Special needs

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In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition. Special needs can range from people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, blindness, deafness, ADHD, and cystic fibrosis. They can also include cleft lips and missing limbs. The types of special needs vary in severity, and a student with a special need is classified as being a severe case when the student's IQ is between 20 and 35. [1] These students typically need assistance in school, and have different services provided for them to succeed in a different setting. [2] [3]

Contents

In the United Kingdom, special needs usually refers to special needs within an educational context. This is also referred to as special educational needs (SEN) or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In the United States, 19.4 percent of all children under the age of 18 (14,233,174 children) had special health care needs as of 2018. [4] [5] [6] [7]

The term is seen as a dysphemism by many disability rights advocates and is deprecated by a number of style guides (e.g. APA style). [8]

U.S. special needs and adoption statistics

In the United States "special needs" is a legal term applying in foster care, derived from the language in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. It is a diagnosis used to classify children as needing more services than those children without special needs who are in the foster care system. It is a diagnosis based on behavior, childhood and family history, and is usually made by a health care professional.

More than 150,000 children with special needs in the US have been waiting for permanent homes. Traditionally, children with special needs have been considered harder to place for adoption than other children, but experience has shown that many children with special needs can be placed successfully with families who want them. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105–89) has focused more attention on finding homes for children with special needs and making sure they receive the post-adoption services they need. Pre-adoption services are also of critical importance to ensure that adoptive parents are well prepared and equipped with the necessary resources for a successful adoption. The United States Congress enacted the law to ensure that children in foster care who cannot be reunited with their birth parents are freed for adoption and placed with permanent families as quickly as possible.

The disruption rate for special needs adoption is found to be somewhere between ten and sixteen percent. A 1989 study performed by Richard Barth and Marianne Berry found that of the adoptive parents that disrupted, 86% said they would likely or definitely adopt again. 50% said that they would adopt the same child, given a greater awareness of what the adoption of special needs children requires. [9] Also, within disrupted special needs adoption cases, parents often said that they were not aware of the child's history or the severity of the child's issues before the adoption. [9] There is also more care that goes into it when a child of special needs is in the process of getting adopted. Because of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 P.L. 96-272, the child's needs have to be met within the home before allowing adoption, including being able to financially support the child. [10]

Education

The term special needs is a short form of special education needs [11] [12] and is a way to refer to students with disabilities, in which their learning may be altered or delayed compared to other students. [13] The term special needs in the education setting comes into play whenever a child's education program is officially altered from what would normally be provided to students through an Individual Education Plan, [14] which is sometimes referred to as an Individual Program plan. [15] Special education aids the student's learning environment to create a uniform system for all children. [16]

In the past, individuals with disabilities were often shunned or kept in isolation in mental hospitals or institutions. In many countries, disabled people were seen as an embarrassment to society, often facing punishments of torture and even execution. [17] In the US, after the creation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and many other regulations, students with disabilities could not be excluded or discriminated against in the education system. [18] [19]

Integrated learning environments

In many cases, the integration of special needs students into general-learning classrooms has had many benefits. A study done by Douglas Marston tested the effects of an integrated learning environment on the academic success of students with special needs. He first gathered students in from three different categories: those in isolated learning environments, those in integrated learning environments, and those in a combination of both isolated and integrated learning environments. He calculated the average number of words read by each group in the fall and again in the spring, and compared the outcome. The findings showed that those in integrated learning environments or a combination of isolated and integrated environments experienced greater improvements in their reading skills than those in strictly isolated environments. [20]

Integrated classrooms can also have many social benefits on students with special needs. By surrounding special needs students with their fully functioning peers, they are exposed to diversity. Their close contact with other students will allow them to develop friendships and improve interpersonal skills. [21]

Special needs and education worldwide

The integration of children with special needs into school systems is an issue that is being addressed worldwide. In Europe, the number of students with special needs in regular classrooms is rising, while the number of those in segregated exclusive special needs classrooms is declining. However, in other countries such as China, educational opportunities for those with disabilities have been a longstanding issue. Certain cultural beliefs and ideologies have prevented the integration of all students regardless of ability, yet in recent years, China has progressed significantly by allocating more funding to programs to support disabled people and striving to create more inclusive communities within schools.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyslexia</span> Specific learning disability characterized by troubles with reading

Dyslexia, previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school. The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to learn. People with dyslexia have higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorders, and difficulties with numbers.

Special education 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, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.

Dyscalculia is a disability resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning facts in mathematics. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "math dyslexia", though this analogy can be misleading as they are distinct syndromes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dysgraphia</span> Neurological disorder of written expression

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder and learning disability that concerns impairments in written expression, which affects the ability to write, primarily handwriting, but also coherence. It is a specific learning disability (SLD) as well as a transcription disability, meaning that it is a writing disorder associated with impaired handwriting, orthographic coding and finger sequencing. It often overlaps with other learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders such as speech impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document under United States law that is developed for each public school child in the U.S. who needs special education. It is created through a team of the child's parent(s), the student and district personnel who are knowledgeable about the child's needs. IEPs must be reviewed every year to keep track of the child's educational progress.

Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, especially in "language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living". Developmental disabilities can be detected early on and persist throughout an individual's lifespan. Developmental disability that affects all areas of a child's development is sometimes referred to as global developmental delay.

A reading disability is a condition in which a person displays difficulty reading. Examples of reading disabilities include: developmental dyslexia, And alexia,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainstreaming (education)</span> Placing disabled students in regular classrooms

Mainstreaming, in the context of education, is the practice of placing students with special education needs in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. This means students who are a part of the special education classroom will join the regular education classroom at certain times which are fitting for the special education student. These students may attend art or physical education in the regular education classrooms. Sometimes these students will attend math and science in a separate classroom, but attend English in a general education classroom. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inclusion (education)</span> Where disabled students spend most of their time with non-disabled students

Inclusion in education refers to including all students to equal access to equal opportunities of education and learning, and is distinct from educational equality or educational equity. It arose in the context of special education with an individualized education program or 504 plan, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs to have the said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. The philosophy behind the implementation of the inclusion model does not prioritize, but still provides for the utilization of special classrooms and special schools for the education of students with disabilities. Inclusive education models are brought into force by educational administrators with the intention of moving away from seclusion models of special education to the fullest extent practical, the idea being that it is to the social benefit of general education students and special education students alike, with the more able students serving as peer models and those less able serving as motivation for general education students to learn empathy.

Special education in the United States enables students with exceptional learning needs to access resources through special education programs. These programs did not always exist. "The idea of excluding students with any disability from public school education can be traced back to 1893, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court expelled a student merely due to poor academic ability". This exclusion would be the basis of education for all individuals with special needs for years to come. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education sparked the belief that the right to a public education applies to all individuals regardless of race, gender, or disability. Finally, special education programs in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when the United States Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) "(sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law 94-142) was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with disabilities." The EAHCA was later modified to strengthen protections to students with disabilities and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA requires states to provide special education and related services consistent with federal standards as a condition of receiving federal funds.

In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a special education law that mandates regulation for students with disabilities to protect their rights as students and the rights of their parents. The IDEA requires that all students receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and that these students should be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To determine what an appropriate setting is for a student, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team will review the student's strengths, weaknesses, and needs, and consider the educational benefits from placement in any particular educational setting. By law the team is required to include the student's parent or guardian, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a representative of the local education agency, someone to interpret evaluation results and, if appropriate, the student. It is the IEP team's responsibility to determine what environment is the LRE for any given student with disabilities, which varies between every student. The goal of an IEP is to create the LRE for that student to learn in. For some students, mainstream inclusion in a standard classroom may be an appropriate setting whereas other students may need to be in a special education classroom full time, but many students fall somewhere within this spectrum. Students may also require supplementary aids and services to achieve educational goals while being placed in a classroom with students without disabilities, these resources are provided as needed. The LRE for a student is less of a physical location, and more of a concept to ensure that the student is receiving the services that they need to be successful.

Emotional and behavioral disorders refer to a disability classification used in educational settings that allows educational institutions to provide special education and related services to students who have displayed poor social and/or academic progress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Learning disability</span> Range of neurodevelopmental conditions

Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty learning in a typical manner", this does not exclude the ability to learn in a different manner. Therefore, some people can be more accurately described as having a "learning difference", thus avoiding any misconception of being disabled with a possible lack of an ability to learn and possible negative stereotyping. In the United Kingdom, the term "learning disability" generally refers to an intellectual disability, while conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia are usually referred to as "learning difficulties".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intellectual disability</span> Generalized neurodevelopmental disorder

Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability and mental retardation, is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in intellectual and adaptive functioning that is first apparent during childhood. Children with intellectual disabilities typically have an intelligence quotient (IQ) below 70 and deficits in at least two adaptive behaviors that affect everyday, general living. According to the DSM-5, intellectual functions include reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience. Deficits in these functions must be confirmed by clinical evaluation and individualized standard IQ testing. On the other hand, adaptive behaviors include the social, developmental, and practical skills people learn to perform tasks in their everyday lives. Deficits in adaptive functioning often compromises an individual's independence and ability to meet their social responsibility.

Language-based learning disabilities or LBLD are "heterogeneous" neurological differences that can affect skills such as listening, reasoning, speaking, reading, writing, and math calculations. It is also associated with movement, coordination, and direct attention. LBLD is not usually identified until the child reaches school age. Most people with this disability find it hard to communicate, to express ideas efficiently and what they say may be ambiguous and hard to understand It is a neurological difference. It is often hereditary, and is frequently associated to specific language problems.

A resource room is a type of support for students with disabilities in need of special education that allows them to be leave their general education classroom placement and go to another location for targeted instructional support. It is one of many support options for special education students around the world to help meet their needs and serves as a transition stage between a self-contained classroom and a general education classroom for special education students. In the resource room, students work with a special education teacher or aide in either a small group or individual instruction.

Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system.

Educational neuroscience is an emerging scientific field that brings together researchers in cognitive neuroscience, developmental cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, educational technology, education theory and other related disciplines to explore the interactions between biological processes and education. Researchers in educational neuroscience investigate the neural mechanisms of reading, numerical cognition, attention and their attendant difficulties including dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD as they relate to education. Researchers in this area may link basic findings in cognitive neuroscience with educational technology to help in curriculum implementation for mathematics education and reading education. The aim of educational neuroscience is to generate basic and applied research that will provide a new transdisciplinary account of learning and teaching, which is capable of informing education. A major goal of educational neuroscience is to bridge the gap between the two fields through a direct dialogue between researchers and educators, avoiding the "middlemen of the brain-based learning industry". These middlemen have a vested commercial interest in the selling of "neuromyths" and their supposed remedies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth and disability</span>

Approximately 180-220 million young people live with disabilities globally, with 80% living in the developing world, therefore lacking access to education, healthcare and employment [1]. Disability includes physical, mental or mental illness. Many young people live a healthy and stable life, although people with disabilities may have more obstacles than those without because of their possible limitations, created by physical weakness and social incapacity..

Inclusive Classroom is a term used within American pedagogy to describe a classroom in which all students, irrespective of their abilities or skills, are welcomed holistically. It is built on the notion that being in a non-segregated classroom will better prepare special-needs students for later life. In the United States, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guaranteed civil rights to disabled people, though inclusion of disabled students progressed slowly until the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, after which almost half of US students with disabilities were soon in general classrooms.

References

  1. ↑ "Severe/Profound General Learning Disability | CPD and In-School Support". National Council for Special Education. Trim, County Meath, Eire.
  2. ↑ Flook, Lisa (23 April 2019). "Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child". Greater Good. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Calderwood, Bethany (11 January 2022). "Severe Disabilities: Definition & Examples". study.com.
  4. ↑ McPherson, Merle; Arango, Polly (1998). "A new definition of children with special health care needs". Pediatrics. 102 (1). Fox H, Lauver C, McManus M, Newacheck PW, Perrin JM, Shonkoff JP, Strickland B. Elk Grove Village Il: American Academy of Pediatrics: 137–140. doi:10.1542/peds.102.1.137. ISSN   0031-4005. LCCN   51002540. PMID   9714637. S2CID   30160426.
  5. ↑ "National Survey of Childrens Health,2019-2020". Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. United States: Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "State at a glance coverage and financing charts". Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health. Catalyst Center. Boston University: National Center for Health Insurance and Financing for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Tu, HT; Cunningham, PJ (2005). "Public coverage provides vital safety net for children with special health care needs" (PDF). Issue Brief (98). Center for Studying Health System Change: 1–7. PMID   17290559. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. The Center for Studying Health System Change Ceased operation on Dec. 31, 2013.
  8. ↑ Gernsbacher, Morton Ann; Raimond, Adam R.; Balinghasay, M. Theresa; Boston, Jilana S. (19 December 2016). "'Special needs' is an ineffective euphemism". Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 1 (1): 29. doi: 10.1186/s41235-016-0025-4 . ISSN   2365-7464. PMC   5256467 . PMID   28133625.
  9. 1 2 Barth, Richard P.; Miller, Julie M. (2000). "Building Effective Post-Adoption Services: What is the Empirical Foundation?". Family Relations. 49 (4): 447. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00447.x. eISSN   1741-3729. ISSN   0197-6664. JSTOR   585840. LCCN   80642226. OCLC   5885388.
  10. ↑ Dodson, Diane (1997). Finding Families for Waiting Kids: The Challenge of Special Needs Adoption in the 90's and Beyond (PDF). The Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-02.
  11. ↑ "UNESCO – Education – Special Needs Education". wayback.archive-it.org. Archived from the original on 2005-09-28.
  12. ↑ "What It Means When a Child Has "Special Needs"".
  13. ↑ "Children with special educational needs". nidirect. October 27, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Parents Guide". Federation for Children with Special Needs. Massachusetts. 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Individual Education Planning for Students with Special Needs". Special education. British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  16. ↑ "Our policy agenda". Council for Exceptional Children. Arlington, VA. Archived from the original on 2020-08-27.
  17. ↑ Winzer, Margret A. (2014). The History of Special Education : From Isolation to Integration. Gallaudet University Press. ISBN   9781563682520. OCLC   1032708777.
  18. ↑ Vaughn, Sharon; Bos, Candace S.; Schumm, Jeanne Shay (2017). Teaching students who are exceptional, diverse, and at risk in the general education classroom. Pearson. ISBN   9780134447896. OCLC   966436530.
  19. ↑ Vaughn, Sharon; Bos, Candace S.; Schumm, Jeanne Shay (2011). Teaching students who are exceptional, diverse, and at risk in the general education classroom. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson. ISBN   9780137151790. OCLC   430678979.
  20. ↑ Marston, Douglas (July 1996). "A Comparison of Inclusion Only, Pull-Out Only, and Combined Service Models for Students with Mild Disabilities". The Journal of Special Education. 30 (2). Sage: 121–132. doi:10.1177/002246699603000201. eISSN   1538-4764. ISSN   0022-4669. LCCN   66009979. OCLC   1783202. S2CID   145147914.
  21. ↑ Odom, Samuel L. (January 2005). Peer relations | Peer-related Social Competence for Young Children with Disabilities. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2018-12-12.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
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