Special Education is tailored to meet the needs of specially-abled children. The service & support a child obtains may be completely different from what the other child gets. The whole framework is about individualization. No matter the scenario but the most significant point is to provide children with the resources they need to make progress in school.
What is Special Education?
Whenever someone hears about Special Education the first question that ever arises is that what is it? People might imagine some specially-abled children spending their whole day in a different kind of classroom, detached from other kids of their age. This might have been the model in the previous times. But as the field of Special Education has stirred forward much has transformed. Special Education these days is still fixated on helping specially-abled children with disabilities to learn. But this doesn’t mean that the children are required to be placed in the Special Classrooms for the whole day.
For Example, some students may spend most of the day in a general classroom. They may spend just an hour or two in a resource room working with a specialist in reading & acquiring other skills. Other students with dyslexia might need more support than that & others might need to attend a different school that specializes in teaching kids with learning disabilities.
“Special Education highlight services that can be delivered in different ways & in different backgrounds.”
There is no approach of “One for All” tactic in Special Education. It’s custom-made to meet each student’s needs. It refers to a range of services that can be provided in diverse ways & in diverse settings.
What disabilities are covered by Special Education?
Several kinds of disabilities are covered in Special Education. These consist of Autism, Hearing Impairment & Intellectual Disability (commonly known as 'Mental Retardation'.)
Any of the above-stated terms specifically affects skills like Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Reasoning & doing Maths. General learning variances in this category contains the following:
- Dyslexia: Difficulty with Reading, Writing, Spelling & Speaking
- Dyscalculia: Difficulty in doing Maths problems, understanding Time & Money, and remembering Facts
- Dysgraphia: Difficulty with Handwriting, Spelling & Organizing Ideas
- Dyspraxia: Difficulty with Hand-Eye Coordination, Balance & Fine Motor Skills
- Auditory Processing Disorder: Difficulty in interpreting what the Ear hears (which is different from having a hearing impairment)
- Visual Processing Issues: Difficulty in interpreting what the Eye sees (which is different from having a visual impairment)
What are Accommodations?
Accommodations are a key component of Special Education. As a wheelchair ramp lets more people access building classroom accommodations let more children access the general programme. For Instance, if a child is having dyslexia, text-to-speech software that recites aloud the words on a computer screen can help him access material that is at a higher level than he could read on his own.
What are Modifications?
When people talk about accommodations they often talk about as well. It’s important to understand the difference between accommodations & modifications. Accommodations mention how a student learns. Modifications denote how much a child is expected to do or learn.
For Instance, some children may be given short writing assignments or fewer math problems. Others may be provided books with a lower reading level than the ones that are assigned to others. It’s common for a student to receive both modifications & accommodations. Some children may get one sort of support but not the other & some might not need either.
What do 'Related Services' include?
Several facets allow certain kinds of services that aren’t strictly educational but are needed so that children can be benefitted from Special Education. For Instance, a child who has or may need one-on-one sessions with an Occupational Therapist to advance handwriting skills. Other instances include:
- Mental health counselling for children & parents
- Social work to provide support to children as well as families & assist them in developing positive behavioural interventions
- Speech-language therapy to improve communication skills that affect learning
- Transportation to & from school and in some cases from extracurricular activities
- Another term you may hear is 'Supplementary Aids & Services.' These can include adapted equipment, such as a special cushion that can help kids with attention or sensory processing issues stay seated & focused for longer periods. Other examples of supplementary support include training for Staff, Students & Parents
What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?
This is often described as the cornerstone of Special Education. That’s for the reason, this document details a student’s annual learning goals as well as special service & support provided to him to meet those goals. Before a child can receive Special Education he/she must complete several steps. Here’s how the process generally works:
1. Referral for Evaluation: When a child is struggling in learning or thinking & if the difference is suspected, one can go for an evaluation
2. Evaluation: The psychologist & other specialists will give the child various tests. They also may observe him in the classroom. The evaluation will identify whether the child has any disability & will also provide
3. Determination of Eligibility: After the evaluation, a team meets with the parent or guardian to discuss whether the child is specially-abled & if it affects his ability to learn
4. Developing the IEP: If the child is specially-abled then he is eligible for Special Education, the team creates a plan to meet his needs. The parents are also an equal member of this team & play a very significant role. As they know & understand the child better than anyone else. The insights can help ensure that the child receives services & support he needs to succeed in school
Conclusion:
If there is a debate about whether to have a child evaluated for Special Education, thinking through some key questions could help make up mind. If one decides to go for it & if one chooses not to get an evaluation. In the end, it can be mentioned that Special Education is always beneficial for every specially-abled child it just the timespan which can be very short for some & somewhat longer but always effective.