Education Kids with Delayed Skills.
Probably parents who have kids with delayed skills or other disabilities have known that there is special services that provide individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families. But understanding how to access these services can help parents be effective advocates for their kids.
There are several ways to help kids succeed in school and one of them is possibility to work with educators to develop a plan — the individualized education plan (IEP).
A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP. Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as:
learning disabilities
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
emotional disorders
mental retardation
autism
hearing impairment
visual impairment
speech or language impairment
developmental delay
In most cases, the services and goals outlined in an IEP can be provided in a standard school environment. This can be done in the regular classroom (for example, a reading teacher helping a small group of children who need extra assistance while the other kids in the class work on reading with the regular teacher) or in a special resource room in the regular school. The resource room can serve a group of kids with similar needs who are brought together for help.
As a parent, you can decide whether to have your child assessed. If you choose to do so, you’ll be asked to sign a permission form that will detail who is involved in the process and the types of tests they use. These tests might include measures of specific school skills, such as reading or math, as well as more general developmental skills, such as speech and language. Testing does not necessarily mean that a child will receive services.
2 comments May 19, 2008
