Special Education Inclusion – A Step in the Right Direction
“Special Education Inclusion” is a new phenomenon in U.S. public education. Despite federal compulsory education statutes on the books since 1918, many children with disabilities were often excluded from the public school system. Children with significant disabilities stayed home or attended “institutions.” Those with minor disabilities often entered public school, but success rates were low and drop-out rates were high. Finally, in 1975, Congress passed the “Education for All Handicapped Children Act,” which offered, for the first time in America, a true attempt at special education inclusion.
Special Education Inclusion – The Legislative Focus
Since 1975, “Special Education Inclusion” has been a primary goal of federal education legislation. In 1990, the original law was expanded and renamed the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” (IDEA). The primary goal of this expanded statute was to offer special education students practical, results-oriented access to the public education system.
The IDEA was successful in providing special education inclusion to many students with significant disabilities. For instance, public schools were required to provide practical services such as interpreters for the deaf or computer-assisted technology for the physically handicapped. Maybe more importantly, these children were spending time in regular classrooms and developing relationships with non-special needs students.
Special Education Inclusion – The Frustration of the Majority
Although special education inclusion has provided many children with wonderful opportunities, the legislative system doesn’t seem to be as effective for students with less severe learning disabilities. In fact, over 80% of special education children struggle with learning because of weak underlying cognitive skills, rather than more overt physical disabilities. Indeed, these children participate in the public education system, but the root causes of their hidden learning struggles go undiagnosed and untreated. The legislative system focuses on special education inclusion, but isn’t providing practical assessment and treatment for this vast majority of students.
Special Education Inclusion – Practical, Results-Oriented Training
Where “Special Education Inclusion” falls short for many students, that’s where LearningRx jumps in! We understand what’s at the root of most special education situations -- weak cognitive skills. The great news is that weak cognitive skills are now totally treatable! Cognitive training programs offered by LearningRx can actually strengthen the areas of cognitive dysfunction affecting so many students in our schools today.
At LearningRx, we offer practical results, not statutory programs. We’ve spent nearly 20 years developing customized training systems that really work, building the cognitive skills necessary for lasting learning success (see results). Regardless of your child’s “label” in the public education system, our simple skills assessment will isolate cognitive weaknesses and help us design an effective, one-on-one program to strengthen those weaknesses. Climb out of the frustrating legislative approach and jump into the exciting, results-oriented world of cognitive skills training -- your child will never be the same again!
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