The Block Institute Of New York Supplies Services For Individuals With Developmental Disabilities

Many children have physical, or pathological disabilities which cause them to have a below average performance in a usual classroom environment. The government of the United States of America, having recognized this, issued the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 in order to assist children afflicted with these disabilities (Berger, 2014). This lead to the creation of multiple special education programs for these children. Programs, such as LRE and RTI strategies have allowed many children to receive education they otherwise would not be able to receive.

A child with disabilities is a major focus in today’s education. Achieving my Bachelors in Special Education, I need to be aware of the need to ensure appropriate education for all children with disabilities. “The education of children with disabilities is a top national priority. Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sets high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs (National Dissemination)”. This is my biggest challenge. I feel with the right tools and

As a parent, learning that your child has developmental disabilities can be a life altering moment in time and can cause a devastating chain reaction of events. These events have the potential to change family priorities and structure, hurt relationships, deplete financial savings and stability, and emotionally drain everyone intimately involved with you and your child. How do you find human services programs, agencies, or advocates, whose primary job is to help you provide everything your child needs? It certainly can be an overwhelming barrier, but it's the first step in giving you, your child, and your family a plan of action, goals, success, good mental health and bringing everyone back together.

Lighthouse Project is a pediatrics mental health clinic that integrates therapies, such as play therapy, to assist children in overcoming problems at home and in school due to their disorders and disabilities. The staff at Lighthouse Project split their time between clinic-based work in their San Jose clinic and school-based work at various Gilroy school districts. At the clinic the staff works strictly with high functioning children, providing both individual and group therapy sessions, similarly, in the school-based setting they do individual and group sessions, however, the individuals worked with are both low and high functioning. The purpose of the Lighthouse Project clinic is to incorporate different programs to engage the child and improve abilities that are debilitating, this is done with programs at the clinic involving social skills development, sensory integration and sensory processing, as well as fine motor/handwriting skills. At the schools the purpose is to close or minimize the gap between how much the child can achieve on their own and what other classmates are able to achieve on their own, the basic ideology is to have the child be able to achieve specific goals that those in their grade level are able to do, such as by first grade the child should be able to cut out outlines on paper with scissor, however some of our children are unable to do so and instead can only manage to snip the paper. Our organization also works with other agencies and individuals.

Special needs individuals have also deeply impacted my life. While employed with Skill Creations, I monitored the daily activities of six young men with mental and physical needs exceeding the care family members could provide. Unfortunately, some endured incredibly difficult circumstances before admission. The group home provided daily medical care as well as therapeutic services designed to encourage independence. Subsequently, my daughter's diagnosis of autism forged awareness of the innovation special needs parents exhibit discerning services to pursue for their child's future

The Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California in Orange County (RIO) was initially established and founded in 1950 to improve the quality of life among disabled children and adults. Since then, the organization has branched off into two additional locations in Fullerton, CA and San Clemente, CA. With all facilities focusing on improving the quality of life among disabled children and adults, therapy programs range from social services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and nursing services along with hour-to-hour activities and an on-site dietician to cater to the client’s dietary needs. Today, RIO of Orange also offers additional programs within their facility such as an infant day care, child development program, preschool, and also aquatic exercise classes. The general population within the organization varies. Within the mission statement, RIO of Orange assures that services are provided without regard to age, race, creed, sexual orientation, and gender (Riorehab.org, 2016).

In 1975, Congress passed the law that all children would receive a free and appropriate education which was known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act and is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) which led to the start of the special-education system in the United States. The public-school systems were mandated to service children with disabilities from birth through three years of age which was referred to as the early intervention system. There are hundreds of EI programs funded by local, private, and other federal sources. EI usually starts with an assessment of the child and family's strengths and needs which then follows with appropriate services to monitor and reevaluate as the child develops. The success of EI comes from knowing who is participating and what the goals are for the program. There is an individualized plan for the child and the family that is specific on their needs and what works for them. EI builds on family beliefs, values, and routines in ways that go along with the norms and practices of today's world with supporting the focus on the family as a unit, parents or primary caregivers and the child. Involving the family and caregivers is important because they are a source of influence on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children and there's evidence that has accumulated over the years that proves early intervention programs can produce large effects on a child's cognitive and social

The Pre-School program for students with disabilities in Cambridge Public Schools is the Special Start program. The program provides services for preschool aged children, 3-5, who have a disability as outlined by state and federal requirements under the Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The program is designed to service students with a variety of needs from mild to severe disabilities. The program is intentionally designed to ensure that students are educated with non-disabled peers with integrated classrooms and intensive, integrated classrooms. In addition, sub-separate classrooms are always paired in buildings with integrated classrooms in order to provide inclusive opportunities for students, as they are ready. The delivery of services is based on the intensity and need of each individual student and is determined by the student’s IEP team.

The transition to childhood can be a very difficult process for children with disabilities because they are entering an unfamiliar world with many different new things to explore and to survive this world there are certain skills that must be acquired. To develop those skills teachers, families, school staff, agencies and other professional come together to help students set goals and learn skills that are necessary to maintain a living, get a job and furthering their education, this preparation help facilitate the transition into adult life . During the transition planning different services and activities are develop to help student with

IDEA is divided into four parts, A-D. Part A covers and describes the layout of the IDEA Act. Part B covers assistance for children with disabilities ages 3-21. Part C covers assistance for children with disabilities from birth to age two. Part D includes activities to improve the education of children with disabilities. IDEA authorizes formula grants and discretionary grants to support the improvement and implementation of programs for special education.

1) Last week, Congress overhauled NCLB and indicated that Common Core would not be implemented. What are your thoughts on these two pieces of legislation? I have confused and mixed feelings. Everything has a purpose and a reason. I am hoping if and when this happen is to benefit the students. Students are the ones that will be dealing and adapting themselves to a new curriculum. Special education students need to time, dedication, and help when it comes to adjusting themselves. Hopefully not implementing common core will help students achieve higher and teachers will be able to focus on the students more. “A student identified under the IDEA category of Specific Learning Disabilities would still be held accountable under NCLB, but other sources of academic progress may need to be considered in addition to a very specific grade-level exam (National Center for Learning Disabilities, n.d.). For example, a sixth-grade student falling under this category of IDEA may be reading at the third-grade level as a result of his or her disability. As such, other ways of demonstrating academic achievement are important because grade-level testing, as required by NCLB, may not be acceptable under IDEA’s individualized approach to academic progress (National Center for Learning Disabilities, n.d.).(Eckes, 2009,pg.2480) We have to understand that special education is a process, a process that can’t have a time frame or limitation. All children learn differently and in result will show

From the first day a child is born, parents are there to nurture their child, to support them as they grow and develop. There is a lot to learn about raising a child under normal circumstances, but when a child has special needs parents must learn this whole new language of medical and special education terms (Overton, 2005). Parents enter this new world where navigating for the best interest of their child is riddled with challenges and obstacles that they need to somehow overcome. This is especially true when parents are dealing with the special education program in their child’s school.

An Individualized Family service plan was designed for children ages birth to age 3. Special education services requirements, have to be established by a professional in order for a plan to begin. IFSPs are based on a family-based approach, which is when parents are active collaborators in their child’s development. During infancy and toddler years’ children diagnoses are identified as a child having developmental delays, instead of a child with a specific diagnosis. Interventions, support, and services, are provided from health and human services. Education is also a service that is supported in an IFSP.

Chapter four in our text Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, stresses the positive effects early intervention has on children with disabilities. IDEA requires all children with disabilities to receive a free appropriate education. Though this law is in place it did not always encompass children below school age. “Since 1974, Congress has enacted five bills reauthorizing amending the original IDEA. The second of those bills, PL 99-457, has been called the most important legislation ever enacted for young children with developmental delays (Shonkoff & Meisels, 2000)(p. 499).”. Preschool services are now required to provide schooling for children age’s three to five. Additionally a grant program has been put in place to provide early intervention services for infants, toddler and their families.

The importance of education for all children, especially for those with disability and with limited social and economic opportunities, is indisputable. Indeed, the special education system allowed children with disability increased access to public education. Apart from that, the special education system has provided for them an effective framework for their education, and for the institutions involved to identify children with disability sooner. In turn, this promotes greater inclusion of children with disability alongside their nondisabled peers. In spite of these advances however, many obstacles remain, including delays in providing services for children with disability, as well as regulatory and