Special Education Law: 4 Laws you should be aware of
When you take up teaching special needs children as your career, you do undergo a special education teacher training course, right? But what’s more is that these children must be treated equally as other mainstream children.
So, as you come out of a teacher training institute, you need to be aware of some laws and regulations that are entitled to the special needs children. Besides the educational policies and teaching methodologies, you should have knowledge of these laws which prove to be of vital importance to the children.
We have handpicked 4 such vital laws regarding special education. These along with little details of them are as follows:
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
This particular act was earlier known as All Handicapped Children Act and after a few modernisations, it is now IDEA or Individual with Disabilities Education Act. It came into action in 1990 with the main focus fixed on the fact that every child irrespective of their disability must receive education that is free, public and appropriate.
As per this law, the children are entitled to assistance that they need in addition to the ones already being provided. These children can actively participate in all sorts of activities just like any other children- this is what the law ensures.
A good online teacher training course must make you knowledgeable about this act. That’s because you can ensure that the children you teach are not deprived of the rights.
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Individual Education Programmes
It is like a continuation from the previous regulation IDEA. According to IDEA, teachers and parents need to meet the educational demands of special needs children through IEP or Individual Education Programme.
A teacher with special education teacher training must identify the unique traits in a child and his requirements in regards to education. Only then a programme can be developed. Also, the teacher with professional training should identify whether the child is eligible for getting into any programme or not.
Teacher and the parents together can develop education plan for children and enable them learn in an effective and efficient way.
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Education for All Handicapped Children Act
In 1975, the US Congress brought this particular law in motion and it became the first law that focussed entirely on special education or the children receiving special education. Children with both physical and mental disabilities are brought under the umbrella of this law.
Private schools, as per the law, are bound to take special needs children as their students and provide similar education to them as others studying there. In addition, this law also mentioned that any school which receives federal funds, must arrange for a free meal a day for the learners.
This act is also inclusive of the following aims and objectives;
- To enable children in need of special education access the same more easily
- To provide the children with proper services
- To induce a systematic evaluation of the whole process of special education
- To arrange for federal funds to the public schools so that special arrangements for disabled children can be made
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No Child Left Behind
This was again a contribution of the US Congress that came into action in 2001. The main aim of this act was to reauthorize the existing Elementary and Secondary Education Act. As per this law, the schools all across the country need to chalk out routine assessment procedure for analysing the skills of the children as developed by then.
Incentives are provided to the schools under the regulation of this law so that special needs students can be brought under that. These incentives also help the schools to arrange for any additional requirements to meet the academic, social or emotional needs.
Aspirants who are professionally trained by teacher training programme, can gather knowledge about this and thus help the students with their education.
These are the four basic and most vital laws that you should have knowledge about if you are a special needs teacher. But these are not all of course. The more you get trained, the more you get to know about these.
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