The Role Of General Education And Special Education Involvement

Teaching with special education is about the same as teaching general education you just have to be a little more flexible with how you teach. Both professions work with students and teach in order to help the students progress. They both assess students to evaluate their abilities. They also meet with the parents to discuss student progress. Both work with special educators to ensure that students with disabilities receive the specially designed instruction to which they are entitled.

Sections 2.2 Explain the roles of external professionals who may work with a school External Professionals Roles, Responsibilities and impact on the work of schools Educational Psychologist • To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction Work with children and young people between the ages of 2-19 who have difficulties with learning and/or behaviour and mental health issues. • Support the school in educating pupil achievement and endorsing school effectiveness. • Work with parents to help resolve their child’s difficulties at home and at school. • Providing preparation for teachers, Learning Support Assistants and additional staff on all aspects of child development. • Undertake research to improve our knowledge

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.

By working in a public school setting, I hope to integrate aspects of assessment, counseling, research, and skill training to create individualized intervention plans, and provide an optimum learning environment for all students. After receiving the opportunity to work with children with exceptionalities at Camp MATES and the social skills groups, I was stunned to discover how underserved that population is. I was appalled by the obscene amounts of money parents pay for their children to receive services tailored to them and their exceptionalities and how difficult it can be to get into those programs. As a School Psychologist, I hope to make academic success more attainable for all students despite their socioeconomic background. My goal is to assess students who are struggling academically to find an educational method that suits their individual differences and be able to refer them to community resources if needed. My dream is to bridge the gap between home and school and promote supportive environments in both that migrate seamlessly. I hope to provide students with strategies, such as social skills training, they can use to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. I aim to learn more about Learning and Intellectual Disabilities and interventions that improve the academic success rate of students with those

There are many different reasons that students may need additional assistance to be successful academically. Students may have a difficulty reading, or English may not be their primary language. They may have suffered a traumatic brain injury or may have been born with Autism. Students might even have difficulty socially interacting with teachers and peers or due to some physiological impact in their young lives might have other emotional impairments. No matter what the cause for the disability, special education services and interventions are vital to success of these special students.

Special Educators are greatly needed in our school systems all over the United States. It takes a special person to be a Special Educator. In most jobs you are in need of patience, but with this career a requirement is patience. Some people are cut out for this career and some are not. Emotionally and physically this job can take a toll on someone.

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

“One of the essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.

School psychologist are qualified in psychology, child and adolescent growth, child and adolescent psychopathology, education and learning, Family unit in and parenting techniques, education concepts, and character philosophies. All in all a school psychologist is there to help the child to get all that they can from the school experience.

School psychologists come to the aid of their students in many ways, through times of distress, frustration, confusion, and more. I feel the main goal of the school psychologist is to make learning an easier and more enjoyable process for the students. This means allowing them to close the gap between themselves and their peers in their area of concerns in a way that makes sense to their individual needs.

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.

All students, even students with disabilities, are to be provided with accesses to the general education curriculum. The general education teacher provides the framework of the curriculum and content standards for the academic courses. They are the content specialist. Effective teaching strategies, accommodations and modifications to the curriculum are under the responsibility of the special education teacher. Their primary role is to make the curriculum accessible to the student with disabilities. In my district, the school psychologist is the case manager for the individualized educational program (IEP) team. In addition to testing, evaluating and interpreting the data, the school psychologist runs the IEP meetings. The role of the counselor is to provide guidance through course planning and to serve as a resource for the student and the parent as the student navigates through school. In addition to the counselor, our school has a transition facilitator. This individual is another counselor that serves in the capacity to guide the student through issues of transition to high school, peer issues as well as emotional or behavioral support. The may also include other support professionals, such as a speech pathologist, or physical therapists, depending on the needs of the student. The last two members of the team include the student and the parent(s). At the high school level, the students can participate in their own

Throughout the years, schools have had to take on much more responsibility than just making sure that students are learning the material. Schools are now facing new challenges such as violence in schools, children that may be mentally or emotionally challenged, and basically being a caretaker for hundreds of kids, 365 days out of the year. With the new challenges, comes more responsibility and accountability which means adjusting accordingly. This is where the job of a school psychologist is of upmost importance. In the past, the role of the school psychologist has been solely to work with mentally challenged children. However, with the constantly changing demands that schools are facing, school psychology has broadened the field by transitioning from working with students individually to putting more focus into evidence-based work with families, classrooms, home-school partnerships, consultation and etc. (cite). The role of a school psychologist includes working with students, teachers, and other staff to help students excel academically, maintain healthy social relationships, manage emotions, exhibit healthy behavior and overall, create a supportive learning environment. They may also work with families, community, and school administration to make sure that students are in a safe school climate and explore ways to improve student success (American Psychological Association, 2016). School psychologists have had to broaden their training and expand their reach and

The knowledge about children with special education need gained through formal studies during pre and in-service training is another factor that has attracted considerable attention in the past. Previous training on special and inclusive education was considered an important factor in improving teachers’ attitudes towards the implementation of an inclusive policy (Avramidis, Bayliss, & Burden, 2000). Farida et al., (2012) and Ahmmed, Sharma, & Deppeler, (2012) studies on primary school teachers’ attitude concluded that teachers with special education training showed more positive attitude than their colleagues without training. Similar findings were reported by Vaz et al., (2015) where teachers who reported having training in teaching students with disability upheld positive attitudes towards inclusion (Beta = .29, p = .032). Avramidis & Kalyva (2007) also found that teachers without any training had relatively negative attitude towards the philosophy of inclusion than their counterparts. Some studies also found teachers, who have knowledge and information about inclusive education had relatively positive attitude (Batsiou et al. 2008). In-service training also influenced teachers’ attitude which was investigated by Lifshitz, Glaubman, & Issawi (2004). This study found that after the intervention (in-service training) score on teachers attitude increased significantly. As most of the research in the past found consistent positive connection between the training and

For thousands of years individuals with exceptionalities have been present in all parts of society across the world, especially those with physical or sensory characteristics. However, the way that these individuals have been viewed has changed dramatically. Originally these individuals were seen as ‘imbeciles,’ ‘worthless,’ and ‘a burden on society’ and were often shut away from ‘normal’ society or simply left to die or abandoned to institutions. Society has, however, created a positive change and started to exhibit a more humanitarian view and protective nature and developed a concern for the welfare of individuals with exceptionalities. The steadily changing view of society has paved the way to where today these individuals are now considered a part of an all-inclusive society where every citizen has value, merit and is capable of making a contribution to society.