INTRODUCTION TO

SPECIAL EDUCATION

HERMER B. TIDALGO
Instructor
 Class Discussion
1. What do I need to know about
special education?
2. What is it in special education that I
am most worried about?
3. What is the most important thing
for me to learn in special education?
INTRODUCTION TO
Definition
SPECIAL EDUCATION
 SPECIAL EDUCATION MEANING
-the design and delivery of teaching and learning
strategies for individuals with disabilities or learning
difficulties who may or may not be enrolled in regular
schools. Students who need special education may
include students who have hearing impairment or are
deaf, students who have vision impairment or are blind,
students with physical disabilities, students with
intellectual disability, students with learning difficulties,
students with behaviour disorders or emotional
disturbance, and students with speech or language
difficulties. Some students have a number of disabilities
and learning difficulties.
 SPECIAL EDUCATION MEANING
Special education programs are designed for those students who
are mentally, physically, socially and/or emotionally delayed. This
aspect of “delay,” broadly categorized as a developmental delay,
signify an aspect of the child's overall development (physical,
cognitive, scholastic skills) which place them behind their peers.
Due to these special requirements, students’ needs cannot be
met within the traditional classroom environment. Special
education programs and services adapt content, teaching
methodology and delivery instruction to meet the appropriate
needs of each child. These services are of no cost to the family
and are available to children until they reach 21 years of age
(states have services set in place for adults who are in need of
specialized services after age 21).
 SPECIAL EDUCATION MEANING
It is also about attitude, because teachers need
a positive attitude to be effective special
educators (that means teachers need a positive
attitude to be good teachers!). Special education
is also about understanding the different needs
that students have, including the different types
of disability and learning difficulties. Put simply,
whenever a teacher makes any kind of
adaptation to their usual program so that they
can assist a student with a special need, that
teacher is implementing special education.
 
General
INTRODUCTION TO Education
SPECIAL EDUCATION and
Special
Education
 GEN. ED. vs SPED
The basic goal of special education is to
provide exceptional children with
disabilities which will prevent them from
fully benefiting from traditional
educational approaches with specialized
instruction and intervention sufficient to
enable them to benefit from their
education.
 GEN. ED. vs SPED
Special education uses intensive,
individualized instructional methods. Most
special education students will work on
traditional academic content areas such as
reading, writing, math, social studies, and
science. In addition to traditional academic
content, many exceptional students also
benefit from a functional curriculum.
 GEN. ED. vs SPED
A Functional Curriculum is designed to
help students learn basic daily living skills
they have not developed on their own such
as toileting, eating, grooming, using
money, filling out forms, communicating
basic needs, and following directions that a
teacher or boss gives them. Functional
curriculums teach students the basic skills
required for independent living.
 GEN. ED. vs SPED
Special education differs from regular education
in two ways:
• Different instructional methods are used, and
• Additional specialists (specialized teachers,
speech therapists, occupational therapists,
physical therapists, aides, social workers, etc.)
are involved beyond regular classroom
teachers. These professionals' specialized skills
are matched to the specialized needs of
identified children.
 History of
INTRODUCTION TO Special
SPECIAL EDUCATION Education
 HISTORY
SPED in the Philippines started in 1908
where the school for deaf ( in
Harrison, Pasay City) was established
and marked the official government
recognition of obligations towards the
education of the handicapped
children.
 HISTORY
Special Education was formally started
in the country by establishing the
Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in
Manila. The Philippine Association for
Deaf was founded. The government
established the Welfare Ville Childrens
Village, a school for people with
mental retardation in Mandaluyong.
 HISTORY
Rep. Act No. 3562 (June 1963) • An Act of
Promote the EDUCATION of the blind in
the Philippines which established teacher
training course and Philippine National
School for the Blind. • Philippine Normal
College offered courses in Sped for
teaching the blind in 1964 wherein 14
elementary teachers were selected for
training
 HISTORY
In 1952, a pilot school for the SPED
( at the Phil. Women’s University)
of mentally handicapped children
was started. All children from this
school were transferred to the
Special Child Study Center in
Cubao, Q.C. in 1957
 HISTORY
Rep. Act No. 7277 • AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION,
SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-
RELIANCE OF DISABLED PERSONS AND
THEIR INTEGRATION INTO THE
MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.
 HISTORY
Rep. Act No. 5250 • AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A TEN-YEAR TRAINING
PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS OF SPECIAL
AND EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN IN THE
PHILIPPINES AND AUTHORIZING THE
APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREOF.
 HISTORY
 In America during the late nineteenth and
early twentieth century, many individuals
began to realize the importance of public
education for the disabled individual. •
Special schools and special classes for
children with disabilities, especially
deafness, blindness, and mental
retardation did exist in 19th century
America but gradually increased during the
20th century.
 HISTORY
During the 1800s in America, deviant children
were considered handicapped, retarded,
incorrigible, truant, socially maladjusted, and
their basic actions were in conflict with the law,
whether considered either dangerous, violent,
or harmless and/or mild in nature. • It is
reported that there were more than two million
defective individuals in the United States during
the 1800s, and as a result of their “diseased or
weak minds they (were) in society making
criminals.”
 HISTORY
One of the first special schools in the world
was the Institut National des Jeunes
Aveugles in Paris, which was founded in
1784. It was the first school in the world to
teach blind students. The first school in
U.K, for the Deaf was established 1760 in
Edinburgh by Thomas Braidwood, with
education for visually impaired people
beginning in the Edinburgh and Bristol in
1765.
 References
• http://www.education.gov.pg/TISER/documents/pastep/pd-
se-5-1-introduction-to-special-education-lecturer.pdf
• https://www.slideshare.net/raymartfundal/history-of-special-
education-163179466#:~:text=The%20first%20Special
%20Education%20in,education%20of%20the%20handicapped
%20children.&text=The%20Philippine%20Association%20for
%20Deaf%20was%20founded.
• https://www.austincc.edu/teacher/files/documents/module1
softchalk_print.html