EDUC 8 – FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Activity I. Case studies

CASE STUDY 1
Questions:
1. What disability do you think best describes Daniel’s characteristics?
I think Daniel is showing symptoms of a child having an Autism or the Autism spectrum disorder
in which it is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and
socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.
A child with autism spectrum disorder may have problems with social interaction and
communication skills, develop specific routines or rituals and becomes disturbed at the slightest
change and as seen in Daniel’s behavior, he is often seen sitting alone and will not interact with
his peers. There was also an incident when their class was playing sports, Daniel became
extremely agitated upon the slight change on the rules of the game they were playing and even
insisted on continuing to play the game the way they had always played it. Another noticeable
action of Daniel is his unusual obsessions with Pokemon lately, as observed by their teacher. All
these pieces of evidence together arrives at one conclusion: There is a great possibility of about
90 % that Daniel is suspected to be a child with autism spectrum disorder.
2. What can Daniel’s teacher do to minimize his anxiety with changes in routine at school?
Structured schedules and routines often work well for children with autism spectrum disorder
just like Daniel. However, life is unpredictable, and they must sometimes adapt to changes in
their daily routine. This can be upsetting and throw them off, but as their teacher, you can help
them cope better.
According to my research, there are several strategies Daniel’s teacher can do to minimize his
anxiety with changes in routine at school and one of it is informing the child of potential changes
ahead of time. Using a social story can also be a great way to visually explain change. Use
pictures and simple terms to explain what is going to happen. Changing things up and
introducing new activities on a regular basis can also help Daniel become more flexible and
adaptable. If transitioning from one activity to another is challenging, the teacher may give
Daniel cues. If change does occur unexpectedly, the teacher may give Daniel some extra time
to adjust and really utilize strategies to help him calm down and regain focus. Also, praising your
student when they do well handling change, even if it seems minor might become helpful as well
in making Daniel gain confidence.
3. What can Daniel’s teacher do to encourage his interaction with other students?
For people on the autism spectrum, a common theme is having difficulties with social interaction
and interpreting other people’s behavior, as well as knowing what to say or how to behave
around others. For Daniel’s teacher to encourage his interaction with other students, I think the

CASE STUDY 2
Questions:
1. What difficulties would Angela experience in the classroom environment and playground?
Angela is a girl with a hearing impairment and thus there are several difficulties that she get to
inevitably experience in the classroom and playground. This most probably includes classroom
acoustics as these are often a problem in the classroom especially that there are 26 students to
be handled and they can get quite noisy. Also, I have recently learned that fluorescent lights
emit a special sound that interferes with hearing aids and cochlear implants, making it even
more difficult when trying to distinguish what peers or the teacher are saying. This scenario is
most likely to be possible in Angela’s situation as well. With that being the case, it can be
realized that Angela might be losing focus and concentration in her studies which obviously an
unfortunate case that needs to be addressed immediately.
EDUC 8 – FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

2. What would be causing Angela’s drop in concentration at the end of the day?
There are lots of factors that could be the reason behind Angela’s drop in concentration at the
end of her class. One of it could most probably be the noise coming from her rowdy classmates.
Hearing aids can pick up and amplify all outside sounds – making it impossible to understand
what is happening inside of the classroom reason as to probably why Angela was losing
concentration and zoning out during their classes. Another possible scenario could be her heavy
reliant to Lip-Reading. Every child learns differently. Even if teachers are given instruction on
how to best assist one of their deaf students, it could be completely different for the next,
resulting in an academic gap and loss of focus and concentration.
3. Why is Angela’s reading behind?
The most possible reason could be because of Angela’s loss of focus during classes. Research
shows that deaf students often lag behind their hearing peers when it comes to number
concepts, problem solving skills and language that includes reading. Hearing students
constantly absorb new information and knowledge through the daily noises, conversations and
language that is spoken around them. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students do not have that
luxury.
4. What adjustments could Angela’s teacher put into place to assist her with her schoolwork?
To minimize this educational gap, the teacher could present the directions of tasks in an
assortment of ways to be positive that the Angela will comprehend and complete tasks properly.
It is important to not assume that because a student can hear sound and voices, that he or she
can distinguish speech and process acoustical language. Angela’s teacher can bridge this gap
by being flexible in the way that they respond to the educational concerns of their hard-of-
hearing student such as Angela.

Activity II. Answer the following questions.

Before we proceed, let us find out how much you know about the different components in the
components in inclusive and special education. After reading each statement, write True or
False.

Statements True or False

1. A child suspected to have disability should immediately be
FALSE
referred for special education.
2. Norm-referenced tests provide better information for
FALSE
instructional planning than criterion-referenced tests.
3. The least restrictive setting should be considered as
FALSE
placement for children with disabilities.
4. When providing accommodations, teachers change the
curriculum standards and content to provide a level playing TRUE
field for children with disabilities.
5. Programs for children with disabilities become more
effective and successful when children and families are TRUE
involved.

Analysis
1. How do you find the case studies?
I find the cases as a challenge in our part as a teacher (well in my case, future educator). With
the case studies I have read, I have depicted that each and every children with special needs
are individuals so your teaching style will be dictated by the unique and diverse challenges each
child faces. Because every situation is unique, it is natural for a special needs teacher to
struggle with some of these challenges more than others. At the end of the day, our main goal
EDUC 8 – FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

as teachers is to really look for the appropriate holistic intervention you can use in addressing
the challenges the learners are facing and truly helping them become capable of self-
development, wherein they can become comfortable about expressing themselves and later on
gain the confidence they required. We have the responsibility as educators to ensure that
students with disabilities are progressing toward the same state standards as their non-disabled
peers, while also addressing their individualized needs.
2. If you were an administrator, what will be your action on these cases?
As the administrator, I'll be in charge of conferring with and assisting in the resolution of a wide
range of educational-related issues and problems with students, staff, teachers, case workers,
parents, and other school officials. I will be assisting in the planning, development, and
implementation of a program evaluation system that will greatly assist in addressing the current
challenges faced by the school, teachers, and students.
3. What do you think is a continuum education services?
The continuum of services identifies various service delivery models for providing specially
designed instruction to a disabled student. Some services, such as consultant teacher and
integrated co-teaching services, are specifically designed to assist students in their general
education classes. A learning continuum assists teachers in understanding the typical stages of
learning that students go through, allowing teachers to scaffold learning and target their
teaching to student needs.
4. Who do you think are responsible to cater the needs of these students? Does it only involve
the teacher? Why?
I believe that teachers play a big role in catering the needs of these students. They are the ones
to really maneuver the cultivation and development of the student’s learning progress, apart, of
course, from the parents of the children. But aside from the teachers, I believe there are also
people who are likely to become involved in the educational endeavor of these students. It is
learned that providing services for the children with special needs is a team affair. Meaning, it
cannot be done by the direct teacher alone. It is a team effort. Some of the following individuals
provide direct or indirect support to the children with special needs. They are the General
education teachers, special education teachers, school administrators, School psychologists,
School counselors, Speech language pathologists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapist,
Audiologists, Paraprofessionals and outside professionals. All together, they are join forcing in
the modification of teaching strategies or programs, systematic monitoring and related services
that are necessary to help ensure an appropriate education for students with disabilities and
special needs.

Assessment:
A. Answer the following questions:
1. Who do you think is the person who can directly noticed the disabilities of the child aside from
the parents?
School guidance counselors, early childhood teachers, primary school teachers, and
community-based daycare workers are often the first to notice such developmental delays in
children. In other instances, the parents themselves notice the delays and seek consultation
with pediatricians and their specialists.
2. What are the 8 core principles in special education?
There are Eight Core Principles in Special Education: Child find/zero reject; nondiscriminatory
evaluation; Individualized education program (IEP); Free appropriate public education (FAPE);
Least restrictive environment (LRE); Related services; Parent participation ; and confidentiality.

1. Zero Reject and Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

 EDUC 8 – FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

 Outlines that all students with special needs are entitled to receive a free and
appropriate public education.
 Zero Rejection: no child may be refused access to FAPE based on his or her
disabilities.
 There will be no required out-of-pocket costs to the families of these children for
those services.
2. Nondiscriminatory and Appropriate Evaluation
 Students with disabilities are entitled to a high qualify evaluation, which may
produce an identification as a student with a special need.
 The evaluation should be completed by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals
and using more than a single indicator of disability.
3. Appropriate Individualized Education Program
 The IEP is designed in accordance with the state and federal laws that outline
the programs and services available to disabled students.
 The IEP team works collaboratively to ensure that each child is allowed access to
FAPE during the IEP development process.
 Outlines the required elements of the IEP and timelines for its creation and
modification.
4. Least Restrictive Environment
 This is the setting in which students with disabilities could benefit the most, while
still receiving appropriate services for their needs.
 Encourages students with disabilities to engage with typically developing peers
by placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.
5. Student and Parental Participation
 Allows for students to play a part of educational planning (when appropriate).
 Requires that parents play an integral part in their child’s educational planning.
 Major decisions are not to be made without fully informed parental consent (or
student consent if the student is of the age of majority.)
 Allows the family (student and parents) to give input into the IEP development
process.

1. Procedural Safeguards

 Ensures that the rights of students with disabilities and their parents are
respected.
 Directs that schools and IEP teams follow standard procedures for the
development and implementation of specialized services.
 Provides an avenue for families to challenge the decisions made by public
schools.

Source: https://www.wrightpsych.com/popular-topics/principles

3. What is meant by continuum service education?

The Continuum of Special Education Services is intended to provide a specific need of the
children with special needs. These children needs to be assessed to make sure that they will
get the proper placement. The continuum of special education services for school-age students
with disabilities is made up of many services in order to meet the individual student’s needs
which includes the following: consultant teacher services (direct/indirect), resource room
services, related services, integrated co-teaching services and special class.
Students with disabilities are placed together in a regular classroom in order to meet their needs
such as: academic achievement, functional performance and learning characteristics, social
development, physical development, and management needs. However, program modifications
and supplementary aids and services must also be provided since they have special needs.
4. What are the assessments used by special education teachers in order to determine
disabilities of students? Explain in your own words.
Norm-referenced tests are standardized tests that assess competency by interpreting and
reporting scores based on norms. Norm-referenced tests, as opposed to expert judgment, use
EDUC 8 – FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

scores from a representative group of students of the same chronological age to establish
performance standards.
Criterion-referenced tests assess a person's knowledge or skills in comparison to a
predetermined standard, learning goal, performance level, or other criterion. With criterion-
referenced tests, each individual's performance is directly compared to the standard, without
regard for how other students perform on the test.
An Informal assessment is a method of evaluation in which a teacher or instructor tests
students' knowledge in relation to learning objectives without using standard rubrics or criteria.
Because informal assessments are considered authentic, they can be used to describe
performance and inform instruction. Such assessments, such as teacher-made instruments
used in classrooms and portfolio assessments, can be curriculum-based or performance-based.
The concept of Authentic assessment is the use of creative learning experiences to test
students' skills and knowledge in realistic situations. Authentic assessment assesses students'
success in a way that is relevant to the skills they will need. It provides students the opportunity
to apply knowledge and skills in meaningful, real-world settings.

B. Now answer the statements honestly based on the gathered information above.

Statements True or False

1. A child suspected to have disability should
FALSE
immediately be referred for special education.
2. Norm-referenced tests provide better
information for instructional planning than FALSE
criterion-referenced tests.
3. The least restrictive setting should be
considered as placement for children with FALSE
disabilities.
4. When providing accommodations,
teachers change the curriculum standards
TRUE
and content to provide a level playing field for
children with disabilities.
5. Programs for children with disabilities
become more effective and successful when TRUE
children and families are involved.