Summary: Writing Quality Individualized Education

Before 1975, children with disabilities were traditionally denied their rights to education. In fact, some states had laws prohibiting children with intellectual disabilities from even going to a normal school. It wasn’t until 1975 that the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted, allowing children with disabilities to go to a normal school. At this point, it turned out that children with disabilities had just as much potential as any other person.

Many children have physical, or pathological disabilities which cause them to have a below average performance in a usual classroom environment. The government of the United States of America, having recognized this, issued the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 in order to assist children afflicted with these disabilities (Berger, 2014). This lead to the creation of multiple special education programs for these children. Programs, such as LRE and RTI strategies have allowed many children to receive education they otherwise would not be able to receive.

In 1991 the Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was replaced by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law was passed to provide free and appropriate public education to every child with a disability. It requires that each child with a disability “have access to the program best suited to that child’s special needs which is as close as possible to a normal child’s educational program” (Martin, 1978). The Individualized education program (IEP) was developed to help provide a written record of students’ needs and procedures for each child that receives special education services. The IEP will list all the services to be provided, the student's performance level, academic performance, and

Federal laws such as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has greatly impacted the education and life of people with special needs in the United States. Rosalind Charlesworth (2013) reports that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the revised version of the Education of All Handicapped children act of 1975. The U.S Department of Education (2007) states that the Education of All Handicapped children act of 1975 was established by the U.S congress to “support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families”. However, Charlesworth (2013) goes on to say that children from the ages

Following the early 1980s, litigation and court decisions had set the stage for additional special education laws to the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) which was subsequently reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This assisted the primary confirmation of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to every student by covering educational costs before to after children reach school age such as the needs of children with disabilities birth from early intervention services to lessen the potential for delays. It continued to extend for most students with disabilities that had formerly been, “provided services within small classroom setting, and taught by specially trained teachers who focused on adapting instruction to each student’s needs…Students receiving special education services [and a multidisciplinary] were increasingly being mainstreamed (taught, to the fullest extent possible, in a regular classroom setting)” (Dunlap, 2009, p. 9). Two rulings (Roncker v Walter and Daniel R. R. v. State Board of Education) were comparable by addressing the issue of carrying educational services to the kid set against the opposite manner by the principle of portability,

Public Law 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, now called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), requires states to provide free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for every child regardless of disability. This federal law was the first to clearly define the rights of disabled children to receive special education services if their disability affects their educational performance. A parent of a special education student also has basic rights under IDEA including the right to have their child evaluated by the school district and to be included when the school district meets about the child or makes decisions about his or her education. If a child is identified as in need of special education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that all students with disabilities must receive a free and appropriate education. With appropriate education the federal law states that students with disabilities must receive an education equal to the education that receive all other students without disabilities, but with accommodations and modification that can help them to learn regardless their disability. With this purpose special education services are provided and as part of these services students with disabilities must have an individualized education program (IEP) that states annual goals in the education of the student in accordance with his or her academic level with the consideration of the disability. In the other

In 1975 Congress passed Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. This Act required major requirements for assessments. The first is that every child that has a disability is required to have an individualized education program (IEP) (27). Secondly, the Act state that each evaluation procedure is protected (27). Thirdly, the child is to be placed in the least restrictive appropriate environment (LRE) (27). All of these are needed for children with special requirements. There are other laws that require stronger

In 1975, congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The EHA act required that individuals with physical and mental disabilities, be provided with equal access to public education. The schools are “required to determine the appropriate placement for each child and must develop an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) that tailors the child's education to his individual needs. The child's parents are involved at all stages of the process” (United States Court Appeal). Before this Act, many handicapped children were left with one of two inappropriate approaches when it came to their educational needs. They were either excluded completely from having a public education or placed in general education classrooms with no assistance.

Our country’s Legislative system has set many laws in place to protect the educational rights of all students, which allows for students to have a greater opportunity for educational success with funding levels varying between the states. Hooper and Umansky’s book, Young Children with Special Needs, states that the majority of early childhood intervention programs began under the "umbrella of Maternal and Child Health (MCH),” which was put into place in 1935 in accordance with the Social Security Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are two programs stemming from this historical piece of legislation. The Americans with Disabilities Act was an anti-discrimination law that allowed for more students to have access to certain facilities and resources giving them a better chance to succeed in their education. IDEA made it mandatory for the state to provide special education service programs for children between the ages of three and five. The parents with children who are included in IDEA typically receive grants to help them fund their child's education. Another piece of legislation that is widely utilized in classrooms today is the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This plan develops a plan of action for the family with children that receive special education services and allows the information to further assist the child beyond school grounds. In use today is the Affordable Care Act (2012) that allowed for programs to be funded that look to prevent and care for children

Three historic major laws that had an impact on Special Education include Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, No Child Left Behind, and Individualized Education Programs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) law guarantees that students who have special needs will receive the help that they need from free public education in the smallest restrictive environment necessary to meet the needs of the students. It helps the students gain the additional help they need, but it also lets them to join in the same activities as children without special needs whenever possible. I believe that this law is important for schools, students and teachers today, because all students are getting the help they need. Everyone should have

The purpose of this paper is to address the historical landmarks and legislation that have formed and created our current special education system. We will take a journey from the start of public education and its exclusion of special needs students to the current push for inclusion of all students learning within a general education classroom. The author will also share some of the pros and cons of current educational legislation with regard to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and how it will effect special education in the future.

The next step is to either begin a strategy or test the student for specific disabilities or impairments to determine the qualification for any special services. In order to determine if the disability qualifies them to receive services, a team of professionals individually evaluate the child. This team may include a psychologist; special education teacher; a vision and/or hearing therapist; and a physical, occupational, and/or speech therapist. When the team members complete their assessments, they compile their findings into one Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER) which includes the skills and support the student may need based on the assessment outcomes. Finally, an IEP meeting is held; the team of professionals, parents, and teachers explore the CER, determine the goals for each need, and outline the services the student will need and how they will be provided. Services may include special education, physical therapy, speech therapy, counseling, medical services, or any others determined beneficial for the individual. The IEP’s created during these meetings require yearly review to determine what changes need to be made to ensure the student continues to receive the support needed (Bachrach “Individualized”).

Over the past years, the total number of students with special needs in the United States has grown from 1990 through 2005. Studies from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) show that there are 4.8 million children enrolled in public schools who received special education between the ages of 3-21. The studies show that in 1990 the percent of children receiving special education in the school was 11 percent, while in 2005 the amount of students receiving special education grew to 14 percent. Actual studies by the IDEA during 2012 and 2013 reported that 6.4 million of the students enrolled in public schools are obtaining special education. We can see that students with special needs are rapidly increasing and at the same time we can notice that special education teachers are becoming scarce.

Special education started in the U.S. right after World War II when a number of parent-organized advocacy groups surfaced. The revolutionary group that began the advocacy for special education was the American Association on Mental Deficiency, which held its first meeting in 1947. This group had come up with good ideas for special education legislation, but it took almost 30 years until the first public act, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was erected by Congress in 1975 (Triano 1). This public law was meant to help states and districts by “protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children and youths with disabilities and their families” (PL 94-142). This law was finally implemented in 1977, becoming the first genuine legislative foundation for federal funding of special education. In 1990, the law had been renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) since the entire act included various types of people with disabilities, not just children (Triano 2). The reason was that almost no progress was shown for disabled students and persons from 1977 until the law’s renaming brought the cause back to life.