Introduction to Special Education
During this training session we will be providing you with an introduction to special education. It is our intention to provide you with strategies and information that will help you become proficient in understanding special education services for your child.
Special education is instruction that is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of children who have disabilities. Special education and related services are provided in public schools at no cost to the parents and can include special instruction in the classroom, at home, in the hospital, in institutions, or in other settings. The definition of special education comes from IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Often times, special education is referred to as a place or location. It is not - special education is a service that is provided to your child based on his/her needs, free of charge to families.
More than 6.8 million children ages 3 through 21 receive special education in the United States.
Once you have completed the Exceptional Student Education Process (ESE) and it has been determined that your child is a child with a disability, your child will begin to receive specialized services. This is also known as "Exceptional Student Education Services".
Special Education services are designed to help your child learn the information and skills that other children are learning in the general education curriculum. These services can include, therapy, counseling, adaptive equipment, transportation, accommodation and/or modifications.
IDEA is the body of law that governs special education services. This law gives eligible children with disabilities the right to receive special education services and assistance in school.
IDEA was originally passed in 1975 as Public Law 94-142. Then, it was called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and gave grants to the States for the education of children with disabilities. Since then, it has been amended many times, while always maintaining its original purpose—to ensure that children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education. The most current revisions occurred in 2004.
It's important to understand that the State of Florida definitions of individual disabilities can play a critical role in whether or not a child meets the definition of a "child with a disability". As long as the State's definitions are consistent with IDEA's, States may establish additional criteria in the disability areas and frequently do.
There are 14 specific primary programs defined in IDEA. These federal terms and definitions guide how States define disabilities and who is eligible for a free appropriate public education under special education law. In order to fully meet the definition (and eligibility for special education and related services) as a "child with a disability," a child's educational performance must be adversely affected due to the disability.
The definitions of these specific programs from the IDEA regulations are as follows:
Autism Spectrum Disorder: this means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Hard of Hearing means a hearing impairment so severe that a child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Deaf: this means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but is not included under the definition of "deafness".
Developmentally Delayed: To qualify for this program, a child who is developmentally delayed at birth to two years of age (under Part C services) or three through five years of age (for part B services) and is delayed in one or more of the following areas: adaptive or self-help development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or physical development, including fine, gross, or perceptual motor.
Dual- Sensory Imparied (Deal/Blindness): this means simultaneous hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities: this means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
(a) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors,
(b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers,
(c) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances,
(d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, and
(e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.
Gifted: this is defined by one who has superior intellectual development and is capable of high performance. Typically students eligible for this program possess intelligence levels that are two standard deviations or more above the mean or average.
Hospital Homebound: this means a student who has a medically diagnosed physical or psychiatric condition which is acute or catastrophic in nature, or chronic illness or a repeated intermittent illness due to a persisting condition that confines the student to a home or hospital, and restricts activities for an extended period of time. This medical diagnosis shall be made by a licensed physician.
Intellectual Disabilities: this is defined as significantly below average general intellectual and adaptive functioning manifested during the developmental period, with significant delays in academic skills. A developmental period refers to birth to 18 years of age.
Physically impaired with Orthopedic Impairments: this means a severe skeletal, muscular, or neuromuscular impairment. The term includes impairments resulting from congenital anomalies (such as, but not limited to, skeletal deformity or spina bifida), and impairments resulting from other causes (including, but not limited to, cerebral palsy or amputations).
Physically Impaired with Other Health Impairment: Other health impairment means having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that is due to chronic or acute health problems. This includes, but is not limited to, asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, Tourette syndrome, diabetes, epilepsy, heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, rheumatic fever, and acquired brain injury.
Physically Impaired with Traumatic Brain Injury: A traumatic brain injury means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects educational performance. The term applies to mild, moderate, or severe, open or closed head injuries resulting in impairment in one or more areas such as cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving, sensory, perceptual and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, or speech. The term includes anoxia due to trauma. The term does not include brain injuries that are congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma.
Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD): this means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of a visual, hearing, or motor disability; of mental retardation; of emotional disturbance; or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Speech and Language Impaired: this means a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Visually Impaired: this means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.
Often times understanding program eligibility can be difficult for families. It is not enough for your child to have specific medical diagnosises in order to get special education services. For example, your child can be diagnosed with Aspergers by your developmental pediatrician. However, unless your child's disability adversely affects his/her education then he /she may not be eligible for special education services. This is a common misconception among families. It is important to look at what specialized instruction your child will need in order to benefit from special education.
We encourage families to obtain a copy of the IDEA regulations and Florida Rules by contacting the Florida Department of Education. These materials are free to families through their clearinghouse.
Once your child is eligible for ESE services, you will begin to hear words and jargon that are specific to your child's services and educational plan. It is important for you to become familiar with key terminology that will directly impact your child's education.
These terms are as follows:
IDEA - Individual with Disabilities Act = this refers to the body of law that governs special education services.
IEP - Individualized Education Plan = this is the plan that is developed based on your child's needs. The IEP plan outlines what supports he/she needs in order to be successful.
FAPE -Free and Appropriate Education = all public schools are mandated to provide children with disabilities a free and appropriate public education.
LRE - Least Restrictive Environment = this means that students are to be educated in the least restrictive educational environment with their non-disabled peers, to the maximum extent possible.
FBA- Functional Behavior Assessment = an FBA is a process in which the schools collect data on your child's behavior through observations, interviews and other relevant information.
BIP - Behavior Intervention Plan = Once appropriate data is collected regarding a student's behavior, the IEP team uses this information/data to develop a behavior intervention plan that consists of positive reinforcements and teaching appropriate behaviors.
PBS- Positive Behavior Support = PBS is based on understanding why problem behaviors occur - the behavior's function. PBS is the application of evidence-based strategies and systems to assist schools to increase academic performance, increase safety, decrease problem behavior, and establish positive school cultures.