Introduction to Special

Education : Nature,
Theories, and Concepts
Presenters:

Rene Aboc Maricho Siton

Rusyl Maceda Trisha Palon
Dorifel Felias

BTVTE-II
 Content Outline:
• Definition of Special
Education (SpEd) and
SpEd Related
Concepts/theories.
• Legal Bases of Special
Education Based on
IDEA
2004, ESSA, Magna
Carta
RA7277 DECS Order
No.
2 6 , S. 1 9 9 7 , and Other
Legislations
• history and Development of
Objectives: A t the end of the presentation,
you are expected to:
• Define Special Education (SpEd) and
differentiate SpEd Related Concepts
• Explain the Legal Bases of Special Education
Based on IDEA 2 0 0 4 , ESSA, Magna Carta
RA7277 DECS Order No. 2 6 , S. 1 9 9 7 ,
and Other Legislations
• Recapitulate the history and Development of
Special Education in Global and International
Setting
Definition of Special Education
and SpEd Related Concepts
 Special
Education is a
broad t e r m
t h a t describes a
wide
variety of
instructional
services t h a t are
based on a
child’s individual
needs.
 According to IDEA* Sec. 2 0 0 . 3 9 , “special
education means specially designed
instruction, a t no cost t o the parents, to meet
the unique needs of a child w i t h a disability,
including—
instruction conducted in the classroom, in the
home, in hospitals and institutions, and in
other settings; and instruction in physical
education.”

* I D E A - Individuals w i t h Disabilities Education Ac t

 Special education includes each of the
following:

1)speech-language pathology services, o r

any other related service*-SLP work to
prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech,
language, social, communication, cognitive-
communication, and swallowing disorders in
children.
*Refer t o the next slides.
2 . ) Tr a v e l t r a i n i n g - T h i s a r e a o f T r a n s i t i o n
services looks at training people with disabilities
to use public transportation safely and
i n d e p e n d e n t l y.

3.) Vocational Education-Special education is designed to

prepare students for life beyond the classroom setting. The
teaching of vocational skills is intended to set up the student for
success after secondary education. Through vocational skills
training, students will learn how to prepare for a job, find a job,
apply for a job and excel at a job.
3 Types of Vocational
1. Pre-Vocational Skills- Students with Disabilities From as early
as elementary school, a special needs student is preparing for
future employment by learning pre-vocational skills. These job-
readiness skills help students to focus on the tasks at hand, use
their time to their benefit, interact with fellow students and faculty
and follow directions.
2. Vocational Skills for Students- By the time the student has
reached his final years of high school, he should have
established a good set of vocational skills.
3. Beyond Vocational Skills for Students- Once a person with
special needs or disabilities is hired, she will be trained for the
position, or she will train in a vocational school to excel in a
chosen career field.
*Other Related Services:
• Speech-language pathology and audiology
services
• Interpreting Services
• psychological services
• physical and occupati onal therapy
• recreati on
o therapeuti c recreati on
o early identi fi cati on
o assessment of disabilities in children
*Other Related Services:
• counseling services
o rehabilitation counseling
o orientation
• mobility services
• medical services for diagnostic or evaluation
purposes
• health services
• school nurse services
• social w o r k services in schools
• parent counseling and training
 Definition of SpEd Related Concepts
Disability Terms…
• Autism means a developmental disability significantly affecting
verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction,
generally evident before age three, t h a t adversely affects a child’s
educational performance.
• Deaf-blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments,
the combination of which causes such severe communication and
other developmental and educational needs t h a t they cannot be
accommodated in special education programs solely for children
w i t h deafness or children w i t h blindness.
• Deafness means a hearing i m p a i r m e n t t h a t is so severe t h a t the
child is impaired in processing linguistic information through
hearing, w i t h or wit ho u t amplification t h a t adversely affects a
child’s educational performance.
Disability
Terms…
• Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of
the following characteristics over a long period of t i m e and t o a
marked degree t h a t adversely affects a child’s educational
performance:
o (A) A n inability to learn t h a t cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or
health factors.
o (B) A n inability to build or ma inta in satisfactory interpersonal relationships
w i t h peers and teachers.
o (C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
o (D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
o (E) A ten dency to develop physical sym pto ms o r fears associated w i th
personal or school problems.
• Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia.
 Disability Terms…
• Hearing impairment means an i m p a i r m e n t in hearing, whether
permanent or fluctuating, t h a t adversely affects a child’s
educational performance but t h a t is not included under the
definition of deafness in this section.
• Intellectual disability means significantly subaverage general
intellectual functioning, existing concurrently w i t h deficits in
adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period,
t h a t adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
• Multiple disabilities means concomitant impairments (such as
intellectual disability-blindness or intellectual disability-orthopedic
impairment), the combination of which causes such severe
educational needs t h a t they cannot be accommodated in special
education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple
disabilities does n ot include deaf-blindness.
**Prior t o October 2 0 1 0 , IDEA used the t e r m “ m e n t a l retardation.” In October 2 0 1 0 , Rosa’s Law was signed into law by President Obama.
Rosa’s Law changed the t e r m t o be used in future to “intellectual disability.” The definition of the t e r m itself did no t change, only the t e r m to be
used (now “intellectual disability”).
Disability Terms…
• Orthopedic impairment means a severe orthopedic i m p a i r m e n t
t h a t adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The t e r m
includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments
caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and
impairments f r o m other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations,
and fractures or burns t h a t cause contractures).
• Other health impairment means having limited strength, vitality, or
alertness, including a heightened alertness t o environmental stimuli,
t h a t results in limited alertness w i t h respect t o the educational
environment, t h a t —
• (i) is due to chron ic o r acute health problems such as asthm a,
at t ention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes,
epilepsy,
a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic
fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and
• (ii) adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Disability Terms…
• Specific learning disability—Specific learning disability means a
disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved
in understanding or in using language, spoken or w r i t t e n , t h a t m a y
manifest itself in the imperfect ability t o listen, t hink, speak, read,
wr it e, spell, or t o do mathematical calculations, including
conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, min im a l
brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
• Disorders not included. Specific learning disability does n o t include learning
problems t h a t are p r im a r i l y the result of visual, hearing, or m o t o r disabilities,
of intellectual disability of emotional disturbance, or of environmental,
cultural, or economic disadvantage.

• Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder,

such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language imp a ir me n t ,
or a voice im pa ir m en t , t h a t adversely affects a child’s educational
performance.
Disability Terms
• Traumatic brain injury means an acquired injur y t o the brain
caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial
functional disability or psychosocial im p ai rm e nt , or both, t h a t
adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Traumatic
brain injury applies t o open or closed head injuries resulting in
impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language;
memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment;
problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and m o t o r abilities;
psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing;
and speech. Traumatic brain injury does no t apply t o brain injuries
t h a t are congenital or degenerative, or t o brain injuries induced by
b i r t h trauma.
• Visual impairment including blindness means an i m p a i r m e n t in
vision t h a t , even w i t h correction, adversely affects a child’s
educational performance. The t e r m includes both partial sight and
blindness.
 IDEA is an acronym for the Individuals w i t h Disabilities
Education Act, USA’s special education law. IDEA was
first passed in 1 9 7 5 , where i t was called the Education
for All tfandicapped Children’s Act. Every few years, the
law has been revised (a process called reauthorization).

The most current version of IDEA is Public Law 1 0 8 -

4 4 6 , passed in 2 0 0 4 and called the “Individuals w i t h
Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2 0 0 4 . ” It’s still
most commonly referred to as IDEA, or IDEA 2 0 0 4 (to
distinguish i t f r o m other reauthorizations). Final
regulations for IDEA 2 0 0 4 were published in 2 0 0 6 .
 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a
law t h a t makes available a free appropriate public education
to eligible children w i t h disabilities throughout the nation
and ensures special education and related services to those
children.

The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide

early intervention, special education, and related services t o
more th an 6 . 5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and
youth w i t h disabilities.
Under IDEA’s legislation, all states receiving federal
funding must:
• Provide all students w i t h disabilities between the ages of three and 2 1 with
access t o an appropriate and free public education
• Identify, locate and evaluate children labelled w i t h disabilities
• Develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each child
• Educate children w i t h disabilities w i t h i n their “least restrictive environment.”
This environment is ideally w i t h their typically developing peers, but is
dependent on individual circumstances
• Provide those students enrolled in early-intervention (EI) programs w i t h a
positive and effective transition into an appropriate preschool program
• Provide special education services for those children enrolled in private schools
• Ensure teachers are adequately qualified and certified t o teach special
education
• Ensure t h a t children w i t h disabilities are n ot suspended or expelled a t rates
higher t ha n their typically developing peers
 The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 1 0 ,
2 0 1 5 , and represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes
the 5 0 - y e a r - o l d Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national
education law and longstanding c o m m i t m e n t t o equal opportunity for all students.
The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of
educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.
ESSA includes provisions that will help to ensure successfor students and schools. Below are
just a few. The law:

• Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and h ig h -

need students.

• Requires— for the f ir st t ime— tha t all students in A m e r ica be ta ught to high
academic
standards t h a t will prepare t hem t o succeed in college and careers.

• Ensures t h a t vital informat ion is provided t o educators, families, students, and communities
through annual state-wide assessments t h a t measure students' progress t o w a r d those high
standards.

• tfelps t o support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based

interventions developed by local leaders and educators—consistent w i t h our Investing in
Innovation and Promise Neighborhoods

• Sustains and expands this administration's historic investments in increasing access to h i g h -

quality preschool.

• Maintains an expectation t h a t there will be accountability and action to effect positive change
in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and
where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time.
DO 26, s. 1997 - Institutionalization
of SPED Programs in All Schools
 In support to the implementation of the
DO 26, s. 1997

Republic Act 7 2 7 7 (Magna Carta for Disabled

Persons) and t o achieve the target set for the
Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
( 1 9 9 3 - 2 0 0 2 ) t h a t 75% of the 4 million
children w i t h disabilities should be provided
equal educational opportunities, special needs
education shall be institutionalized in all
schools.
 The Institutionalization aims to provide
DO 26, s. 1997

access to basic education among children w i t h

special needs, namely, the gifted/talented, the
mentally retarded, the visually impaired, the
hearing impaired, the orthopedically
handicapped, the learning disabled, the speech
defectives, the children w i t h behavior problems,
the autistic children and those w i t h health
problems through the formal system and other
alternative delivery services in education.
The following are the guidelines which shall be observed in
the institutionalization of special needs education:
• All divisions shall organize a t least one SPED Center which will
cater to children w i t h special needs. Programs organized shall
adopt the inclusive education concept or the different
types of SPED programs suited to the needs of the learners.
The Center shall function as a Resource Center:
- to support children w i t h special needs integrated in regular
schools;
- to assist in the conduct of in-service-training
- to produce appropriate teaching materials; and
- to conduct continuous assessment of children w i t h
special needs.

School divisions shall appropriate funds for the aforementioned

activities.
• All districts shall organize SPED programs in schools where there
are identified children w i t h special needs. Assistance f r o m existing
SPED Center shall be sought in the assessment of the children w i t h
special needs and in the orientation or training of the regular
teachers t o help these students. Teachers and administrators who
have had trainings in SPED shall be identified and their expertise
tapped.
• Local trainings a t the regional, division and district levels shall be
initiated and conducted by the identified Regional Trainers in
Special Education.
• To sustain the continuing interest of supervisors, administrators
and teachers in the implementation of the SPED programs,
incentives shall be planned and provided for.
• To ensure t h a t the education of children w i t h special needs is an
integral p a r t of the educational system, an annual allocation for
extension position shall be provided for SPED teachers.
 Department Orders Related to Special Education in the Philippines

 DO 3 8 , s. 2 0 1 5 - Guidelines on the Utilization of Support Funds for the Special

Education (SPED) Program
 DO 4 6 , s. 2 0 1 4 - Guidelines on the Implementation of the Alternative Learning
System for Persons W ith Disability (ALS for PWD) Program
 DO 9 8 , s. 2 0 11 - Revised Guidelines on the Utilization of the Financial Support
Fund to the Secondary Schools Special Education (SPED) Program
 DO 8 5 , s. 2 0 11 - A m e n d m e n t to DepEd Order No. 6 9 , s. 2 0 11 (Guidelines on
Sustaining Special Education a t the Elementary Level)
 DO 7 7 , s. 2 0 11 - Moving the Disability Agenda Forward
 DO 5 3 , s. 2 0 0 8 - Maximization of Trained Teachers and Administrators in Special
Education
 DO 6 , s. 2 0 0 6 - Policies and Guidelines for Special Education a t the Secondary
Level
 DO 11 , s. 2 0 0 0 - Recognized Special Education (SPED) Centers in the Philippines
 DO 2 6 , s. 1 9 9 7 - Institutionalization of SPED Programs in All Schools
 DO 1 , s. 1 9 9 7 - Organization of a Regional SPED U n i t and Designation of Regional
Supervisor In-Charge of Special Education
 DO 1 4 , s. 1 9 9 3 - Regional Special Education Council
 DO 8 7 , s. 1 9 9 2 - Utilization of Three Special Education Publications
 Special
Education
Prominent Personalities in the Development
of Special Education

• 1775- 1838

Jean Marc Gaspard Itard

Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard was a French
physician who was an authority on
diseases of the ear and on the education
of students who were deaf. Itard is the
person to whom most historians trace
the beginning of special education as we
know it today
 1787-1851

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was an

American educator. Along with
Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell,
he co-founded the first permanent
institution for the education of the
deaf in North America, and he
became its first principal.
 1801-1876

Samuel Gridley Howe

Samuel Gridley Howe was an American

physician, abolitionist, and an advocate of
education for the blind. He organized and
was the first director of the Perkins
Institution. In 1824 he had gone to Greece
to serve in the revolution as a surgeon; he
also commanded troops
 1802- 1887

Dorothea Dix

Dorothea Lynde Dix was an American

advocate on behalf of the indigent
mentally ill who, through a vigorous and
sustained program of lobbying state
legislatures and the United States
Congress, created the first generation of
American mental asylums. During the
Civil War, she served as a
Superintendent of Army Nurses.
 1844- 1924

G. Stanley Hall

Granville Stanley Hall (February 1, 1846 –

April 24, 1924 was a pioneering American
psychologist and educator. His interests
focused on childhood development and
evolutionary theory. Hall was the first
president of the American Psychological
Association and the first president of
Clark University
 1866- 1936
Anne Sullivan Macy

Anne Sullivan Macy was an American

teacher best known for being the
instructor and lifelong companion of
Helen Keller. At the age of five, Sullivan
contracted trachoma, an eye disease,
which left her partially blind and without
reading or writing skills.
 Impacts of the Historical Events
Elementary and Section 504 of the
Secondary Education Act Rehabilitation Act
of 1965 of 1973
Educating students with This national law was
disabilities is still NOT mandated enacted with little
by federal or state law. However, fanfare. Most educators
creation of the Bureau signified
that a change was on the
were not aware that
horizon. this applied to public
schools.

1965 1972 1973 1974

Family Educational
The courts take the position that Rights and Privacy
children with disabilities have an Act (FERPA)
equal right to access education as Parents are allowed to
their non-disabled peers. Although have access to all
[PARC v. Pennsylvania
there is no existing federal law personally identifiable
(1972) and Mills v. D.C.
that mandates this stance, some information collected,
Board of Education (1972)
students begin going to school as maintained, or used by
a result of these court decisions. a school district
regarding their child.
 Timeline of Special Education History
Section 504 of the
Congress adds Title VI to
Rehabilitation Act of
the Elementary and
1973 is enacted into
Secondary Education Act statute. This national
of 1965 creating a law protects qualified
Bureau of Education for individuals from
the Handicapped (this discrimination based on
bureau today is called their disability.
the Office of Special
Education Programs or
OSEP).
1965 1972 1973 1974

Two significant supreme

court decisions [PARC
v. Pennsylvania (1972)
and Mills v. D.C. Board The Family Educational
of Rights and Privacy Act
Education (1972)] apply (FERPA) is enacted.
the equal protection
argument to students with
disabilities.
 Timeline of Special Education History
The Education for All
Handicapped Children The EAHCA is amended
Act (EAHCA) is with the addition of the
enacted. This was also Handicapped
known as P.L. 94-142. Children’s Protection
Today we know this law Act.
as the Individuals with
Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).

1975 1977 1986 1990

The Americans with

Disabilities Act
The final federal (ADA) is enacted.
regulations of EAHCA
are released.
 Timeline of Special Education History
The EAHCA is amended No Child Left Behind is
and is now called the
enacted.
Individuals with
Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).

1990 1997 2001 2004

IDEA reauthorized
IDEA reauthorized
 Impacts of the Historical Events
Education for All Handicapped
Children Act (EAHCA)
Before 1975, children with Handicapped Children’s
Protection Act
disabilities were mostly denied an education This amendment makes
solely on the basis of their disabilities. clear that students and
EAHCA, along with some key supreme court parents have rights
cases, mandated all school districts to under EAHCA (now
educate students with disabilities. IDEA) and Section 504.

1975 1977 1986 1990

The final federal ADA adopts the Section

regulations are enacted
at the start of the
1977- 1978 school year
and provide a set of
Final federal rules in which school
districts must adhere Disabilities Act (ADA)
regulations of EAHCA
to when providing an
education to students
with disabilities.
504 regulations as part
of the ADA statute. In
Americans with turn, numerous “504
Plans” for individual
students start to
become more common
place in school
districts.
 Impacts of the Historical Events
This amendment calls for many
changes to the old law. One of the No Child Left Behind
biggest was the addition of This law calls for all
transition services for students students, including
with disabilities. School Districts students with
were now required to look at disabilities, to be
EAHCA with outcomes and assisting students proficient in math and
Disabilities with disabilities in transitioning reading by the year
from high school to 2014.
Education
postsecondary life.
Act (IDEA).

1990 2001 2004

This amendment calls
for students with
IDEA reauthorized
disabilities to be
included in on state
and There are several changes from the 1997
district-wide
reauthorization. The biggest changes call
assessments. Also,
IDEA reauthorized Regular Education
for more accountability at the state and
local levels, as more data on outcomes is
Teachers are now
required. Another notable change involves
required to be a school districts providing adequate
member of the IEP instruction and intervention for students
team. to help keep them out of special
 Final
Thought!
References:
1. Klose, Laurie Mcgarry PtfD. Special Education: A Guide for Parents . 1 - 4. [Online]
Available:https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FhOSaDodb7gJ:https://
www.nasponline.org/Documents/Resources

2. IDEA-Individual w i t h Disabilities Education Act. [Online] [Available]

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/

3. The tfistory of Special Education [ 2 0 1 7 ] . [Online] [Available] https:/ /teach. com/the-hi story-of-special-
education/

4. Center for Parent Information and Resources. Key Terms to Know in Special Education [ 2 0 1 0 ] [Online]
[Available] http://www.parentcenterhub.org/keyterms-specialed/

5. DO 2 6 , s. 1 9 9 7 - Institutionalization of SPED Programs in All Schools[1997]. [Online] [Available]

http://www.deped.Key g o v. p h / o r d e r s / d o - 2 6 - s - 1 9 9 7

6. Department Orders [Online] [Available]

http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders?f%5B0%5D=field_classification%3A735

7. Encyclopedia of Education- Special Education [ 2 0 0 2 ] [Online] [Available].

http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/education/education-terms-and-concepts/special-
education

8. Peterson, John [ 2 0 0 7 ] . A TIMELINE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION tfISTORY [Online] Available:

http://www.fortschools.org/m/content.cfm?subpage=62980
Photo Credits:
1. www.slate.com
2. w ww.sp.depositphotos.com
3. www.google.com/images