Educating a Child with Special Needs

If your child is having difficulty in school and no matter what avenue that you have explored or technique you have tried, the child still continues to struggle. Unfortunately there are too many children who are not recognized who need special services to enable them to succeed but lack of identification, or plain laziness on the school staffs part can cause a child to be overlooked.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was enacted to make sure that all children are given a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). IDEA requires the school system to meet the educational needs of children who have special needs by providing special accommodations and services free of charge.
At the request of a teacher or parent a child study meeting will be conducted to determine whether the child is eligible to receive special services.

A Child Study Team (CST) is required to have certain people in attendance. These attendees include the school principal (or someone whom is designated to take their place), the child's teachers,specialists ,the school nurse and psychologist, a social worker and the parent or guardian of the child. CST will investigate the scope of the problem that is impeding the child's ability to learn. They investigate the child's academics, developmental health, behavior, social, and emotional state. The CST will then work together to come up with ideas and suggestions and recommendations on how they can accommodate the child. The CST is also responsible for monitoring the results of the recommendations that they make.

A CST meeting can be initiated by the parent/guardian or any concerned adult that is working to educate the child and there are no specific time frames in which a meeting has to be called. The CST goal is to help the child succeed and will be made available when requested. When the team concludes the investigation and recommendations, the begin the process of drawing up a Individual Education Plan (IEP) that will meet the needs of the child through the agreed recommendations.

All parties must agree with the plan before it can be implemented.

Child Studies can make a parent feel like they are under the investigation light having to go through what feels like an interrogation. All of the child's particular problems and issues that are discussed are discussed in addition to asking about family history, home demographics, tragedies, and other relevant information. All parties (including the parents) should be totally honest about all circumstances and issues that revolve around the child. Some parents may become deterred through this process because they do not want to share this personal information (family information, health etc.) out of fear that the representatives will think that they are not suitable parents. However, this is about the education of a child and that is all they are there for. This is only the beginning of the process of educating a special needs child and the IEP's will need to be reviewed and amended as the child continues through school. The parent(s) need to become, and remain, an active advocate to ensure their child gets the best possible education.

Source:The Child Study Process located at: http://www.spsk12.net/departments/specialed/documents/CSTBrochure3.pdf