Special education, also called SPED, special ed, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, or special day class (SDC), is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community. This may not be available if the student were given only access to typical classroom education.
Special education aims to provide accommodated education for students with disabilities such as learning disabilities or difficulties (such as dyslexia), communication disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities (such as osteogenesis imperfecta, down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy), developmental disabilities (such as autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disabilities) and other disabilities. Students with disabilities are likely to benefit from additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, the use of technology, a specifically adapted teaching area, a resource room, or a separate classroom altogether.
In the Western world, educators modify teaching methods, curriculum materials, and environments so that the maximum number of students are served in general education environments.National Council on Disability. (1994). Inclusionary education for students with special needs: Keeping the promise. Washington, D.C.: Author. Integration can reduce social stigmas and improve academic achievement for many students.
Different kinds of education Gifted education is sometimes confused with special education. Gifted education is tailored to intellectual giftedness, which is a difference in learning. These students can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term "special education" is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students with disabilities.
Whereas special education is designed specifically for students with learning disabilities, remedial education can be designed for any students, with or without special needs. The defining trait is simply that they have reached a point of unpreparedness, regardless of why. For example, a person's education may have been disrupted by internal displacement during civil disorder or a war.
The opposite of special education is general education, also known as mainstream education. General education is the standard curriculum presented without special teaching methods or supports. Sometimes special education classrooms and general education classrooms mix. This is called an inclusive classroom.
History Back in the 1970s, children with cognitive, physical, or other disabilities were not ensured a seat in school. Often these children receive little to no education because majority of the time they were dismissed or neglected from the schools. And if they were accepted, they were separated from their classmates and put into different buildings, literally away from the other "normal" students. Over 7 million children with disabilities were omitted from public education. In 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed by President Gerald Ford, protecting and educating children from 3-21 years old.
Individual needs
A special education program should be customized to address each student's needs. Special educators provide a continuum of services, in which students with various disabilities receive multiple degrees of support based on their individual needs. It is crucial for special education programs to be individualized so that they address the unique combination of needs of a given student.
In the United States, Canada, and the UK, educational professionals use a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Another name for a student's Individualized Education Plan is a student's Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
In the US, for children who are not yet three years old, an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) serves as the service document and, like an IEP, includes present levels of development and plans for services the child and family will receive.
Students with all forms of special needs are assessed to determine their specific strengths and weaknesses. The earlier these students with special needs are assessed, the faster they get the accommodations that they need, and the better it is for their education. Placement, resources, and goals are determined on the basis of the student's needs. Accommodations and modifications to the regular program may include changes in the curriculum, supplementary aids or equipment, and the provision of specialized physical adaptations that allow students to participate in the educational environment as much as possible. Students may need this help to access subject matter, physically gain access to the school, or meet their emotional needs. For example, if the assessment determines that the student cannot write by hand because of a physical disability, then the school might provide a computer for typing assignments, or allow the student to answer questions verbally instead. If the school determines that the student is severely distracted by the normal activities in a large, busy classroom, then the student might be placed in a smaller classroom such as a separate classroom or resource room.
Methods of provision In most developed countries, schools use different approaches to providing special education services to students. These approaches can be broadly grouped into four categories, according to how much contact the student with special needs has with non-disabled students (using North American terminology):
Inclusion: In this approach, students with special needs spend all, or most, of the school day with students who do not have special needs. Due to the fact that inclusion can require substantial modification of the general curriculum, most schools use it only for selected students with mild to moderate special needs, which is accepted as a best practice. Some of the modifications include a slow pace of instruction, more breaks, sensory toys, et cetera. Specialized services may be provided inside or outside the regular classroom, depending on the type of service. Students may occasionally leave the regular classroom to attend smaller, more intensive instructional sessions in separate classrooms usually referred to as "resource rooms". They may also receive other related services that require specialized equipment and would be disruptive to the rest of the class. Such services include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or rehabilitation counseling. They might also leave the regular classroom for services that require privacy, such as counseling sessions with a social worker. Mainstreaming refers to the practice of educating students with special needs in classes with non-disabled students during specific time periods. This is based on their skills. Students with special needs are segregated in separate classrooms exclusively for adapted education for the rest of the school day. Another method is segregation in a separate classroom or special school for students with special needs. In this model, students with special needs do not attend classes with non-disabled students. Segregated students may attend the same school where regular classes are provided, but they spend all instructional time exclusively in a separate classroom for students with various disabilities. If their special class is located in a typical school, they may be provided opportunities for social integration outside the classroom, such as by eating meals with students without disabilities.Warnock Report (1978). "Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People", London. Alternatively, these students may attend a special school. It may also occur when a student is in a hospital, housebound, or detained by the criminal justice system. These students may receive one-on-one instruction or group instruction. Students who have been suspended or expelled are not considered segregated in this same sense.
Co-teaching: In this setting, students with special needs are placed in a general education classroom to learn along with their disabled peers and non-disabled peers. A general education teacher and a special education teacher work as partners in instruction. Types of co-teaching include "one teaching/one helping" in which one teacher instructs while the other circulates around the class to evaluate and offer help, "parallel teaching" in which both teachers teach the same content to two groups of students of equal size, "station teaching" in which both teachers present differing content to different groups of students simultaneously and students rotate through each station, "alternative teaching" in which one teacher works with a smaller group or individual students while the other works with the rest of the class, or "team teaching" in which both teachers plan and teach a lesson together."Chapter 2, Collaboration and Teaming". EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN: an Introduction to Special Education, by WILLIAM L. HEWARD, PEARSON, 2017.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is an educational framework increasingly adopted to meet the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of all students, including those receiving special education services. MTSS typically consists of three tiers of support:
Tier 1: High-quality, universal instruction for all students.
Tier 2: Targeted interventions for students at risk of academic or behavioral challenges.
Tier 3: Intensive, individualized support, often overlapping with special education services.
This approach promotes early identification of needs and reduces inappropriate referrals to special education by providing timely, data-driven support within general education settings. MTSS is also aligned with Response to Intervention (RTI) models and is increasingly integrated with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to support inclusive practices across school systems.https://www.air.org/resource/mtss-framework-improving-outcomes-all-students
Effective instruction for students with disabilities
Goal-directed: Each child must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that distinguishes their particular needs. The child must get the services that are designed for them. These services will allow them to reach their annual goals which will be assessed at the end of each term along with short-term goals that will be assessed every few months. Research-based methods: A lot of research has been conducted on how best to teach students with disabilities. Testing, IQs, interviews, the discrepancy model, et cetera should all be used to determine where to place the child. Once that is determined, the next step is the best way for the child to learn. There are a number of different programs such as the Wilson Reading Program and Direct Instruction. Guided by student performance: While the IEP goals may be assessed every few months to a year, constant informal assessments must take place. These assessments will guide instruction for the teacher. The teacher will be able to determine if the material is too difficult or too easy.Bos, C. S. & Vaughn, S. (2005). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Special schools