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Special education describes an educational alternative that focuses on the teaching of students with academic, behavioral, health, or physical needs that cannot sufficiently be met using traditional educational programs or techniques. This article will focus mainly on the teaching of students with disabilities; see Gifted education for more information on that subject.
History Children with disabilities have always been part of our communities. In the past, some “special” education was provided to individual children on a one to one basis, such as Jean Marc Gaspard Itard’s work with Victor, the “wild child of Averyon”. As formal education became established, welfare or religious groups for the care of children with disabilities often became involved in their education. Government provision of special education services generally followed after voluntary groups had shown what could be done. Progress in Special Education saw a major reversal as the eugenics movement took hold. Under this theory, it was irresponsible to care for and educate people with disabilities as it would “weaken society”. The more scientific approaches, such as behaviourism, to studying disability, led to a new understanding of special education and the vision that all children could learn, no matter what diagnosis they were given. Initially education was provided to children of school age – about six or seven. In the 1970’s research into Early Childhood Intervention, the provision of special education from birth or first diagnosis, showed that the earlier special education was provided, the better the outcome for the child and the entire family. Special Education changed with Wolfensburger's theory of Normalisation - that all people with disabilities have the right to lead "normal" lives, including being part of a family, attending a local school, and holding a job in the community. This theory led to the concept of Inclusive Education, where schools no longer provide "regular education" and "special education" but provide a service which includes every child, no matter what he or she needs at the time. Special Education services now extend past school-age into adulthood, as a better understanding of life-long learning has been gained. It includes school-based activities as well as family and community activities, and has become a major testing ground for better teaching for all children, not simply children with disabilities. Special Education has a different quality in different countries. The political, economic and social pressures in each country has led to a different form of Special Education, with different sets of policies and practices. Individual Attention In some systems special education can also be implemented in mainstream education, by giving certain students more individual attention to their specific needs. Often this is implemented by an additional member of staff who has responsibility for working with children and young people with additional needs in small group or one-to-one situations. See Also | ||||||||
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