Special Education Interview Essay

The mother reports having a normal pregnancy with no complications, and that her pregnancy was easy. This was the second child for the mother, who has another child who was five years old at the time. The mother also disclosed that at the time of the pregnancy she was in the process of separating from the child’s father and that this caused a moderate level of stress. At the time of the pregnancy the mother was also working full time as waitress in a local restaurant, the mother reports that her job required she be on her feet for a long period of times, but that she was able to work until around a week before her child was born. The mother reports that the child was born around two weeks early but that labor was easy and the child was

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.

Learning Partnership measures the degree to which teachers, parents, and students work together for the common good of the student. (Gruenert & Valentines, 1998)

Federal court case, David DOE, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Big Walnut Local School District Board of Education, et al., Defendants, involves the maltreatment of a disabled child in the state of Ohio. Participants of this case include plaintiffs’, David and Mary Doe (parents of disabled child), John Doe (disabled child) and defendant Big Walnut School District Board of Education (school board). John Doe has been diagnosed with Cognitive disability as a result he is required to have an Individualized Education Plan ("IEP"). Due to ongoing “below average general intellectual functioning, self-direction, and communication deficits” listed within his IEP from May 24, 2007, John was placed in a Resource Room at Big Walnut Middle School to assist in the advancement of his education. There were reports of inappropriate behavior involving John Doe’s interactions and encounters with other students, which Principal House was made aware of by the facilitators. John Doe expressed his constant torment of victimization with

This case was brought forth to the court system under of the laws that were determined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as an appeal to the decision of the district court was well as the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The parents of Zachary Deal believed that the school system failed to provide their son with a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) as well as not placing Zachary in the least restrictive environment (LRE) as outlined as a requirement within the IDEA Act as well as in an IEP. Further, the Deal’s were requesting financial reimbursement for Zachary’s private school tuition as well as any other education related services that were provided and funded by the parents outside of the school. While the ALJ found the school liable for part of the reimbursement, they also found that the school was in violation of IDEA because of substantive violations during the process of identifying assistance for Zachary Deal. Both the Hamilton County Board of Education and the Deal family appealed the ALJ’s findings which escalated the court case to a

When Initially planning a parent/ carers teacher conference concerning a child’s performance in the classroom. It is essential to be prepared and show sensitivity towards parents and children. As a kindergarten teacher and mother of 1, I understand the anxiety parents feel in regards to their children and their achievements. We as educators need to address professional standard 3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process this can be achieved by describing a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process (AITSL, 2010).

‘’Working together in partnership allows a parent to see exactly what goes on in the classroom and how the staff cope with a large number of children. There is mutual appreciation and understanding of each other’s role.’’ C.Hobart and J.Frankel A practical guide to working with parents 2003

One of the most essential aspects of the educational process is to know how to motivate students for learning. A challenging part of being a teacher is to know and learn how to motivate students. First of all, a good definition for motivation is as Byrnes quote “Motivation is construct

I interviewed a woman who has a child with special needs. The child is now in kindergarten. The mother reported having a normal pregnancy with no complications. This was the second child for the mother, who has another child who was five years old at the time. The mother disclosed that during the pregnancy, she was in the process of separating from the child’s father and that this caused a moderate level of stress. At the time of the pregnancy, the mother was also working full time as a waitress in a local restaurant. The mother reported that her job required her to be on her feet for long periods of time. She was able to work until around a week before her child was born. The mother reports that the child was born around two weeks

The special education teacher interviewed, co-teaches algebra into three class periods. She is able to teach up to 50 students. In her classroom she can teach children with disabilities or up to 25 at-risk students.

According to Gable, Mostert, & Tonelson (2004), “collaboration affords general educators, special educators, and support personnel staff to establish rewarding and long lasting social and professional relationship (p. 4). Furthermore, collaboration is progressively becoming a commonality for schools and other professionals (Cook & Friend, 1991, p. 6). Thus, I decided to interview a parent of a child diagnosed with Autism and a behavior analyst who works on his ABA program. Both parties regularly collaborate with the client’s school and staff to promote the best effective treatment possible. This brings a unique perspective of the use of interagency collaboration among parents, teachers, and an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) agency.

Parents and educators will not always agree on what is best for their child. Murdick, Gartin, & Fowler (2014) state, “the parental view of ‘what is good for my child’ may not be consistent with the school district’s view of what is good for all those in the school” (p. 239). Therefore, it is important that parents know and understand they have rights when it comes to the education of their child. As well, there are legal options available when disagreement occurs. These rights and options come in the form of the procedural safeguards outlined in part B of IDEA. Schools are required to provide parents a copy of the procedural safeguards explaining their rights and legal options upon referral of services, when a complaint is filed, when a change of placement decision is being considered, and anytime upon parental request (“Procedural Safeguards Notice,” n.d.).

Parents have special knowledge about their child that school personnel might be unaware of. This aspect of parental involvement is especially important when applying special education services for a child with disabilities (Smith et al., 2005). That being said, parents need to understand that while they know a lot about their child overall, the school knows a lot about their child in an academic setting. It is very important to have open lines of communication and mutual respect for each other; to be able to bring together these different aspects of the child to create a successful intervention allowing complete access to education.

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.

A special education student’s transition from school to adulthood is important. Several things need to be addressed and obstacles need to be overcome in order to do so. Specific student evaluations to assess emotional social and academic levels are necessary are beginning steps in this transition.