Course Title

Inclusive Classroom Practice: Behaviour Support and Classroom Adjustments for Children with Special Needs

Lecturer

Su Wen-Ching (Occupational Therapist)

Lecturer’s Profile

Su Wen-Ching is a practising occupational therapist in Taiwan and Director of Sunshine Seeds Occupational Therapy Clinic. He also serves as a professional adviser to several child development, family support and early intervention organisations, and teaches in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Asia University. His work focuses on child development, support for children with special needs, inclusive education and practical teacher training.

Course Overview 

Children in inclusive classrooms may wander, cry persistently, refuse to participate or become rigid about routines. Using realistic classroom scenarios, this course helps teachers understand the abilities and needs behind these behaviours and make practical decisions that balance safety, individual support and whole-class learning. Topics include emotional and behavioural guidance, rule-setting, communication timing, classroom leadership and flexible teaching strategies.

Course Objectives

1. Identify common classroom behaviours of children with special needs and the abilities or needs they may reflect. 
2. Analyse wandering, crying, refusal and rigidity, and select suitable guidance strategies. 
3. Balance safety, individual support and whole-class learning when making teaching decisions. 
4. Use rule-setting, communication, physical cues and flexible teaching to adjust classroom activities. 

Take-home Course Resources

Teaching Tools: A practical strategy guide for four classroom situations—wandering, crying, refusal and rigidity.

Teaching Assessment: A classroom observation and strategy-selection reflection sheet.  

End-of-Course Assessment

1. Before selecting a strategy for a child who wanders during class, what should the teacher first understand? 
A. Whether the child is deliberately disruptive 

B. The child’s actual abilities and reasons for the behaviour 

C. Other teachers’ practices 

D. Whether parents may complain 

 
2. When a behaviour creates a safety risk, what should be prioritised? 
A. Completing the lesson plan 

B. Keeping the activity entertaining 

C. Ensuring the safety of the child and class 

D. Letting the child decide 

 
3. Which response to persistent crying best reflects the course principles? 
A. Give a long explanation immediately 

B. Stabilise the child first and communicate at an appropriate time 

C. Ignore the child completely 

D. Remove every expectation immediately 

 
4. Which approach is most appropriate when setting rules in an inclusive classroom? 
A. Apply identical demands to every child 

B. Set no rules 

C. Keep expectations clear while adjusting them to children’s abilities 

D. Focus only on children with special needs 

 
5. Which practice best demonstrates flexible teaching? 
A. Require every child to complete the activity in the same way 

B. Adjust participation according to individual and class goals 

C. Exclude children with special needs 

D. Use verbal instructions only