By Monica Corral-lorica Having a special need child in the family doesn’t mean you have to panic. Just like other kids, special needs children can learn to live a normal life and reach their full potential. Guidance, teaching and love are primary ingredients in rearing a special child and helping him reach full potential. The “panicking” of parents upon learning about their child’s situation can be attributed to some common misconceptions in dealing with special needs children. These misc

by Paul Counts Special education has been assisting students with learning disabilities in the United States education system since the end of World War II. The first push for special education started when a group of parent-organized advocacy groups surfaced. In 1947 one of the first organizations, the American Association on Mental Deficiency, held its first convention. That marked a starting point for special education as we know it today. Started during the Civil Rights Movement in t

By Lisa Chappell As a teacher, I have found it harder for my co-workers to teach at the same level they did several years ago. The curriculum hasn’t changed, the hours haven’t gotten longer and the teacher-student ratio hasn’t changed; so why is it more difficult? Teachers are having to mainstream (putting children disabilities in the general education classes) children who are in some terms addicted themselves to the drugs of their parents. Where do the children of drug addicts go? To pub

by Bryan Post, PhD Adopted at the age of six months, Joseph was a fussy and sometimes hard to soothe infant. Feeling as though this was just normal infant difficulties with the adjustment of adoption, Pat and Robert paid it little attention. When Joseph reached the age of two and began to bite the other children in daycare, they chalked it up to the dreaded two-year old stage of which everyone assumes to be okay. Though the biting never quite ceased that year, with a few modifications, Jose

by Christine Dugan Based on the U.S. Department of Education's 2002 report to Congress on IDEA the number of students with autism in U.S. schools has increased by 1354% in an eight-year period from 1991-1992 to 2000-2001 (as cited by the Autism Society of America, 2003). This increase is almost fifty times higher than all disabilities (excluding autism), which has increased in the U.S. by 28.4%. From 1991-1992 to 2000-2001 school years, the number of students with autism that are being serv

by Linda Simpson This article is a continuation of Part II: IEP Meeting Success Are you a parent of a child with a learning disability? The deck is stacked against you for achieving a quality, special education IEP. Learn how to get the best possible program for your child. 1. In Part II, study the "IEP Success Method." (Gather data from experts that present evidence of a deficit, list the student's needs due to the deficit, document the legal rights to these services, and o

by Lisa Harp It is estimated that there are over 2.5 million people who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. The majority of these are boys. As a mother of a boy and a teacher, I have seen first hand the evidence of this, and I have to ask why we, as a nation, are content to medicate these beautiful, brilliant children instead of questioning the methods of teaching and choosing alternative educational settings for them. Wouldn't it be easier to reform our educational system tha

by Lisa Simmons 1. Read last year's IEP - It's important to review what came out of last year's plan. Was it successful ? Did the methods of instruction work ? Did the measurement process used really tell you if progress was being made ? Were the goals & objectives really functional for your child? Also try to think back to the actual meeting -- what part of the discussion did you feel least prepared for ? Remembering will help you prepare better this time around! 2. Update your advocac

by David Palmer, Ph.D. School's in session - and although most of their parents don't realize it, millions of early elementary age kids are being screened, tested, and sorted in an attempt to find those who need gifted education support services to flourish. While it may seem that gifted kids should be able to do well in any setting, parents, researchers, and specialists who advocate for this sometimes overlooked group point out that many of our brightest child minds become bored, frustra

by Susan du Plessis Deer momee and dadee I bo not wont to do to shool eny more becouse the children ar lafing at me. I canot reed pleese help me your sun david David is not a dunce. In fact, according to the evaluations of a few professionals, he is rather intelligent. Yet he certainly has a problem, and he shares his problem with millions of other children and adults. David is dyslexic. The term "dyslexia" was introduced in 1884 by the German ophthalmologist, R. Berlin. H