2. WHY THIS TOPIC MATTERS?
• Over 10% of the total school population in the U.S. are eligible
for special education services.
• The majority of children with disabilities will be placed in general
education classrooms. As a teacher, you will be expected to
understand the terminology and issues related to special
education.
• Learning how to work with families of children with disabilities will
enable you to teach their children more effectively.
3. OBJECTIVES
• Explain how children with disabilities differ from children with
other special needs.
• Describe the importance of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) for families and how IDEA’s six principles
governing the education of students with disabilities pro-vide
support for them and their children.
• Discuss the impact that a child with disabilities can have on a
family.
4. OBJECTIVES
• Describe why the early identification of disabilities is desirable
and how early intervention helps families ensure that their
children achieve their maximum potential
• Define individualized education plan (IEP), least restrictive
environment (LRE), and inclusion .
• Assess the importance of community agencies in meeting the
needs of persons with disabilities and the needs of their
families.
5. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
• Gifted and talented children
• Children who are linguistically or culturally different from the
mainstream
• Children who are at risk for school failure because of poverty or
other social conditions
• Children with health and medical conditions that may impede their
success in school
• Children with disabilities
6. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND
INDIVIDUAL WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEIA)
• Early Intervention Services
• Categories of children with special needs (13)
• Section 504
• Children (Ages 3 – 21)
7. INDIVIDUAL WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION
IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEIA)
• History
• Public Law 94 – 142 (1975) – Parent Advocacy
• Six principles of Special Education Reform
- Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- Nondiscriminatory and multidisciplinary evaluations
- Individualized Education Program (IEP
- Least Restrictive Environment
- Procedural safeguards
- Parent and student participation
8. FAMILIES RAISING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
• Emotional Impact
• Multicultural Issues
• Medication
• Respite and Support
9. EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION
• Early Identification and Intervention for Infants and Toddlers
- Child Find
- Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) – Figure 5-1 (page 131)
• Children with Disabilities in School
- Preschool Program
- Continuum of Services
general education (GE) class only – GE class with consultation of co-
teaching – Itinerant teacher – Resource teacher – self-contained special
class – special day school – homebound or hospital instruction – residential
school
10. GENERAL EDUCATORS AND
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
• The Referral Process
• The Screening Process
• The Assessment Process
• Eligibility for Services – IEP Team
- IEP – Components of an IEP – Figure 5-3 (page 136)
- Accommodations – assistive technology, electronic books
- Related services – transportation, speech-language services, physical and
occupational therapy, counseling services
• Inclusion – Least Restrictive Environment
11. IMPLICATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
TEACHERS
Teachers establish collaborative relationships through:
• Friendliness
• Optimism
• Patience
• Sincerity and honesty
• Tact
• Responsiveness
• Openness to suggestions
• Respect for each family’s strengths, culture, language, and ability to make decisions for
their child.
12. COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
• Helping and Supporting Parents (Asset Map)
- resources
- organizations
- agencies
- network
• Children with Disabilities in the Community
- clubs
- before- and after-school care
13. IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY AGENCIES
• Activities, field trips, recreational classes, dances, and other
gatherings geared to children with particular disabilities.
• Day and residential camps for children with various physical,
behavioral, and cognitive disabilities.
• Clubs, scout troops, before- and after-school child-care programs,
sports teams, performing arts groups, and other activities with
their typically developing peers
14. PARTNERING WITH PARENTS
• Parent collaboration is essential in the process of
determining the best educational setting for children
with disabilities
• Helping parents negotiate the complex process of
identifying children with special needs and the legal
procedures involved in making a placement is an
important task for teachers
