EDUC 104 INTRODUCTION Prevalence refers to the total number of cases

of a particular condition, those with

Special education refers to a range of services exceptionality (giftedness and talented) and
that help kids with disabilities learn. developmental disabilities and impairments.
Prevalence is viewed in two ways.
It’s not a “one size fits all” approach — special
education is tailored to meet the needs of Identifiable Prevalence refers to the cases that
individual kids. have encountered some systems. The number of
children and youth with special needs is derived
Kids who get special education services should from census data.
learn in the same classrooms as other kids as
much as possible. This is known as the least Example: In a population of students, 5% may be
restrictive environment (or LRE). diagnosed with dyslexia based on school
evaluations—this is the identifiable prevalence.
The services and support for one student may be
very different from those of another student. It’s True Prevalence assumes that there are a
all about the individual child and giving them the larger number of children and youth with special
resources they need to make progress in school. needs who are in school or in the community who
have not been identified as such and who are not
For example, some students may spend most of in the special education programs of the
the day in a general education classroom. Others Department of Education.
may spend just an hour or two in a resource room
working with a specialist. And others might need Example: While 5% of students are diagnosed
to attend a different school that specializes in with dyslexia, the true prevalence might be
teaching kids with learning disabilities. closer to 10% if we consider those who have
dyslexia but haven't been diagnosed yet.
Kids who qualify for special education have an
Individualized Education Program (IEP). Incidence refers to the number of new cases
They get individualized teaching and other identified within a population over a specific
resources at no cost to their families. period.

Specialists work with kids on strengths as well as The Special Education Center is a service
challenges. And families are key members of the delivery system which operates on the “school
team that decides what kids need to thrive in within a school” concept. The SPED Center
school. functions as the base for the special education
programs in a school. A SPED Principal
EDUC 104 LESSON 1 administers the Center following the rules and
regulations for a regular school.
Impairment refers to a problem with the
The Special Class or Self-contained Class is
structure or organ of the body.
the most popular type among the Special
Ex. Dyslexia – learning impairment. Let’s say the Education Programs. A special class is composed
student has above-average intelligence as well of pupils with the same exceptionality or
as good vision and hearing. Therefore, the disability. The Special Education Teacher handles
impairment is the brain’s inability to decode the special class in the Special Education Center
words to be able to read. The brain cannot or Resource Room.
correctly associate the sounds with the letter
Integration and mainstreaming programs
symbols.
have allowed children and youth with disabilities
Disability is a functional limitation regarding a to study in regular classes and learn side by side
particular activity. with their peers for the last forty years.
Integration was the term used earlier. At
Ex. The inability to read is now the student’s present, when it is no longer unusual to find
learning disability. It can be improved by blind, deaf and even mentally retarded students
employing specific intervention programs such as participating in a regular class activity at certain
multi-sensory instruction in teaching reading. periods of the school day, the perfect term is
mainstreaming.
Handicap refers to a disadvantage in filling a role
in life relative to a peer group. TWO TYPES OF MAINSTREAMING

Ex. The person may experience various learning Partial Mainstreaming children who have
handicaps in school, and he or she may fail in moderate or severe forms of disabilities are
class. For example, the student may not be able mainstreamed in regular classes in subjects
to complete the reading requirements in class. like Physical Education, Home Technology,
Music and Arts.
Full Mainstreaming children with disabilities Extended Time for Assignments and
are enrolled in regular classes and recite in all Tests: Michael is given additional time to
the subjects. A special education Teacher assists complete reading assignments, tests, and
the regular teacher in teaching the children with
written essays to accommodate his slower
special needs. Likewise, the SPED Teacher gives
tutorial lessons at the SPED Center or Resource
reading speed.
Room.
Acquisition Deficit: A type of social skills
Inclusion means implementing and deficit that stems from a lack of knowledge:
maintaining warm and accepting classroom a child does not understand a skill, and thus
communities that embrace and respect cannot master it.
diversity or differences.
Accommodations: Curricular adaptations
Inclusion implements a multilevel, that compensate for learners’ weaknesses
multimodality curriculum. This means without modifying the curriculum. Students
that special needs students follow an receiving accommodations read the same
adapted curriculum and use special devices material and take the same tests as their
and materials to learn at a suitable pace. peers without disabilities.

Inclusion prepares regular teachers and Example: Sofia is a student with ADHD
special education teachers to teach (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
interactively.
Accommodations:
Inclusion provides continuous support for
Preferential Seating: Sofia is seated at
teachers to break down barriers of
the front of the class, away from windows
professional isolation. The hall marks of
and other distractions, helping her focus
Inclusive Education are co-teaching, team
better during lessons.
teaching, collaboration and consultation
and other ways of assessing skills and Extended Time on Tests: Sofia is allowed
knowledge learned by all students. extra time to complete exams, giving her
the opportunity to work at her own pace
At least two types of support services
without the pressure of a time limit, but she
are extended to children with special
still takes the same test as her peers.
needs:
IEP (Individualized Education
 Referral services solicited from
Program): guides a special education
Medical and Clinical Specialists.
student’s learning. It is created for children
 Assistive Devices
between the ages of 3 and 22. It describes
the amount of time that the child will spend
EDUC 104 LESSON 2
receiving special education services, any
Exceptional learners are students with related services the child will receive, and
disabilities (as well as those who are gifted academic/behavioral expectations.
and talented).
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE):
Adaptations: Changes in educational Children with disabilities must be educated
environments that allow students with with their non-disabled peers to the
disabilities to participate in inclusive maximum extent that is appropriate for
environments by compensating for learners’ their needs and abilities.
weaknesses. (modifies the curriculum to
Self-Contained: Provides specialized
meet the needs of the student.)
support to students with 20 or more hours
Example: Michael is a student with dyslexia. of specialized instruction outside of general
education in their IEP. It is designed to give
Adaptations: more support to students with disabilities
who have a high level of need.
Text-to-Speech Software: Michael is
provided with software that reads textbooks Assessments: identify a student’s
and other written materials aloud. strengths, weaknesses and progress. These
tests are designed to provide an overview
of a child’s academic performance, basic Emotional or Behavioral Disturbance
cognitive functioning and/or his or her (EBD): A condition exhibiting one or more
current strengths or weaknesses; they can specific emotional and/or behavioral
also test hearing and vision. difficulties over a long period of time and to
a marked degree, which adversely affects
Assessments can consist of anything from educational performance.
the observations of a teacher or aide to
standardized and criterion-referenced tests Early Intervention (EI): Services for at-
to complex, multi-stage procedures such as risk children from birth to their third
a group of teachers assembling a large birthdays, as mandated by the Individuals
portfolio of student work. with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Assessment Plan: A written description of Fluency Deficit: A type of instructional

the assessments that will be used to deficit in which a child needs to practice a
evaluate a student’s strengths, weaknesses skill or receive coaching in order to use a
and progress and to determine his or her skill effectively.
eligibility for special education services and
the types of services that would help that Modifications: Curricular adaptations that
student succeed. compensate for learners’ weaknesses by
changing or lowering expectations or
Assistive Technology (AT): technology standards.
used by individuals with disabilities to
perform functions that might otherwise be Example: David is a student with a
difficult or impossible. Assistive technology significant intellectual disability.
can include mobility devices such as Modifications:
walkers and wheelchairs, as well as
hardware, software and peripherals that Simplified Assignments: While his peers
assist people with disabilities in accessing write a 5-paragraph essay on a historical
computers or other information event, David is asked to write just a few
technologies. sentences.

Behavior Management: Responding to, Reduced Content: Instead of learning all

preventing and de-escalating disruptive the key concepts of a math unit, David
behavior. focuses only on the most basic operations.

Collaborative Teaching: A teaching Interventions: Sets of teaching

strategy in which two or more teachers procedures used by educators to help
work together, sharing responsibilities to students who are struggling with a skill or
help all students succeed in the classroom. lesson succeed in the classroom.

Curriculum-Based Measurements EDUC 104 LESSON 3

(CBM): Small, regular evaluations used to
determine how well a student is learning in Disability is one of the most serious
various subject areas. barriers to education across the globe.

Developmental and Social History: A At the national level, Governments must

narrative assessment formulated by a align laws and policies with the Convention
child’s classroom teacher, parents, on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
pediatrician and school specialists, focusing and regularly collect and analyse data to
on issues such as the child’s health history, ensure children are reached with effective
developmental milestones, genetic factors, services.
friendships, family relationships, hobbies,
behavioral issues and academic The Convention on the Rights of Persons
performance. Developmental and social with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol
history is a common element of an (A/RES/61/106) was adopted on 13
assessment plan. December 2006 at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York and was opened
for signature on 30 March 2007. There were
82 signatories to the Convention, 44
signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1
ratification of the Convention.

From viewing persons with disabilities as

“objects” of charity, medical treatment and
social protection towards viewing persons
with disabilities as “subjects” with rights,
who are capable of claiming those rights
and making decisions for their lives based
on their free and informed consent as well
as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a

human rights instrument with an
explicit, social development
dimension.

It adopts a broad categorization of persons

with disabilities and reaffirms that all
persons with all types of disabilities must
enjoy all human rights and fundamental
freedoms.

It clarifies and qualifies how all categories

of rights apply to persons with disabilities
and identifies areas where adaptations
must be made for persons with disabilities
to effectively exercise their rights and areas
where their rights have been violated, and
where protection of rights must be
reinforced.