Wednesday September 13

Entry Number One

Having a child with exceptional needs is a hard thing for every parent. Most parents do not prepare for it to happen but still welcome the child in with open arms. By having a good home environment the child becomes more at ease and able to adapt around others. Most parents go on treating their child just like any other child with a few modifications. From experiences I have seen siblings of children with special needs treat them just like they would any other brother and sister. To the sibling, lovecovers up any difference that that their sibling may have.

For a child to be considered “exceptional” they must be classified under one of these themes:

- visual impairment

- speech and language impairment

- auditory impairment

- deaf and/or blind

- autism

- developmental disabilities

- multiple disabilities

- orthopedic impairment

- specific learning disabilities

- emotional/behavior disorder

- traumatic brain injury

- multi-sensory impairment

- serious health impairments

However, a gifted child is also classified as “exceptional” which is something I don’t think many people know. What exactly is gifted anyways? According to the National Association for Gifted Children’s (NAGC) website in response to that question is that, “The quick response is that there is, as yet, no universally agreed upon answer to this question. Giftedness, intelligence, and talent are fluid concepts and may look different in different contexts and cultures.” So I guess that can be a reason why only the classifications listed for a child to be considered “exceptional” and not so much the concept of being gifted.

Number Two :)

I dare you to go into a school and not find a single good teacher. General education in our country is phenomenal and it is something our government is extremely proud of, however as this class discusses general education is not for everyone but education is. The reason that our countryprovides special education programs is because they know that it is needed in order to ensure that each and every child gets a proper education. Teaching a child with special needs requires a lot of time, energy, patience, and understanding. Due to this it takes a certain type of person to handle situations and not everyone is qualified or has the time with a full classroom hence the need for special education classrooms.Special education classrooms are not designed to separate those with special needs to punish them but to give them the attention they greatly deserve.

Individualized Education Programs are legal documents that state exactly what services your child will receive in special education. The document is required by law to include the classification of your child, placement, services, academic and behavioral goals, the percent of time they will be spending in a general education classroom, and also progress reports for the parents from both the teachers and the therapists. By providing an almost set of guidelines for what is expected of both the general education teacher and the special education teacher. It allows for more concrete planning to be able to ensure the parents of the fact that they are getting their child exactly what they need.