Special education encompasses all the methods and strategies employed to ensure that children who have specialized educational needs such as learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and communication problems among other aspects that may require individualized attention. Such students may benefit from services provided within the tenets of special education. This paper will focus on creating a flow chart depicting the process and laws of special education and also provide a summary of the chart indicating the roles of parents, students and schools.
The chart below depicts a comprehensive outline of the special education process and laws that are followed within the school.
Materials and resources provided to parents of children with specialized needs
Parents form the primary connection and line of support to children with learning disabilities. Therefore, it becomes imperative for such parents to be provided with the necessary essentials inherent to support and provide love and care for their children. Such resources include, access to information regarding caring for the children, access to manuals and guidelines, social sites that enable networking of parents and communities experiencing the same problems, support from the district educational center, answers to questions inherent in their lives, training on educating and caring for the children among other aspects (KLOSE 1).
Summary of the special education process
Needs identification
The step involves a critical assessment of whether the student qualifies for specialized education. The parent’s role is to identify the first signs and symptoms that may require special education such as learning disability, inability to socialize, and reading problems among others (KLOSE 2). The school must help the parents to ascertain the need process and guide the parents in the entire process.
Response to intervention
Here, the teachers provide specific intervention skill oriented tasks that a student must undertake. For instance, the learner may be required to recite a poem or paint a picture of their favorite animal. If the learner consistently fails in the task, then it implies that the learner is in need of specialized attention. The role of the teacher and the school is to give and supervise a task while the parent ensures that the task is given as per the age and standard of the learner.
An assessment is carried out upon the condition that the learner requires individualized attention. Assessment entails tests geared towards providing a critical status of the academic performance, cognitive functioning, current strengths and weaknesses, hearing, vison, and other basic characteristics, aptitudes and attitude of the learner. Teachers play the role of providing standardized assessment tools and tests. Parents ensure that their children are appropriately handled and assessed while the school ensures that all the necessary resources such as assessment tool are available.
Individualized education program
Upon diagnosis of a learning disability or any other qualifying problem and impairment, an IEP program is drafted for the child. The individuals with education disabilities act (IDEA) allows the school district a period of 30 days to draft and submit the IEP. The role of parents is to give consent regarding drafting and submitting of the IEP and also monitor the entire process. The teachers, the school and the parents are all involved in drafting the IEP.
Placement, accommodations and specialized services
Once an IEP has been completed, the relevant intervention team which include the parents, the school, the teachers and representatives from the district and national special education program conduct meetings and deliberations to determine an appropriate program and environment for the learner. The team uses data from test scores, behavioral charts, work samples, and general need intervention requirement of the child to justify and provide rationale for specific placement recommendations. Classroom accommodations alongside the relevant and appropriate specialized services are also evaluated and discussed by the IEP team (Bateman and Bateman 85. Services include speech therapy, adaptive physical education, and other aspects such as occupational therapy.
Periodic reviews and progress monitoring
Periodic meetings of the IEP team are vital in monitoring the overall progress of the child and response to the specialized intervention educational program. Such meetings are normally held on annual basis. However, a parent or any element of the IEP team may request a meeting at any time they feel that some changes or improvements are needed for the general progress of the child. Parents are required to closely monitor the status, progress general wellbeing of their children with regard to responding to the IEP intervention program (Bateman and Bateman 153). The school is mandated with the role of ensuring that the teachers and the IEP representatives perform their duties well in providing the individualize services to the child.
Works cited
Bateman, David F., and C. Fred Bateman. A principal's guide to special education. Council for Exceptional Children, 2014.
KLOSE, LAURIE MCGARRY. "Special education: A basic guide for parents." (2010).
