Before there were children with disabilities in typical schools in North America, there was only hope and need. Before the creation of highly specialized plans of education, individualized instruction techniques, methods of differentiating group instruction or regulations mandating the adherence to government regulations, there were only families,…

This resource outlines case studies for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) and related services across school reopening models, including considerations for identifying settings and least restrictive environment (LRE). The case studies examples include elementary, middle school and behavior, secondary transition, and preschool. There…

Students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) are increasingly receiving more of their instruction in the general education classroom where they have access to a rigorous curriculum and a highly qualified teacher. In some cases, a co-taught classroom (one in which a general educator and a special service provider equally co-plan,…

In a world of ever-changing educational trends, it is essential for educators to provide a continuum of services to meet the needs of all students. Therefore, employing an inclusive structure or environment is imperative to the implementation of Special Education laws, according to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Every Student…

Kolby is a four-year-old, identified on the autism spectrum as having sensitivity issues, attention challenges, and limited verbal language abilities. Next to Kolby sits Melanie, a reserved four-year-old with visual, fine-motor, and gross-motor challenges. Amy rounds out the group as one of the peer models in the inclusive classroom setting. Mrs.…

Special education used to be a place--sometimes a separate school, more often a classroom down the hall where students labeled as such disappeared for hours at a time, out of sight and out of mind for the typical classroom teacher. That's still sometimes the case, but increasingly, special education is front and center in the regular education…

Managing practical science activities effectively is demanding for any teacher and especially so for inexperienced practitioners. Add the problems posed by integrating children with learning and behavioural difficulties and one has the sort of challenge that makes working in education rewarding--but not easy! As a newly qualified teacher, the…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 and 2004 have brought more students with special education classifications into general education courses and made general education teachers accountable for the performance of those students. They are expected to participate in individual education plan…

As a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1990), public school districts are required to provide appropriate services to preschool students who are at risk or who are experiencing developmental delays. These services are frequently offered in preschool programs for children with disabilities (PPCDs). PPCDs are generally…

As an eighth-grade student at Jackson Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee, Olivia Contreras had arrived in the United States from her native Nicaragua the previous year. But Olivia learned English so quickly that she was placed in mainstream content classes the following year. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 created a lot of stories…

Stating an individual to focus and considering him as a value that should be developed independently have gained importance in our classes where understandings stating students and learning to central point were gathered with new curriculum under the same roof. Each student's learning and teaching lives transformed into an academic synergy by…

Technology is helping to meet a critical 21st-century challenge: how to equip the swelling number of autistic students to enter the mainstream student population. Technology-based solutions, such as tools for teaching kids how to recognize facial expressions, are giving educators a means of helping autistic students acquire basic life skills. The…

This article describes how the teachers in a sixth grade mathematics inclusion class used differentiated instruction to better meet the needs of all learners in the classroom. In an inclusion class with students of mixed abilities, differentiated instruction allows the teacher to meet the needs of every learner by providing students with multiple…

Increasing numbers of young children with diagnosed disabilities and unique learning needs are enrolled in early childhood programs. If early childhood inclusion is to be a successful educational approach, it is imperative that all early childhood teachers understand and are able to provide individualized instruction to young children with special…

One of the primary ways schools are addressing the need for accountability and individualization is through a technique known as co-teaching. Co-teaching is considered a viable option for ensuring students have a "highly qualified" content teacher in the room, while also ensuring that all students' individualized education needs are met by an…