A Voice and a Choice for Students with Special Needs

Abstract

What do children with special needs want? What do they need? What do their parents want? What do their teachers need? Although it is often hazardous to generalize, I trust the reader would agree with me on this answer: Children with special needs, their parents and their teachers want and need the same thing: a free and appropriate education that will give them the opportunity to become citizens in good standing who are productive members of society, and the ability to maximize their potential in preparation for an independent life. There are many ways to approach the education of students with special needs. As is often the case, all options have their strengths and weaknesses. But all are at risk of failing to achieve the intended outcome of an appropriate education when used as a template for each individual case and not as a general starting point.

Specialized schools offer an attractive solution to the special needs population by consolidating resources where students benefit from a higher degree of consistency, structure and routine geared toward their specific learning abilities. In this environment, educators can maximize the results for each student. All students in these schools have special needs and therefore do not socialize with peers without special needs. School districts often discover that this model can be cost prohibitive because of its elevated relative cost per student ratio, compared to the cost of educating students in the general classroom. This model also negates important and necessary socialization opportunities.