SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special Education Has Changed Beyond Recognition Over The Last 150 Years



Special Education Has Changed Beyond Recognition Over The Last 150 Years

Introduction

Every child has right to get equal opportunity to learn, if a child face difficulty in learning due to any physical or mental ability, the curriculum and teaching strategies must be set according to their needs. There have been various changes and advancements in order to provide support and assistance to these children in all schools in England. Parents, teachers, and government has played major role to assist these children in order to overcome their deficiencies and to get education according to their needs and demands. These facilities can result in generating positive response for learning in these students. It also results in improving their class performances and successful transition into adulthood, promising career and employment opportunity. Over the last 150 years, special education has changed beyond recognition from social segregation as “disabled” people, to the children with special needs--included in the society.

Discussion

“Special Need” is the umbrella term that can be used to describe these children and other children with the impairment and medical conditions (Tassoni, 2003, p.4). It is very essential for the government and various organizations to deal with the problems associated with the educational needs of the children facing difficulties in learning. Every child is different from other and especially in case of mental and physical abilities; it is not possible to deal with all the students with the same approach. Government of UK has taken various important measures in order to facilitate students with special needs. All schools are required to adopt curriculum that can deal with the needs of individual children.

Segregation, integration and inclusion are the terms, which can asses these problems from different approaches. In Segregation system, children with special needs placed in the separate schools, segregating them from the society and other children . Their course content and curriculum were not in accordance to meet the demands of society and job market. According to Frederickson and Cline, this results in stigmatizing these children, restrict them from their right to get proper education, and results in creating biases in their lives (Frederickson and Cline, 2002, p.63). Integrated system resulted in placing children with special educational needs SEN in the mainstream education setting in the pre-existing structure and environment. This system was to end any social, cultural and ability biases in the society. This resulted in creating various difficulties for these children and their parents due to their low performance and slow learning.

Inclusion is very effective approach for children with special educational needs SEN, which is based on the assumption of equal opportunity and right for every child to get education (Weston, 2010, p.4-25). This approach is based on flexible education system in order to deal with the needs and requirements of children. Instead of segregating the students with special needs,Inclusive Education system includes all students equally with the disabilities and difficulties (Ainscow,1997). This approach is very effective and broad that it ...