ASD Education

ASD Education

The ultimate goal of education for children with ASD is to improve their quality of life. In order to achieve this educational goal, free appropriate public education (FAPE) should be provided for all children with ASD.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004)

IDEA is a federal law that guarantees a free and appropriate public education for every child with a disability. This means that if you enroll your child in public school, his education should be at no cost to you and should be appropriate for his age, ability, and developmental level. IDEA is an amended version of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) passed in 1975. In 1997, IDEA was reauthorized (P.L. 105-17), further defining children's rights to educational services and strengthening the role of parents in the educational planning process for their children (Autism Society of America, http://www.autism-society.org).

According to federal law, each school district must ensure, that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled; and

Those special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment must occur only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in the regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

For more information, please visit:

[ http://idea.ed.gov ]

[ http://osepideasthatwork.org/toolkit/index.asp ]

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written document that outlines a child's annual educational program. As the name implies, the educational program must be tailored to the needs and abilities of the individual student to provide maximum educational benefit. The key word is individual. A program that is appropriate for one child with autism may not be appropriate for another (Autism Society of America, http://www.autism-society.org).

For more information, please visit:

[ http://www.ode.state.oh.us ]

Parents' Rights

According to IDEA (2004), parents have the right to have …

• an interpreter when your first language is not English and you feel uncomfortable speaking English to communicate during IEP meetings
• any individual (e.g., extended family member, friend, or neighbor) participate in an IEP meeting who can help develop an IEP for your child
• any information you need to know about your child, especially when you give your consent. IDEA 2004 requires schools to get the informed consent from parents before the initial evaluation and before implementing special education services
• research-based methodology and evaluation procedures written into your child's IEP
• the child's general education teacher(s) participate in IEP meetings
  

For more information, please visit:

[ http://www.wrightslaw.com ]

[ http://idea.ed.gov ]