Special education - Definition and Overview

Special education (Also known as Special ed or SPED) refers to the teaching of students with learning disabilities. Services (such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc) are provided within the mainstream class (ie. inclusion)or in a separate clasroom if this is decided to be appropriate for the given situation. Students receive individualized services to meet their goals, and these services are outlined in each child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Additionally, in the state of California, students who reach the age of 16 will also have an Individual Transition Plan (ITP) The ITP focuses on the learners goals for the future, addressing living and employment.

Several journalists and commentators have argued that special education programs drain resources from mainstream classes, and that the teachers of those classes will have to do more with less resources. They feel that these teachers are unable to provide as much assistance as they would like to the "less-capable" members of the class. They argue that, in turn, such students' academic performance may suffer and they may be tracked into special ed programs as well. However, this is an unfortunate myth about special education. In fact, the resources for special education do not take away from the resources for the mainstrem classroom, but rather will add resources (such as additional staff and material support) for the class in which a child with a learning disability is included. In addition, the educational experience and lifetime lesson of including a student with disabilities is invaluable to all of the children in the class.

Naturally, many students' challenges require him or her to be placed in classes which are specific to a particular disability. However, the goal is for all students to be placed in a learning environment that is the least restrictive for each individual learner.

External links

• Council for Exceptional Children (http://www.cec.sped.org/)
• U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.html)
• Special Education and Medicaid KnowledgeBase (http://www.helpforschools.com/medicaid)