Special education allows children with special needs to gain knowledge and develop skills that can help them lead normal lives and gain independence. Although some consider special education as separate from the total educational enterprise, it is not. It is an integral part of it and serves the community in more ways than one. The specific function of special education in schools is to recognize the needs of children that suffer from mental and learning disabilities and help them get the services they need to thrive in an academic setting. Early childhood special education services provide parents and children with the tools to promote success in education early on, giving these students early access to support and services that will help them throughout their childhood and into adulthood.
Because every child has needs, the special education aspect of schools provides extra assistance so every child can be aided versus only a select group within the school population. However, with cases of special needs children, especially early on, there can be many obstacles. These obstacles can result from bad teaching methods brought on by poor prior training, bad parenting, and lack of support from schools. Every child needs a good head start when it comes to early education. From having an IPE to communicating and collaborating with the team in charge of assessing the child and helping the child meet his or her goals, everyone is instrumental in the success of a special needs child.
A main goal of educators is to help form accommodative learning opportunities for every child regardless of disability. The problem with most educators however, is their lack of training in handling the needs of disabled students. Special education programs have educators experienced in handling children/students with special needs and can provide them the assistance they need. Should a child require placement in a special education program, professionals are there to assess, plan, and place a child in a program that suits his or her needs. One such professional is a child psychiatrist or physician. They help by evaluating the child and seeing which symptoms or signs they present with and providing accurate diagnosis.
Once the child is assessed by a professional and given an official diagnosis, that child is given, under federal law, an IEP. An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. With an IEP, a multidisciplinary team has to determine the level of disability and if the child requires special education and other related services. They also measure the performance level of the child and set goals accordingly. For a family, this is a big help because with clear goals and the support allotted to the child, the family can then move forward in making sure their child is healthy and progressing. "An effective facilitator makes a group's work easier -- or at least, less difficult -- by supporting clear communication among prepared parties in a structured and focused process. Put more simply, "A facilitator's job is to support everyone to do their best thinking" (Hedeen, Peter, Moses, & Engiles, 2013, p. 1).
Aside from the IEP, schools also have to provide an environment that gives students access to all aspects of school without feeling separate from students having a regular education. Special education has to function as part and within the regular public school framework. This is so that special education can help create and maintain a total education environment any child could learn and properly develop in. All children have unique needs and varying degrees of skill and talent. By incorporating special education within regular education, children that may need to transfer to either part will be able to seamlessly and without stress or difficulty. When this does not take place, especially in early education, the children placed in special education may feel 'different' and feel unmotivated to learn or grow.
Teaching is a major part of special education services. However so is homebound instruction, especially early on. Several service providers are a part of the overall teaching process for the disabled child. From speech pathologists to physical therapists, to homebound instructors, these services provided need to come from experienced service providers and if possible, from an inter-collaborative setting where medical professionals work together to make sure the child is getting adequate assistance. This is especially the case with homebound instruction as one study pointed out the lack of training in homebound instructors. "Although homebound instruction is often provided as an interim placement, students receiving these services are nonetheless entitled to a well-structured, instructionally sound, and accountable program" (Petit & Patterson, 2014, p. 49).
When an IEP or IFSP involves a team of professionals that cannot communicate with one another and provide the kind of care a child needs, the child...
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Then students use AlphaSmart software to paste the picture and explain in a paragraph why, how and where in the plot they feel that picture relates to the story. This tests three things: (a) student concentration; (b) student level of understanding of the general plot; and - student imagination. This is an important implementation because it opens the students' horizons and allows them to see the general links and
The IEP takes into account the results of the assessment while developing a plan for the future. The evaluation results include not only behavioral observations but also socio-cultural background. If the student has a physical disability, the IEP might address the need for specialized technologies or classroom adaptations. On the other hand, if the student has a learning disability, the IEP might include recommendations for lesson adaptation. The IEP is
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