SPED 226 - Chapter 1 Notes: Understanding Special Education

1) What is Special Education?

Special Education is specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of an
exceptional student and that might require special:

2) government figures- 8.4 %

3) typical student who receive special education services:

- male -problems persist despite teacher
effort
- no obvious sign of disability -most likely has a learning disability
-persistent learning problems

4) high incidence vs. low incidence
-learning disabilities -blindness
-language and speech disorders -deafness
-autism -severe cognitive disabilities
-mild cognitive disabilities -emotional disabilities
-ADHD

5) pioneers of special education:

Samuel Gridley Howe-US physician, educator

Thomas Hopkins Galluadet- established first American residential school for the deaf

Eunice Kennedy Shriver- founder of the Special Olympics

Jean-Marc Gospard Itard – specialized in deaf children, worked with the Wild boy of
Aveyron
6) Components of IDEA
1) zero reject – al students receive public education 2) FAPE – free and appropriate
public education

3) LRE – least restrictive environment 4) Parent and family

rights to confidentiality

5) procedural safeguards 6) Individualized Education

plan

7) "people first" language (page 22)

8) Inclusive Practices
A shared belief system that every member of a school community has a responsibility to
educate all students to reach their potential.

9) Collaboration
The way in which professionals interact with each other and with parents or family members
as they work together to educate students.

10) Accessible and Effective Instruction

- Rigor and accountability (Elementary and Secondary Education ACT, ESEA)
- Evidence-based practices (based on data)
- Differentiation (changes in aspects of teaching/learning process) /Universal design for
learning (UDL)(all instruction designed from beginning to meet full range of diversity)
- Response to Intervention (RTI) to prevent problems/ Multi-tiered system of support
(MTSS) to address problems

11) Assistive and Instructional Technology –

Devices, services, and equipment that improve the learning and functional capabilities of
students with disabilities.
◦ Low-tech technology
◦ Mid-tech
◦ High-tech
◦ IDEA requires access to what is determined to be needed
12) PBIS
School wide and classroom standards of behavior
Examine behavior in context
Carefully define behavior to design ways to reduce problem behavior and increase
desired behavior

13) UDL
When applied to education UDL says that teachers should design instruction from the
beginning to meet a wide range of learner diversity rather than try to retrofit, or make
adjustments, after they have already created their lessons.