Subscribe To
This Site
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special Education DefinedThe term special education broadly defines educational programs designed to serve children with mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral disabilities.In practical terms, special education is largely characterized by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or the IDEA, which guarantees a “free, appropriate public education” to children with disabilities and mandates that, to the “maximum extent appropriate,” they be educated with their non-disabled peers in the “least restrictive environment.” The term refers to all the “special” individualized help required by those children who do not learn well with traditional teaching methods. If the child’s problem is identified early enough, they benefit greatly from the special services provided to help them achieve. Typically special services are designed to help the child learn through an area of strength while working to strengthen areas of weakness. This means that if the child has a problem with vision, information is provided so that he can use his stronger auditory (hearing) skills to learn. This may be accomplished by putting his books on tape so that he can listen to them instead of having to read them. How Services Are To Be DeliveredThese special services should be provided to the child in his regular classroom whenever possible. This form of special education is referred to as the “least restrictive environment”.The child should not be removed from the classroom for services unless they cannot be provided in the regular classroom. When special individualized services are required, the child may leave the classroom to receive then, and return to the classroom. Interventions outside the classroom may be provided by a number of professional service providers including a special education teacher, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, or other professional as needed. These services are the ingredients that determine the appropriateness of your child’s education. All interactions with the child are coordinated with the classroom teacher, and the parent is informed at all stages of the process. The Process of Special EducationThe process begins with a referral from the classroom teacher to a team comprised of the child’s teacher, the parent, the building administrator and the school psychologist. Others may attend by invitation from the parent.At this meeting, the team looks at the child’s behavior, his achievement, and any other information which the team deems necessary to determine whether he should be referred for an assessment to determine his learning styles and whether he would benefit from special education services. If the team decides an assessment would provide needed information, the parent is asked to consent to the assessment by signing an assessment plan. The assessment plan outlines the nature of the assessment the child is to receive including all the tests that will be administered; what they measure and which professional will administer them. When the assessment is completed, the team meets again to review the results. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP)If the child is eligible, the team will design an individualized education plan outlining goals and objectives for the child’s education. If the parents agree to the plan, their signature and the signature of all the team members obligates the school district to provide the child with all the services on the plan.The IEP is reviewed every year, and the child receives a complete reevaluation every three years, and when indicated, the plan is modified, or completely redesigned. Need for Empowered ParentsThe federal law No Child Left Behind gives full responsibility for the appropriateness of this process to the parents. If the special services required to make their child’s education appropriate are not available in their local school district, they have the right to request that their child be transferred to a school where the services are available. Daily expenses for transportation of the child to his new school are free of charge to the child’s parents.Addditional information is available in
If you would like to leave comments about this article, the author or the author's credentials, please feel free to do so below: Leave Special Education to Read More About the Author
|
||||
