Philosophy of Special Education

The label DOES NOT define the child. The child is still an individual, for instance the child has blue eyes, or the child has brown hair. The eye color and the hair color are a small part of who the child is, just like the exceptional child with down syndrome or Autism. There are many things to take into consideration for the make up of the whole person.

A diagnosis and label must be given for exceptional students to receive federal funding which is meant to provide the appropriate help they need. That disability must be found to “adversely affect educational performance.”

According to Maccarelli (2009) the main reason for labeling students is due to the fact that educating students who have been identified with a specific disability is funded through federal monies. If there were no categories for students with Disabilities, there would be a lack of funding for programs to help them.

Labeling children comes with benefits and risks, is necessary and negative, and has pros and cons. Some of the benefits, (necessary, pros) of labeling are as follows: labeling is the first step to dealing with it productively, receiving the services and benefits, and appropriate classroom setting, SSI, medical aide, higher education, social skills, life skills, job assistance, and training for the future s/he deserves.

Some of the risks, (negatives and cons) in labeling students are: doomed to failure aka people only look at what a student can not do, negative connotation associated with the label, labels stick forever, self-esteem can be negatively affected, preconceived notions may limit opportunities, it costs a lot of money and time, feeling that a child is all together abnormal and, as stated in the article by Heward (2006-2008) labeling can also cause others to hold low expectations.

Although labeling can have a negative affect on students, it does not have to be perceived as a bad thing. It really depends on how those around the exceptional child look at it, talk about it, feel about it and what is instilled in the child. For instance, if the adults do not make a big deal out of the disability, do not feel ashamed (in other words some parents feel guilty - like they’ve done something horrible that has caused this disability in their child), educate themselves about the disability, arm themselves with ways to help the child learn and accept the disability just like having blue eyes or brown hair then the child has a better chance at succeeding as a unique individual.

It’s important how the adults in the child’s world approach that disability. They remember those little things that we don’t think they hear, or see. Any child’s self-esteem can be affected by the adults in their world. You can make them feel unworthy. When you the adult believe in a child, tht child wants to be the best they can be and they believe they can achieve just that.

That approach, spoken or unspoken stays with the child; while this is not the case for every single person, it is for the majority of those labeled.
You have a tendency to act out the part assigned to you. If you tell a child they are smart they act smart, if you tell them they are bad they will begin to act bad, if you tell them they have a learning disability, eventually they will internalize it and fulfill all the expectations
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I really enjoy the following saying, “I have Autism, Autism does not have me.”
You can replace Autism with any label.

The purpose of special education, as stated in “Special Education Evaluation - An Overview” (GreatSchools Staff, 2006), is each child has a right to free and appropriate education (IDEA). “If the general education program isn’t meeting the needs of a child with disabilities, s/he may be eligible to receive special education services in public schools.” You may ask the school to evaluate your child or you can choose another approach, (RTI) the Response to Intervention approach is the most commonly used. Which is a “pre-referral” step, where interventions are tried, and documented appropriately. Sometimes a teacher may refer a student to the SST team due to concerns in the classroom. Sometimes the parent may request an evaluation. Sometimes another staff member may refer the student to seek appropriate help.

As stated in the Answers.com paper entitled “Special Education,” “Special education refers to a range of educational and social services provided by the public school system and other educational institutions to individuals with disabilities who are between three and twenty-one years of age.” However, services are provided for those between birth and 21.

Special Education is a process designed to obtain the necessary help a student is entitled to receive once a diagnosis is made and the student receives a label in one of the accepted categories by the federal guidelines.

The process is long and time-consuming; filled with a lot of paperwork (which are legal documentations). Everything is data driven, and in order to meet the necessary requirements, we have to take and keep data. Individual Education Plans (IEP) are rewritten each year and they have to be done within a year. You are also responsible for a re-evaluation every 3 years, which may be a file review or additional testing depending on what the team decision is. You must notify the parents/guardians before doing anything, when it comes to the students’ IEPs. I personally like the “Nothing about me without me” philosophy. The students should be involved in the process, setting goals and their input should be included throughout the IEP.

You may be required to do progress reports every six weeks when the school sends out progress reports for the entire school. Those progress reports are based on the Objective and corresponding goals written for your caseload, each student for when you are the case manager. This is not only beneficial for the parent and student, but for you and your staff in making sure you are progressing towards the student’s goals.

To make the IEP as efficient as possible you must have collaboration amongst the team members working with the student. You, as the case manager have a duty to work with the general education teacher and get to those teachers any modifications, adaptations, and their goals if the teacher was not a part of the IEP team. Each year it is customary to give general education teachers a copy of the necessary part(s) of the student’s IEP marked confidential, so they may work effectively with these students in their classes. You may be required to work with outside entities, such as DD Services, Vocational programs, Brokerage services to mention a few. You will need to make sure you have parental consent for talking to each entity; that form is called a HIPPA form. It is also good to meet with the teachers often, in order to make sure the student is successful, to help guide the teacher, and set to goals for the future, keeping a notebook to document collaborative meetings with detailed notes.

Schools and educators play a major role in special education - parents, schools, educators, principals, school psychologists and outside agencies.
The single most important role is played by the parents. The parents are the most significant advocate for the child; they educate themselves on their child’s disability, while they are also learning about the strengths of the child which should be built upon in the educational setting. Parents should understand the laws of special education so that they can be effective liaisons for their child.
The schools and educators in special education receive the request for evaluations, do the testing, and do the assessments. Special Education teachers are another advocate for their students. They interpret the laws and make sure that the IEP is being followed. They make sure the appropriate legal documentation is taken care of, (prior notices, HIPPA), are signed and in place before any type of evaluation is done. Schools need to make sure they provide an education in the least restrictive environment for every child. Special Education teachers are to collaborate with the General Education teacher and to give the student an appropriate education as mentioned in the “Special Education - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): B. Parents Role in the Special Education Process”. Special Education teachers, teach the students, they work with specialists to make sure services are being rendered as per the IEP, such as speech, O/T, MR, Autism, LSD and others who might be required to support the student’ special needs.

The Paraeducators role is to “assist and support” the teacher, who is in turn responsible to advance the continuous learning process of the “paraeducator“. Paraeducators may help plan the curriculum, do student assessment, contribute to IEP team meetings and initiate contaact parent interaction. All of this depends on the relationship with the teacher and the needs of the school district. [2]
Paraprofessionals may provide instructional support in small groups, one-on-one instruction, modify materials, implement behavior management plans, monitor hallways, and study hall, meet with teachers, collect data on students and provide personal care assistance. [3] Paraeducators need to have that innate sense, too where they are constantly aware of what is going on around the room and are able to get up and help out in situations where needed,. They sense when to listen, move closer to the situation and make a judgment call as to either support from a distance or to move in closer to the situation to help out.

“Principals need to be knowledgeable about special education, the programs, services, staff, and student, in their building. Administrator support is a central component of a strong and effective special education program. Modeling expectations and developing relationships with special education staff and students bridges the divide that often forms between special and general education services and within special education teams.” [1]
Administrator involvement sends a message that special education is important. In department meetings, at select student conferences, and at IEP meetings, they can be administratively involved.

I envision a community that is accepting of the diverse population in society. That society will no longer fear exceptional learners, but will embrace them for who they are and what they bring to the table. How can that happen? We need to continually educate the people of our community: schools, business owners, city, state, and federal employers, churches, banks, restaurants, etc. in order for students to have the best life they are capable of obtaining.

The first step in educating the general public happens right in our very own schools through diversity week. We celebrate all kinds of diversities that week and reinforcing the acceptance that our exceptional population seeks. Students teaching students through senior projects is where I plan to take this acceptance process next. Educating students about different disabilities and how to respond to the exceptional student will be a large asset in starting this process. The goal is to change the perception that Special Education Classrooms are for “the bad kids” or for “the dumb kids.”

The second step falls right in line with district expectations and state requirements in tracking of exceptional students. We need to continue placing these students out into the community. It can be a great thing for both community businesses and our students. A program overseeing the community/vocational piece has to be in constant contact with the community entity the student is working with, meaning that you will be job coaching the student as well as coaching the community as to what works best with the student; do we need to make a list, do we need to have a social story now we can keep everyone in the loop. It’s a huge undertaking and yet it’s a very positive undertaking. All the while the parent must be kept in the loop as far as training, supervision and work assessments.

The last step and goal is to have exceptional adults who age out of Special education as employable, which enables them to be productive members of society. Productive members of society does not necessarily mean they have to have a paying job, but rather that they become a part of the community they live in through volunteering, joining an organization, using the library, the recreation center and remaining socially appropriate in those settings.

My goals as an emerging professional (learner, teacher, leader) are pretty simple in words. I wish to continue to be a source of knowledge for our students, to keep up to date on the newest programs, ideas and research. I wish to stay in contact with people who are truly passionate about working with exceptional students. I will strive to continue to think outside the box, working one on one with students daily I will let students know they are a valued member of our program no matter where I am what I am doing. I hope to be a lifeline for students, so they know someone is out there for them, to just say hi, or provide advice, or assist in times of need. I value the richness of the many opportunities I have had and I hope to continue to have to enrich and serve these young future citizen of our community.





































APA -
“Special Education - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): B. Parents Role in the Special Education Process. - http://www.ohiolegalservices.org/public/legal_problem/students-schools/special education… 5/20/2009

Maccarelli, (2009), Labeling Students with Disabilities - Should We Do It?

Heward (2006-2008), Labeling and Eligibility for Special Education
http://www.education.com/print/labeling-eligibility-special-education

[1] Employing, Developing, and Directing Special Education Paraprofessionals in Inclusive. http://ici.umn.edu/products/spedpara/section5/html

[2] Special Education News: PARAEDUCATOR’S ROLE IN CHANGING AMID TEACHER SHORTAGE. http://www.specialednews.com/educators/ednews/paraseds051900.html

[3] SPeNSE Fact Sheet, Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education www.spense.org