Special Education

with disability are being mainstreamed into general education settings; there is a need for teachers to be more educated in the field of special education. By law children are required to be in the least restrictive environment to reach their full academic potential. Inclusion means that special needs children are included into a general education classroom. Mainstreaming has been used to refer to selective placement of special education students in one or more regular education classes. Proponents of mainstreaming generally assume that a student must earn his or her opportunity to be placed in regular classes by demonstrating an ability to keep…

There are many differing opinions on whether special education students should be integrated into regular classroom settings or if they should be kept in separate classrooms. Every student, with special needs or not, learns in a different way. Special education students especially have different ways of learning and their academic needs are not often met in a class specifically for those with disabilities. Through mainstreaming students who “earn” the right to be in a general education class or…

What’s special about special education? As I reflect upon the differences in my understanding of special education as a result of this class, three major points stand out to me. The first is a greater ability to withstand uncertainty and ambiguity. The second is a shift toward a biopsychosocial model of understanding special needs. The third, although it may sound overly simplistic, is that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. These three concepts, in my mind, are interrelated. Coming to terms…

Many people take for granted their ability to communicate. From the moment we get up to the time we put our heads back on the pillow we are constantly communicating to those around us. In special education class rooms there are several proficient ways of communication. The children have different ways of communicating with the teacher and vice versa. I am going to talk about the different approaches as a teacher you can make to improve the quality of the way you communicate with the children in…

My first reaction to all three videos was WOW!! we have growth tremendously in the ways technology is being use to provide students with special needs support to function in school and in the world. Sadly, I feel that in many schools students are not receiving enough assistive technology. How SAD! The article "Special Education - Assistive Technology and Accessibility" opened my eyes to the wide range of assistive technology that exists today. Sure in enough these groups of children are very…

Nelson Mandela once stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The education system is constantly evolving and changing in Indiana. New ways and new ideas are put into play in general education classes, but special education classes could be improved. For example, each student that is within a special education classroom does not have the same disability as another student. Even if their diagnosis is the same, the spectrum is huge and one child…

There are teachers and administrators alike who do not believe that much learning takes place in the special education classroom and that special needs students cannot possibly learn in a regular classroom. To address these concerns, school board administrators have to put in a lot of time and effort to implement a program that the staff and students are comfortable with. Teachers would also need some sort of training to better help them receive the special needs children into their classrooms.…

After watching Including Samuel my original beliefs on inclusion and least restrictive environment were swayed. I am a Special Education major, and tutoring in an MMD classroom ultimately led me down the path of special education. Because separate is all I really knew, I thought that it was the best option for exceptional children. I assumed the one on one and endless resources of a special ed room would outweigh the social benefits of a traditional classroom. The video made me think otherwise…

With close to 6 million students aged 3-21 receiving special education services as of 2012 (Institute on Disability: University of NH, 2014), it is obvious that there is a need for qualified special education teachers nationally. One might mistakenly think all that is needed is a bachelor’s degree. The required certification is only s small part of what it takes for an effective special education teacher. First and foremost, a special educator needs to have a sound understanding of learners.…

The Special Education Process I. Referral: The first part of the special education is the referral. There must be a written request that can be done by parents, school personnel, school district staff, or anyone else that is knowledgeable about the student. The written request must state why the person requesting the referral believes the student may need special education services. The referral will need to be given to an appropriate school staff member that is involved with special…