What is special education?

       

 Special education refers to a range of services that help children with disabilities to learn.

 It is not a one size fits all approach: special education is designed to meet the needs of each child.

 Children who qualify for special education have an IEP.

Special education refers to a variety of services that can be delivered in different ways and in different settings. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to special education. It is geared to the needs of students with disabilities.

 Special education focuses on helping children with disabilities learn. But that doesn't mean children are put in a special classroom all day.In fact, federal law states that children receiving special education must study in the same classrooms as other children as much as possible. This is referred to as the Least Restrictive Environment (or LRE).

 Services and support for one student can be very different from those for another student. It's about each and every child and giving them the resources they need to be successful in school.

 For example, some students may spend most of their day in a general education classroom.Others just spend an hour or two in a resource room working with a specialist. And others may need to attend another school that specializes in teaching children with learning disabilities.

 Children who qualify for special education have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). They receive individual tuition and other resources that are free to their families. Specialists work with children on both strengths and challenges.And families are important members of the team that decides what children need to succeed in school.

 Who is Eligible for Special Education?

The Disability Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that defines and governs special education. Requires that public schools provide special education services for children ages 3 to 21 who meet certain criteria. To qualify, a student must:

 have a documented disability in one of the 13 documented categories covered by IDEA, and They require special training to gain access to the general education curriculum.

 Access is an important concept in education. Making learning accessible to children with disabilities means finding ways to remove barriers to their learning.

How do children get into special education?

School districts have established a process to determine which students are eligible for special education.This process involves a comprehensive assessment that looks at how children think. It also addresses other aspects of development. Either the school or the child's family may request an assessment. If the school agrees to the test, the test will be administered free of charge. to the family.

Find out more about the selection process.

Special Education Terms You May Hear When it comes to special education, there is a lot of unfamiliar terms and jargon. One term you may hear is placement, which is how schools talk about the decision to place a child in one type of classroom over another. .You may also hear:

Specific learning disabilities – the largest category in which children receive special education services, particularly those who learn and think differently

Related Services: Assistance to achieve IEP goals that are not necessarily specialized instruction.

Adjustments: Changes to the way a student learns.

Changes: Changes to what a student is taught or intended to learn