Intellectual giftedness is a difference in learning and can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term “special education” is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students with disabilities. For children and young people with SEN under the age of 16, under the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Wales , there is also the expectation that this support will normally be provided in mainstream schools or settings, offering access to a broad, balanced and relevant education.
Federal law says that students with learning disabilities should be educated alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent possible.” According to a 2014 report by the National Center for Learning Disabilities , 66 percent of students with learning disabilities spend 80 percent or more of their school day in general education classrooms.
IDEA ensures that children with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education and that schools provide special education to these children in the least restrictive environment possible, which means keeping them in general education classrooms whenever possible.
The Department issued a Questions and Answers document (Q&A), with an accompanying Appendix, on the dual enrollment of students with disabilities in secondary school and postsecondary education institutions, including comprehensive transition and postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities.
There are many more out there just like me. But, what I worry about is that because teachers are so dedicated and pulling off daily miracles in the classroom, districts, community leaders, and politician may be pushing too hard for the full-inclusion model thinking that the teachers will just have to figure it out.