Education as a discipline centers on how to transmit knowledge to a student, the skills, resources, environment, methods, and administration are also taken into consideration.
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Despite having such discipline, the impact of education was not felt by every student, some students were limited because of their mental and physical condition, History Past Papers and Answers.
This brought about the inculcation of a special education program as a discipline in higher institutions.
Want to know more about this? Read on.
THE BACKGROUND OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education came into reality after a law relating to individuals with disabilities was signed into law.
In 1990, the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law. This act states that children with a qualified disability must receive a free and appropriate education.
The IDEA captured some categories of disabilities, which are;
- Intellectual disability
- Speech and language impairment
- Other health impaired
Autism spectrum disorder
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
- Deaf and blindness
- Multiple disabilities
- Traumatic brain injury
- Emotional disturbance
- Specific learning disability
- Orthopedic impairment
- Deafness
The Act stipulated that resources and curriculum should be drafted based on the child’s needs.
In education, special education is tagged as SPED.
WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION?
Special education is a discipline that is designed to meet the needs of students living with a disability.
Special education seeks to bridge the learning gap between medically fit students and those with a disability.
Special education is often called special needs. Disability here can be grouped into cognitive, behavioral, physical, and emotional.
PHILOSOPHY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education philosophy states that all children can learn despite their disability.
This philosophy discouraged the idea of teaching students with a disability in a secluded class. This aims at reducing the impact of prejudice and stereotype among students.
This idea aims at giving everyone in society equal rights and opportunities in the society.
SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS
This varies based on the needs of the students and the teacher’s objective.
- General Education Setting
This has the feature of a combined class, having both non-disabled and special needs students in a class.
- Special Education Setting
This is more like a resource room housing different tools and educational materials that can aid teaching.
Students are allowed to try out different tools until they achieve the behavioral objective.
- Self-Contained Setting
This is a more restricted learning environment where students with a particular disability are kept in restricted environment.
This is meant to achieve a specific behavioral objective related to their disability.
CONCLUSION
Special education can be taught anywhere, as far as it meets the criteria outlined by a special education teacher or administrator.
As the world develops, technological breakthroughs have helped invent certain teaching aids which have lessened the work of special education teachers around the globe.
Gradually, the aim of IDEA and the objectives of special education is becoming a reality. If you consider getting a special education degree, you’re on the right track. Special education can be studied in a higher institution or as a professional course onsite and virtually.
