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Special Educational Services Washington Parent Magazine, February 2001 Parents living in the Washington metropolitan area are fortunate to have a broad range of educational services available to their children through the local public school systems. However, learning about the wide variety of services and obtaining the most appropriate services for their children can be overwhelming and confusing. The first step is for parents to understand and believe that parents need to be their child. s number one advocate, whether they are dealing with minor, short-term issues or intensive, long-term issues. In order to be an active and knowledgeable advocate, parents should learn as much as possible about Public Law 105-17, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997, (formerly Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) which provides for a free appropriate public education for all children and youth with disabilities. This means that public schools are required by federal law to provide a continuum of services ranging from a least restrictive setting to more restrictive and intensive settings. This article will describe the broad range of services that can be obtained. Stephen Sturgeon. s accompanying article, "Obtaining Addition Educational Services," focuses on the ways that parents can ensure that their children obtain all of the services that they need in order to succeed. Fairfax County. s special education handbook states that " the cornerstone of federal special education law is the requirement that parents be active participants in determining the services that will appropriately address the special education needs of their children." This philosophy is shared by all public school systems in the Washington metropolitan area. Parents should have many opportunities to "explore options, alternative services and techniques, and possible learning environments." Special education services have become an integral part of all public schools in the Washington metropolitan area, and a variety of services are provided for students ages 2 through 21, no matter how mild or severe their disability. Public schools offer a full range of services following the principle of utilizing "the least restrictive environment." This means that the educational setting for any child requiring some sort of special education should give the child as much contact as possible with age-appropriate peers in regular, general education settings while meeting the child. s special and individual needs. If a child. s special needs cannot be met within a regular education setting, then other options are available in a more restrictive or specialized setting. Specialized settings include separate self-contained special education classes, separate schooling or other removal from the regular educational environment in the form of pull-out small group classes within the same school. For instance, if a child needs a certain type of remedial reading program, instead of remaining in the regular classroom, she might leave for part of the day to join a small group class with a special education teacher. Students often receive support in more than one setting, spending part of the day in a special education classroom and the rest in the regular classroom. Determining the most appropriate "type" of educational environment (ranging from the least restrictive to most restrictive setting) needs to be a collaborative effort of all the partners who have a role in the child. s education--parents, teachers, other school staff, administrators and students themselves. It is also very important for parents to be aware that there is no one "perfect" setting. There will always be trade-offs. One type of setting or service might focus more on academic skill building, while another might focus more on socialization skills and behaviors. As your child. s number one advocate, you need to have an active role in determining which type of service or setting will best meet the needs of your child at the present time, while keeping in mind that a top priority now might, and probably will, become less important in your child. s education. For instance, if a child is severely delayed in reading, than perhaps an educational setting which focuses on reading remediation in a special, pull-out small group class might be more appropriate than keeping her with her peers in the regular education classroom which would provide more socialization opportunities. Following, is a list of specific educational services available in our public school systems: Services for children younger than kindergarten age Child Find/Diagnostic Services: Concerned parents who suspect problems in development and learning can bring their preschool-age child to public school centers to be screened and tested in a wide range of areas including: speech and language delay, fine and gross motor skills, behavioral, attentional, emotional concerns and learning problems. When deemed appropriate by the school system, home visits and visits to preschools by special education staff will be offered to assist parents and teachers in use of appropriate methodologies. For instance, if a child is having difficulty with motor skills, an occupational therapist might go to a preschool to offer services. A speech and language therapist might provide speech therapy in a preschool setting. For children with more intensive delays, public schools have their own preschool special education programs, which would be a more restrictive setting. All of these services are provided free of charge. Services for school-age children Short-term services for assistance with minor educational issues: These services are available to regular education students who might not qualify for special education support as well as to special education students:
Long-term services for more intensive educational assistance:
Placement and services in special education programs include: LD (Learning Disabilities): These programs focus on academic remediation of specific academic subject areas which may include reading, written language skills, math, study and organizational skills. Services may be provided in the regular education classroom, small group pull-out class or self-contained class with only special education students and a full time special education teacher. Students receive a combination of remediation for a specific academic weakness and compensatory skills, which may include specific accommodations for their disability. MR (Mental Retardation): These programs focus on academic skill building as well as life skills, vocational training and job preparation. Services may be provided in the regular education classroom and/or separate classroom for MR students and separate MR centers. ED (Emotionally Disturbed): These programs focus on behavior management, socialization skills, individual and small group counseling, home programs to assist families. Services may be provided in the regular education classroom, small group pull-out classes, self-contained classrooms or separate ED centers. Specialized accommodations are provided when necessary. Parents are often provided with home programs to follow, and in some cases home visits are provided by special educators to assist the family with implementation and follow-through of school-based programs. OHI (Other Health Impaired): These programs provide a variety of services for children who might have ADHD and/or health problems which limit strength, vitality or alertness and adversely affect their educational performance. Services may be provided in regular education classrooms, small group pull-out classes or self-contained classes if problems are more severe and require a more intensive setting. For students with a diagnosis of ADHD, services include help with study skills, time management and organizational skills. Special accommodations are provided when necessary. SPEECH and LANGUAGE: These programs provide services for students with articulation disorders, fluency (stuttering) disorders, voice disorders and oral language disorders including the acquisition, production and comprehension of oral language. Services are provided by a speech and language therapist and are usually given once or twice a week in a pull-out arrangement, not in the regular education classroom. Other disability programs and services Public school systems also provide free services and programs for students with the following disability categories: autism, deafness, blindness, development delay, hearing impairment, multiple disabilities and orthopedic impairment. These students may receive services which range from least restrictive settings (such as remaining in the regular education classroom) with specialized accommodations, assistive technology including computers, tape recorders and part-time aides and assistants, to more restrictive programs in self-contained settings and specialized centers. A team comprised of special educators, school administrators, parents and students collaborate to decide which type of educational setting and program is most appropriate to meet the individual needs of the child. Related Services Students who are eligible to receive special education services might require additional support which is provided as a related service. Related services assist children with disabilities to help maximize and support their special education instruction. Only students who qualify for special education services can receive related services. The various related services include audiology, counseling, early identification and assessment, medical services, orientation and mobility services, parent counseling and training, physical and occupational therapy, psychological services, recreation, rehabilitation counseling, school health services, social work services and transportation. Parents can call the Parent Resource Center in their county to get specific information about these services. Extended School Year Services All students with disabilities can be considered for extended school year services. These services (ESY) were established through the IDEA law which supports the rights of students with disabilities to receive educational support services beyond the traditional 180-day school year. Extended school year services may be necessary when a special education student experiences regression in her learning during extended breaks. The regression must be so severe that the student would not be able to recoup the losses or skills in a reasonable time and individual achievement goals would not be met. Extended school year services, generally provided during the summer, can include academic skill building, social skills training, counseling or whatever an individual child needs. Services may be delivered through a variety of methods including classroom instruction, tutorial services, home follow-through programs, and/or consultative and supervisory support. It is the responsibility of the individual education program (IEP) team including parents, teachers, principals and other staff members, to determine if there is a need for extended school year services. Parent Resource Centers All school jurisdictions in the Washington metropolitan area have Parent Resource Centers which provide a wealth of information to parents who have children with special needs or who want information on how to go about getting special services for their child. These centers usually promote parent awareness of the wide variety of services provided within the jurisdiction, as well as conducting workshops in such areas as the role of parents in the special education process, IEP. s, communication skills, study and homework help. Parent Resource Centers also provide seminars, training programs and lending libraries which include books, journals and videos to assist parents in gaining a better understanding of children with special needs. Parent resource libraries usually include materials on such topics as advocacy, assessment, ADHD, behavior management, communication, early intervention, homework, IEP. s, integration and inclusion, legal issues, parent/professional partnerships, post-secondary opportunities, reading skills, social skills, self-esteem issues, study skills and transition planning. If you wish additional information on any of the topics included in this article, please contact the Parent Resource Center in your school district.
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