SPECIAL NEEDS

The objective of the Multinational School’s Special Needs Department is to enable students to function as meaningfully and as independently as possible in the community.

We have a Special Needs Program that caters for a wide range of disabilities. The primary aim of this program is to focus on the development of both academic and physical aspects of our students.

Upon assessment, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for each pupil is created by the Department’s staff in consultation with parents. IEPs contain goals and strategies designed to meet the requirements set out in the key learning areas of the student’s schedule. Plans are reviewed by twice yearly and parents are invited to attend meetings with staff when reviews are underway. The department believes in a parent/teacher collaborative approach and parents are encouraged to make an appointment for discussions regarding their child’s progress throughout the academic year.

The Special Needs program offered is based on the education of children with Autism, Cognitive Delay, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and related handicapped. It presents a very structured curriculum. This curriculum is modulated and differentiated to meet the individual needs of each student. The services provided are as follows:

Communication Skills
Written Language ( Phonemic awareness, Reading, Writing)
Math and Logical Thinking
Fine Motor Skills
Sensory Integration Skills based on Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic/Tactile Perception, Discrimination and Memory
Physical Education (Gross Motor Skills)
Music
Information Technology
Social Behavior/Behavior Management
Library
Arts and Crafts
Cooking
Life Skills

Currently the Special Needs Department operates with three different levels of students which are:

High Dependency
Medium Dependency
Low Dependency

These different levels were created to reflect the degree of support required by each student, and staff ratios have been set accordingly. In addition, the Special Needs Department considers close liaison with members of staff throughout the school a necessity. Special Needs students are integrated into age equivalent mainstream classes for a variety of subjects such as Swimming, PE, Art, English (Spelling and Phonics), Math (Numbers and Operations).