Reflection Paper For Special Education

I enjoyed this 20-hour field experience, special education has always been a passion of mine. This gave me the opportunity to see first-hand what my future teaching job could look like. I noticed there was numerous amounts of paper work that must be filled out for each student that is in the special education classroom. There is also a lot of data scores that must be collected and used when determining a student’s IEP. Time management is very important when creating a daily schedule to meet the student’s needs.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) greatly emphasizes the participation of the child’s family during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Parents and/or caregivers are considered one of the most essential members of their child’s IEP team. Their involvement benefits their child’s overall academic success. Unfortunately, full parental involvement does not always occur and there can be many different reasons for their nonparticipation. The IEP process can be a very overwhelming experience for families with children with special needs, especially for those who are culturally diverse. It is the job of the professionals and special education teachers to understand the importance of collaborating with family’s

For this assignment, I interview a service provider for special education services. The service provider I interviewed, takes part in the educational team, and provide services. The service provider is developmental therapist. I was able to develop a better sense of the importance of inclusion. After interviewing the service provider, and learning her philosophy of inclusion I have was able to better understand the accommodations and modifications for special needs students.

For this assignment, I interviewed a parent of a child who does not have an IEP or receive special education services. Through this interview I was able to learn how parents of children with no special needs are aware of the inclusion classrooms.

The People who attended the meeting was, the child’s parents, the case manager, the school speech pathologist, the special education teacher, a general education teacher, both of the child’s parents and myself. The case manager was

“The IEP, Individualized Education Program, is a document that is developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education” The IEP describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. When developing an IEP the team will consider how their students specific disability affects their learning and come up with goals and objectives that will accommodate those needs and place the student in the least restrictive environment to achieve the goals and

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) mandates that children with disabilities be educated in general education classrooms with their peers to the maximum extent possible. In addition, the law states that children with disabilities may only be removed from gen ed when the nature or severity of the disability and with the appropriate supports and services, they cannot receive a satisfactory education within the gen ed environment (IDEA 2004). Inclusion is viewed as an appropriate practice for educating children with ASD because of the potential benefits like increased opportunity for social interactions with peers, possibility of developing friendships, gains in communication, social, and adaptive behavior skills, and the participation in

The Kings County School District is one of the largest public school intuitions in New York State. Kings County educates over 450,00 students. The district has 42 elementary schools (grades K-5), 35 middle schools (grades 6-8), and 22 high schools (grades 9-11). It also employess over 6,000 teachers, ______special education teachers and 500 paraprofessionals across the 98 schools. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) has 13 disability categories listed in order to qualify for special educational services. About 40 % of Kings District students are English Language Learners and 50% are students with disabilities ranging from being classified as having learning disability (LD), other health impaired (OHI), and speech and language impairment (SLI). Throughout the district, programs such as universal pre-kindergarten, middle school, high school.

The purpose of schooling is to help our special education students to be functional and independent in the real world. I want them to learn how to deal with real life situations and to be able to understand and adapt to the changes it may bring. For example, being an autism teacher of high school students, my philosophy is different than of an autism teacher of elementary students. The most important thing of concern for the older students is to make sure they are as independent as possible and teach them some type of job skill to help them acquire a pay check to help with their care. I also help them have an

First and foremost, this toolkit is a support for educators during the IEP process, which is a time when teams are deciding on placement and choosing appropriate supplementary aids and services. The toolkit includes questions to think about during IEP meetings and steps outlining the important aspects of the process. It is an invaluable guide for educators, especially when there is some gray area or difficulty making decisions on how best to serve the child with disabilities in the general education classroom.

One primary and essential thing to remember when discussing the student’s learning during any meeting or situation is to keep the focus on the child’s need, not on the expectations of parents or district. When having an IEP meeting or any other meeting I believe as teachers we need to be prepared with results of the child’s development, research, articles and other material that would help us be educated about the child’s disability. Being prepared will also allow the teacher to feel comfortable to discuss new objectives, plans, and to talk in the right terminology. Along with being prepared it’s important to share any information gathered to the other members so we can all understand the needs of the student, which is the primary focus. Something

Many children have had learning disabilities for many years. Each year more and more of these children are being helped. Schools are working to improve their special education programs and to have all kinds of students work together in the same classroom. The practice of inclusion was started because educators felt that special needs students would achieve more in traditional classrooms with non-learning disabled students than they would in special education classes. However, research findings suggest that there really is no difference in academic achievement levels for special needs students when they are placed in regular classrooms.

One of the most controversial issues facing educators today is the topic of educating students with disabilities, specifically through the concept of inclusion. Inclusion is defined as having every student be a part of the classroom all working together no matter if the child has a learning disability or not (Farmer) (Inclusion: Where We’ve Been.., 2005, para. 5). The mentally retarded population has both a low IQ and the inability to perform everyday functions. Activities such as eating, dressing, walking, and in some cases, talking can be hopeless for a child with mental retardation.

On the morning of September 29th, 2017, uncertainty, anxiety, and excitement were three of the best words to portray my emotions. I was uncertain of what my role within the classroom would be and how the students would receive my presence; I was anxious to commence this new experience and put my classroom knowledge to the test to further my education; But, most of all, I was excited to meet the students that would ultimately begin my long career in making a difference in kids’ lives through education.

     Special Education 332 (Education and Inclusion of Individuals with Special Needs) has been enlightening for me as a secondary mathematics educator. In the beginning of the semester, my feelings towards special education were those of apathy and insensitivity. I now understand that my feelings were due to my lack of knowledge and my judgment based on stereotypes.