How can parents encourage them in kids with special needs who are non-verbal? The folks at Autisable asked speech experts to share their best tips for parents, and they came up with these seven suggestions. Although they are made with an eye towards kids with autism, they have value for kids with a variety of special needs. […]
“Your child is gifted and needs special education?” Many parents are all too familiar with this kind of comment. You may hear it from friends. From family. Even from some teachers and doctors. Yet there are lots of people who have exceptional ability in some academic areas and significant learning difficulties in other areas. Educators use a special name to describe students who qualify for gifted programs as well as special education services. These children are referred to as “twice-exceptional” learners. “Some organizations estimate that there are hundreds of thousands of twice-exceptional learners in U.S. schools.” Consider Tessa: She’s a bright, [...]
Least restrictive environment refers to the IDEA’s mandate that students with disabilities should be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with peers without disabilities. The LRE mandate ensures that schools educate students with disabilities in integrated settings, alongside students with and without disabilities, to the maximum extent appropriate.
Every child with a disability has a right to attend general education classes and to have accommodations and modifications so they can be successful in those classes. These can include changes in the method of instruction, the curriculum, and the environment. Accommodations and modifications are important tools for a child to successfully accomplish Individualized Education Programs (IEP) goals and objectives and participate actively with other students in classroom and school activities. Accommodations are changes in how a student accesses information and demonstrates learning. Accommodations do not substantially change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria. The changes are made in order [...]
If your child is eligible for special education services, you may worry he’ll be placed in a different classroom than other kids his age. But most kids might be place in classrooms that are known as inclusion (or inclusive) classrooms. In an inclusion classroom, the general and special education teachers work together to meet your child’s needs. This is key. As Carl A. Cohn, Ed.D., executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, points out, “It’s important for parents to realize that special education students are first and foremost general education students.” Many schools have inclusion classrooms. In part, that’s [...]
Inclusion helps everyone become a contributing member of a community. Teachers report that the overall classroom climate becomes more respectful and productive when students with disabilities are included.
