EDEP1610

UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL

EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN)
 Learning Outcomes

• Understanding historical perspective of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

• Emerging directions of special education

 Historical Perspective of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

• Early 20th century, 1906 – Alfred Binet (Intelligence Test)

• 1912 – Goddard published book on the Kallilak family and discovered that
intelligence & feeble-mindedness was hereditary

• Goddard findings divided “feeble-minded into 3

classes”

1. Idiots – mental age below below child of 2 years

2. Imbeciles – mental age of approximately 7 years
3. Morons – mental age of approximately 12 years
(coined the term moron)
 Historical Perspective of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

• 1876 – organization of professional working (Association of Medical Officers of

American Institutions of Medical Officers of American for Idiotic and Feeble-minded
Person - AMOAIIFP)

• 1992 – change name to American Association on Mental Retardation (AMMR)

• 2006 – change name to American Association on Intellectual dan Developmental

Disabilities (AAIDD)
 Mental Retardation – What?

• Disability characterized by significantly below-average general intelligence

and deficits in adaptive behavior
• Different than Learning Disabled—below- average IQ (70 or below)
• Used descriptors of “educable” – minimal academic skills, “trainable” –
needed to learn personal care, social adjustment and skills and “dependent”
• Verbal & Nonverbal areas to be considered
 Mental Retardation – What?

…means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently (at

the same time) with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the
developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance

…however there are multiples disabilities and impairment (such as mental

retardation-blindness; mental retardation-orthopedic impairment; etc)
 AMMR Criteria
Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning existing concurrently with related
limitation in 2 or more of the following applicable adaptive skill areas

• Motor skills
• Social Interaction & Communication Skills
• Personal living skills
• Community living skills
• Health and safety
• Functional academics
 What does “Special Educational Needs” mean to you?

A child has special educational needs if he/she has a

learning difficulty which calls for special education
provision to be made for him or her

The Education Act, 1996

A child with special needs who possess disabilities of physical, sensory,

emotional or behavioral nature. This includes having learning disability.
 Definition of Special Education
• Special Education or Special Needs Education (Instruction Based Programme) is the form of
education planned for the students with Special Needs in a way that addresses
1. Individual Differences
2. Needs

• Special education is a form of learning provided to the students Exceptional Needs:-

1. Learning disabilities
2. Mental abnormalities

• Form of Special Education

1. Specialized teaching techniques
2. Special materials
3. Special facilities
 Special Education

• The philosophy of Special Education claims that each individual with

disability is entitled to the support necessary to maximize his/her potential

• The purpose is to ensure that students with disabilities (physical, mental and
behavioral) are provided with the environment that allows them to be
educated effectively
 Objectives of Special Education

• To identify disability among the preschool children and provide opportunity to

participate in an approved preschool activities program

• To provide a coordinated and comprehensive instructional program from

kindergarten through high school according to their needs

• To encourage parental involvement and understanding of Special Education

Programs

• To provide appropriate vocational services to the students with disabilities

• To provide health and friendly environment in and outside the school for each
student with disability
 Special Education Services

• Special Education services are designed to help the child learn skills that other
children learn during general educational settings

• Services included therapy, counseling, adaptive equipment and facilities

• Special education services are provided in public/private schools and include

special instruction in the classroom, at home, in the hospital, in institutions and
other settings
 Students with Disabilities
“In 2018–19, the number of students ages 3–21 who received special education services under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 7.1 million, or 14 percent of all public school students.
Among students receiving special education services, 33 percent had specific learning disabilities”
Students with Disabilities in Malaysia
 Classification of the Disabilities

No. Classification Details

1. Impairment • Physical or mental defect

• The loss or reduced function of a body part or organ

2. Disability • It refers to a person-level limitations in physical and psycho-

cognitive activities

• Limit the ability to perform certain tasks

3. Handicap • A problem encountered during interaction with the environment

4. At risk • Children who have a greater-than-usual chance of developing

a disability

Source – WHO (1996)

 Classification of Special Education Needs

• An Intellectual Disability

• Physical Impairment

• Hearing Impairment

• Visual impairment (blindness)

• Behaviorial Impairment

• Speech or language impairment

• Serious Emotional Disturbance

• Orthopedic Impairment
 References

1. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/History_Inclusive_Education.pdf

2. Peterson, J. M., & Hittie, M. M. (2003). Inclusive teaching: Creating effective schools for
all learners. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

3. Rotatori, A. F., Obiakor, F. E., & Bakken, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). History of special
education. Emerald Group Publishing.

4. Sands, D. J., Kozleski, E. B., & French, N. K. (2000). Inclusive education for the 21st
century. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Thank you