Can someone please suggest a good general overview of special education? I need to fill some gaps in my knowledge base. (Yes, TeacherGroupie does have gaps in her knowledge base. Sigh.)
Is there an area you want to focus your overview on? I mean, like, types of disabilities or IEPs or curriculum or just pretty much everything?
Not that I know of. I suppose we all could start a hand book. What is the first thing you need to know?
What can I say? I was under impression that TG was a man! All of TG's advice and comments were so logical and clear that I was sure it was a man! Don't get me wrong, I'm a woman myself and don't want to offend anybody here. It was just my impression. I can't say I'm dissappointed. Now I admire TG even more!
Um, thanks... Would a guy ever advertise that he's a groupie? (This has got to be a first: a thread I posted, hijacked about me but not by me.) The answer to ellen_a's question is "pretty much everything"... Pretend for a moment that I'm retiring from, say, chemical engineering and I've decided I want to Be Useful by volunteering in a special ed class, but I have absolutely no clue. What do you hope I would know or learn before darkening the door of your classroom, and where could I find out about it?
First you probably should learn different learning disabilities. Remember that the students can learn, they just don't learn the same way as others. Down Syndrome never call them downs, you might get yelled at by a parent.
Many different states have different titles for the same disability which can cause confusion. Mentally Retarded (MR) can also be divided into categories. In Madison, Wi it was all called Cognitive Disabled. Here it is mentally handicapped either educable or trainable. Grey's is back on more later.
Too funny, people. TG, contact your area school board and get info about the district and the state qualifying criteria. That would be a good start.
Thanks, 'daisy, but information on how to qualify isn't what I'm looking for. What I want is some sources on what special education is all about. Are there any particularly useful and accessible Web sites? Any guides for parents that are especially straightforward and thorough?
Oh, sorry for misinterpreting. Your school district should be able to steer you to any parent support groups in the area. There is always CHADD, which is national, the Learning Disabilities Association, and the Dyslexia Association.
I love SPED because its such an expansive field--it covers so much so you can never get bored and never stop learning. Plus, we can incorporate all kinds of stuff from the general education realm, so our resources are often unlimited. That being said, it can be really hard to get a foundation knowledge of SPED. I suppose I might recommend just borrowing an intro text from a library and perusing it to see what jumps out at you. In my freshman intro class we used "Human Exceptionality." Such a text would likely give you a decent foundation of disability types and some legislation, and then if something really piques your interest you can easily obtain more specific resources. I read a lot of education related texts, but I rarely encounter anything that is general that I feel is terribly beneficial--SPED can be so precise and so individualized. Have you tried www.do2learn.com for info on disability types? I seem to remember they have some printable resources for parents. Happy Learning!
TG- I have a copy of the booklet below, that is called a Guide to Special Education in NY. It is written for parents to help them navigate the special ed maze. I think it's a great resource http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/parentguide.htm
Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education was the textbook I used for college. It is $90.00 but has some of the most comprehensive information on definitions, what it means as far as development and education, and how to include them in the classroom.
don't be confuse Hi, i recently start mySPED course. our instructor told us to buy a book named "SPED in Ontario School'.5th addition, i read this book little but i found lots of knowlede about sped. so go and find this book in the library best of luck
hi, ellen thanks to giving us lots of information. i need ur help just tell me that if students have a problem in learning vocabulary than can i use some activities or games for improving their sight vocab.Pls send me some activites or give me ur advice right away. i am online thanks
There are some articles Here written by Rick Lavoie. They may give you some ideas. So what have you learned so far?
There are a series of books about a variety of disabilities. The book is written for parents, so it talks about everything from education choices to communication, behavior, skills, resources for more information, etc. I really like the books and have read several of them in order to make informed recommendations to my parents. Here is the link for information: http://woodbinehouse.com/parent-guide.ParentGuide.0.htm Wrightslaw is a great resource to learn about law, policy, timelines, etc. Here is their website: http://www.wrightslaw.com/ Now, as a person who works in multiple facets of the disability community, I would say there are some basic things I would say to someone who was volunteering in my class, with my kids I provide respite for, etc: 1. Person first language-You should always use child/adult who has (insert disability) versus language such as the CP kid, etc. 2. Observe and build rapport with children first before jumping in to make changes. 3. Acknowledge any attempts that children make to complete a task, communicate something, etc. (even if it is not 100% correct, etc). Phrases like good trying, good job using your words, etc. let the children know that you are proud of their attempts to follow your expectations. 4. Celebrate the small stuff!!! Every small step to gain a seemingly simple task for typically developing children is important! This also goes for parents too...Send home little notes for these small moments in school so the parents hear the positive things their kids are doing regularly. 5. Do not complete art projects, coloring sheets etc. for the student to make them look "right". Hand over hand assistance is fine, but try to let the child direct the action, placement of objects, etc. (Parents want their child's artwork, not ours! ) 6. When you greet a parent who has their child with a disability in tow, speak to the child whenever possible regarding their name, age, etc. Even if the parent has to answer for them, it is an acknowledgement that you are interested in them as an individual. Hope this helps..If you want an other info, let me know.
Lots of information! Thanks, all! It will take me a while to wade through it, but I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.
Woodbine House is a wonderful publishing house--this is where specific information really comes into play. I have some of their publications on Down syndrome and autism (and a few others I think too) and they are wonderful, frequently detailed reads, that get right to the point of each selected topic. If you are looking for similar resources, I'd also recommend JKP (Jessica Kingsley Publishing) which concentrates on autism spectrum disorders. I was sitting in a meeting today thinking the Wrightslaw site should be added to this thread. It is a wonderful resource for the legislative side of SPED.
The Council for Exceptional Children is another great website you might want to look through. It is http://www.cec.sped.org
Book idea I had to buy a book a few years ago for my first "intro" speced class. It is a wonderful "overview" of special education.... I would look into this book as it addresses almost every aspect of special education. Here it is, sorry not cited APA (haven't quite mastered that yet ) Special Education- What it is and why we need it. James M. Kauffman and Daniel P. Hallahan. Pearson Education, Inc. 2005
Hey TG.. how has it been since then? I am new to this site and I did read through... I am new myself though I have finished my cours ein Special Education...
I recently took a Praxis II test in special ed after a LONG time away from my last course in this area. I picked up an overview book by Scholastic and also a book explaining procedures and rights for parents at B&N. Both were paperback and most helpful. I have since loaned them to a coworker so I can't give the titles.
