What is Special Education?
A range of educational and social services that are provided by schools and educational institutions to individuals with disabilities is special education. These programs are usually provided to students from 3-21 years of age. Education is a common platform that brings everyone together to receive the same knowledge. Hence these programs are designed in a way so that students with disabilities can receive education in an effective manner. There are specially designed instructions to meet their learning needs that makes education a fun experience for them. This fosters a united system of learning and allows the students to learn in a better environment.
Disabilities in students are usually identified as physical disabilities, such as deafness or blindness; mental disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome and autism ; medical conditions, such as oxygen dependence or traumatic brain injury; learning deficits, such as dyslexia ; and behavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorders. These are the disabilities that qualify for special education. Any student who is diagnosed with one or more of any of the above, they are eligible for special educational services.
There are different criteria to determine learning disabilities in children. For example, if the child does not meet grade-level standards in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading and writing skills, mathematics calculation and problem solving. It is also determined if the student fails to meet the grade level standards in performance like cultural factors, mental retardation, limited language proficiency, visual, hearing or motor disability. When the student starts showing signs of any learning disabilities, they are advised to undertake special education to help them cope. These sessions must include a comprehensive screening and diagnoses that is conducted by a multi-disciplinary team. Every student is different; hence an individual plan must be laid out for every student with regards to their academics, behavioral goals and other parameters related to the development of the students. An active participation must be encouraged for the parents wherein they receive an end to end description of the process and the benefits of it. This will help the parents understand the importance of education for their children and will develop their trust in the institution.
Many a times, students will disabilities are included in the general classroom sessions that may impact their learning. Because of their disabilities they are unable to keep up with the rest of the class and get distracted. This happens due to lack of resources, lack of staff and sometimes lack of space. Hence some schools are unable to support special education. The practice of mainstreaming, which is the policy of placing special education students in regular classrooms as much as possible and using separate resource rooms where the students receive special tutoring, review, and instruction is a result of requisite that special-needs children must be educated in the least restrictive environment.
Every child has the right to education, and it is important that the child receives an effective process of learning that equips him with the skills to live a life of success and achievement. Special education is an amazing solution that fulfills this purpose.
