Universidad Especializada de las Américas

Branch of Azuero
Degree in Special Education
English 450A
Reading: Special Education: Concept and Nature

Special education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a
disability. This means education that is individually developed to address a specific child’s needs
that result from his or her disability. Since each child is unique, it is difficult to give an overall
example of special education. It is individualized for each child. A disability results from a medical,
social, or learning difficulty that interferes significantly with the student’s normal growth and
development, such as the ability to profit.
Some students may work at the pre-kindergarten grade level, others at the first, second, or third
grade level. There may be students whose special education focuses primarily on speech and
language development, cognitive development, or needs related to a physical or learning disability.
Special education for any student can consist of:

 An individualized curriculum that is different from that of same-age, nondisabled peers.

(teaching a blind student to read and write using Braille.)
 The same (general) curriculum as that for nondisabled peers, with adaptations or
modifications made for the student. (for example, teaching 3rd grade math but including the
use of counting tools and assistive technology for the student.)
 A combination of these elements.

The individualization of instruction is an important part of special education. Instruction and

schoolwork are tailored to the needs of the child. Sometimes a student may need to have changes
made in class work or routines because of his or her disability. Modifications can be made to (what
a child is taught, how a child works at school.)
Sometimes people get confused about what it means to have a modification and what it means to
have an accommodation. Usually a modification means a change in what is being taught to or
expected from the student. Making an assignment easier so the student is not doing the same level
of work as other students is an example of modification. Allowing a student who has trouble giving
his answer in the written form to give them orally. It is an example of accommodations. What is
important to know about modifications and accommodations is that both are meant to help a child
to learn.
Modifications and accommodations are most often made in the following areas:
Scheduling (giving the student extra time to complete assignments or tests; breaking up testing
over several days.)
Materials (providing audiotaped lectures or books, giving copies of teacher’s lectures or books;
using large print books, Braille, or books on CD.)
Instruction (reducing the difficulty of assignments, reducing the reading level, using a student/peer
tutor)
Student Response (allowing answers to be given orally or dictated; using a word processor for
written work; using sign language, a communication device, Braille, or native language if it is not
English.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, public educational programs therefore began to offer two
primary choices: Students were taught in a lock-step graded class or in an ungraded special class.
Administrators of that era believed that special education classes were clearing houses for
students
who would otherwise be going to institutions for physically, mentally, or morally "deviant" members
of society. Once assigned to special classes, students often remained in those classes for their
entire
school careers. Moreover, students were often placed in special classes on the recommendation of
one teacher or based on their performance on one test. This system produced special class
enrollments in which minority students were heavily overrepresented. In addition, there were
problems with the programs themselves. Some institutions and special schools were substituting
harsh discipline for the educational services exceptional students needed.

The basic either/or structure—either regular graded classes or separate, usually ungraded special
education—continued for over half a century. With very rare exceptions, today's adults with
disabilities who recall segregated facilities or separate classes cannot say enough about the
inadequacies of their academic training. When comparing their education with that of siblings or
neighbors who were not disabled, they speak only of the gaps. For example, they mention
subjects, such as science, that they never studied, maps they never saw, field trips they never
took, books that were never available, assignments that were often too easy, and expectations of
their capacity (by nearly all teachers) that were too low.

By the 1960s parents and professionals had mounted strong challenges to the old system, and
special education began a period of rapid change that continues today. That system entitles
exceptional students to a free, appropriate public education. Federal laws now make it illegal to
discriminate against people because they are disabled. This means that people cannot be denied
an education or a job because of a disabling condition. It also means that records are kept of the
types and number of students receiving special education in this country. Federal law does not
require states to provide special education to gifted and talented students, so the number of those
students receiving special education services does not appear in annual reports to Congress.
Several states, however, have passed laws mandating special services for this group of
exceptional students.