The Complete Guide to Special Education

Expert Advice on Evaluations, IEPs, and Helping Kids Succeed

Linda Wilmshurst, Alan W. Brue

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351619424
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

The Complete Guide to Special Education, Third Edition, explores the special education process from testing and diagnosis to IEP meetings and advocating for special needs children. The stages of identification, assessment, and intervention are explained step by step to help you better understand special needs students' legal rights and how to become an active, effective member of a child's educational team. This third edition has been revised throughout and discusses Response to Intervention (RTI); provides updates on new laws and regulations; expands coverage of autism spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder; and includes a revamped Resources section for teachers and parents.

SECTION II
Psychological Assessments

An Introduction

Section II is devoted to topics related to the assessment of intelligence, learning and achievement, emotion, and behavior and executive functions. We will begin with a general discussion of the nature of “assessments” within the school system, including: who might be involved; the different types of assessments that might be conducted; and why assessments can be a very important part of discovering the nature of difficulties some children may be experiencing. We will also answer some frequently asked questions and dispel some myths about “testing” (Chapter 5).

In this Section, we will focus on psychological assessments in particular, beginning with describing the assessment process, and the typical stages that are involved (Chapter 6). The next three chapters will focus on specific types of psychological assessments that can provide in-depth information about potential problem areas, including the assessment of intelligence (Chapter 7); learning and academic achievement (Chapter 8); emotional difficulties and/or behavioral problems (Chapter 9); and the executive functions (Chapter 10).

In the final segment of this section, we will provide a summary and overview of all the assessment information we have presented in the form of a sample psychological report (Chapter 11). This will be a very important chapter, since we will walk the reader through the report, explaining what the report says and what the results mean.

5
Evaluation of Students' Difficulties

The What, Why, and How?

The Nature of Assessment

When most people think about an “assessment” or evaluation conducted within the school setting, the first thing that comes to mind is testing, whether the test refers to a pop quiz, a mid-term test, or part of the statewide or nation-wide proficiency exam. Just the thought of being “tested” can make us cringe, and tests bring a wide variety of negative thoughts to mind, regardless of whether they are part of the school system, job-related, medically oriented, or even a driving test. Testing often instills a sense of anxiety and fear in us because when we are “tested” we are fearful that we may “fail” the test.

However, the process of “assessment” can also be viewed in a different way. If something is not performing in the way that we expect it to perform, we can conduct an assessment or evaluation in order to find out what the problem is so that we can correct it. For example, computer programs do this type of “troubleshooting” on a regular basis. If we are working on something and then all of a sudden our computer system gives us an error message, it often asks us to send a message so that the system can figure out what is causing the problem. We go through the same process when our car breaks down; we take the car to the mechanic who performs a series of tests or diagnostics to find out what is causing the problem so it can be fixed.

Closer to our case in point, when a child experiences a medical problem, the family physician or pediatrician is often consulted to provide information about what is causing the problem. The physician begins his or her evaluation by asking a series of questions about specific symptoms (fever, chills, or pain) to assist in determining the nature and severity of the problem. Often, the physician performs some routine tests (taking the child’s temperature, listening to the heart and lungs) to find out how the child’s bodily system is currently functioning compared with how a normal, healthy child should be functioning. For example, we know that the average body temperature should be about 98.6 F. The physician compares the child’s temperature with this normal standard to determine whether the child has a fever. If the child did have a fever, the physician would attempt to diagnose what was causing the high temperature (a virus, an infection, or some other medical cause). At this point, the physician might be able to diagnose the problem and provide the appropriate treatment (prescription for medication). However, if the physician is unsure of the cause of the problem based on the information obtained, he or she may order more tests (X-rays, blood work-up, and so forth) to rule out some possible explanations and confirm others; a process called hypothesis testing or differential diagnosis.

The Assessment Process: Determining Special Needs

When children or adolescents are not performing well in school, it is very important to determine why this is the case in order to recommend solutions to the problem. There are several steps that are often initiated prior to an actual referral for a “comprehensive assessment,” which will be discussed shortly.

• Stage 1: Initially, a number of school-based interventions are attempted to assist children who are experiencing school difficulties. Often, these interventions (such as a change in seating or peer tutoring) can be an effective method of increasing academic performance.
• Stage 2: Further school-based evaluations and informal assessments, such as educational tests or classroom observations, may be undertaken to obtain more information about a child’s performance.
• Stage 3: If a child continues to experience school problems despite interventions, and more specific information is required to determine why the child is having problems, then a referral for a number of different types of assessments may be initiated, depending on the problems the child is experiencing. At this stage, a comprehensive assessment would likely be recommended, since the duration, intensity, and frequency of the problem signal the need for increased concern. The problem has been resistant to the interventions that have been attempted and is on-going (duration); the problem is more serious than what is expected, given the child’s age (intensity); and the problem is occurring on a regular basis (frequency).

Comprehensive Assessment

The comprehensive assessment can involve assessments and evaluations conducted by a number of possible members of the student’s support team, including mental health professionals, service providers, and educators working within the school system and may be augmented by input from community professionals outside the school system, if necessary (for example, medical reports). Permission is required for assessments that are not part of the routine educational screening, and assessment of hearing and vision are conducted prior to other assessments to ensure that there is no physical reason (for example a need for glasses) for the child’s academic difficulties. Each professional report provides valuable information to assist in determining whether a child’s needs fall within the realm of special education eligibility and if so, whether “related services” (such as speech therapy, physical therapy, etc.) may also be required to enhance the child’s opportunity for academic success.

Members of the Student's School and Community Support Team

This section provides a brief overview of the possible members of the child’s support team, the nature of their expertise, the focus of their assessments and their role in possible remediation/intervention, that may be recommended. Finally, we describe the crucial role of parents on a student’s support team.

Mental Health and Service Providers

Mental health and service providers may not be located in the school on a regular basis.

School Psychologist

Although the degree of post-graduate training varies from state to state, school psychologists at a minimum must have at least a master’s degree or a specialist degree, which they receive after a bachelor’s degree. Some school psychologists hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., or Psy.D.). The role of the school psychologist will be discussed at greater length in Chapter 7. A psychological assessment must be part of the comprehensive assessment and, as a result, school psychologists play a vital role in conducting assessments to provide information about a child’s functioning in a number of areas, including: intelligence, achievement and learning, executive functions, social and emotional development, behavioral problems, and conducting observations regarding performance within (classroom observations) and outside (playground observations) of the classroom. (All the areas that might be assessed and could be part of the comprehensive psychological report are discussed in detail in Chapters 7 through 10.) School psychologists also assist teachers and parents in developing strategies to manage learning and behavioral problems in the classroom and at home.

School Social Worker

Most school social workers have master’s degrees in social w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Meet the Authors
• Preface: About This Book
• Introduction: Collaboration versus Confrontation—Speaking
• SECTION I: UNDERSTANDING DISABILITIES
• SECTION II: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS
• SECTION III: GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS
• SECTION IV: PLANNING FOR SUCCESS AND MONITORING CHANGE
• SECTION V: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAWS AND REGULATIONS
• Appendix A: Acronyms 101: Educational Abbreviations Defined
• Appendix B: Checklists for Child Problems
• Appendix C: Sample Section 504 Plan
• Appendix D: House Rules, Classroom Rules, and Positive Behavior Chart
• Appendix E: Procedural Safeguards
• Appendix F: State Departments of Special Education
• Appendix G: Helpful Resources