EDAD 612, Team 2, Palmer, Gray, Clayson, Battleson

Serving Students with Special Needs

Introduction

How is special education for students with learning disabilities “special”? One way to approach this question is to review the intervention and descriptive studies of instruction and services for students with learning disabilities (LD). We also need to remember that all students deserve the right to a high-quality public school education that prepares them for success. The goal of “special” education is to ensure that every child, no matter their challenges, are provided an opportunity to attend and profit from a free public education just like all other kids.

Within this site, you will find additional information, links, videos, and more to help guide anyone looking for information on serving students with special needs.

History ~ Timeline Table ~

Special education has only been part of our educational system for a little over 50 years. If we take a moment to learn about the struggles and triumphs of special education we will learn to understand how educational systems, families and students struggle and face challenges presented by special needs.

It wasn’t until the early 1970’s that legislation being to ensure equal educational opportunities for special needs children. Once legislation began developing laws special needs children found new opportunities that were previously unheard of.

Short timeline:

In the 1950s, lobbying was encouraged to pass special education laws.

In the 1960s, multiple laws passed providing funds for special education students.

In the 1970s, court decisions placed responsibilities for providing special education resources and schooling on each state.

In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) guaranteed and enforced the right of children with disabilities.

In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was formed.

In 2001 and 2004, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) provided further accountability on schools, technology assistance and loan program to support special needs in education.

Printable Full Timeline Table: Link

Full Timeline, Printable Table

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that supports special education and related service programming for children and youth with disabilities. It was originally known as the Education of Handicapped Children Act, passed in 1975. In 1990, amendments to the law were passed, effectively changing the name to IDEA. In 1997 and again in 2004, additional amendments were passed to ensure equal access to education.

This federal legislation is designed to ensure that children with disabilities be granted a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). IDEA does the following:

Ensures that all children with an identified disability receive special education and related services to address their individual needs.
Ensures that children with disabilities be prepared for employment and independent living.
Ensures that the rights of children with disabilities and their families are protected under the law.
Assesses and ensures the efforts of institutions providing services to persons with disabilities.
Provides assistance to states, localities, federal agencies, and educational service agencies in providing for the education of children with disabilities.

For more information about IDEA, consult IDEA—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, published by the Center for Parent Information and Resources.

Referenced from: Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology

IDEA

Whether you are a parent, educator, or service provider, if you are reading this its because you care about children with disabilities and their families. The U.S. Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and our grantees. The desire to and want to find information and explore resources on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Visiting the IDEA website or more information regarding IDEA.

IDEA.gov

The six major principles of the IDEA

~ Free Appropriate Public Education. ...

~ Appropriate Evaluation. ...

~ Individualized Education Plan. ...

~ Least Restrictive Environment. ...

~ Parent Participation. ...

~ Procedural Safeguards.

Visit Smart Kids with Disabilities for more information.

Link: Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities

The IEP Process

According to Smith (2016), author of the book titled, "Serving Students with Special Needs", studies show that effective schools are equipped with Site Administrators with the expertise of supporting and supervising the implementation process, the deployment and fidelity of services provided to the student, and team during the IEP process. Furthermore, it is imperative for Site Administrators to be equity-focused, student centered and most important, data-driven in order to effectively determine the needs of the student (Johnson & Williams, 2015).

Listed below are helpful resources for your review concerning the IEP Process and the Role of Site Administrators:

IEP Roles & Responsibilities

A Quick Guide to Roles & Responsibilities

CA Timelines for Special Education

Power Point Presentation of the Special Education Process

References:

Johnson, K. & Williams, L. (2015). When treating kids all the same is the real problem: Educational leadership & 21rst century dilemma of difference. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications

Smith, T. (2016). Serving students with special needs. New York, New York: Routledge Publications

Placement Options and Instructional Models

Do your homework when you need to determine placement for your student or child. There are many pros and cons to consider.

Placement options: Residential, Hospital, homebound, separate school, self-contained classroom, resource room, Inclusive classroom.

Least restrictive environment (LRE) is a guiding principle found within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). LRE plays a critical role in determining not only where a student will spend their time in school but also how special education services will be provided. Specifically, the LRE requirement within IDEA necessitates that:

Students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate
Students should not be removed from the general education classroom unless learning cannot be achieved even with the use of supplementary aids and services

The link below will provide a printable/downloadable pdf that explains each placement option and instructional models you should become familiar with when determining the best option for the child.

Links:

Least Restrictive Environment/there are choices - Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

U.S. Department of Education & the Office of Civil Rights - Student Placement in Elementary and Secondary Schools

A Good Place to Start.

It’s important to know the difference between self-contained classrooms and inclusive classrooms, and why it matters. Families can help schools identify which educational setting works best for their child.

Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms:

Students with disabilities are given the same educational opportunities as their typically developing peers.
Inclusive classrooms give students the opportunity to interact and learn with others who have a wide variety of abilities and backgrounds.
Inclusive classrooms are hubs of activity.
Inclusive classrooms create a greater sense of community for all families.
Inclusive classrooms provide a rich education with high standards.

Additional information can be found in the drop-down menu under Placement Options and Instructional Modes above.

Interventions

Interventions are a program or set of steps that are put in place through an IEP or 504 plan to help students succeed at skills they struggle with. Examples include RTI or Response to Intervention; this process includes using data to formulate a plan of interventions that are creating success and building on that information to continue success. Testing accommodations are an example of an Intervention; more time to take the test or use of technology to assist in the testing or changing the testing conditions ie; place, amount of students present at the same time, instructions given. The use of MTSS is also a program of intervention that apply to the whole school population and not just the Special Education population.

Discipline

Student Discipline Issues and Considerations for students with disabilities consist of the same type of qualifications as regular education students except in that students on an IEP are limited in the amount of days they can be suspended from school and also must have a Manifestation Determination meeting to determine if the student behaviors are related to the disability or has the behavior of the student been deemed a failure of the LEA to implement the students IEP as intended. Students with an IEP are subject to the same rules as all other students with the same consequences but are afforded a few other safeguards in order to not have their education impacted to negatively.

Special Education Support Personnel

Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) work with teachers, school support staff, parents, community members, and other education stakeholders. They are key to making sure students have the services they need to succeed academically and socially, inside and outside the classroom (National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2020).

The role of Special Education Support Personnel is comprised of a Multi-Disciplinary Team that includes the services of mental health professionals such as counselors and school social workers. Mental Health Professionals are essential to meeting the socio-emotional, psychological and or behavioral needs of the student. The following link provides an overview of the role and responsibilities of Special Education Support Personnel as they function as a Multi-Disciplinary team throughout the IEP Process:

Video Link:

Support Staff: Multi-Disciplinary Teams in Special Education

Reference:

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environment

In order to effectively collaborate with families, it is first and foremost important to acknowledge and respect their strengths, culture, and unique background, while realizing their right and ability to make decisions and advocate for their child(ren)(Hanson & Lynch, 2004; Virtual Lab School, 2020). It is important to respect the requests of families in addition to treating them with your utmost respect and genuine concern as this is reflected through our verbal and non-verbal communication.

Family Needs

According to Turnbull, Trubville & Turnbull (2000), in order to establish and effective Family-Centered approach during the IEP process, please consider the following guidelines as follows:

Recognizing the family as a constant in the child’s life; caregivers and service systems may come and go
Facilitating collaboration between families and professionals
Honoring and respecting family diversity in all dimensions (cultural, racial, ethnic, linguistic, spiritual, and socioeconomic)
Recognizing family strengths and the different approaches that families may use to cope
Sharing unbiased and honest information with family members on an ongoing basis
Encouraging family-to-family support and networking
Acknowledging and incorporating the developmental needs of the child and other family members into your practice
Designing and implementing services that are accessible, culturally and linguistically respectful and responsive, flexible, and based on family-identified needs

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