Chapter Overview * What Is Special Education? * The Modern History Of Special Education * Prevalence Of Students With Exceptionalities * Inclusionary Practices * The Categorical Model
What Is Special Education? * students with exceptionalities exhibit differences in learning and behaviour that significantly affect their educational potential - they have exceptional needs that cannot be met by typical approaches to schooling * special education is constructed and delivered to suit the specific strengths and needs of students with exceptionalities
The Modern History Of Special Education * special types of educational services provided as far back as the 18th century * modern era of special education began in the 1960s during the civil rights movement (rejected existing practices of separately educating students who were different) * early forms of special education designed to reduce perceived threats to normal students
History Of Special Education (Legislation Affecting Special Education) * some Canadian provinces enacted special education legislation as early as 1969 * 1975 - ground breaking legislation in U.S. Education for All Handicapped Children Act * least restrictive environment * individualized education program (IEP) * categories of exceptionality * 1978 - Javits Gifted & Talented Students Act brought number of identifiable categories to eleven * 1990 - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) added traumatic brain injury and autism to create the thirteen categories used today * IDEA - “children with disabilities” instead of “disabled children”
The No Child Left Behind Act: signed into law in 2002 * addresses four critical concerns * accountability of educators for student academic achievement * flexibility of specialized funding implementation to maximize student achievement * option for parents