This document discusses special education laws and strategies for supporting students with disabilities in the general education classroom. It provides an overview of IDEA, FAPE, and LRE laws. It also describes the purpose and components of an IEP, accommodations and modifications that can support students, and compares/contrasts various disabilities such as LD, EBD, and ID. Finally, it provides inclusion tips for each disability area, such as using visual schedules, graphic organizers, one-step directions, and differentiated instruction.

1. Special Education Laws and Strategies in the general education classroom
Patricia Blankenship
ESE 631 Survey of the Exceptional Child
Instructor: Analisa Smith
10/14/12

2. Overview of IDEA, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and Free and Appropriate Public
Education (FAPE)
"The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to locate and
identify children with disabilities who may be in need of specialized education"(Wrightslaw).
This is an educational law to provide federal financial assistance to State and local education agencies
to provide special education and services to children who are eligible for the program.. Idea also
requires an IEP in place for student when enrolled in Special Education program.
FAPE is short for "Provide A Free, Appropriate Public Education"providing special education and
services for all children,at no cost to the parents for children with disabilities.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)"LRE means that a student who has a disability should have the

3. opportunity to be educated with their peers, to the greatest extent possible,and should have access to the
general education curriculum, extracurricular activities, or any other program that their peers would be
able to access"(Law & Legal).The laws are constantly changing and teachers and faculty need to stay
up to date on the changes made with the laws to provide the best assistance for the students.
The purpose and main components of an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
"The IEP has two general purposes: (1) to establish measurable annual goals for the child; and (2)
to state the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services that the public
agency will provide to, or on behalf of, the child, the IEP team broadly considers the child’s
involvement and participation in three main areas of school life:the general education
curriculum,extracurricular activities, and nonacademic activities"(Contents of the IEP 2010)
The main components of an IEP should include the following:
Academic Performance,goals and objectives,how will school meet the goals,services and supports for
the student,what type of assessments will be used for the student,and finally location of services and
duration of services.
Accommodations and modifications that could support students with disabilities in the classroom
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that an Individualized Education
Program (IEP) be developed for each child with a disability,each student has a different learning style
,strengths and weaknesses that must be addressed in the classroom.
Accommodations and modifications that could support students ,extended time for completion of
assignments or tests ,Visual demonstrations ,Assistance with organization,change the learning
environment,notes for lessons learned that day,one step directions from teacher,graphic organizers
special communication systems .
Compare/Contrast Learning Disabilities (LD) and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (EBD)

4. "A learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process,
store, and respond to information" (Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer,2010).Students who have been
diagnosed with a learning disability will have unique learning abilities and can vary from student to
student, most often skills that are affected by the student are reading, writing and math.
Students who have been diagnosed with Emotional/Behavioral Disability have an inability to learn
that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors ,they can not build relationships with
peers or faculty,and also have inappropriate types of behavior. Students with emotional or behavioral
disabilities have both learning problems and behavioral problems as students with learning disabilities
may have an inability to learn.
Compare/Contrast LD and Intellectual Disabilities (ID)
People who have a learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's
communication to receive, process,and respond to information,students with this disorder may have to
retrain their brain to learn new ways of storing information,such as index cards ,graphic
organizers,notes. This will help the students with learning disabilities to retrieve the information they
need to remind them to stay on tasks. People who have an intellectual disability may have mild to
severe limitations in intellectual functioning such as reasoning, learning, problem solving

5. Compare/Contrast EBD and ID
EBD commonly is diagnosed when the student exhibits emotional, behavioral, and social
behavioral psychopathology that impairs the student’s ability to participate and benefit from the regular
education program. EBD may or may not be a lifelong problem though some students who have a
severity of EBD may not be able to handle a regular classroom setting, requiring instead a specialized
classroom.
ID students have problems with mental functioning communication skills, taking care of him or
herself, and daily life skills,Students with ID will special education and related services.
ID students Lack ability to understand the cause and effect relationship between a behavior and a
negative outcome.
Inclusion tips for each of the disability areas above (LD, EBD, ID)
Provide written or picture schedules so students will adjust to transitions. Build collaboration time
between special education and regular education personnel into the IEP. Write directions on the
board,use one step at a time verbal directions,Provide accommodations and supports for students.
Use graphic organizers,.You may need to use tape recorders for students who need to hear the lesson
for the day. "Teachers may need to make adaptations to the curriculum and learning activities in order
to fully include all students,use differentiate instruction and include learning objectives, adapting
materials and resources, varying teaching strategies, and using technology "(Kate MacLean,(2001)) .

6. References:
Overview of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504 Contents of the IEP (2010)
http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. (1992). Legal foundations 1: Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reston, VA
Henderson,Kelly ,(2010) Overview of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504
Least Restrictive Environment [LRE] Law & Legal Definition
http://definitions.uslegal.com/l/least-restrictive-environment-lre/
MacLean, Kate ,(2001). Inclusive Teaching Guide
OVERVIEW OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT OF 1997
(http://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/lawbk/ch4.idea.overview.pdf)
Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer, (2010), Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today’s Schools, 6th
edition, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey