Preschool Special Education
|
A child is eligible for preschool special education if he or she meets the criteria of one of the disabling
conditions recognized by the Disabilities Education Act regulations. The child must have one of the
following conditions: speech-language impaired, other health impaired, hearing impaired, visually
impaired, orthopedically impaired, cognitively delayed, multiply-disabled, deaf/blind, seriously
emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, autism or traumatic brain injured.
A child who is 5 years old or younger may be identified as a child with a disability without the disability
being specified. If the child is deemed eligible for preschool special education services, the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) team will set a date upon which special education services will begin. This date
may be on the child’s third birthday or on the first day of the following school year. An eligible child whose
third birthday falls during the summer vacation begins services in the fall unless the child needs Extended
School Year (ESY) services.
Free, Appropriate Public Education
When a child enters a preschool special education program, he or she is guaranteed all of the protections
and benefits of the federal and state special education laws. The central benefit under these laws is a free,
appropriate public education. Every child who qualifies for special education has the right to a public
education. It does not matter how severe the child’s disabilities may be or how much special education the
child requires. Every qualifying child must receive an appropriate educational program, and the services
must be provided without cost to the parents.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Every child in special education must be placed in a program which is located in the least restrictive
environment. The (LRE) means the placement which is as close as possible to the regular education
program. Special education law favors placing children with disabilities in regular classrooms with whatever
supplemental aids they need to be successful. If a child is not going to be placed in regular education, the
school district must justify the removal from regular education as necessary to meet the child’s needs. The
least restrictive environment at the preschool level has been interpreted somewhat differently from LRE at
the elementary school level. Since few public schools offer preschool programs for children ages 3 and 4,
there is no “regular” classroom environment in which preschoolers with special needs can be placed with
children who are the same age. Preschool children may, however, be integrated into kindergarten classes
with 5-and 6-year olds. Or they may be served in a community-based preschool classroom, a Head Start
class, a preschool special education classroom with children who are the same age, or in a home-based
program in which the special education teacher provides services in the child’s home. School districts are
not responsible for establishing preschool programs for non-disabled children, nor do districts have to pay
for private preschool placement for children with special needs unless such a placement is necessary to
implement the child’s special education program.
Making Friends
All children need a chance to make friends with other children their age. Special education law encourages
school districts to give children with disabilities the chance to associate with other children, both disabled
and non-disabled, so that they can build a circle of friends and acquaintances. All children in special
education-no matter where they receive their program have the right to spend at least part of the school
day with children who do not have disabilities. The least restrictive environment for preschool children may
be achieved in any of the following ways:
• Locating a preschool special education program in a regular elementary school
• Linking a preschool special education program to preschool programs operated by other public or
private agencies (e.g. Head Start)
• Combining children who have disabilities with children who do not have a disability in a preschool
special education program (“reverse main streaming”)
A child in a preschool special education program may be placed in a private preschool if such a
placement is necessary to implement the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). The school district
would be responsible for the costs of the private placement for the portion of time that the child is receiving
special education.
Family Involvement
Parents are important decision makers in the special education of young children. School districts must
inform parents about the options available and the procedures used in special education. The family and
school personnel become the team that makes decisions about the child’s needs and services.
Representatives of your school district should discuss with you:
• The nature of your child’s disability and its implication for education
• Methods of coordinating your child’s services
• The school district’s special education program and how it works.
Referral for Evaluation
You as a parent can refer your child for a special education evaluation. Professionals who work with your
child like your family physician or a therapist may make a referral. A child may also be referred because of
concerns raised by Preschool Screening.
To make a referral:
• Contact your local school district
• Discuss the reasons for suspecting that your child has a disability
• Summerize the supports and services your child received through early intervention services and
their results and outcomes
• Fill out the district’s referral form describing the child’s learning problems or developmental delays
• Give your consent in writing so that your child can be tested for special education.
Evaluation
A comprehensive evaluation must look at the child from several viewpoints. It must also be non biased and
nondiscriminatory. If you child speaks a language other than English, your child must be tested in the
language which he or she uses and understands. The comprehensive evaluation cannot be limited to one
test. It may include (but is not limited to):
• An individual psychological examination
• Vision and hearing examinations
• A medical history
• Standardized developmental evaluation
• Observations of social behavior
• Assessment of language development
• Observation in several environment
• Information from family members and others who know the child well
• Information from teachers, doctors, therapists, and others who have worked with the child.
You must consent in writing to the evaluation, and you have the right to be fully informed of the results. At
the Child Study Team meeting you will meet with public school personnel to discuss the results of the
evaluation.
Preschool Special Education Program
When children are three, four, and fiver years old, it is sometimes hard to imagine them attending “school”
as older children do. Preschool special education is a program designed to meet the unique
developmental needs of a particular child. The program may focus on self help skills, motor development,
language skills, pre-academic learning, social skills or any combination of these. Preschool special
education is education. It is not designed to meet a child’s medical needs, nor does it provide the child
care services typically found in day-care.
Extended School Year
Normally special education services are provided during the regular school year, but some children require
more schooling than that. Extended School Year (ESY) services may be written into the IEP and provided
to a child during the summer months. ESY services are offered to prevent significant loss of previously
learned skills. ESY applies to specific educational goals and objectives.
Related Services
Children in special education are entitled to a wide variety of services if they need those services or to
benefit from their education. These related services may include (but are not limited to):
• Transportation
• Physical Therapy
• Orientation and mobility services
• School health services
• Speech and language pathology services
• Audiology services
• Recreation and recreation therapy services
• Social work services in schools
• Psychological services
• Counseling services
• Rehabilitation counseling services
• Medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes
• Parent training services
• Assistive technology services
The IEP should indicate the related services the child needs, how much of the services is required, and
how often the services will be provided.
Transportation
If transportation is a related service that a child needs, the school district must provide the transportation,
contract with another agency to do so, or contract with the parents to bring their child to school.
Transportation means round trip, home to school and school to home services. If a parent has been
offered a transportation contract but does not want to transport the child, the school district is still
responsible for providing transportation. Parents cannot be forced to provide transportation if they are
unwilling or unable to do so.
Program Models
Special education can be provided to preschool children in a number of ways. The IEP team is free to
select any model but must ensure both free appropriate public education and least restrictive environment
as it identifies an appropriate placement for the child.
Special education for the child may be provided in the child’s home by an traveling special education
teacher.
Special education may be provided in your neighborhood elementary school building where there are
opportunities for interaction with other students throughout the course of the school day.
Center-based programs involve bringing children to a central location for a preschool special education
class. The program usually lasts for two hours per day for three, four, or five days per week. According to
need, some children may require more or less time in preschool special education than two hours per day.
Five year-old children with disabilities may participate in a regular kindergarten program with
supplementary special education. Some children may be placed both in kindergarten and in a preschool
special education class.
Reverse main streaming involves non-disabled children coming into a special education classroom and
participating in activities with identified special education students.
Children with a particular special education need like language development may be placed in a special
education program with focuses specifically on that need.
School districts may decide to contract with local private preschool or other community agency as a site in
which to provide a special education for a specific child. The public school will provide for the special
education and related services, but will not pay costs associated with child care or other, non-special
education services.
A school district may collaborate with Head Start to provide a special education program.
When the needs of the child require it, two or more of the options above may be combined into a dual
placement.
An IEP team may also develop another locally suitable placement appropriate to the student’s special
education needs.
Program Review
The Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be reviewed periodically because preschool children
grow and change very rapidly. Parents can ask for a review at any time. The IEP must be reviewed and
rewritten at least annually. The annual review should consider transition into the primary grades and into
less restrictive environments.
A comprehensive reevaluation of the child’s strengths and weaknesses must be conducted at least every
three years. Parents or teacher can ask for a re-evaluation at any time that it seems necessary and
appropriate.
Qualified Personnel
Special education and related services for preschool children must be provided by qualified personnel.
These professionals must have the training to hold licenses in their specific fields like school psychologist,
speech-language pathology, special education, physical or occupational therapy. Unless private preschool
or Head Start teachers have these licenses, they may not provide special education and related services.
Certified teachers with child development credentials and certified elementary teachers may assist with
special education but may not provide special education unless they are also endorsed as special
education teachers.
Kindergarten and First Grade Transition
As a childs’ sixth birthday comes closer a number of important decisions have to be made. First of all, if the
child has been identified as a “child with disabilities,” that generic classification must be changed to one of
the disabling condition found in special education law in your state for school-aged children. This change
in classification can be traumatic for parents. Parents should insist that the child be thoroughly and
properly evaluated before any new classification is applied.
A second important decision concerns placement, specifically how the IEP team will determine the
appropriate placement for the student entering kindergarten or first grade in the public school. The
preference in special education is for placement in the regular classroom if the child’s needs can be met in
that setting. When considering a regular classroom placement, the IEP team should consider what barriers
there may be to the child’s success and how those barriers could be eliminated.
Parents Rights
Parents of children in special education are invited to participate fully with professionals in designing their
child’s educational program. To guarantee that parents have an opportunity to participate, special
education law provides parents with the following rights:
Notice - You have the right to receive written notice before the school evaluates your child individually,
considers special education for your child, or changes your child’s placement. You also have the right to
receive notice before the school district refuses your request for an evaluation or change in placement.
Records - You have the right to inspect and review all of your child’s’s educational records.
Consent - You must give written consent before the school district can evaluate your child or place your
child in a special education program.
Evaluations - It is important to understand the following about evaluations:
a. You may refuse to permit an evaluation;
b. If your child is evaluated and you think the evaluation is not adequate, you have the right to get an
Independent Evaluation;
c. The school district must reevaluate your child at least every three years;
d. All tests must be given in the language the child knows best;
e. You have the right to be fully informed of the results of the evaluation.
Due Process - You have the right to an impartial due process hearing if you disagree with the school
district on a special education matter.
Complaints - You have the right to file a complaint with the Office of Public Instruction if the school district
does not comply with special education law.
Preschool Special Education / Local School District Ages Served 3-6 years old.
Eligibility Requirements:
Child with Disabilities or Cognitive delay
Autism Deaf-blindness
Deafness Hearing impairment
Emotional disturbance Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment Specific learning disability
Speech impairment Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment
Special education & related services are at no cost to parents.
Parent Empowerment
As your child moves through the preschool special education process, he or she will be learning many new
skills. You as parents will also be acquiring knowledge about yourselves, about your child, and about the
services and opportunities available to your child. The more information you have, the more power and
control you will have over your child’s educational future.
You can become empowered as a parent of a child with special needs by doing the following:
1. Contacting national, state and local disability groups for more information about your child’s disability;
2. Reading materials available from the TRIC/PLUK Library at Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids
(800-222-7585);
3. Asking questions of the professional who work with your child;
4. Keeping careful records of your child’s medical and educational history;
5. Participating in parent training workshops;
6. Joining a parent organization and gaining emotional and social support.