Introduction to Special Education Learning Outcomes -

Module 1: Introduction to Special Education - Working with

Students with Special Educational Needs
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Identify the correct definition for 'special education'
Identify three responsibilities of teachers who teach students with special educational
needs
Recognise the correct definition for 'assessment'
List three methods for modifying assessment for students with special educational needs
Recognise the correct definition for a 'least restrictive environment'
Identify the correct definition of an Individualised Educational Plan (IEP)
List the various elements of an Individualised Educational Plan (IEP)
Recognise ways that students and teachers benefit from inclusive education
Identify the five most frequent types of disabilities encountered by teachers

Special Education and Legalisation - Module 1: Introduction

to Special Education - Working with Students with Special
Educational Needs
Special education is education that addresses the individual differences and requirements of
a student with special needs.

Statistically, the most frequent forms of special needs are learning disabilities, which are
impairments in specific aspects of learning and especially of reading. Learning disabilities
account for about half of all special educational needsas much as all other types put
together. Somewhat less common are speech and language disorders, intellectual
disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (or ADHD).

Since the 1970s support for people with disabilities and special educational needs has grown
significantly. Political and social attitudes have moved increasingly toward including people
with disabilities into a wide variety of regular activities.

Case Study: Legalisation changes in the USA and its effects

Three major laws were passed in the USA since the 1970s that guaranteed the rights of
persons with disabilities, and of children and students with disabilities in particular.

American laws related to students with special educational needs:

1. Rehabilitation Act of 1973: This law required that individuals with disabilities be
accommodated in any program or activity that receives funding from the government

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funding.
2. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: This law prohibited discrimination on the basis of
disability. This law is responsibility for some of the minor renovations in schools in recent
years like wheelchair-accessible doors, ramps and bathrooms.
3. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1975/2004: This law guarantees the following
rights related to education for anyone with a disability from birth to age 21:
Free appropriate education
Due process
Fair evaluation of performance in spite of disability
Education in the least restrictive environment
An individualised educational plan.

These laws affected teachers work in the classroom and had a big impact on education in
general.

Similar changes in laws have occurred in countries all over the world. While most teachers
certainly support these changes in broad terms, others have found the prospect of applying it
in classrooms leads to a number of questions and concerns.

Possible concerns from teachers:

Will a student with a disability disrupt the class?
Will the student interfere with covering the curriculum?
Will the student be teased by classmates?

These are legitimate concerns from teachers. One step towards reducing these concerns is
to learn more about the general responsibilities of teachers for students with disabilities.

Changes in legalisation have affected the work of teachers by creating three new
expectations.

These expectations are:

1. To provide alternative methods of assessment for students with disabilities.
2. To arrange a learning environment that is as normal or as least restrictive as possible.
3. To participate in creating individual educational plans for students with disabilities.

Expectation 1: Provide Alternative Assessments

In the context of students with disabilities, assessment refers to gathering information about
a student in order to identify the strengths of the student and to decide what special
educational support, if any, the student needs.

In principle, of course, these are tasks that teachers have for all students. Assessment is a
major reason why teachers give tests and assignments, for example, and why they listen
carefully to the quality of students comments during class discussions.

For students with disabilities, however, such traditional or conventional strategies of

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assessment as tests and assignments, often seriously underestimate the students
competence (Koretz & Barton, 2003/2004; Pullin, 2005).

Depending on the disability, a student may have trouble with:

Holding a pencil
Hearing a question clearly
Focusing on a picture
Marking an answer in time even when he or she knows the answer
Concentrating on a task in the presence of other people
Answering a question at the pace needed by the rest of the class

Traditionally, teachers have assumed that all students either have these skills or can learn
them with just modest amounts of coaching, encouragement and will power. For many other
students, for example, it may be enough to say something like: Remember to listen to the
question carefully! For students with disabilities, however, a comment like this may not work
and may even be insensitive. A student with visual impairment does not need to be reminded
to look closely at what I am writing on the board. Doing so will not cause the student to see
the chalkboard more clearly, though the reminder might increase the students anxiety and
self-consciousness.

There are a number of strategies for modifying assessments in ways that attempt to be fair
and that at the same time recognise how busy teachers usually are.

These strategies include:

1. Supplementing conventional assignments or tests with portfolios. A portfolio is a collection
of a students work that demonstrates a students development over time. It usually includes
some sort of reflective or evaluative comments from the student, the teacher, or both
(Carothers & Taylor, 2003; Wesson & King, 1996).
2. Devising a system for observing the student regularly and informally recording notes about
the observations for later consideration and assessment.
3. Recruiting help from teacher assistants who are sometimes present to help a student with
a disability; an assistant can often conduct a brief test or activity with the student and later
report on and discuss the results with the classroom teacher.

Expectation 2: Arrange a Least Restrictive Environment

A least restrictive environment is defined as the combination of settings that involve the
student with regular classrooms and school programs as much as possible. The precise
combination is determined by the circumstances of a particular school and of the student.

Examples:
A young child with a mild cognitive disability may spend the majority of time in a regular
classroom, working alongside and playing with non-disabled classmates and relying on a
teacher assistant for help where needed.
An individual with a similar disability in high school, however, might be assigned primarily to
classes specially intended for slow learners, but nonetheless participate in some school-wide

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activities alongside non-disabled students.

The correct least restrictive environment for each individual student will vary depending on
the following types of factors:
The severity of the disability
The level of resources in a given school, e.g. number of teaching assistants
The teachers perception of how difficult it is to modify the curriculum

Expectation 3: Create an Individual Education Plan

An individual education plan (IEP) should be created by a team of individuals who know the
students strengths and needs.

The team should include:

The classroom teacher
The resource or special education teacher
The students parents or guardians
A school administrator e.g. a vice-principal
Other external professionals depending on the disability, e.g. a psychologist, physician or
speech therapist

An IEP can vary from student to student, but it usually includes the following core elements:
The students current social and academic strengths
The students current social or academic needs
The educational goals or objectives for the student for the coming year
Details about special services to be provided to the student
Details about how progress will be assessed at the end of the year

Introduction
This image shows a simple, imaginary Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
The actual visual formats of IEP plans vary widely from country to country.
This particular plan is for a student named Sean, a boy having difficulties with reading.

Core Details:
This part of the form supplies general details about the student and the student's school.

The Support Team:

This part of the form lists the people responsible for creating and facilitating the IEP e.g.
parents, class teacher, speech and language therapist.
The members of this team will depend on the nature of the childs disability.

Strengths and Needs:

This part of the form outlines the students current social and academic strengths as well as
the students social or academic needs.It also specifies educational goals or objectives for
the coming year, lists special services to be provided, and describes how progress toward
the goals will be assessed at the end of the year.

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Resources Needed:
This part of the form lists the special materials or equipment that the student needs on a day
to day basis to enable him to meet his educational goals.