Knowing the right special education terms can help you to get your child the education they need.
Last week, we introduced several special education terms that every parent new to the special education system should know. There’s a lot to navigate in the special education system, so here are more special education terms that parents should know. Knowing the right terms will help you to know what to ask for to get your child the education they need.
Supplementary Aides
Supplementary aides are classroom aides or services that are provided to the student or the teacher. This can be anything from assistive technology, a one-on-one aide, and collaboration with service providers, such as the school occupational therapist. It can also include specific teaching strategies that can help your child calm down, transition from one activity to another, and pay better attention.
Accommodations
These are adaptations that the school can make without having to lower the standards of the education provided just to give your student a passing grade. So, for example, instead of requiring a lower score to pass a test, the school can instead place your child in a quiet distraction-free room to take the test or let your child take the test orally instead of requiring handwritten answers.
Modifications
Unlike accommodations, modifications do involve changing the content of the educational material. This may mean changes to course content, different time requirements, or different test presentation.
LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
Schools can provide aides, accommodations, and modifications that allow your child to enjoy their education in the same classroom as their peers without disabilities. Allowing children with disabilities to study in the same classroom as their peers helps them to access the same general education as other students in their peer group, rather than restricting them from that access by placing them in a separate classroom.
FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education
Regardless of the type or severity of your child’s disability, public schools are required to provide “free appropriate public education” to all school-age children and adolescents. This means that your school district should have developed an IEP that considers the least restrictive environment in order to be able to offer the best free appropriate public education.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.