Special Education refers to a range of educational services designed to ensure that children with disabilities are provided with an environment that allows them to be educated effectively. Disabilities that qualify for special education include physical disabilities, such as Deafness, Mental Disabilities such as Down syndrome and Autism. The purpose of Special Education is to enable students to successfully develop to their fullest potential by providing a free appropriate public education in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Special Education can include a range of Support Services, depending on the special needs of the Child. Support services may involve Physical Assistance and Therapy, Counselling and Psychotherapy, modified Learning Environments and Assistive Learning Devices, Educational and Psychological Assessments, and Behavioural Modification Techniques.
This refers to children who have difficulties when it comes to both hearing and seeing what’s being said and shown to them. They may not be completely deaf or blind, but the combination of the two of these issues makes it harder for them to learn at the rate of their peers. In some cases, they have struggled so much that a school dedicated specifically to only the deaf or only the blind did not have the resources to help them.
A Child with a hearing impairment may not be completely deaf, but they are hard of hearing. In some cases, they may be deaf in one ear or deal with a hearing loss that changes and progresses with time. In short, it’s any loss or change in hearing that isn’t defined as deafness.
A Child with a specific learning disability, or SLD, has been diagnosed with a processing or learning issue. They may have a single learning disability, or they may have more than one. This can make it hard for the child to read, communicate, write, understand math, and more. Specific Learning Disabilities can include an auditory processing disorder, Dyslexia, a nonverbal learning disability, or Dysgraphia.
Autism means that a child may have difficulty expressing or controlling their emotions, have trouble with communication, and even struggle to make friends. They may also make repetitive movements, fixate on ideas, and become extremely sensitive to their sensory surroundings (like light or sound).
This is another blanket term in the world of Special Education. This means that a child has issues with speaking or communication. They may not speak the language of instruction, they may stutter, and they may have some sort of a voice impairment that prevents them from speaking.
A Child with an emotional disturbance deals with moderate to severe mental health issues. In some cases, they have been diagnosed with a more severe mood disorder, like Bipolar Disorder or even Borderline Personality Disorder. They may also have schizophrenia, extreme anxiety, or even obsessive-compulsive disorder. They may become angry, mean, or violent, or they may withdraw and isolate themselves to the extreme.
This refers to children that don’t simply have a learning disability but have an intellectual ability that is below average for their age. For Example, the student may have Down syndrome. In some cases, this lower intellectual level can make it hard for the student to take care of themselves. It could also impact their overall social life, and make it tough for them to communicate their needs and feelings.
Children with an orthopaedic impairment deal with situations that make it difficult for them to move as easily as children without some sort of disability can. They may be in a wheelchair, may, need a walker, or have a limp or another issue that makes it harder for them to move. In some cases, they may be unable to write or fully turn their heads to read.
