Overview of Today's Special Education

1. Chapter 1 Overview of Today’s Special Education

2. Chapter 1 Objectives At the end of this chapter you should be able to: • Describe students who are in special education and the professionals that work with them. • Identify and define the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) • Articulate other federal laws that benefit students with disabilities. • Explain the outcomes these laws have helped achieve for students.

3. Values to Guide Teaching (Figure 1.1) • Envisioning Great Expectations • Enhancing Positive Contributions • Building on Strengths • Becoming Self-Determined • Expanding Relationships • Ensuring Full Citizenship

4. Who Are the Students? • Approximately 6 million students ages 6 - 21 • 369,596 infants and toddlers or 2.2% of U.S. infants and toddlers • 670,750 preschool children or 5.8% of the preschool-aged population

5. Profile of Special Education • Approximately 2/3 boys and 1/3 girls in special education • Approximately 1.8% to 18 % of students in the gifted and talented category in different states- Overall, 6.4 % of the school population • Females slightly outnumber males in gifted and talented category

6. Students 6 to 21: 2007 Categories of Disabilities (Figure 1–2)

7. Who Are the Students? Labeling • Allows students with disabilities to receive services • Labels may be stigmatizing or result in discrimination • View children by their abilities not disabilities • Use person-first language

8. Who Are Special Education Personnel? • Special education is a high-demand occupation • Districts often have unfilled teaching positions • Many different professionals work with students with disabilities: • School social workers • Occupational therapists • Physical therapists • Recreation and therapeutic • specialists • Paraprofessionals • Supervisors/administrators • Psychologists • Diagnostic/evaluation staff • Audiologists • Speech therapists • Additional specialists

9. Overview of the Law and Special Education Two Types of Discrimination • Previous discrimination: • Exclusion • Misclassification • Consequences of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

10. Judicial Decisions and Legislation Court Cases • Mills v. Washington, DC, Board of Education and Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens [PARC] v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania • The courts ordered school districts to: • Provide a free, appropriate public education to all students with disabilities • Educate students with disabilities in the same schools and basically same programs as students without disabilities • Put into place procedural safeguards so that students can challenge schools that do not live up to the court’s orders. • These decisions led to families advocating for a federal law to guarantee rights and Congress to act

11. Introduction to IDEA • IDEA(originally called Education of All Handicapped Students Act or PL 94-142) was first enacted in 1975 • Original intent: Open schools to all students with disabilities and ensure they had a chance to benefit from special education • Current focus: Provide a free, appropriate public education to all students with disabilities

12. The Span of Special Education • IDEA provides services from birth to age 21 (historically was from ages 6 to 18) • IDEA has three sections: • Part A sets out Congress’s intent and national policy to provide a free appropriate public education to all students with disabilities • Part B serves children ages 3 to 21 • Part C serves students ages birth to 2

13. Special Education and Students’ Eligibility • Eligibility is based on need • Special education services are provided wherever there are students with disabilities • Classrooms • Students’ homes • Hospitals and institutions • Other settings

14. Assistive Technology Audiology Counseling services Early identification Family training, counseling, and home visits Health services Medical services Occupational therapy Orientation and mobility services Parent counseling and training Physical therapy Psychological services Recreation and therapeutic recreation Rehabilitative counseling services School health services Service coordination services Social work services in schools Speech pathology and speech-language pathology Transportation and related costs Vision Services Related Services (Figure 1–3)

15. Students’ Eligibility • Part B • 12 disability categories under which students may be served • Part C benefits children under age 3 who: • Need early intervention services because of developmental delays • Have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay • States have the option of serving at-risk children

16. Specific learning disabilities Emotional disturbance Mental retardation Multiple disabilities Deaf-blindness Autism Other health impairments Orthopedic impairments Traumatic brain injury Speech or language impairments Hearing impairments Visual impairments IDEA Disability Categories You will learn about these categories in Chapters 5 through 16.

17. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Six Principles • Zero reject • Nondiscriminatory evaluation • Appropriate education • Least restrictive environment • Procedural due process • Parental and student participation

18. Zero Reject • Ensures all children and youth (3 - 21), no matter how severe their disabilities, will have an appropriate education provided at public expense • Applies to: • Educability • Discipline

19. Discipline • Equal treatment • No cessation • Unique circumstances • Short-term removals • Manifestation determination • Response to no manifestation • Response to manifestation • Services in interim alternative educational setting • Weapons, drugs, and injury

20. Nondiscriminatory Evaluation: Two Purposes • Does the student have a disability? • What kind of special education and related services does the student require? • Assessment Requirements • Screening • Prereferral • Response to intervention • Referral • Nondiscriminatory evaluation

21. Appropriate Education: IEP/IFSPs • Individualized education for each student with a disability • Developed collaboratively by the same people involved in the evaluation • Outcome oriented (include goals/objectives) • Provide the foundation for the student’s appropriate education

22. Document for students 3–21 Need to be in effect at the beginning of the school year Reviewed and revised at least once a year Document for children ages 0–2 Describes the services both the child and family will receive Should be developed within 45 days of referral and reviewed at 6-month intervals and every year thereafter Appropriate Education IEPs IFSPs

23. Parents General educator Special educator School system representative Evaluation interpreter Others Student Prepare in advance Connect and get started Review formal evaluation and current levels of performance Share resources, priorities, and concerns Share visions and expectations Consider interactions of proposed students goals, placement and services Translate student priorities into written goals Determine placement, supplementary aids/services, and related services Address assessment modifications and special factors Conclude the conference IEP Team IEP Participants Conference Activities

24. Least Restrictive Environment • Education with students who do not have disabilities • For early childhood, IDEA favors the “natural environment” • The rule: A presumption of inclusion • Access to the general education curriculum • Setting aside the presumption • The continuum of services • Extracurricular and nonacademic inclusion

25. Procedural Due Process Makes schools and parents accountable to each other • Resolution session • Mediation • Not required by IDEA but strongly encouraged • Due process hearing • Similar to a regular courtroom trial • Conducted before an impartial hearing officer • Parents and schools are entitled to have lawyers present

26. Parent and Student Participation • Parents are members of teams • Parents receive notification before schools do anything about their child’s education • Parents have the right to use the three dispute-resolution techniques • Parents have access to school records concerning student • At age of majority IDEA rights transfer to the student

27. Relationship Among 6 Principles (Figure 1–7) IDEA

28. Federal Funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act • Congress grants federal money to state and local educational agencies • The federal money is insufficient to provide all services • States and local school districts must provide their own funds • Special education services are expensive

29. Six Principles of No Child Left Behind • Accountability for results • School safety • Parental choice • Teacher quality • Scientifically-based methods of teaching • Local flexibility Also • Aligned with IDEA because it seeks improved outcomes for students with disabilities

30. Other Federal Laws: Entitlements and Antidiscrimination • Rehabilitation Act • Allows people to seek vocational rehabilitation services so they may work • Provides services such as supported employment programs and job coaches • Tech Act • Allows states to create statewide systems for delivering assistive technology devices and support to people with disabilities

31. Other Federal Laws: Entitlements and Antidiscrimination • Section 504 • Applies to any program or activity receiving federal funds • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Applies to other programs or activities available to the public that do NOT receive federal funds

32. Special Education Results • Equality of opportunity • Full participation • Independent living • Economic self-sufficiency Measured by: • High school completion rates • Post school employment rates • Overall satisfaction with life