Special Education in Elementary School by Mia Barinaga

Observable Behaviors and Their Interpretation

miabiasoledad — 2025-05-27 22:41:48 UTC

"Because of the challenges that are universally experienced when trying to learn a new language, it can be difficult to determine if a student is simply struggling with the language, or if the student also has learning disabilities" (Duquette and Land, 2014)

Identifying Special Education Needs In Class and Home

miabiasoledad — 2025-05-27 22:41:48 UTC

"As they consider the answers to these questions, it is particularly important for teachers to keep in mind that a child’s developmental delay or disability will be observable in both languages and across multiple settings. Additionally, developmentally appropriate strategies will likely produce noticeable gains for typically developing ELs but not necessarily for those with disabilities."

Students with Disabilities:

may show the same difficulties in both their home language and second language
may have the same concerns in other settings such as home and childcare
may not be very responsive to developmentally appropriate strategies

Communication with Parents and Formal Evaluation

miabiasoledad — 2025-05-27 22:41:48 UTC

Within my own future classroom I would next open communication with parents to discuss if my student's difficulties within the classroom are something that affect them at home as well. If so, I could inform their parents that their child has a right to be formally evaluated for special education as a part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. If their child is eligible for special education services after this evaluation, the next step would be to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This would also be a great time to establish a strong partnership with the student's family in order to provide them a strong community of support throughout their education.

Further information on diagnosing intellectual disabilities can be found in the follow resource:

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability

Individual Education Plan

miabiasoledad — 2025-05-27 22:41:48 UTC

The contents of an IEP are developed after having a meeting with parents and the evaluation team
During the meeting, parents and the evaluation team will review the results of the evaluation
Both short-term and yearly goals will be created for each need discussed
During the meeting it will also be possible to decide which skills will receive the most attention
IEP will also include which support services the child will receive and how often they will receive them

Implementing IEPs

miabiasoledad — 2025-05-27 22:41:48 UTC

Ways that I can support my students using their IEPs:

working to meet the short-term and long-term specific goals outlined in the IEP
use tailored teaching strategies (using various instructional methods, adapted materials, scaffolding strategies, and assistive technology)
using modifications and accommodations such as adjustment in instruction, changes in environment, assessment adjustments, and differentiated assignments
making various assessments such as observations, portfolios, performance tasks, informal assessments, and collaborative assessments to determine what areas the students need more attention