Special education: A practical primer
Who is covered by the law?
IDEA recognizes 13 categories of special education needs:
- Autism
- Deaf-blindness
- Deafness
- Hearing impairment
- Mental retardation
- Multiple disabilities
- Orthopedic impairments
- Other health impairment
- Emotional disturbance
- Specific learning disability
- Speech or language impairment
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visual impairment, including blindness
To qualify for special education, the student must have one of the above special needs. That special need must also cause the child to require special education and related services to benefit from the general educational program. School districts use different evaluation standards for determining whether children need special education to benefit from the education program.
Counties, districts and schools all have different programs, depending on the numbers and needs of special education students. Some have entire schools devoted to special education, some have special day classes (classes consisting only of special education students that generally stay together for the day) in neighborhood schools, and others provide resource-room instruction, in which a student meets with a specialist for part of the day.
But regardless of what's already implemented in your school or district, your child has the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). Appropriate means that the education provided meets your child's educational needs, regardless of cost, and that he is educated in the least restrictive environment possible. Keep in mind that the law does not require that your child receive the best education money can buy; appropriate has been defined as a basic floor of education.
How do I get services for my child?
Combine composure with persistence
Many parents who navigate the special education process describe it as emotional. You may experience frustration with complicated paperwork and jargon. You might feel defensive as you work with educators to balance available resources with your child's unique needs. As you work to ensure the quality of your child's education, you might feel that if you don't fight for your child's rights, nobody will.
Remember, somewhere amid the school's red tape and your resolve, you and the school personnel all have the same goal of helping your child succeed. As you work with the educators in your child's school and district, you're likely to get the best results with a combination of composure and persistence.
Where to begin and what to expect
There's not just one clear-cut path that students take toward special education enrollment, but here's a typical scenario: A child without any obvious learning difficulties starts kindergarten and participates in the regular education program. As the early years unfold and school becomes more academically challenging, a teacher notices that the student has difficulty — either socially or academically — participating in the regular program. The teacher contacts the parents and convenes a meeting of a student study team (SST), which usually includes the teacher, the parents and a special education teacher. The team's first goal is to determine whether the student can be accommodated in a general classroom environment without special education. If not, the team calls for a formal evaluation of the student's skills and learning patterns. If the evaluation recommends special education, the next step is the creation of an individualized education program.
Note: Your district is required by law to have your informed written consent before placing your child in special education and before removing your child from special education. In fact, every step along the way requires your approval.
