What is Special Education

What is Special Education? Whenever I heard of special education an image appeared in my mind in which I can visualize disabled children sitting in the classroom, separated from the rest of his mates. Well, this is an old concept. In the modern era, special education has developed a lot. There are separate educational institutes built for disabled children.

Special Education refers to “A range of services that can be provided in different ways and different settings.”

Special education aims to provide meet with the educational needs of the students who are suffering from mental or physical disabilities. There are multiple educational institutes that are focusing on providing special education to the students. They provide all those resources to children with disabilities to progress in life.

Common Learning Differences

It is believed that disabled children feel learning problems to acquire affective skills in life. Children with disabilities may feel problems in reading, writing, learning, listening, speaking, reasoning, or solving mathematical problems.

Below are some of the common learning differences,

• Dyslexia: It refers to the difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and speaking
• Dyscalculia: It refers to difficulty in doing math problems, understanding time, and considering mathematical facts and equations
• Dysgraphia: It refers to difficulty with the handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas
• Dyspraxia: It refers to the difficulty with hand-eye coordination, balance, and fine motor skills
• Auditory Processing Disorder: As the name suggested, it refers to feeling difficulty in interpreting what the ears hear. (It is different than having hearing impairment)
• Visual Processing Issues: It refers to the difficulty in interpreting what the eyes see. (It is different than having a visual impairment)

Common Disabilities

What are common disabilities experienced in the children that seek special education?

Below are 13 disabilities that are identified by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act),

• Autism
• Deafness
• Emotional disturbance
• Visual impairment, including blindness
• Speech or language impairment
• Orthopedic impairments
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities
• Traumatic brain injury
• Other health impairment, including ADHD
• Specific learning disability, including (among others) dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia

Principles of the Individuals

What are the principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with regard to special education?

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the states are responsible for opening and providing special education institutes to meet the educational needs of disabled children. In order to provide special education, the states have to follow certain principles. These principles are listed below!

• Special education schools should make sure to provide quality education to disabled children
• They should not consider the nature of the disability and education will be equal for all the children
• Examinations, testing, or evaluation should be regardless of race, creed, culture, or language.
• Children with disabilities must be educated with children without disabilities as much as possible
• Schools must protect the rights of the children and their parents and should not treat them inhumanly
• Schools must make sure to provide special education services to the students without any personal biases

Moreover, we all need to make sure that children with disabilities should be treated kindly and more affectionately. They deserve our love and attention and we should not deprive them of that love.