This page is designed for the regular educator. We hope to give you some information about special education. These are the topics discussed:
 
 
WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION?
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Special Education is a specifically designed individual plan of instruction developed from an extensive evaluation and in consultation with the parents/guardians, the student’s teacher and appropriate special education staff, to meet the specific needs of a disabled child. Instructional programs, interventions and consultations are tailored to meet each students needs in order to provide a successful school experience. These services are provided at not cost to the parent or guardian
 
HOW DOES A TEACHER ACCESS SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES?
 
The following steps are necessary for a student to receive special education services:
 
  • Pre-referral consultations with teacher or parents to suggest possible instructional /behavioral strategies (interventions) that might solve the problem without a formal referral
 
RESOURCES AND IDEAS FOR INTERVENTIONS
Click here for possible classroom interventions
Click here for an example of an accommodations checklist.
Click here for an Excel spreadsheet specific to behavior
accommodation form.
 
Please click here to link to the resource page which has web sites with intervention ideas.
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  • If strategies and interventions prove to be unsuccessful, a referral is made for the student to be evaluated for a possible disability
  • Parents of the referred student agree and sign consent for evaluation form.
  • Evaluations are completed.
  • Parents, the student’s teacher(s), an administrator and special education personnel share and discuss the results of the evaluation. This meeting is called a Child Study Team (CST) meeting. This team, including the student (if appropriate) determines whether the student meets established criteria for a disabling condition.
  • If eligible, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed by the parents, the student’s teacher, staff and other involved professionals.
 
INDENTIFIED HANDICAPPING CONDITIONS:
 
There are a variety of reasons why a child may have difficulty performing in school. Some learning difficulties involve physical or mental disabilities. Under IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Education Act) both federal and state law requires school districts to provide children with disabilities a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) which meets the student’s individual needs. A child identified with a disability qualifies for special education services under one or more of the following categories:
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Autism - a child that has a developmental disability that results in severe difficulty with communication and social interaction.
 
Child with Disabilities – a child under the age of six (6) who experiences a severe delay in the areas of cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional or adaptive functioning skills.
 
Cognitively Delayed – A child whose general intellectual ability is significantly below average and whose ability to adapt socially is significantly delayed from what might be expected for his/her age.
 
Deaf- A child who has a hearing loss which is so severe that his/her hearing is not Functional for education purposes.
 
Deaf-Blindness – A child who has impairments in both hearing and vision who cannot be accommodated in an educational program designed for either deaf or for blind students.
 
Emotionally Disturbed- A child whose behavior is so disruptive or withdrawn that he/she cannot function successfully in school.
 
Hearing Impaired - A child whose hearing loss interferes with learning.
 
Orthopedically Impaired- A child with server orthopedic impairment which interferes with his/her educational performance.
 
Other Health Impaired- A child whose health condition adversely affects a student’s expected educational performance.
 
Specific Learning Disability – A child with normal intelligence and physical abilities who demonstrates significant difficulty acquiring information in one or more learning areas, such as, reading, mathematics, written or spoken language.
 
Speech/Language Impairment- A child with a communication problem such as fluency, articulation, language or voice disorders which interfere with his/her interpersonal relationships or educational performance.
 
Traumatic Brain Injury – A child that has disabilities that result from a brain trauma that was caused by external force, stroke or aneurysm.
 
Visually Impaired – A child whose vision impairment even after correction interferes with his/her ability to learn.
 
LEVELS OF SERVICE
 
  • The student participates in his/her classroom and the special education staff provides assistance or consultation in making accommodations within the curriculum to insure the student’s progress.
  • The student participates in his/her classroom for the majority of the school day receiving services from special education staff and spends some time with non-disabled students in his/her classroom.
  • The student is in a full time special education classroom, special school or facility for disabled children.
 
This range of services insures that the student’s program can be designed to meet his/her individual learning needs. IDEA requires that a student, identified as disabled, receive his/her education in the least intrusive or segregated situation as possible. The student must be educated in an environment which provides an opportunity to interact and participate in their classroom with non-disabled peers for as much time as possible. This is called placement in the "Least Restrictive Environment". (LRE) This inclusion aids the student and his/her peers in accepting one’s uniqueness and diversity as well as providing the student an opportunity for social, emotional and behavioral development.
 
If you don’t find what you are looking for here and you have a question please click here to link with our FAQ page and submit your question one of our directors will answer the question
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