4 Vital Laws on Special Education That You Should Know

All kids are equal; they are the future citizens of our nation. But among them, some are born with special needs. And so they need special care, especially in the primary journey of the early stages of their lives. Special education programs are designed to help these differently-abled kids. The aim of these programs is not only to develop their academic skills but also the interpersonal skills that make them self-sufficient and responsible citizens in the future.

Educators of these children need to go through a special education teacher training course from a reputable teacher training institute. With this, they can boost their skills and deal with the kids effectively. During the course, you will get acquainted with various methodologies and the latest teaching techniques. Besides, you will learn several laws that focus on special education services. Let’s explore these –

1. Education for All Handicapped Children Act

Passed by the US Congress in the year 1975, this was the first of the laws of special education that was designed for students who possessed physical and mental disabilities. According to the law, public schools should provide children with special needs the same level of opportunities for education as the other children. Moreover, any public school that received any kind of federal funds was needed to provide one free meal a day for the kids.

The mission of the Act was:

• Make special education services accessible to those kids who needed them
• Maintain appropriate services for the disabled students
• Institute a systematic evaluation of the special education requirements
• Bestow federal resources to the public schools for enabling education of the disabled students

2. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IDEA or the Individual with Disabilities Education Act came into being in the year 1990 and is a modified version of the All Handicapped Children Act. The motto of this law is to ensure that students with special needs receive appropriate free public education in an environment, which is least restrictive towards meeting the requirements of specially-abled students. Moreover, it helps students in receiving the extra assistance that they need. Besides, it allows them the necessary participation in activities as those kids who don’t have special needs wherever and whenever possible. If you have completed an online teacher training course on special education, you would have come across information on this Act.

3. No Child Left Behind

Came in 2001, this act was called for schools to be held accountable for the academic performance of every kid, irrespective of whether he is with a disability or not. According to the Act, schools across states need to develop routine assessments of the academic skills of the students. As a part of this law, schools are provided incentives to demonstrate progress in the special needs students. Moreover, students enjoy the right to seek alternative options in case schools are found to be falling short of their social, emotional, or academic needs. In such cases, aspiring teachers can complete a teacher training program to help students with their education.

4. Individualized Education Programs

IDEA maintains that teachers and parents of children in the special needs category should develop their own Individualized Education Program or IEP. It helps established special education with regards to the explicit requirements of the kid. Anyone who has completed a special education course should meet at the primary stage to determine whether a child is eligible for an IEP before coming together annually for assessing and developing the education plan.

So, if you are a parent of a student with disabilities or someone who wants to a teacher of a differently-abled child, knowing the laws is a must. And when you will complete a special education teacher training course, you will have complete knowledge of this. So, take admission in a teacher training program on special education today!