Chapter 1: Educating Young Children With and Without Exceptionalities: The Rationale

The history of educating students with exceptionalities in the United States parallels that of other groups in our society that have been excluded from services, and present future directions in education for students with and without exceptionalities. Programs for these students in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when the U.S. Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with exceptionalities. The EHA was later modified to strengthen protections to people with exceptionalities and renamed the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). This federal law requires states to provide special education consistent with federal standards as a condition for receiving federal funds. IDEA entitles every student to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To ensure a FAPE, a team of professionals from the local educational agency usually meet with the student’s parents to identify the student’s unique educational needs, to develop annual goals for the student, and to determine the placement, program modification, testing accommodations, counseling, and other special services that the student needs. Parents become part of the multidisciplinary team, along with the local educational agency professionals, and collaborate with team members to make decisions on educational placement. These choices are recorded in a written Individualized Education Program (IEP). The school is required to develop and implement an IEP that meets the standards of federal and state educational agencies. Parents have the option of refusing special education services for their child.