Special Education

1. Special Education Secondary Undergraduate Program 2nd term, ED 391 Dr. Yvonne Goddard ygoddard@umich.edu www.sitemaker.umich.edu/special.education

3. Key Terms in Special Education Exceptional Children: physical attributes and/or learning abilities differ from the norm (either below or above); individualized program of adapted, specialized education required to meet needs At-Risk: not currently identified as having a disability, but considered to have a greater-than-usual chance of developing a disability Disability (impairment): reduced function or loss of a particular body part or organ which limits ability to perform certain tasks Handicap: problem a person with a disability may have when interacting with the environment (a disability may be a handicap in one environment, but not another)

4. Six Major Principles of IDEA • Zero reject: schools must educate all children with disabilities • Nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation: schools must use nonbiased, multifactored methods of evaluation to determine disability and whether special education services are needed • Free, appropriate public education (FAPE): all children with disabilities must be provided an appropriate education at public expense. IEP (individualized education program) must be developed and implemented for each child who qualifies.

5. Six Major Principles of IDEA (continued) • Least restrictive environment: students with disabilities must be educated with peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate to meet their individual needs. • Due process safeguards: schools must provide safeguards to protect the rights of children with disabilities and their parents. • Parent and student participation and shared decision making: schools must collaborate with parents and students in the design and implementation of special education services.

6. Disability Categories at Federal Level with MI terminology in ( ) • Specific Learning Disabilities (LD) = SLD • Speech or Language (Communication) Impairments = SLI • Mental Retardation (MR) = Cognitive Impairments (CI) • Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) = Emotionally Impaired (EI) • Multiple Handicapped (MH) • Orthopedic Impairments • Other Health Impairments (OHI) = POHI (May include OI) • Hearing Impairment (HI) • Visual Impairments (VI) • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) = Not separate in MI • Autism = Autistically Impaired (AI) • Early Childhood Intervention (ages 3-5 mandatory; infant-3 optional) = Pre-Primary Impaired • Talented and Gifted – not governed by IDEA SXI – Severely Multiply Impaired

7. Learning Disabilities Defined • Severe discrepancy between ability and achievement (different from state to state) • Definition may change to “Response to Intervention (RTI)”. • Need for special education services • 7 Areas: • basic reading, reading comp, writing (spelling) • dyslexia, dysgraphia • math calculation, math problem solving • dyscalculia • *** listening comp, oral expression *** • Exclusion criterion: learning problems not explained by other disabilities or lack of opportunity to learn

8. Attention Problems and Hyperactivity • Physician determines • Can be subjective • ADHD Evaluation Scales • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) • Dimensions: inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity • Six or more symptoms for at least 6 months • May co-occur with LD, but not the same

9. Cognitive Impairments • Intellectual & cognitive deficits • Deficits in adaptive behavior • Manifested during developmental period (birth to 18 yrs) • Some characteristics: • Slower pace of learning • Lack of age-appropriate adaptive behavior • Lack age-appropriate social skills • Receptive & expressive language deficits • Difficulties learning basic academic skills • Poor motor coordination

10. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders • Three criteria • Severity – behavior must differ markedly from norm • Difficulty in school – adverse effect on educational performance • Chronicity – problems have existed over long period of time; likely to be unresponsive to direct intervention in general education • Some characteristics • Deficits in social skills and maturity • Aggressive with peers or adults • Responds inappropriately to discipline • Appears oblivious to class/school rules • Higher risk for substance abuse • Acts socially withdrawn or isolated; has few friends • Affective disorders • Exhibits negative attributions

11. Autism • Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically • appears during the first three years of life and • is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain • Autism impacts development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. • Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. From: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WhatisAutism

12. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) • Autism is one of five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.” The five disorders under PDD are: • Autistic Disorder • Asperger's Disorder • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) • Rett's Disorder • PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) Each of these disorders has specific diagnostic criteria which been outlined in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).

13. Outcomes of Special Education in the U.S. • Age 14, IEP team must consider post-school goals • Age 16, Individualized Transition Plan must be developed Why? • The unemployment rate for young adults with disabilities • out of school < 2 years = 46% • out of school 3-5 years = 37% • 4 out of 5 former special education students had still not achieved independent adulthood after being out of high school for up to 5 years. Adults with disabilities continue to face lack of acceptance as full members of society. Source: 24th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA.

14. Gifted/Talented • Not covered by IDEA • Renzulli’s Three-Component Definition: • above-average ability • creativity • task commitment • New definition: outstanding talent; exceptional talent • Reduced focus on IQ • Includes persons from all cultural and socioeconomic groups

15. A Few Facts • IDEA vs 504 • Person-first language • LD greatest percentage • ADHD medical diagnosis • Asperger’s syndrome • Don’t retain • If you have concerns, talk to the special ed teacher • YOU may be the ONE teacher who makes a difference

16. The IEP • It is a legal document • You are responsible for obtaining and reading them • If an accommodation is in the IEP, you are required to support it • You can ask for a meeting • You should go to IEP meetings

17. Working with Parents, Aides, Special Education Teachers • Document, document, document • Strengths and needs • Behaviors • Academic work • Be tactful, kind, polite, respectful • Parents have the final say • Aides are not licensed teachers • Special education teachers are licensed teachers, not aides

18. Students’ rights • To be treated humanely, respectfully, fairly • To feel safe, physically and psychologically • To have opportunities to learn, to socialize, to grow • To be appreciated for strengths and supported in needs • To be self-aware and to self-advocate

19. Dealing with Differences • Fair is not always equal • Not just the student with disabilities who needs support in your classroom • Good teaching is good for all • If you’re meeting all students’ needs, the student with disabilities does not have to deal with stigma

20. Dealing with Refusal to Work • Understand history of frustration • Build in success • Be the cheerleader • Make work interesting • Talk with student • Talk with parents • Behavior plans • Student buy-in • Not “lifers” • Replacement behaviors

21. How to Provide Appropriate Challenges • Identify “big ideas” • How can all students access information? • How can all students show what they have learned? • Lots of group activities, hands-on work • Break tasks down

22. What Does An Inclusive Classroom Look Like? • Students doing different things with people helping them. • Students moving from one environment to another (whole group, small group, centers, ...) • A positive classroom where the students are actively engaged, and the teacher is happy to be there. • Student-centered. Students have a high level of responsibility for creating their community.

23. Inclusive classroom, cont. • A classroom where respect is the norm. • A classroom where students know others will be doing different things and “fairness” is not an issue because that's just the way it is. • Most likely, your classroom

24. Determining How to Adapt(From CEC Digest #E645, “Adapting Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science Materials for the Inclusive Classroom”) • ID & Evaluate demands student is not meeting; having difficulty: • Acquiring information • Remembering information • Expressing information • Develop goals for teaching strategies & making accommodations • Short-term vs long-term solutions

25. Determining How to Adapt (cont.) • Determine: Content or Format Adjustments? • Content – only if called for in IEP • Keep in mind lesson plans – can student learn this content? • Format • What are critical ideas/concepts? • How can students demonstrate their knowledge?

26. Determining How to Adapt (cont.) • ID Features of Materials to be Adapted • Are materials: Abstract? Complex? Poorly organized? Give too much info? Relevant (necessary for learning content)? Boring? Reading level too high? • Determine Type of Adaptation Needed • Rewrite, reorganize, re-cast? • Additional instruction, support, guidance? • Alternate materials?

27. Determining How to Adapt (cont.) • Inform key people of adaptation • Student, parents, other teachers, administrator • Evaluate effects of adaptations and Adjust as needed to promote success • Fade the adaptation as soon as possible (do not let the students be “lifers”