If you would like to make a unique impact within the field of education, you may be interested in learning whether or not you can specialize degree in special education to work with children with epilepsy. Children with epilepsy may not the be first demographic of student that comes to mind when you think of special education, but due to the nature of the condition it is common for students who suffer seizures and who take medication to experience learning difficulties. Educators must possess special skills and specialty knowledge to instruct children who have epilepsy. Read on and find out more about how the medical condition affects learning and how to specialize your degree to deal with the common challenges.
How Does Epilepsy Affect a Child’s Learning?
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder where abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes the sufferer to experience convulsions, seizures and other recurring episodes that can affect both daily life and learning. Since more than 2.5 million people in the U.S. are affected by the neurological condition, it is important that there is a supply of instructors who have specialty knowledge on the learning challenges that sufferers face, according to Nemours.
Some of the specific learning problems that students with epilepsy face include difficulties with math, reading and writing as well as problems with speech and comprehension. Because students may take medications that affect brain activity, it is not out of the ordinary for children to have problems concentrating or processing information. Some children also have memory problems and may suffer from exhaustion from medications.
How to Specialize Your Degree
If you want to work in special education and you are ready to learn how to prepare yourself to learn how to intervene and tackle the learning disabilities early on, it is time to find out the educational path that you must take. You will need to start by earning a bachelor’s degree in education or teaching. Once you possess this, you will have a foundation of skills that can be built upon when you are ready to be be a special education specialist.
Specialists in special education need the minimum of a master’s degree. A Master of Science in Special Education will help you learn various teaching strategies and how to create modified lesson plans for students with disabilities caused by neurological conditions. Many programs have concentrations that may include teaching kids with neurological disorders. Once you have a mastery on these skills, you can then decide if you would like to advance your degree even further by studying for a Education Specialist degree majoring in Special Education. This type of degree will teach you how to problem solve and deepen your understanding for new trends in special education so that you can collaborate with parents and staff.
Related Resource: Reading Specialist
Before you can begin to teacher special education you must be certified or licensed in your state. Every state has their own unique laws as to what type of degree and experience that you need to work with children who have learning disabilities. In most states, you need a minimum of a Bachelor’s in Special Education where you have completed courses in educational psychology, child assessment and behavior support. While B.S. may suffice, to really specialize you will need an advanced degree so that you can specialize degree in special education to work with children with epilepsy.
