Describe a situation from your experience in which attitudes were successfully challenged:

The situation I will be describing took place a few years ago when I was asked to include a child with special needs into my “typical” classroom setting. The child in question was an active four year old with delayed speech and behavioral challenges.

Scenario: On a particular day all of the children were engaged in a “blocks building” activity when the special needs child threw a block hitting another child on the forehead.

Dealing with the scenario: While the action of the child was dangerous to the others around, I understood and was able to identify that the underlying challenge which lead to the behavior was a lack of communication skills.  

My personal approach: My mind set and attitude towards a child with special needs and disabilities changed when I was able to understand that the individual being dealt with has the same needs as a “typical” child but needing extra support where necessary.