Some of my most gratifying situations while teaching a world language to young children have been when working with special education students. ¡Viva la inclusion! Hooray for inclusion! The electic, lively, sensory-laden approach I use appeals to physically-impaired and learning-impaired students, as well as children with behavior problems. I have worn a special microphone to enable hearing-impaired students to follow along. I have even taught two autistic children! Both male students attended classes with an aide. The two children absolutely loved the class with its variety of music, rhythm, different sounds, puppets, pictures, and physical movement. One set of parents gave me a picture of me and their autistic child posing close together in front of my cart. It hangs in a prominent place in my office. I am now working informally with a Down syndrome child as he is still in kindergarten and will not start Spanish classes until second grade. I am teaching him simple vocabulary via pointing and repetition when we meet in the school hallway. He already knows his new Spanish first name. Since I always say, "¡Hola! / Hello!" to him first, he now refers to me as "Lola" to his other teachers and aides and smiles and jumps up and down to ask for a chance to talk with me if he sees me pushing my cart. These teaching experiences are all warm and unforgettable as the children do respond positively to the stimulus of a new language and their brains receive positive stimulation and patterning. All parents have been very supportive as they see that their children enjoy the class so much and learn Spanish as well.
