CHAPTER 2

SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Many of the things we need can wait

The child cannot.
Right now is the time.
His bones are being formed
His blood is being made
And his senses are being developed.
To him, we cannot answer
‘Tomorrow’
His name is ‘Today’.
– Gabriela Mistral –
Nobel Prize Laureate, Chile

At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:

1. Define the following terms: prevalence, identifiable prevalence, true prevalence, and
incidence;
2. Compare the prevalence estimate of children with special needs done by the UNICEF
and the World Health Organization;
3. Explain the figure on the true prevalence of Filipino children and youth with special
needs;
4. Describe the different special education programs and services offered by the Philippine
public and private schools or institutions and cite examples for each;
5. Discuss the definition of inclusive education and it’s salient features; and
6. Enumerate the support services extended to children with special needs.
The SPED Division of the Bureau of Elementary Education- is in-charge of all the programs and
services in the country.
FUNCTION:
1. Formulate policies and programs
2. Develop standards of programs and services
3. Monitor and evaluate the efficiency of programs and services
4. Conduct in-service training programs to upgrade the competencies of SPED admin,
teachers and ancillary personnel
5. Establish and strengthen linkages and networks.

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 PREVALENCE OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
PREVALENCE – refers to the total no. of cases of a particular condition, those with
exceptionality (gifted and talented) and developmental disabilities and impairments.
IDENTIFIABLE PREVALENCE – refers to the cases that have come in contact with some
systems. The number of children and youth with special needs I derived from census data.
TRUE PREVALENCE – assumes that there are a large number of children and youth with
special needs who are in school or in the community who have not been identified as such and
are not in the special education programs of Department of Education.
INCIDENCE – refers to the no. of new cases identified within a population over a specific
period of time.
According to the 1997 UNICEF report on the Situation Analysis of Children and Women
in the Philippines indicates that the mean percentage of persons with some types of disabilities
is 13.4 per one thousand populations. This means that 132 out of 1,000 persons have certain
disabilities. For every million of the population, 10, 720 have certain disabilities. In the projected
population of 80 million, more than eight and a half million have disabilities.
The distribution of the different categories of exceptionalities and disabilities among
children is as follows.
1. 43.3% have speech defects
2. 40% are mute
3. 33.3% have mental retardation
4. 25.9% are those without one or both arms or hands
5. 16.4% are those without one or both legs or feet
6. 16.3% have mental illnesses
7. 11.5% are totally deaf
8. 11.4% are totally blind
The universal estimate of the prevalence of children with special needs stands at 10%
with disabilities (World health Organization) and 2% with gift and talent.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ENROLMENT DATA IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS
SCHOOL YEAR 2004-2005: N= 156, 270
Categories No. of Children
1. Gifted and fast learners 77, 152
2. With learning disabilities 40, 260
3. With mental retardation 12, 456

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 4. With hearing impairment 11, 597
5. With autism 5, 172
6. With behavior problems 5, 112
7. With visual impairments 2, 670
8. With speech defects 917
9. With orthopedic impairments 760
10. With special health problems 142
11. With cerebral palsy 32
With Disabilities = 79, 118
Grand total = 156, 270

RANGE OF SPED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

1. SPED Center – is a service delivery system which operates on the “school within a
school” concept. The SPED Center functions as the base for the SPED programs in a
school.
2. The Special Class or Self-contained class – is the most popular type among the SPED
education programs. A special class is composed of pupils with the same
exceptionality or disability.
3. Integration and mainstreaming programs – have allowed children and youth with
disabilities to study in regular classes and learn side by side with their peers for the
last forty years.
4. The Special Day School – serves one or more types of disabilities. The special
education classes are taught by trained teachers.
5. Residential school – provides both special education and dormitory services for its
student. Complementing the curricular programs are house parent services,
diagnostic services, guidance and counseling, recreation and social activities.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Inclusion – describes the process by which a school accepts children with special needs
for enrolment in regular classes where they can learn side by side with their peers. The school
organizes its special education teacher in its faculty. The school provides the mainstream where
regular teachers and special education teachers organize and implement appropriate programs
for both special and regular students.

Salient Features of Inclusive Education

1. Inclusion means implementing and maintaining warm and accepting classroom

communities that embrace and respect diversity or differences. Teachers and
students take active steps to understand individual differences and create an
atmosphere of respect.

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 2. Inclusion implements a multilevel, multimodality curriculum. This means that special
needs students follow an adapted curriculum and use special devices and materials
to learn at suitable pace.
3. Inclusion prepares regular teachers and special education teachers to teach
interactively.
4. Inclusion provides continuous support for teachers to break down barriers of
professional isolation.

SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

At least two types of support services are extended to children with special needs:

1. Medical and clinical specialists

- Clinical psychologist, school psychologist, psychometrician for psychological testing.
- Medical doctor and dentist for general check-up of all children
- Ophthalmologist for all children especially those with blindness and low vision.
- Otologist or otolaryngologist for all children especially those with hearing loss, deafness,
language and speech disorders
- Neurologist and Child Psychiatrist for children with mental retardation, learning
disabilities and emotional-behavioral disorders.
- Speech therapist for all children with language and speech problem

2. Assistive devices
- For blind students: Braille writer, Braille slate and stylus, Braille books, Braille watch, etc.
- For low vision students: large print books, large print typewriter, magnifying lenses,
grade I lined pad paper.
- For deaf students: individual hearing aid, sign language books, speech kit, wall mirror,
speech trainer, group hearing aid;
- For children with mental retardation: teacher-made materials specific to the Individual
Education Plan (IEP) on the functional curriculum and adaptive behavior skills and
- For children with physical disabilities: mobility devices such as wheelchair, braces and
splints; adjustable desk, table and chair; communication aids for clear speech, adapted
computer system.

Chapter 13

ADVOCACY ON THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

To the course professor and students:

The following collection of materials was selected from various sources that may not be
accessible to the future teachers. These materials are useful as reference in discussing the

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 importance of special education with parents, school, administrators, regular teachers, and
people in the community. The articles aim to supplement the content knowledge covered in the
previous chapters on the children and youth who are exceptionally gifted and talented and
those who have disabilities such as mental retardation, learning disabilities, emotional and
behavioral disorders, sensory disabilities, speech and language disorders, physical disabilities,
hearing impairments and severe disabilities.

At the end of the chapter, the students are expected to:

1. Espouse the cause of children with special needs in the areas of

a. Their abilities and strengths despite their condition
b. The values of SPED and the different types of placement
c. Family’s’, parents’, and friends’ support particularly in the early years
d. Goal setting for the future to become an efficiently functioning adult;
2. Gain inspiration from the vignettes on the sorrows and joys, successes, and failures of
persons with disabilities; and
3. Strengthen one’s resolve to help children and youth with disabilities.

Working with the Families and Parents of Children and Youth with Special Needs

Parents (extended or biological) – naturally depend on the teacher for answers to their
questions and anxieties about their children with disabilities. The following articles are useful
reference for teachers in explaining the circumstances about a child with a disability in the
family.

A Family is the most important Support a Child can have (Reference: Archived
Information. April 1997) http//www.ed.gov.pubs/parents/chapter1.html.

Although this material is addressed to American families and parents in consonance with
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the concepts and suggestions are applicable to
Filipino families and parents as well.

Being A Parent is a very Important Job

A parent is anyone responsible for the care and well-being of a child. Included are single
parents, parents by birth or adoption, guardians, grandparents, foster parents, surrogate
parents and caregivers.

All Families and All Children Have Strengths

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 A family is a group of people close to you and your child. This may include parents,
husband or wife, grandparents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, brothers or sisters.

People with different strong points can help each other. Discovering your child’s
strengths and interests is important. Knowing them will help as you plan for your child’s
education and development.

Help and Support Are Important in the Early Years

Trust Your Feelings

Trust your feelings about your child. If you have concern, get advice and help as soon as
you can. The sooner your child’s special needs are met, the better off your child and family will
be. Remember, each child is different and may learn and develop at a different pace. However, if
you notice that your child’s development is very different from other children of the same age,
you may want to talk with someone about your concern.

Where Should You Start?

Your doctor or public health agency can be a good place to begin. Most doctors and
nurses have a lot of experience with children. They may send your child to special doctors for
tests.

They may test your child and ask you questions:

 How does your child move? For example, does your child turn over?
 How does your child see? For example, does your child follow moving things with his or
her eyes?
 How does your child hear? For example, does your child react to loud noises?

Information and findings about your child’s needs will be made based on what you say,
test findings, your child’s health record, and what doctors or others see when they watch your
child play or do special tasks. The results will be a good picture of your child, which is often
called evaluation.

Evaluation is information collected by testing and watching a child, and by talking to the
parents. This information is usually collected by doctors, teachers, and others who work with
your child, and who help you have a clearer picture of your child’s abilities and needs.

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 Find the Support You Need

As you work with your child, you may find it helpful to meet with other parents of
children with special needs. Sometimes you may feel alone, angry and stressed in your search to
find help or care that your child needs. This is natural, but you shouldn’t ignore your feelings. To
help your child, you must also help yourself by getting the support you need. Ask your child’s
teacher or doctor for information about a support groups like a parent’s association for families
and parents of children with special needs. Find a group that makes you feel comfortable.
Surround yourself with people you can trust.

It is Important to Have Dreams for Your Child

Every parent has dreams for his/her children. When you find out that your child has
special needs, your child will need extra help and support to make these dreams come true.
Remember your child has many strengths. With your help and support, and the appropriate
education, your dreams for your children can come true.

Include Your Child in Activities with All Children

All children learn by playing. It is important that children with special needs take part in
activities with all children, including those who do not have special needs. All children can learn
from one another. Your child has as much to give to others as he or she will receive from others.
Good friendships can be developed as children learn to work and play together.

Reach Out to Others

Being a parent or caregiver is not always easy. Raising a child with special needs places
many demands on parent and the family. Finding the right help for your child may be hard first.
You and your family need support and understanding. Help is available from many places:

 Family members;
 School administrators, teachers, school staff;
 Friends, neighbors, or members of churches;
 Government offices: DepEd, DSWD, DOH, barangay;

Below is the summary of the ideas and suggestions given in the previous sections. These
are helpful hints that may help parents in their search to meet the child’s special needs.

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 1. Get help and advice right away if you have a concern about your child’s development
and learning. It may prevent some developmental delays.
2. Start by talking to your child’s caregiver, doctor or teacher.
3. Make notes and lists of questions for meetings.
4. Bring a friend or relative with you to give support when meeting with doctors and
teachers.
5. Keep good records of shots, tests, letters from doctors and teachers, and notes from
meetings, and put them in a file.
6. Learn all you can about your child’s special needs.
7. Learn as much as you can about support groups and services that can help you and your
child.
8. Imagine goals and dreams for your child and talk about them with others who know
your child.
9. Your child has special abilities and talents. Use your child’s abilities to create a plan to
make the dreams come true.
10. You know your child best; set goals your child can reach.
11. Keep notes of your child’s progress.
12. Get the support you need by joining a support group, or by talking to other parents,
friends, or family members you can trust.
13. Brothers and sisters of children with special needs need support and attention, too.
14. Include your child with special needs in activities with all children, both with and without
special needs.
15. Gather as much information as you can about programs your community offers children
of your child’s age.
16. Be sure to look at your whole child: your child’s strengths as well as the areas for which
your child needs supports and services.
17. Do not give up when the going gets tough! Pray to God’s grace in your effort to help your
child with special needs.

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