Many special-needs students, such as those with learning difficulties or inability to concentrate for long periods, might benefit from computer-assisted technology. Computer games that focus on solving word problems can be more engaging and interesting to students who do not learn well in traditional ways. Let your special-needs students partner up to play computer games, and you might see even more progress. According to "The Journal of Special Education," computer-assisted instruction is most beneficial for groups of students working together.
Special-needs students who have difficulty hearing or listening for long periods might gain word-problem-solving skills by drawing pictures to represent the problem. Provide your special-needs students with paper and crayons and ask them to draw a picture of the problem. For example, a problem might ask students to determine how many dogs there are if two were in the park first, then three more joined them. Your students can draw two dogs first, three dogs second and then count them to find the answer. Read the problem clearly to your students and give them time to create a visual representation. Chances are, they will begin to make more sense of word problem concepts.
Encourage your special-needs students to read the word problems out loud and discuss what they are about. The Council for Exceptional Children reports that many special-needs students gain word-problem-solving skills when they are able to verbalize the problem and think of possible solutions. Ask your special-needs students questions to help them consider different ways of working through a problem.
When special-needs students improve their reading and comprehension skills, they might also improve their word-problem-solving skills. According to "The Journal of Special Education," when students are given strategies to understand the syntax of mathematical problems, they are more likely to be able to solve them. This study focused on low-achieving middle school students, but the results can apply to special-needs students of all ages. When your students understand what the math problem is asking them to solve, they are more likely to come up with a correct answer.