Growing Up In Special Education

When Public Law 94-142 was passed in 1975 it had a positive impact on the education for children with disabilities. Millions of children in the United States were supported by the law. These children had previously been excluded entirely from the education system.

In England, it is a legal requirement under the EYFS for all early years settings to work with parents and other professionals to support children’s care, learning and development. Certain policies and procedures must be in place to protect children and for guidance.

In what type of school do you teach? (Type an “X” next to the appropriate description; if “other” applies, provide a brief description.)

Some people may think that special education has been established since the beginning of public education. Others may consider a time when special education did not exist and students with disabilities were not able to attend school. The truth is, there was a time when this happened; these students were not allowed to be educated in the general education classroom alongside their peers. People with disabilities were treated differently, and some were forced into institutions because teachers and staff found them to be disturbances to their peers. Luckily, special education has come a long way since public education began. People, especially parents, advocated for their children, and today many laws are in place to ensure that all children

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is an organization for special education teachers to provide an effective learning and safe environment for students with disabilities. NASET was developed to educate, inform, support, and train teachers and upcoming teachers of special education. To conclude, NASET is a national organization with professional association for members of special education across America.

How does the role of the Response to Intervention process (RTI), and the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) structure influence the pre-referral process for special education? In today’s time it is of common practice to use the RTI method for academic issues. Likewise, the PBIS framework is used for issues dealing with unfavorable characteristics in student behavior. Each method is widely known and looked on as a favorable approach. Both RTI and PBIS are very important in addressing students during the pre-referral process, and each plays a very significant role. In the following essay the aforementioned question of their role and influence will be explored and answered.

1. How do you perceive the field of education changing, especially in the area of serving students with special needs?

Special education teachers remain in high demand. Although there are numerous special education teaching jobs, there aren't enough individuals in the field to fill these positions. Children suffering from mental or physical disabilities often need special learning method and require more time and energy from their instructors. Currently, approximately ten percent of individuals working in this field lack the necessary credentials, and states are authorizing temporary licenses. Teachers with a temporary license are then given a predetermined period of time to complete their license. As the need for teachers in this field is expected to grow by approximately 35 percent over the coming decade, those wishing to become a special education teacher will find they have numerous job opportunities.

Suspense, excitement, and nervousness are all emotions that I have once embarked on as a student at some point in my academic career. This seems a bit ironic, that I am now experiencing the same emotions as I am now venturing on my path to becoming a special education teacher. My journey will include challenging students to critically think, while establishing positive teaching strategies with open communication, adhering to various creative projects to retain class concepts, and collaborating with other seasoned teachers to gain helpful information to improving my class.

The first step to special education is the initial referral process. The referral is a written

When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.

“Special education labels don’t define children; Children define themselves” (Dalien, 2015). I am interested in becoming a special education teacher because I have always loved being around children, and I have a soft spot for kids with autism and other disabilities. The first time that I ever thought about working with special needs children was when I was in the fifth grade. My mom worked at my school as a teacher assistant in a first grade classroom, so in the morning I would go to her classroom and wait for the bell to ring. A little boy named Alex who had Cerebral palsy and a spinal problem, came into class early as well. I immediately connected with him, and began going to my mom’s room every morning to play with him before class. It soon became the highlight of my day. Alex could not talk very well and could not walk, so we rolled cars around the floor, traced shapes on to the whiteboard, or sometimes crawled on the floor chasing each other as monsters. I loved seeing how me playing with him made him smile so big and become more outgoing. My dream is to give kids like Alex a reason to smile and help them reach their full potential. In this speech you will learn all about special education teachers, including, but not limited to: What they do, where they typically work, their environment, how much they get paid, benefits the job entails, the education and skills required to become a special education teacher, and information on the job outlook.

Through my advocacy work, I have found that teachers are not providing students with disabilities individualized attention as outlined in a student’s Individual Education plan. Teachers continue to follow instructions from administrators to place the burden of education on the student causing students anxiety and frustrating despite knowing such treatment is wrong and inhumane. The treatment often results in elevated high school dropout rates of students with disabilities.

Plus: I had the opportunity to make a preparation for the entire class on a topic in which my diagnostic child needs improvement. This enables teaching the student along with her peers, so that she can engage in groups for a better understanding, and also through the interactions that takes place between the teacher and students, and the review would enhance the students’ knowledge.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, individuals with disabilities were granted the right to receive free and appropriate public education back in 1975. () Unfortunately, the education most of these individuals receive is that of 1975. Special education programs are dying due to the lack of funding and the lack of fundamental research on the disorders that are rapidly increasing in today’s society. It seems, as the number of children diagnosed with mental disorders rises the number of programs that aid these children in the education system declines. It is estimated that 1 in 68 children in America are affected by autism alone each year. () Most of these children will be pushed through the education system without receiving proper education on essential skills that will aid them later in their lives. Consequently, these children will be forced into adulthood without the proper tools needed to succeed. The conversation on how to implement improved programs into schools for children with autism is ongoing and is a constant struggle as the funding for said programs is dwindling rapidly. Parents and teachers alike demand for change as it is these children’s right to receive an education that will help them later in life. Two articles that add to the conversation are an article from EBSCOhost--“All Children can and Should Have the Opportunity to Learn” and an article from TIME--“Autism: Special Education Isn’t Giving My Child Life Skills.”. Each article individually provides solutions to the issues the education system faces with the implementation of programs specifically designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, however the TIME article by Katherine Sanford provides a singular look at the issue from a parent’s perspective and the EBSCOhost article by Erinn Finke provides a compiled look at the issue from educators who worked directly with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. (Should I add a thesis statement here or is the previous statement good enough to be the thesis? Should I make a statement of effectiveness?)