Lesson 1

Vision for all LSEN in the Philippines

The state, community and family envision that a Filipino child with special needs will be adequately provided with basic education, and will get full parental and community support for his/her education without discrimination of any kind.

The policy on inclusive education for all is adopted in the Philippines to accelerate access to education among children and youth with special needs. Special education aims to provide a flexible and individualized support system for children and youth with special needs in a regular class environment. The government should implement a life-long curriculum, provide early intervention and parent education, basic education, and transition programs, and make available an array of educational programs and services for children and youth with special needs. Make available an array of educational programs and services for children with special needs, including a special education center, inclusive education in regular schools, and homebound instruction.

Understanding Special Educational Needs

The National Council for Special Education defines children with special educational needs as children who have much in common with other children their age, but have a learning problem or disability that makes it harder for them to learn than most children their age.

The current concept of special education emerged in the nineteenth century with the rise of associations specializing in special education legislation and the development of programs for each category of special education.

Special Education Inclusion Programs and Mainstreaming Special Education Students are similar, but Mainstreaming Special Education Students spend the majority of the day in a self-contained special education program, which is often located on the same campus or in an entirely different school from their typically developing peers.

The Individualized Disability Education Act requires six principles to be provided for students who receive special education services.

A free and appropriate public education (FAPE) is given to diagnosed children, their parents, families, and guardians at no cost, designed to meet their individual needs. Non-discriminatory Identification and Evaluation refers to the process, instruments, and qualifying tools used to identify individuals with a disability. All evaluation instruments must use the child's first language or have an equivalent translation. A student with exceptional disability is provided with services in an individualized education program (IEP), which includes adaptations and accommodations, a description of the student's current level of educational performance, and target long and short term learning goals. Parents, families, and guardians of a child with a disability must be members of any group that makes decisions regarding their child's placement and LRE. They must also have a right to notification of all meetings regarding their child's placement, access to planning and evaluation materials, and notification of any planned evaluations.

Inclusive Education is the right of children with disabilities to receive a regular education in a regular classroom. It is the main modality to address the educational needs of children who suffer from different deficiencies.

The process of inclusive education is supported by various international legal sources, especially the Declaration of Salamanca (1994), which states that all children should learn together, wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have.

To ensure high quality inclusion, preschools must provide a wide range of activities and environments, remove physical barriers, and offer multiple ways to promote learning and development through universal design and universal design for learning.

In the Philippines, inclusive education is guided by DepEd Order 72 s. 2009 and Senate Bill No. 1732.

The real inclusive education of children with diverse needs can be achieved if there are no physical, psychological, or other barriers in an educational establishment, and if there are appropriate resources and pieces of technical equipment available.

Let’s Do it!

Based on the discussions, create your personal philosophy on educating LSENs and research Special and Inclusive Education of other countries.

Introduction:

Children's development follows a predictable course, with expected time-frames for reaching certain skills and abilities. However, each child develops at his own pace, with his own particular strengths and weaknesses.

Ana can make many vocalizations and says one recognizable word, but she can't follow simple instructions. Her parents don't know how to help her communicate her desires with words.

Development

Some children may not accomplish developmental milestones within the range of normalcy. In some cases, the nature of the child's disability prevents the child from ever accomplishing certain skills.

Children organize their environment in their minds, store information for future use, and behave in ways that suggest learning has taken place.

Children's development follows a known and predictable course. Certain skills and abilities are often used to gauge children's development, such as crawling, walking, saying single words, putting words together into phrases and sentences, and following directions.

interact

Children whose development is just a little bit different may not qualify for services in the developmental areas in which they may be struggling, especially during their school years.

Children with moderate to severe delays may need different intervention than children with less severe delays, but with proper intervention they can learn how to eat and use the toilet on their own.

Teachers and parents should note atypical behaviors because they might be early warning signs of later and more significant problems.

The theory of learning focuses on how behavior is learned through the environment, and how it influences human thinking and behavior. It emphasizes the importance of relationships with people and the sequence, or stages, of personality development.

Closure

Module 1 introduces you to concepts surrounding Special Education and Inclusive Education, current local educational practices, and Inclusive Education in the Philippines with that of International standards.

Discussion of special education terms, personal philosophy on educating LSENs, research on special education of other countries, case study analysis.