SPECIAL EDUCATION

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SPECIAL EDUCATION

• Dawn Sessa-White
• DawnW1224_at_aol.com
• HFU EDU 509
• August 4, 2003

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What do you need to know about special education
in Hamilton Township?
Video Welcome to Hamilton Township

• Federal and State Laws
• How to refer a child
• Classification Process and Terms
• Specific Learning Disability
• IEP
• Strategies for the classroom
• Resources

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History of IDEA

• The Individuals with Disabilities in Education
  Act was originally enacted in 1975 as PL 94-142
• Established the right of all eligible school
  aged children and youth with disabilities to
  receive a free, appropriate, public education

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Purpose of IDEA

• To ensure that the rights of children and youth
  with disabilities and their parents are protected
• To ensure that children with disabilities have a
  free, appropriate, public education available to
  them, one which emphasizes special education and
  related services designed to meet their unique
  needs and prepare them for employment and
  independent living

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Who is Eligible?

• Must be a child with a disability
• Evaluated according to IDEA requirements
• Determined to fall into a specific disability
  category as defined by IDEA/State
• Requires special education and related services

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When to refer a child

• after pre-referral intervention has been
  unsuccessful
• difficulties must impact educational performance
• must not be result of lack of exposure or
  experience
• with primary school aged children must be
  certain not due to developmental issues
• when a student does not speak English, must have
  been exposed to English instruction for a
  reasonable amount of time

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Referral Process

• Child may be referred by parent, counselor,
  teacher, principal
• An evaluation plan meeting is scheduled to
  determine if evaluation is warranted and scope of
  evaluation

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Classification Process

• If the evaluation is warranted it must include
  at least 2 of the first 4 assessments
• Psychological Assessment
• Educational Assessment
• Social History
• Speech and Language Assessment
• Psychiatric Evaluation
• Neurological Evaluation
• Medical Evaluation
• Audiological Evaluation

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Classification

• Evaluations completed within 90 calendar days
• Eligibility meeting includes one member of child
  study team, parent, regular education teacher,
  special education teacher and student
• Program and IEP developed at this
  meeting

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Classification Terms

• Auditorily Impaired
• Autistic
• Cognitively Impaired
• Emotionally Disturbed
• Socially Maladjusted
• Other Health Impaired
• Specific Learning Disability

• Preschool Disabled
• Orthepedically Impaired
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visually Impaired
• Multiply Disabled

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What is

• Meeting each childs unique needs
• Giving each child access to the general
  curriculum
• Using classroom modifications and/or
  accomodations to reach the curricular goals
• Modifying the curriculum

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What is a specific learning disability?

• Testing reveals a severe discrepancy
• between intelligence level and
• performance level
• Discrepancy must be at least 2 standard
  deviations
• Learning Disability vs Slow Learner

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Example of SLD in the Classroom

• Visual Motor Integration
• When the image you see is transmitted through
  your brain to your hand for you to reproduce the
  same image

Visual Motor Integration Introduction
Beginning of Demonstration
Demonstration Part 2
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Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

• Includes measurable annual goals and short term
  objectives
• Special education/related services and
  supplementary aids the child will receive
• Read the IEPs and know what each child needs

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Multisensory Strategies in the Classroom

• Use ACE (Action, Color, Exaggeration) to enhance
  lessons
• Simulation and role play add a kinesthetic
  dimension to learning
• Rhyme, Rhythm and Music add an
• auditory dimension to learning
• BE OPEN TO ACCOMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS TO
  HELP YOUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS REACH THEIR
  GOALS

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Resouces within Hamilton