The Special Education Process
The purpose of special education is to provide equal access to education for children ages birth through 21 by providing specialized services that will lead to school success in the general curriculum. If your child’s health care provider, teacher, other interested party or you suspect that your child may be eligible for special education services, it is helpful to know what to expect and where to begin. The following information is an outline of the special education process and brief descriptions of its elements. The First Step: Identifying a Need
When, Where and How are Disabilities Diagnosed? Children may be diagnosed with a disability by a medical provider or by the school district. However, one must understand that being simply diagnosed with a disability is not a guarantee of services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Having a disability is the first question when determining if a student qualifies. The evaluation team must also answer two additional questions:
Does the disability impact the child’s educational progress? Does the child need specially designed instruction (which is the IDEA definition of special education)? Students who have physical disabilities or developmental delays are often identified early by a pediatrician or other medical provider. These students may have a wide range of academic difficulties depending on the severity of the delay, and some may have no difficulties at all. Fortunately, because they are often diagnosed before entering the school system, most children with physical disabilities or developmental delays enter school with special education structures in place. If your child has been diagnosed with a developmental delay or disability by his or her pediatrician, ask your medical provider for a list of local resources. Regional centers, state programs and public schools all provide early identification, called Child Find, and early intervention services. The earlier your child receives these services, the better. Response to Intervention (RTI)
RTI stands for “Response to Intervention” and is used to identify students with learning disabilities or other academic delays. In the past, students with learning or other disabilities were not given any specialized assistance until their academic performance was significantly lower than their ability (IQ) indicated it should be. In other words, smart kids had to consistently fail before they received help. Even worse, those students had to wait so long for assistance that, as they waited, they fell further and further behind their peers (remember that widening gap?), making it much more difficult for them to catch up. Does this seem unfair? Teachers thought so, too. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was reauthorized in 2004, the legislators, with the assistance of the Office of Special Programs recommended the use of a better way of identifying students with disabilities that also provided immediate assistance to struggling students. It is based on the idea that a student needs to master each skill that he or she learns. This means that he or she must be able to demonstrate the use of a skill with mastery, and be able to do so consistently. If a student does not master a skill the first time around, the teacher will then give the student more intensive support (known as an intervention) until the student can demonstrate mastery. The support becomes increasingly intensive (which usually means that more time is dedicated to working on a single skill) until the student can show that he or she has mastered the skill. Step Two: Formal Assessment
If your child has not responded to intensive interventions, it may be time to evaluate for a learning disability or other delay. More detailed information regarding assessments and referral for services can be found in The Importance of the Assessment Process and The IEP Process: Explained, but to begin, there are a few basic things you should know before your child undergoes academic, behavioral and/or cognitive assessments. (See the previous paragraph about the discrepancy method for identifying specific learning disability). Assessments are diagnostic tools; they do not contain answers or solutions. These tests are designed to provide an overview of your child’s academic performance, basic cognitive functioning and/or his or her current strengths or weaknesses; they can also test hearing and vision. Assessment are not able to predict your child’s future performance, nor his or her ability. That said, they are excellent tools because they break your child’s academic performance down into subsets, such as reading comprehension, spelling and basic arithmetic. They can also rule out simple problems, such as hearing or vision impairments, which may be affecting learning. This information is invaluable because it guides the educational process. Teachers can write goals for your child and you can request services based on information found within these assessments. Step Three: The Individualized Education Program and Meeting
If your child is diagnosed with a learning disability or other qualifying impairment, the next step is to draft an individualized education program (IEP) for him or her. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives the school district 30 days from the documentation of the disability to complete an IEP. Parents must give permission for placement as a part of the initial IEP. A guide to IEPs can be found in The IEP Process: Explained but here is some general information regarding IEPs to get you started. Once your child’s learning disability is identified, you will attend an IEP meeting every year until he or she graduates or stops receiving special education. It is imperative that you attend these meetings. It is here that the team will review your child’s academic progress, write new academic goals, and discuss placement and transition plans, as well as accommodations and modifications. It is a forum for exchanging ideas and the IEP team members can offer you invaluable support. If you cannot attend these meetings in person, find a way to participate. IEP teams are eager to consider options, such as your attendance via speaker phone or Skype. You are the one who knows your child the best; the IEP team members need your input.
