classrooms are also often designed with a center space where kids can work on projects or other activities. This is an excellent way to help kids with special needs focus and stay engaged during instruction.

Layouts

The ideal special education classroom layout can facilitate learning for students of all abilities. Adjustable furniture, modular seating, and open spaces can accommodate the needs of all students. In addition, visual aids can help make instructions clearer and support routines. For example, a classroom schedule displayed with both words and pictures can be helpful for students who are non-readers.

Students often need boundaries for their physical space, so separating different areas of the classroom for different activities is important. This can be done with colored rugs, masking tape on the floor or cardboard dividers. It's also a good idea to have a designated calming area and a station for sensory breaks.

If your classroom is a self-contained or inclusive class, it's also important to have a space for occupational therapists, speech therapists, and other related service providers to work with your students. It's a great way to build teamwork and collaboration amongst your teaching staff.

Equipment

Having the right tools and teaching aids can facilitate learning for special education students. This can include self-regulation tools like fidget toys, chewable items, and break cards, environmental picture cues and labeling, visual instructions and graphic organizers.

Having a flexible classroom setup is also key for special education students because their needs can change from day to day. It’s important that they can maneuver between different areas and that there’s enough space for a wheelchair to pass through.

It’s also important to consider how you decorate your classroom. While a lot of people may disagree with this, students don’t really care about cacti and llamas in their classrooms. They do, however, need a space that feels comfortable and welcoming to them. For this reason, a neutral color scheme works best. You can use a lot of different types of decorations, but make sure you don’t have any that are overly distracting or could trigger behaviors in some students.