Children with Disabilities and Online Learning
Fifth grader Dyson Wolf does schooling online like any other public kid in Broward County. He wakes up at 7:00 in the morning just to be at his desk by 8:00 for the start of a new school day.
But, Wolf is a little different than most of the kids at his school. He has autism, which means he needs more attention and special education.
He is a student at Lakeside Elementary, which has a program that provides special education for students like Wolf and before the pandemic, the amiable fifth grader loved to go to school.
“I used to play a lot of games with my best friends and my teachers, ” said Wolf.
Now that all BCPS students are learning online, parents of special needs children, like Wolf’s mother Lizzy Pardo, worry that their children aren’t getting the proper education they need. She is a single mother and has to stay home because she has no one else to watch over her son.
“I can tell he isn’t enjoying himself and isn’t properly learning,” said Pardon. “It hurts me knowing he is suffering like that.”
This frustrates her and so many others who are going through the same thing. According to the U.S. Department of Education more than seven million of public school students receive special education services. And, even though all learning is currently taking place online, public schools must continue to provide online learning for children with disabilities.
That’s hard to do virtually as children with special needs face many hardships, including verbal communication and body language. When at school, teachers are able to work with them, physically and can easily address any problems. Online schooling is hard for them since sitting still is something most kids have a hard time and then there’s their attention span.
Children like Wolf can get distracted and will often throw fits. Pardo has a hard time trying to keep Wolf focused in classes, since he is now having to sit for almost six hours a day, maybe more when it comes to homework. His mother says there have been times where he has thrown fits in class from how long he has to stay seated.
Pardo needs for her son to go back to school, yet with the virus spreading, she doesn’t feel comfortable.
“I don’t want him to go back to school. I don’t feel comfortable since he is a very curious child and likes to touch things,” said Pardo. “But right now, I don’t have any other option.”
Children are curious and when they are curious, they tend to touch stuff. The school says that there will be strict rules about not sharing things but Pardo knows that some kids will not listen to this and she understands that. She says she doesn’t know where the other students and their families stand about going back to school. But, for her, it’s a matter of survival.
“I need to go back to work and be able to take care and provide for the both of us,”said Pardo.
Cristancholena1617 • Dec 7, 2020 at 2:01 pm
Online school is hard, and this story is a great way of showing how people with disabilities have a harder time with facing a computer all day long.
Lesliep • Dec 2, 2020 at 2:42 pm
I love this story, I hope that things will soon go back to normal so we can all go back to school. I never gave it much thought of how hard it would be for kids with disabilities to do online school.
Diegocruz903 • Oct 26, 2020 at 9:57 pm
This was interesting that kids are experiencing online school instead of real life I hope Dyson mom is doing ok and finds a solution for her problem so that she can go back to her job bebecause I know being a single parent isn’t easy
Diegocruz903 • Oct 26, 2020 at 9:47 pm
This was interesting that this is what kids are experiencing and they don’t get to actually experience school and I hope Dyson mother finds a solution for her and her son so she can work because it’s hard being a single parent and taking care of a child alone
Lesliep • Oct 26, 2020 at 4:24 pm
This is a great article, I had no idea that around 7 million kids get special education.
lilypishik • Oct 26, 2020 at 9:14 am
I love this story! It’s well written and shows a side of the pandemic that we don’t often think about
azimbryannah5517 • Oct 23, 2020 at 10:03 pm
I really enjoyed this article and I like that you did the story on someone with special needs. It’s great to get to know what they have to go through during this pandemic.
Nesterwooseley1921 • Oct 23, 2020 at 8:12 pm
Your story is really put together and it also educates people ok what it’s like for the disabled kids
Araceli Funez Ruiz • Oct 23, 2020 at 6:33 pm
I loved this story especially because it shows people on how percent and children especially the ones with special needs are struggling with online classes.
dajesfrida9805 • Oct 23, 2020 at 8:46 am
This is an amazing story, it really highlights how Dyson is feeling and how he’s learning to get used to it.
benmignola • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:48 am
Nice article. I hope Dyson can soon get back into a comfortable work environment.
Mikah C • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:44 am
It’s really interesting to read about how online school is effecting children with disabilities. When I read that the mother is watching her son be unhappy, my heart broke. It must be so hard for these parents to find time to work while staying home and watching over their child.
amber • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:43 am
I love this story. My mom is an occupational therapist, I know hard it can be to do online school.
renata • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:40 am
I loved this story. It was very well written and infomercial about kids with disabilities. It’s good to know how they feel about online school as well. It is very sad that his mom has to stay home to watch over him.
hartjake0696 • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:39 am
i hope that dyson will get back to school soon and this whole virus will soon go away so he can go back to school
Dominique728 • Oct 22, 2020 at 9:36 am
This is a great article