September 3rd, 2010
Are you a parent of a child with autism or a learning disability receiving special
education services? Did you know that the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required the Office of Special
Education Programs to develop 3 model forms? Would you like to
know what they are, and how they can help your child? This article
will discuss the three model forms, and how you can use them in
advocacy to help your child’s education.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) which is under the
Department of Education was responsible for developing the forms.
These forms may be downloaded at http://idea.ed.gov . Click
Part B, then in the lower left hand side box, click model forms. The
three forms are:
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September 1st, 2010
In order to be successful in college, students must be aware of the forthcoming changes in roles and responsibilities prior to making the transition. Here are some vital tips for success:
* The most important determinant of college success is determination. Intelligence is not as significant a factor as one might expect.
* It is important for students to be able to articulate their disability and where it affects their learning. They will need to share this information with the head of disability services, their tutors, and, if they choose, their instructors
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August 30th, 2010
Special education is defined as specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. These types of students can range from partially to severely disabled. Until you have a child requiring special education you can not appreciate the tremendous job the educators who work with these kids do.
Most schools provide some level of special education if your child has a learning disability on any particular area. Some have a full time staff who specialize in various areas to help children. Depending on the severity you may be faced with enrolling your child in a special needs school. This is something you will have to discuss with your teachers and school administrators.
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August 28th, 2010
The Education of children with autistic perception is a special education task regardless of the particular type of school attended.
An ongoing formal and informal evaluation of the learning achievement through appropriate methods and systematic observation are vital to ensuring an optimal adaption of the subject matter.
The special educational need for action arises from the altered development and living conditions of people with autism and becomes especially evident in the following areas:
- The learning of socially appropriate behavior and relationships.
- The development and differentiation of verbal and nonverbal forms of communication through utilization of the positive effects of facilitated communication.
- The support of curiosity-oriented behavior and development of appropriate forms of action toward the social environment.
- Deliberate action-planning,-management and -implementation.
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August 27th, 2010
Special Education, over the years, has grown and improved substantially. The history of it contains many admirable historical figures and events that have defined and impacted Special Education. I, however, picked 4 people and one event that I thought had a great impact on Special education. Without these people, special education would not be where it is today. I believe Jean Itard, Edouard Seguin, Helen Keller, Samuel Howe and the Brown Vs. Board of Education, were all important highlights in the history of Special Ed. Although they are not the only ones that should be commended for doing an outstanding job in improving the status of Special Ed, education would not progress as much without them.
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August 26th, 2010
Special education can be defined as specially configured instructions and other education-related services to meet the educational, social, emotional, and vocational needs of students with disabilities. Special education teachers educate students who have various types of disabilities, including speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional distress, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, multiple disabilities, specific learning disabilities, visual impairments, autism, combined blindness and deafness, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments. A special educator has to work with students of all ages from infants and toddlers, students in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as youths. The special educator’s job also involves working with a team of professionals, i.e., doctors, speech pathologists, social workers, orthopedists, psychiatrists, counselors, etc. The teaching methods and techniques in special education would vary based on the disability and it would also vary from individual to individual.
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August 24th, 2010
What are learning styles? Learning styles are the channels through which we take in information. Just like other channels of communication (i.e, the internet, your cable company), some work better than others. When discussing how we learn, we look at three channels: auditory (ears), visual (eyes), kinesthetic or haptic (our hands/bodies). Some people have one very strong channel through which they take in information; others learn well through a combination of channels. Why is it important for a student to know his/her learning style?
* If we study using our strongest channel, we will be more efficient.
* We will have greater recall of what we learned.
* Our grades will increase!
Here are the characteristics of each learning style. Read the traits in each list and try to determine your style(s).
AUDITORY
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August 23rd, 2010
Really, It’s Not Rocket Science, You Can Do It!
Most parents either don’t attempt to get fully involved in the special education process or are too involved in the technical side of the process. The bottom line is that your child’s education is to prepare them for further education, employment and independent living as deemed by the federal law IDEA.If your child’s program is not preparing them, then it’s time to start working with the school team for change.
Why are you so overwhelmed with the special education process? Your child has a golden ticket call the IEP to give them an individual curriculum to meet their needs for the future. Children in the general curriculum do not have that option.
Here are some tips on making the system work for you:
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August 22nd, 2010
Special Education Services (SES) in New York City Schools aim to help struggling students get the help they need in English language arts, mathematics, and reading free of charge in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. However, one of the major problems behind this vitally important tool in a child’s learning is that it isn’t offered to every child. New York City Schools are only offering this free tutoring to those students eligible for free lunch and attend a school that failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards for three or more consecutive years.
It would seem as if New York City Schools only believe that the underprivileged should be allowed the tools necessary to help their children refine their skills in a subject that they have trouble with. In fact, with the troubles in the economy these days there are more and more families who live in the New York City Schools area who are not eligible for free lunches but still couldn’t afford Read the rest of this entry »
