Special Education

Special education (also known as special ed, SPED or defectology) refers euphemistically to the teaching of students with academic, behaviorial, or health/physical needs that cannot be met in the general education program. This article will focus mainly on the teaching of students with disabilities; see Gifted education for more information on that subject.

United States

Special education programs in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when Congress passed the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with disabilities. The EHA was later modified to strengthen protections to disabled pupils and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA is found in Title 20 of the United States Code, starting at section 1400.

The two most basic rights ensured by the IDEA is that every disabled student is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To ensure a FAPE, a team of professionals and parents meet to determine the student's unique educational needs, develop annual goals for the student, and determine the placement, program modification, testing accommodations, counseling, and other special services that the student needs through the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The educational agency is required to develop and implement an IEP that meets the standards of federal and state educational agencies.

The LRE mandate requires that all students' educations be with their nondisabled peers to the greatest extent possible, while still providing a FAPE. The LRE requirement is intended to prevent unnecessary segregation of the disabled, and is based on Congress' finding that over twenty years of research and experience demonstrates that education of disabled students is more effective by having high expectations of such children and ensuring their access to the general curriculum to the maximum extent possible.

Some special education services (such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc) may be provided within the mainstream class (i.e. inclusion) or in a separate classroom if this is decided to be the LRE. Students receive individualized services to meet their goals, and these services are outlined in each child's IEP. Students in Special Education will also need a transition plan, focussing on their life after school, starting at age 12. The transition plan focuses on the learner's goals for the future, addressing living and employment.

History

Naturally, many students' challenges have historically driven their placement in classes which are specific to a particular disability. However, the goal is for all students to be placed in a learning environment that is the least restrictive for each individual learner. In the past 10 years, that has come to mean inclusive environments: all students learning together with each individual's specific learning needs being met within a typical classroom environment. The fact that this has often been less than successful may have more to do with the resources allocated to such programs, and the inability of an entrenched model of education to change to accommodate such an educational process, than with the efficacy of such a model itself.

Criticism

While terms such as "normal" and "typical" can be debated endlessly, there is research that shows that students with the most significant disabilities benefit academically and socially in a classroom and a curriculum that is adapted and modified to help them be successful in inclusive classes. Some students' needs and/or educational content may require (or benefit from) implementation via smaller "special class" settings.

United Kingdom

In schools in the United Kingdom, special education is referred to as SEN (Special Educational Needs.) Each school is required to have a Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator, or SENCO, whose responsibility it is to ensure all pupils in the school with SEN receive the appropriate support to facilitate their successful education. According to Teachernet, a UK government website set up to aid teaching staff, The current SEN Code of Practice came into force at the beginning of January 2002, replacing the original version dating to 1994.

To qualify as having SEN, a student must be assessed by a professional, usually an Educational Psychologist, Doctor or Psychiatrist. If a disability or difficulty is identified which it is considered, presents a significant challenge to what is considered normal learning patterns, and education, a recommendation or application can be made for the issue of a Statement of Educational Need, which entitles the student to the appropriate learning support.

Disabilities that may merit the issue of a statement include, Physical disbility, e.g. the lack of functioning or loss of limbs or movement, Motor or fine motor disability, Learning difficulties or disabilities, developmental disorders, mental illness or incapacity, or behavioural difficulties.

With the correct support, many students with SEN have the potential to develop into productive, successful and fully integrated members of society, as has been proved the case on numerous occasions.

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