Itinerant Special Education Teacher's Role And How It Impacts Children
Itinerant Special Education Teachers are trained professionals who travel to the school or setting where a child attends school or lives.
These teachers work with the primary caregiver or a child’s teacher to ensure that the child receives specialized intervention everyday. This can involve the following:
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• Sharing written information • Explicitly modeling intervention • Observing the classroom teacher or |
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By meeting with the Classroom Teacher or Primary Caregiver, the Itinerant Teacher is able to share skills that enable the teacher or caregiver to address learning objectives on a daily basis.
Rather than meeting only once a week with a child, the Itinerant Special Education Teacher shares her knowledge base with the classroom teacher or primary caregiver, offering strategies for working effectively with that child on a continuous basis.
This is called a Consultative Approach and is supported by the Ohio Department of Education as a preferred method of instruction for special needs children.
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The benefits of the Consultative Approach are:
| • The child is better able to participate in routine activities throughout the day. • Itinerant teachers are able to support the regular education teachers and caregivers who work directly with the child on a daily basis. • Classroom teachers or Primary Caregivers better understand the function of the child’s challenging behavior and can change the way they interact with that child. • Educators and Primary Caregivers are able to provide specialized instruction and plan ways to address IEP goals within the course of the child’s typical day and routine activities. • When the Itinerant Special Education Teacher and classroom teacher or primary caregiver work together to provide services and education to a child, the child benefits by receiving well-coordinated intervention. • The child’s development is accelerated as a result of more frequent intervention. • The child’s IEP can be implemented in the least restrictive environment. • Child’s interactions with others (adults and peers) are improved. • Child gains the consistent support he needs to access the general curriculum. |
This information is brought to you by Project DIRECT. Project DIRECT is supported by the Ohio Department of Education and hosted by The University of Toledo. Please visit our website for additional information regarding Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Services: www.education.utoledo.edu/DIRECT
Itinerant Special Education Teacher services are available from the Medina County Schools’ ESC. Contact Christina Combs, (440) 590-2802 or by email, cbaker@medina-esc.org
