IDEA
Laws have been created to help those students with special needs receive equal opportunities. In education, this law is known as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Public Law 94-142 states that students are to be provided with an education no matter their disability. They are able to receive a free and appropriate education (FAPE) where “all children, regardless of the severity of their disability, must be provided with an education appropriate to their unique needs at no cost to the parent(s)/guardian(s)” (Gargiulo, 2010, p. 49). No school-aged child can be denied access to an education, and individuals with disabilities are no exception (Gargiulo, 2010).
To see a chart of the percentage of students served under IDEA click here.
The federal government has identified thirteen categories of disability. Autism is a developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication as well as social interaction. Deaf-blindness is when hearing and visual impairments are occurring at the same time causing communication and other developmental needs. When one is developmentally delayed his performance is below the normal developmental levels. An emotional disturbance is a condition with characteristics that affects a child's ability to learn and to maintain relationships with peers and teachers. Students with this disability may behave inappropriately in normal situations. They also may experience a mood of unhappiness or depression and may develop physical fears with problems in their school or personal lives. A hearing impairment can be permanent or temporary and one who is considered mentally retarded is significantly below average intellectually. One with multiple disabilities has more than one impairment that affects their educational needs. Having an orthopedic impairment affects education and includes a congenital abnormality or an impairment from a disease or other causes. One in the other health impairment category has limited strength or alertness in the environment due to health problems. A specific learning disability is a disorder in the psychological process that hinders the understanding or using of language. A speech or language impairment is a disorder in communication and a traumatic brain injury is a disability caused by an outside force. A visual impairment includes blindness and even with correction, the impairment affects the child's education. These thirteen categories are considered disabilities because of the adverse effect they have on a student's education. The pupils need accommodations and services to be able to participate in the school setting (Gargiulo, 2010).
To see a chart of the percentage of students served under IDEA click here.
The federal government has identified thirteen categories of disability. Autism is a developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication as well as social interaction. Deaf-blindness is when hearing and visual impairments are occurring at the same time causing communication and other developmental needs. When one is developmentally delayed his performance is below the normal developmental levels. An emotional disturbance is a condition with characteristics that affects a child's ability to learn and to maintain relationships with peers and teachers. Students with this disability may behave inappropriately in normal situations. They also may experience a mood of unhappiness or depression and may develop physical fears with problems in their school or personal lives. A hearing impairment can be permanent or temporary and one who is considered mentally retarded is significantly below average intellectually. One with multiple disabilities has more than one impairment that affects their educational needs. Having an orthopedic impairment affects education and includes a congenital abnormality or an impairment from a disease or other causes. One in the other health impairment category has limited strength or alertness in the environment due to health problems. A specific learning disability is a disorder in the psychological process that hinders the understanding or using of language. A speech or language impairment is a disorder in communication and a traumatic brain injury is a disability caused by an outside force. A visual impairment includes blindness and even with correction, the impairment affects the child's education. These thirteen categories are considered disabilities because of the adverse effect they have on a student's education. The pupils need accommodations and services to be able to participate in the school setting (Gargiulo, 2010).
The graph shows the number of autism cases per 1,000 children in the US from 1996 to 2007.