Special needs students face significant challenges with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. They rely on in-person interactions and services from specialists to develop key academic and life skills. Without this support, parents report declines in motivation, behavior, social skills, and progress in other areas. While in-person classes also present virus transmission risks, remote learning often fails to provide legally required special education services. Educators must find solutions that keep special needs students safe while still supporting their development.

1. Special Needs Students Face Challenges Amid
COVID-19 Outbreak
By: Morgan Rodriguez
In the spring of 2020, schools worldwide experienced near-total closures for the remainder of
their respective school years due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Special needs students are now
struggling to navigate the transition toward remote and virtual learning.
Deciding how to provide an effective educational experience for students with disabilities during
a pandemic has been a challenge for administrators across the globe. Many skills that are learned
through face-to-face classroom experiences are crucial for the intellectual development of many
children with disabilities. Without those interactions, special needs students are not only falling
behind in their academics, but in their overall development as well.
In-person education also poses equally pressing issues for students with disabilities and their
teachers alike. While most people with disabilities are not inherently more susceptible to
illnesses, the behaviors associated with some disabilities can put themselves and others at greater
risk.
Education reporters Perry Stein and Valerie Strauss state in an article for The Washington Post
that teachers are arguing that because this population of students require more physical
interaction, there will be a struggle to abide by the social distancing guidelines that serve to
prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Avery Ramirez has witnessed firsthand how special needs students exhibit high-risk behaviors
through her experience as an intern for a pediatric therapy center and volunteer for Kinetic Kids
and Challenger League.
“Masks can be over-stimulating for some of the children, or even just uncomfortable. It’s hard to
stress the importance of wearing it, and a lot of the times they end up just taking it off.”
She further explains why these behaviors make it difficult for parents and school administrators
to decide the best method for providing disabled students with special education during the
pandemic.
“It’s a double ended sword, because going back to school could possibly put them at risk, but at
the same time, virtual learning can be even harder for them.”
Parents and caregivers of special needs students have also been affected, as they are now forced
to change their own routines to compensate for the new lack of structure that has been presented
in educational systems.
Mason Harty is a long-term caregiver for a 7-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, who explains
how his experience has changed since school’s have altered their special education programs.
“The child I care for has moved to all remote learning. I’ve seen a huge shift in his motivation
toward school. There’s also new behavioral problems that have been coming up.”

2. Harty continues to highlight the devastating consequences of remote learning. “I’ve seen a
decline in his social skills and comfortability in group settings. The lack of socialization also
affects his speech and motor skills.”
Harty explains that while he believes that the education system has tried its best to accommodate
families with special needs children during the pandemic, there are crucial resources that have
been cut from programs, such as one-on-one sessions with a speech therapist, physical therapist,
and other certified professionals.
The “resources” that Harty refers to are results of the Individuals With Disabilities Education
Act, which requires that personally tailored services are provided in schools for the 7 million
special needs students in America. However, with remote learning being the only option for
many students, parents and caregivers are taking on these roles for themselves, despite being
untrained and unlicensed.
Senior reporter, Anna North, writes in a Vox article that a survey conducted in May reveals that
four in 10 parents of students with disabilities reported that they have received none of the
support services that they are entitled to since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Sources
Avery Ramirez
(210)-414-9029
averyramirez@sbcglobal.net
Mason Harty
(210)-717-1416
masonharty99@gmail.com
Supplemental Sources
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/special-education-students-are-not-just-falling-
behind--theyre-losing-key-skills-parents-say/2020/08/05/ec1b91ca-cffd-11ea-9038-
af089b63ac21_story.html
https://www.vox.com/2020/8/6/21353154/schools-reopening-covid-19-special-education-
disabilities