After reading this chapter, check to make sure you know:

WHO ARE EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS?

• Students with disabilities must be classified under one of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 04) categories to receive funding for special education services. These categories are: mental retardation, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, visual impairments, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, and specific learning disabilities. Students can also receive special education, if they are identified as having gifts or talents. Students diagnosed with AD/HD may be served under the other health impairments category. (p. 3-4)

HOW MANY EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS ARE THERE?

• Prevalence figures indicate that approximately 11½ percent, or about 6,000,000 of the school population (kindergarten through grade 12), are receiving services as students with a disability. Over 2,000,000 are receiving services as gifted and talented students. (p. 5)
• Learning disabilities are the most prevalent exceptionality representing approximately five percent of the school population. (p. 5)

WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION?

• Special education includes four components: instructional content, instructional procedures, the instructional environment, and instructional technology. (p. 8)
• The concept of universal design should be applied when developing educational programs. (p. 8-9)
• Whenever possible, the special education program should be carried out in the general education classroom. (p. 9-10)
• Related services are those activities or services that enable a child with a disability to receive a free, appropriate public education and to benefit from the special education program. (p. 12)

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION?

• Early treatment of individuals with disabilities was often barbaric. During the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation, European physicians such as Avicenna, Paracelsus, and Platter positively influenced how individuals with disabilities were treated. (p . 16)
• In the 17 th and early 18^th centuries, treatment of persons with disabilities was generally uncaring or inhumane. (p. 16)
• In the mid to late 18^th, and early 19^th centuries, attempts for humane treatment of exceptional individuals continued more intensely. In 1800, Jean Marc Itard undertook an intensive training program with Victor, the wild boy of Aveyron. (p. 16-17)
• In the early 20 th century, individuals such as Grace Fernald began developing special educational programs. The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children was organized in 1922. (p. 17-18)
• In the 1930's and 1940's, grass roots advocacy efforts began, and Alfred Strauss and Heinz Werner created an interest by applying the field of neurology to education. (p. 18)
• In the 1950's, the economic situation improved, and the political climate resulted in even more positive attitudes and funding for students with disabilities. A number of parent-oriented advocacy groups were also founded. (p. 18)
• In the 1970's, litigation and legislation started to have an impact on the more formal field of special education. (p. 18)

HOW HAS LITIGATION AND LEGISLATION AFFECTED SPECIAL EDUCATION?

• Two important court cases in the early 1970's were PARC vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Mills vs. Board of Education of the District of Columbia . These cases focused on the right for a free, public education for students with disabilities. (p. 19)
• Other court cases dealt with the issue of discrimination, arguing that minority students were erroneously misclassified and should not have been placed in special education classes. (p. 19)
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ended discrimination on the basis of a person's disability for any program receiving federal assistance. (p. 19-20)
• Public Law 94-142 was perhaps the most significant piece of legislation influencing special education, providing requirements and funding for special education programs. (p. 21)
• After the passage of Public Law 94-142, there were several court cases that interpreted various meanings of the law. These included the Board of Education vs. Rowley, concerned with the interpretation of "appropriate" within the concept of FAPE, and Irving vs. Tatro , which focused on the issue of related services. Several amendments and reauthorizations to Public Law 94-142 followed. (p. 21-22)
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (PL101-336) was essentially a civil rights act for individuals with disabilities ensuring against discrimination and providing legal accommodations. (p. 22-23)
• The most recent reauthorization of IDEA, in 2004, increased the emphasis on students' participation in the general education curriculum and also sought to reduce paperwork and requirements that did not result in improved educational results. IDEA 04 continued many of the early mandates including; Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), procedural guidelines, and evaluation guidelines. (p. 23-27)

WHAT ARE SOME CURRENT AND FUTURE ISSUES?

• One major problem continues to be the misidentification and overrepresentation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds in certain categories of special education. (p. 29-30)
• IDEA 04 has developed guidelines to help transition students from Part C when they turn 3 to Part B. This includes having the Part C service coordinator be a part of the IEP team. (p. 30-31)
• Another key issue is the challenge to effectively use the general educator in the special education process. Various approaches, such as collaborative consultation and cooperative teaching, have been described and researched to address the important interaction between special educators and general educators. (p. 31-32)