Starting from the setting
Special needs education covers a very wide range of settings: specialist schools, resource rooms within mainstream schools, small groups, and individual support. The learners in them differ enormously, so there is no single kind of “special needs resource”. The most useful starting point for a teacher is not the resource but the pupils: what they can do now, what they find hard, and what the school’s plans say about their support.
This article is written for teachers and support staff who want to use or create open resources in those settings. It describes general planning habits rather than methods for any particular condition, and it does not replace the advice of educational psychologists, therapists or specialist teachers.
Why open resources suit adaptation
Prepared lessons seldom fit a specialist classroom exactly. Open licenses matter because they usually allow a teacher to change a lesson: shorten it, simplify the language, add symbols, enlarge the text, break a task into stages, or swap examples for ones the pupils know. With a restricted resource you can only use it as supplied, or not at all.
There is a library of freely available teaching material, and plenty of it is aimed at a general audience. Searching specifically for special education resources can turn up collections, but quality varies and every item needs checking against your pupils.
A planning routine
A short routine keeps adaptation manageable.
- Name the learning objective. Decide what the pupil should be able to do at the end. Clear learning objectives stop an adaptation from drifting into something easier but pointless.
- Separate the goal from the barrier. If the goal is understanding fractions, reading difficulty should not be what stops a pupil. Change the access, not the target, where that is appropriate.
- Choose what to change. Language level, length, layout, response method, pace, support materials.
- Adapt a small piece first. Try one lesson, observe, and adjust.
- Record what worked. Short notes make the next adaptation quicker and can be shared.
This lesson planning adaptation process is the same whether the resource is open or not. Openness just makes step 3 legally straightforward.
What to adapt
- Language. Shorter sentences, familiar words and defined terms. Pictures or symbols beside key words can help some pupils.
- Structure. Number the steps, use consistent headings and keep a predictable layout across lessons.
- Chunking. Split long tasks into smaller parts with a clear finishing point for each.
- Examples. Worked examples that show each step, with support reduced gradually, suit many learners.
- Response methods. Allow answers by speaking, pointing, choosing or recording, rather than only writing.
- Pace and repetition. Build in practice and review rather than assuming one pass is enough.
Not every change helps every pupil. Too much simplification can lower expectations, and too much decoration can distract. Evidence on which adaptations work best for which learners is mixed, so what you observe in your own class matters.
Working with support staff
Teaching assistants, therapists, specialist teachers and families often know a pupil far better than a written plan does. Involve them early.
- Share the resource before the lesson so support staff can prepare, not improvise.
- Agree who adapts what. A teaching assistant may enlarge text or prepare symbols; a specialist may advise on communication systems.
- Ask for feedback on what the pupil found hard, and note the answer.
- Check that any adaptations match the pupil’s individual plan and do not contradict advice from specialists.
Clear communication also reduces duplicated work. If three adults each produce a simplified version of the same worksheet, effort is wasted.
Sharing back
If you create a useful adaptation of an open lesson, you may be able to share it, but check the license first. Some licenses require that adaptations carry the same terms, and some forbid changes entirely. If you use a picture or a symbol set in your adaptation, check that it is also reusable. The details of copyright and licensing are worth getting right, especially if the finished resource will be published for other schools.
Remove any personal information before sharing. A lesson adapted for one named pupil should never include that pupil’s name, photograph or details, and sharing anything that identifies a child is a matter for school policy and data protection rules.
Accessibility of the resource itself
Teachers sometimes forget that the resource also needs to work digitally. If pupils use tablets or computers, check that text can be enlarged, that images have descriptions where needed, and that pupils who use assistive technology can navigate the page. A beautifully adapted lesson that cannot be opened by a pupil’s device has not removed any barrier.
Keeping it sustainable
Teachers in specialist settings are often stretched thin. A realistic plan adapts the resources used most often and builds a small, well-organized collection over time. It is better to have ten reliable, labeled adaptations than a hundred half-finished ones. Where a colleague has already made something useful, ask before starting from scratch.
Open resources do not remove the need for professional judgment. They simply give teachers more freedom to shape materials to the learners in front of them, which is often what special needs education requires.