The document discusses the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and key concepts related to educating students with exceptionalities. IDEA is a federal law that ensures services for children with disabilities. It governs how early intervention, special education, and related services are provided for more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. The document also defines learning exceptionalities and provides examples. Inclusion, least restrictive environments, and assistive technology in relation to students with exceptionalities are also summarized.

1. Melissa Merritt Learning Exceptionalities / Assistive Technology

2. IDEA Individuals With Disabilities Education Act 2004 “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.”

3. Exceptional: 1. Being an exception; uncommon. 2. Well above average; extraordinary: an exceptional memory. 3. Deviating widely from a norm, as of physical or mental ability: Learning Exceptionalities

4. Examples: Gifted and Talented Mental Retardation Learning Disabilities Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Behavior Disorders Communication Disorders Visual Disabilities Hearing Disabilities Learning Exceptionalities

5. Inclusion in education is an approach to educating students with special educational needs. Under the inclusion model, students with special needs spend most or all of their time with non-disabled students. Implementation of these practices varies. Schools most frequently use them for selected students with mild to severe special needs. Inclusion is about the child’s right to participate and the school’s duty to accept the child. Inclusion rejects the use of special schools or classrooms to separate students with disabilities from students without disabilities. A premium is placed upon full participation by students with disabilities and upon respect for their social, civil, and educational rights. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusion_%28disability_rights%29 Inclusion

6. "Least restrictive environment" means that a student who has a disability should have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers, to the greatest extent appropriate. They should have access to the general education curriculum, extracurricular activities, or any other program that non-disabled peers would be able to access. The student should be provided with supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-disabled peers. Academically, a resource room may be available within the school for specialized instruction, with typically no more than two hours per day of services for a student with learning disabilities.[1] Should the nature or severity of his or her disability prevent the student from achieving these goals in a regular education setting, then the student would be placed in a more restrictive environment, such as a special school, classroom within the current school, or a hospital program. Generally, the less opportunity a student has to interact and learn with non-disabled peers, the more the placement is considered to be restricted. To determine what an appropriate setting is for a student, a team will review the student’s needs and interests. The types of educational settings for students with disabilities will vary. With the differences in needs and interests among students with disabilities, there is no single definition of what an LRE will be for all students. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Restrictive_Environment Least Restrictive Environment

7. Assistive technology or adaptive technology is a term that describes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for students with exceptionalities. Assistive technology promotes independence for students by allowing them to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing. Even the makers of these technologies will often still argue that universal design is preferable to the need for assistive technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology Assistive Technology

8. Personal Emergency Response Systems Accessible computer input Durable Medical Equipment Software Screen magnifiers Captioning Communication Boards Calculators Assistive Technology

9. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/exceptionality http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_eggen_education_6/13/3457/885175.cw/index.html http://idea.ed.gov/ http://www.cartooncottage.com/html/people.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusion_%28education%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Restrictive_Environment http://www.newton.k12.ks.us/at/examples.htm http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AoJU2DO9V1DU4Dl5DEoq7_WbvZx4?p=students&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-701 Sources