User:MaddieAcheson/Least restrictive environment

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Introduction

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) there are different principles that are covered under this act. One of the principles and requirements is Least Restrive Environment. From the law it is saying that schools should educate students with disabilities with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent.

In 1975, congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. This EHA was renamed in 1990 to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA to address the implementation of and interpretation of the IDEA. Before the creation of the EHA, students were denied access to education and opportunities to learn.

Since the creation and passing, there have been effective programs and services for early intervention, special education, and related services. The United States has now helped provide more than 7.5 million children with disabilities with special education and related services to meet their individual needs over the 2018-19 school year. The number of children being diagnosed with disabilities is increasing, therefore the resources will need to increase as well. Of those students, more than 64% of children with disabilities were in general education classrooms, 80% or more of the school day.

Within the IDEA there are six principles that are designed to create guidelines and rules for special education. These principles are (1) Free Appropriate Public Education or FAPE (2) Appropriate Evaluation (3) Individualized Education Plan or IEP (4) Least Restrictive Environment (5) parent and student participation in decision making (6) procedural safeguards. The one that will be focused on in this paper is the Least Restrictive Environment.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is referring to the setting where students with disabilities receive appropriate education among non-disabled peers. LRE focuses on inclusion. It can be referred to as mainstreaming, inclusion, or inclusive practices. It is creating an environment where students with and without disabilities can learn and flourish individually, but also in a way that the school community supports every student. If a student can be in general education classrooms then they should be in general education classrooms. Not only does it look at the location of the student, it is also including the entire education program, including services. Although the least restrictive environment seems as though it is easy and a quick fix, it unfortunately can still have some harmful impacts. There is a continuum where some students can be in a segregated classroom all day without access to peers, more specifically students who fall on the moderate/severe spectrum of their disability. So the idea of LRE still does keep restrictive placements present.

Students with disabilities receive additional benefits beyond academics when included in inclusive environments. They can learn appropriate behavior and communication skills to help navigate social situations, as well as creating friendships! Both the child with a disability and those without a disability can learn from each other.

The 13 Categories of Disability under the IDEA

Types of Disabilities covered in the ADA and IDEA: (in no specific order)

1. Specific Learning Disability
2. Other Health Impairments
3. Autism
4. Emotional Disturbance
5. Speech and Language Impairment
6. Visual Impairment (including Blindness)
7. Deafness
8. Hearing Impairment
9. Deaf-Blind
10. Orthopedic Impairment
11. Intellectual Disability
12. Traumatic Brain Injury
13. Multiple Disabilities

Types of Disabilities & LRE

Specific Learning Disabilities are classified as a disorder that interferes with a student's ability to listen, think, speak, write, or do mathematical calculations. Seven categories of specific learning disabilities are dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder, language processing disorder, nonverbal learning disabilities and visual perceptual disabilities. Like other categories on this list, students with this type of disability are more likely to be pulled out of general education class to go to therapy sessions to work on improvement.

Other Health Impairments is limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic health problems and educational performance is negatively affected as a result. Under this category impairments can result from infections, genetic factors, environmental factors, and other influences. Some examples include asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, Attention deficit disorder, etc. Most of these conditions can be managed with medication and will less likely impact the students' learning ability. Moving a student to a special education class in this case will depend on the progress of the student within the general education classroom.

Autism is a wide range of various conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and sometimes non verbal communication. Each student is different and their needs will be met differently, so it is important to not make assumptions about one's experience. Some children may do best in a general education classroom, a resource classroom, an autism only setting, or even a special needs classroom. they could also thrive in an integrated setting as well or even one specifically for Autistic children.

Emotional Disturbance is defined as the inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships. There are six types of emotional disturbances -- anxiety disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorders, conduct disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and psychotic disorder. Some of the educational challenges that can be related to emotional disturbance are disruptions or uncontrollable emotions.

Speech and Language Impairment are defined as a communication disorder that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Under this definition includes stuttering, impairned articulation, a language impairment, or voice impairment. Students will often get pulled out of the classroom for the majority of their school career to see a speech therapist if there is an impairment of this kind. By taking the child out of class, they are missing the experience in a general education classroom as well as isolating them more from their peers.

Visual Impairment is used to describe any kind of vision loss, whether it's someone who cannot see at all or someone who has partial vision loss. The definition of blindness is defined as “a visual acuity worse than 20/400 with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 10 degrees horizontally.” Students with a visual impairment may have the accommodations of sitting close to the front of the class or whatever place in the classroom they can see best from, the option of text being read aloud to them, and even tests given in an alternative way that isn't writing on the paper if the child is unable to see.

Deafness is defined as a hearing impairment that is so severe that a child is unable to process language through hearing. It prevents an individual from receiving all sound. When applying the LRE to a Deaf student, it is referring to the environment that presents the fewests language and communication barriers. Students can be mainstreamed in a general education classroom or a specific school setting specifically for Deaf students. If choosing a general education classroom, it is important to provide interpreters as well as visuals for the student to follow along in the classroom.

Hearing Impairment closely resembles deafness. It is a person who is not able to hear as well as someone who has normal hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears. There are 3 different types of hearing loss -- sensorineural, conductive, and mixed -- and these can be caused by various factors. Often in these cases students are placed in a general education classroom with assistive technology. Students can get pulled out of class still or some might stay in a special education classroom all together just like mentioned in the Deaf discussion above.

Deaf-blind means when an individual is both deaf and blind. LRE is a federal law that makes sure students with disabilities receive their education to the appropriate extent with their nondisabled peers. Special education students, if mainstreamed, should not be taken out of the regular classroom unless they have supplemental aid. Students can be in a general education classroom with extra resources, a self contained classroom, special education school or even home schooled. Whatever is best for the student.Students who are Deaf-Blind can receive a multitude of accommodations if choosing a general education classroom, such as interpreters, speech to text services, testing accommodations, etc.

Orthopedic Impairment is defined as a child's disability relating to bone, joint, musclue, that is severe enough to directly affect the child's educational performance. Some examples of orthopedic impairments include clubfoot, cerebral palsy, amputation, etc. Having accessible classroom entrances are important in the case of this disability as a wheelchair might be a mode of transportation for some. Students with orthopedic impairments typically have the same cognitive abilities as their peers and therefore should be in the general education classroom alongside others.

Intellectual Disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in cognitive functions and skills. It can include communication, social skills and self care skills. Autism now is its own category of disability under the IDEA but before it was grouped as an intellectual disability and the terminology can still be interchangeably used today. Many of the intellectual disabilities can fall into other categories of disabilities as well, for example ADHD is intellectual but also a developmental disability. Historically, students with intellectual disabilities have not been included in the classrooms but instead placed in institutions. Today we still see a divide between special education classrooms and general education classrooms with this particular disability. Both disabled and non-disabled peers can benefit from having each other together in the same classroom.

Traumatic Brain Injury is a sudden injury that causes damage to the brain. This can be through violent bumps, blows, or jolts to the head. Like intellectual disabilities, historically traumatic brain injuries also would also probably be institutionalized. The students will most likely end up being put into a special education classroom but we have to consider if that is best for the child and if there is an option for them to be integrated into the general education classroom.

Mulitple Disabilities refers to someone having more than one significant disability. Examples would be orthopedic impairments or sensory impairments to name a few. Having multiple disabilities can cause more challenges in school because instead of one disability now there are many factors to consider. Depending on what combination of disabilities the student has will depend on the level of therapy and how much the student splits time between special education and general education. The student may not have the opportunity to even go into a general education classroom also because of the many different challenges that they will endure.

P.A.R.C v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The case P.A.R.C v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1972 the Pennsylvania Association for Reatarded Children (PARC) – we don’t use the “r” word anymore in today's language – filed a lawsuit on behalf of 14 children with learning disabilities who were denied access to public education. During this time, the state was legally allowed to reject students who were not quite fully developed mentally to their standards. Through observation of the 14 children, the observers testified that the students could greatly benefit from being educated alongside their nondisabled peers. The case ruled that the state was obligated to provide public education to children with disabilities, and stated that it was better for these students to be in regular classrooms. What this is ultimately saying is that these students were (1) denied Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and (2) they were not in the Least Restrictive school setting environment because they should be in the regular general education classroom.

Conclusion

Remember the definition at the beginning of the Least Restrictive Environment under the law? This will look different for each child, some maybe in the general education classroom longer than others because that is the best fit for that particular student and their disability. Noticing when reading all the definitions as well, they all have a negative aspect in the definition specifically related to education. There are still many questions to consider when thinking about LRE because did we really eliminate barriers for students with disabilities or make them more segregated away from the rest of their peers?