Favorites from this week

I have never really known all that much about the laws of special education but this week I was able to dive deeper into the laws and what they actual provide for the children. I think it is really comforting to know as a future educator and mother that there are laws out there that will protect children's education and give them a chance to be the most successful that they can be. One thing I really loved this week was learning more about the laws because I think it is really important to be aware of what has happened before us and how that changes things for the future. There are so many court cases and so much to memorize that comes with this but there are a few things that really stood out to me. There are 6 categories that fall under IDEA which is the main law for special education. It stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The 6 things are important to helping you understand more about this law, they are....

1. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This is saying students can attend public education and receive the education services to help their needs. 

2. Least Restrictive Environments (LRE). Students must be educated in settings most like that without students with disabilities where they can be most successful.

3. Individualized Education. Tailoring the information to the needs of the student.

4. Nondiscriminatory evaluation. Being assessed with instruments that don't discriminate against race, culture or disabilities. 

5. Due Process. Solving disagreements concerning a student's disability education plan. 

6. Zero reject/child find. All students are entitled to receiving public education, regardless of disability.

One other thing I loved about this week was that we got to work as a group to study something I am very passionate about. Basically everyone who knows me, knows that I dream of being a speech and language pathologist. Although this dream is still a few years away it was so great to be able to research and learn more about speech and language problems. I never realized that the statistics for children who struggle with these problems are so high. It really made me excited for learning more and eventually making a difference in the lives of children.