ProfEd 102: Special and Inclusive Education Terms

• ProfEd 102 - Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

Termonologies

• Dyslexia involves difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and speaking.
• Dyscalculia involves difficulty doing math problems, understanding time/money, and remembering math facts.
• Dysgraphia involves difficulty with handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas.
• Dyspraxia involves difficulty with hand-eye coordination, balance, and fine motor skills.
• Auditory processing disorder involves difficulty interpreting what the ear hears, differing from a hearing impairment.
• Visual processing issues involve difficulty interpreting what the eye sees, differing from a visual impairment.
• Flexible: Easily modified to respond to altered circumstances or conditions.
• Transition: A movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another.
• Vocational: Relating to training in a skill or trade to be pursued as a career.
• Barriers: Something immaterial that impedes or separates.
• Comprehensive: Complete, including nearly all elements or aspects of something.

Special Education Qualification

• Governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Available for children ages 3 to 21 with documented disabilities.
• Early intervention services are available for children under 3.
• Eligibility requires a disability covered under IDEA.
• Specialized instruction is required to access the general education curriculum.

IDEA Disability Categories

• Includes 13 categories, including:
• Autism
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia
• Other health impairments like ADHD

Special Education Settings

• Self-Contained Classrooms
• Features smaller class sizes and specialized instruction.
• Goals are tailored to individual students.
• Partial mainstreaming may be included (e.g., art, P.E.).
• Inclusion Classrooms
• Mixes students with and without disabilities.
• Co-taught by special and general education teachers.
• Focus is on the least restrictive environment (LRE).

Purpose of Special Education

• Provides free, tailored instruction to meet unique learning needs.
• Aims to help students develop to their fullest potential.
• Services available until age 21, with state-specific adult services post-21.

Inclusive Education

• Places students with disabilities in age-appropriate general education classes.
• Emphasizes high-quality instruction, interventions, and supports.
• Operates on the principle of least restrictive environment (LRE).
• The goal is for students with disabilities to learn alongside peers without disabilities as much as possible.

Goals & Scope of Special Education

• Ultimate Goal: Integrate learners with special needs into regular schools and the community.
• Specific Objectives:
• Develop and maximize learning competencies.
• Inculcate values to make learners useful and effective members of society.
• Scope: Covers gifted/talented/fast learners.
• Also covers mentally retarded/visually impaired/hearing impaired individuals.
• Covers individuals with behavioral problems, orthopedic handicaps, special health issues, learning disabilities, speech impairments, or multiple handicaps

Inclusive Education Goals

• Accelerate access to education for children with special needs.
• Provide appropriate educational services within mainstream basic education.
• Two-Pronged Goals:
• Development through legislation, human resources, family involvement, and NGO participation.
• Address attitudinal barriers, institutionalization, and sustainability of programs.
• Key Strategies:
• Flexible, individualized support in regular classrooms.
• Vocational programs, work training, and employment opportunities.
• Life-long curriculum (early intervention, parent education, basic education, vocational/college prep).
• Establish Special Education Centers using a “school within a school" concept.

Challenges in the Philippines

• Lack of knowledge and resources for high-quality inclusion.
• Public schools, especially in rural areas, remain ill-equipped.
• Teachers feel unprepared to handle students with special needs.
• Inclusion requires meticulous planning; short-term workshops are insufficient.
• High standards of inclusion are not yet met in most schools.

Global Perspective on Inclusive Education

• UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1994):
• Promotes inclusion as a global norm.
• Calls for appropriate education for children with special needs in general education settings.
• UNCRPD Support:
• Over 140 governments support inclusion policies.
• UNICEF and UNESCO advocate for inclusive education.

Benefits of Inclusion

• For Students with Disabilities:
• Friendships, social networks, and peer role models.
• Increased achievement of IEP goals and access to the general curriculum.
• Higher expectations and opportunities for interaction.
• For Schools and Families:
• Enhanced staff collaboration and parent participation.
• Families become more integrated into the community.

Barriers to Inclusive Education

• Attitudinal Barriers: Negative perceptions about disabilities and physical/emotional bullying.
• Physical Barriers: Lack of wheelchair ramps, assistive technology, and accessible facilities.
• Inappropriate Curriculum: Rigid, centralized with little flexibility for diverse learners.
• Untrained Teachers: Lack of skills and positive attitudes toward students with special needs.
• Inadequate Funding: Insufficient resources, classrooms, and qualified staff.
• Poor Organization: Lack of communication and focus on compliance over quality.
• Policy Barriers: Policymakers with unsound or opposing views on inclusion.

Core Principles of Education Policies

• Right to Education is a basic human right for all.
• Access to Quality Education: Ensured for all children and youth.
• Inclusive Education focuses on learners traditionally excluded from educational opportunities.
• Holistic Support Systems are organized and delivered comprehensively.

Public Policy Support for Inclusive Education (Philippines)

• 1987 Philippine Constitution guarantees access to quality education.
• P.D. 603 is the Child and Youth Welfare Code.
• R.A. 7610 provides special protection of children against abuse, exploitation, and discrimination.
• R.A. 7277 is the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (amended by R.A. 9442).
• Policies and Guidelines in Special Education.

Philippine Model of Inclusion

• Partial Mainstreaming:
• Students attend regular classes for at least half the day.
• Receive additional specialized services (e.g., pull-out programs).
• Full Mainstreaming/Inclusion:
• Students complete regular instruction.
• Receive all special services within the general classroom.

Transition Program:

• Designed for students aged 18-22 receiving special education services.
• Focuses on teaching independent living and vocational skills.
• Activities occur in community settings (e.g., work sites, public transportation).
• The goal is to prepare students for competitive integrated employment.

Indigenous Peoples (IP) Education

• Policy Actions
• Provide access to quality basic education.
• Preserve and promote IP rights to the ancestral domain, cultural identity, and heritage.
• Objective: Operationalize the National IP Education Policy Framework.
• Activities: Launching of PRIME (Philippine Response to Indigenous and Muslim Education).
• Celebrating IP Month in October.

Madrasah Education for Muslim Children

• Integrates Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) into the curriculum.
• Policy Actions: Provide access to quality education and preserve Muslim learners' religious identity/heritage.
• Objectives:
• Institutionalize Madrasah Education at all levels.
• Develop and implement Madrasah curricula for Kindergarten, elementary, and secondary levels.
• Professionalize Asatidz (teachers) through the Accelerated Teacher Education Program.

Additional Education Programs:

• Street Children Education
• Kariton Klasrum Project brings education to poor communities via pushcart classrooms.
• Street Educator Efren Peñaflorida, recognized as a CNN Hero of the Year.
• Activities include stock-taking and program implementation in selected sites.
• Education for Sexually Abused Children
• Institutionalization of Personal Safety Lessons, integrated into elementary and secondary schools.
• Ongoing Training for teachers and trainers.
• Coordination with Agencies ensures welfare and support for affected children.

Alternative Delivery Modes for Disadvantaged Children

• MISOSA: Modified In-School and Off-School Approach for elementary.
• Open High School Program: For secondary students, including:
• Distance learning
• Modular learning
• Online learning
• Home-based learning
• Current Issues and Challenges:
• Increasing schools' holding power over disadvantaged children.
• Adapting resources and support systems for inclusive education.
• Mobilizing parents and stakeholders to support inclusion.
• Providing post-school support for employment and independent living.