Teaching Special Education

 What is Special Education?

 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
o Types of Disabilities Covered in IDEA
o Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
 Become a Special Education Teacher

What is Special Education?

Special education programs are designed for those students who are mentally, physically,
socially and/or emotionally delayed. This aspect of “delay,” broadly categorized as a
developmental delay, signify an aspect of the child's overall development (physical, cognitive,
scholastic skills) which place them behind their peers. Due to these special requirements,
students’ needs cannot be met within the traditional classroom environment.

Special education programs and services adapt content, teaching methodology and delivery
instruction to meet the appropriate needs of each child. These services are of no cost to the
family and are available to children until they reach 21 years of age (states have services set in
place for adults who are in need of specialized services after age 21).

The strides made in special education advocacy and policy have come far. Primarily established
through the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), the law was later amended
into the Individuals with Disabilities with Education Act of 2004 .

Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975

In 1975, Congress enacted Public Law 94-142, more commonly known as the Education for All
Handicapped Children Act (EHA). The goal of EHA was to ensure children with
disabilities gained access to a free and appropriate public education. This law provided local
and statewide support and protection to children and youth with disabilities, as well as their
families.

Under EHA, all public schools were granted federal funding that provided equal access to
education for children with physical and/or mental disabilities. Schools were required to evaluate
children and create an educational plan that paralleled the academic experience of their non-
disabled peers. EHA requirements also provided parents and families the necessary support
systems to ensure their child received appropriate and adequate services, along with the
services needed to dispute decisions made on behalf of the child.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was amended in 1997 and is now
known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The amendments made in
IDEA provide children and youth with disabilities access to a higher quality of education-related
services, ensuring all students the complete access to the most appropriate education within the
least restrictive environment.

Under IDEA’s legislation, all states receiving federal funding must:

 Provide all students with disabilities between the ages of three and 21 with access to an
appropriate and free public education
 Identify, locate and evaluate children labeled with disabilities
 Develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each child
 Educate children with disabilities within their "least restrictive environment." This
environment is ideally with their typically developing peers but is dependent on
individual circumstances
 Provide those students enrolled in early-intervention (EI) programs with a positive and
effective transition into an appropriate preschool program
 Provide special education services for those children enrolled in private schools
 Ensure teachers are adequately qualified and certified to teach special education
 Ensure that children with disabilities are not suspended or expelled at rates higher than
their typically developing peers

Above all, these federal provisions enacted by IDEA ensure that all children with disabilities
are provided with the adequate services and resources necessary for them to succeed within
and beyond the educational system alongside their non-disabled peers.

Types of Disabilities Covered in IDEA

The umbrella term of special education broadly identifies the academic, physical, cognitive,
and social-emotional instruction offered to children who are faced with one or more
disabilities. Under the IDEA, these disabilities are categorized into the following areas:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder refers to a developmental disability that significantly affects

communication (both verbal and nonverbal) and social interaction. These symptoms are
typically evident before the age of three and adversely affect a child’s educational performance.
Other identifying characteristics of those with ASD are engagement in repetitive
activities/stereotyped movements, resistance to change in environment and daily routine and
unusual responses to sensory stimuli.

Deaf-Blindness

Deaf-blindness refers to associated visual and hearing impairments. This combination causes
severe communication, developmental and educational needs that cannot be accommodated
through special education programs solely for those children with blindness or deafness.
Deafness/Hearing Impairment

Deafness means a child’s hearing impairment is so severe that it impacts the processing of
linguistic information with or without amplification and adversely affects a child’s educational
performance. Hearing impairment refers to an impairment (fluctuating or permanent) that
adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Developmental Delay

Developmental delay is a term designated for children birth to age nine, and is defined as a
delay in one or more of the following areas:1. cognitive development, 2. physical
development, 3. socio-emotional development, and 4, behavioral development or
communication.

Emotional Disturbance

Emotional disturbance refers to a condition that exhibits one or more of the following
characteristics both over an extended period of time and to an exceptional degree that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance:

 An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors

 An inability to build and/or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers
and teachers
 Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
 A general pervasive mood of unhappiness/depression
 A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school
problems

Emotional disturbance does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted( disturbed or
neurotic)unless they are determined to have an emotional disturbance as per IDEA’s regulations.

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is defined as a significantly below average functioning of overall

intelligence that exists alongside deficits in adaptive behavior and is manifested during the
child’s developmental period causing adverse affects on the child’s educational performance.

Multiple Disabilities

Children with multiple disabilities are those with connected impairments such as intellectual
disability and blindness or intellectual disability and orthopedic impairment(s). This
combination causes severe educational needs that cannot be met through programs designed for
children with a single impairment. (Deaf-blindness is not identified as a multiple disability and is
outlined separately by IDEA.)
Orthopedic Impairment

Orthopedic impairment(s) refer to severe orthopedic impairments that adversely affect a child’s
academic performance. Orthopedic impairment(s) include those caused by
congenital(hereditary) anomalies and diseases, as well impairments by other causes (i.e.
Cerebral Palsy).

Other Health Impairment(s)

Other health impairments refer to a limitation in strength, vitality or alertness, resulting in limited
alertness to one’s educational environment. These impairments are often due to chronic or acute
health problems — including ADD/ADHD, epilepsy, and Tourette’s syndrome — and
adversely affect the child’s educational performance.

Specific Learning Disability

Specific learning disability refers to a range of disorders in which one or more basic
psychological processes involved in the comprehensive/usage of language — both spoken or
written — establishes an impairment in one’s ability to listen, think, read, write, spell and/or
complete mathematical calculations. Included are conditions such as perceptual disabilities,
dyslexia (also dyscalculia, dysgraphia), brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction and
developmental aphasia. Specific learning disabilities do not include learning problems that are
the result of visual, auditory or motor disabilities, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance or
those who are placed at an environmental/economic disadvantage.

Speech/Language Impairment

Speech or language impairments refer to communications disorders such as stuttering,

impaired articulation or language/voice impairments that have an adverse effect on a child’s
educational performance.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury refers to an acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical
forces. This injury is one that results in a partial or complete functional disability and/or
psychosocial impairment and must adversely affect the child’s educational performance.

TBI does not include congenital or degenerative conditions or those caused by birth-related
trauma. TBI applies to injuries that result in impairments in one or more of the following areas:
cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving,
psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, and speech.
Visual Impairment (Including Blindness)

Visual impairment, which includes blindness, refers to impairment in one’s vision that, even
after correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term “visual
impairment” is inclusive of those with partial sight and blindness.

In order to be deemed eligible for state special education services, IDEA states that a student’s
disability must adversely affect his or her academic achievement and/or overall educational
performance. While defining these adverse effects are dependent on a student’s categorical
disability, eligibility is determined through a process of evaluations by professionals such as a
child’s pediatrician/specialists, school psychologists and social workers. After a student is
deemed able to receive such services, their progress is annually reviewed.

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

An Individualized Education Program (commonly referred to as IEP) is a document,

mandated by the IDEA, which clearly defines the individual goal and objectives set for a child
with a disability. These programs are written documentation of the special education
program and academic modifications required to meet the child’s individual needs. The two
main purposes of a student’s IEP are to:

1. Set reasonable learning goals for the student, and

2. State the required services that the school district needs to provide for said child.

IEPs are developed by a team including the child’s teacher(s), parents, and supporting school
staff. This team meets annually (at minimum) to assess the academic and developmental progress
of the student, design appropriate educational plans, and adhere any changes if necessary. The
main goal these reviews is to ensure that the child is receiving appropriate and adequate services
within their least restrictive environment.

While each child’s IEP is unique, IDEA mandates that all IEPs must contain the following
specific information:

 Student’s present level of academic achievement and overall performance

 Annual goals and/or objectives for the child (milestones that both parents and school staff
feel is reasonably achievable within the next year.)
 Special education and related services, including supplementary services such as adaptive
communication devices, adequate transportation services, and appropriate school
personnel
 Portion of the day that the child will be educated apart from his or her typically-
developing peers
 Participation and/or modification to district-, state-, and nation-wide assessments
 How child’s progress will be measured
For a much more detailed explanation of everything that goes into creating an IEP, as well as an
overview of the basic Special Education Process under IDEA, please refer to the U.S.
Department of Education's Guide to the Individualized Education Program External link .

Become a Special Education Teacher

Just as with general education certification, becoming a certified Special Education teacher
allows you to work with a wide range of student ages, grade levels, and abilities. Special
Education programs are designed to meet the specific and unique instructional needs of each
child, allowing students to be grouped homogeneously by developmental stage (ability) rather
than by age. This unique aspect of Special Education allows teachers to provide aid and
instruction based on the students' skill level, rather than biological ag

This unique aspect of Special Education allows educators to provide aid and instruction
based on a child’s interest and ability, rather than biological age. However, most certification
programs are categorized by the student’s age, allowing teachers to become certified for the
following age groups:

 Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education programs: Birth - Age 4
 Childhood Special Education: Kindergarten - 6th Grade
 Secondary Special Education: 7th - 12th Grade
 A number of special education certification programs offer a general certification in birth
to 21 years old, allowing educators to work with virtually any age demographic

Earn a degree that offers a dual certification in teaching and special education:

Impairment, Disability and Handicap

Sheena L. Carter, Ph.D.

The words “impairment,” “disability,” and “handicap,” are often used interchangeably. They
have very different meanings, however. The differences in meaning are important for
understanding the effects of neurological injury on development.

The most commonly cited definitions are those provided by the World Health Organization
(1980) in The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps:

Impairment: any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or

function.
Disability: any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an
activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

Handicap: a disadvantage for a given individual that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role
that is normal

As traditionally used, impairment refers to a problem with a structure or organ of the

body; disability is a functional limitation with regard to a particular activity; and handicap refers
to a disadvantage in filling a role in life relative to a peer group.

Examples to illustrate the differences among the terms "impairment," "disability," and
"handicap."

1. CP example: David is a 4-yr.-old who has a form of cerebral palsy (CP) called spastic
diplegia. David's CP causes his legs to be stiff, tight, and difficult to move. He cannot stand or
walk.

Impairment: The inability to move the legs easily at the joints and inability to bear weight on
the feet is an impairment. Without orthotics and surgery to release abnormally contracted
muscles, David's level of impairment may increase as imbalanced muscle contraction over a
period of time can cause hip dislocation and deformed bone growth. No treatment may be
currently available to lessen David's impairment.

Disability: David's inability to walk is a disability. His level of disability can be improved with
physical therapy and special equipment. For example, if he learns to use a walker, with braces,
his level of disability will improve considerably.

Handicap: David's cerebral palsy is handicapping to the extent that it prevents him from
fulfilling a normal role at home, in preschool, and in the community. His level of handicap has
been only very mild in the early years as he has been well-supported to be able to play with other
children, interact normally with family members and participate fully in family and community
activities. As he gets older, his handicap will increase where certain sports and physical
activities are considered "normal" activities for children of the same age. He has little handicap
in his preschool classroom, though he needs some assistance to move about the classroom and
from one activity to another outside the classroom. Appropriate services and equipment can
reduce the extent to which cerebral palsy prevents David from fulfilling a normal role in the
home, school and community as he grows.
2. LD example: Cindy is an 8-year-old who has extreme difficulty with reading (severe
dyslexia). She has good vision and hearing and scores well on tests of intelligence. She went to
an excellent preschool and several different special reading programs have been tried since early
in kindergarten.

Impairment: While no brain injury or malformation has been identified, some impairment is
presumed to exist in how Cindy's brain puts together visual and auditory information. The
impairment may be inability to associate sounds with symbols, for example.

Disability: In Cindy's case, the inability to read is a disability. The disability can probably be
improved by trying different teaching methods and using those that seem most effective with
Cindy. If the impairment can be explained, it may be possible to dramatically improve the
disability by using a method of teaching that does not require skills that are impaired (That is, if
the difficulty involves learning sounds for letters, a sight-reading approach can improve her level
of disability).

Handicap: Cindy already experiences a handicap as compared with other children in her class at
school, and she may fail third grade. Her condition will become more handicapping as she gets
older if an effective approach is not found to improve her reading or to teach her to compensate
for her reading difficulties. Even if the level of disability stays severe (that is, she never learns to
read well), this will be less handicapping if she learns to tape lectures and "read" books on
audiotapes. Using such approaches, even in elementary school, can prevent her reading
disability from interfering with her progress in
other academic areas (increasing her handicap).
Developmental Progress Clinic (DPC) Home

Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability- UN

Article 24 – Education
1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to
realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties
shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning directed to:
a. The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth, and the
strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity;

b. The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as
well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential;

c. Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society.

2. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that:

a) Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of
disability, and that children with disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory primary
education, or from secondary education, on the basis of disability;

b) Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and
secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;

c) Reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements is provided;

d) Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to
facilitate their effective education;

e) Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize

academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.

3. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life and social development skills
to facilitate their full and equal participation in education and as members of the community. To
this end, States Parties shall take appropriate measures, including:

a) Facilitating the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes,
means and formats of communication and orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer
support and mentoring;

b) Facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the
deaf community;

c) Ensuring that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, deaf or
deafblind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of
communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social
development.

4. In order to help ensure the realization of this right, States Parties shall take appropriate
measures to employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign
language and/or Braille, and to train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education.
Such training shall incorporate disability awareness and the use of appropriate augmentative and
alternative modes, means and formats of communication, educational techniques and materials to
support persons with disabilities.

5. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary
education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and
on an equal basis with others. To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable
accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities.