1.
History of Special Education
. 1. Special education or special needs education is the practice of educating students with
special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. This process
involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching
procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings.
. 2. SPED in the Philippines started in 1908 where the school for deaf ( in Harrison, Pasay
City) was established and marked the official government recognition of obligations towards
the education of the handicapped children.
. 3. An Act of Promote the EDUCATION of the blind in the Philippines which established
teacher training course and Philippine National School for the Blind. Philippine Normal
College offered courses in Sped for teaching the blind in 1964 wherein 14 elementary teachers
were selected for training.
. 4. In 1952, a pilot school for the SPED ( at the Phil. Women’s University) of mentally
handicapped children was started. All children from this school were transferred to the Special
Child Study Center in Cubao, Q.C. in 1957.
. 5. AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION, SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND
SELF-RELIANCE OF DISABLED PERSONS AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO THE
MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
. 6. AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TEN-YEAR TRAINING PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS
OF SPECIAL AND EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN IN THE PHILIPPINES AND
AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREOF.
. 7. Goal of special Education
. 8. States that the ultimate goal of special education shall be integration of mainstreaming of
learners with special needs into the regular school system and eventually in the community.
To meet the individual educational needs of the learners and, to extent possible, prepare them
for going to a more regular classroom setting.
. 9. Kind of Learners Children with special needs who necessitate individualized program
Regular Learners Number of Learners For one-on-one : 1 For group : 3-4 For resource group :
5-10 Private school : 35-50 Public school : 50-60 or more Curriculum Attention skills
(ADHD) Memory Skills (MR), Braille (VI), Sign Language ( HI), Auditory and Visual
Perception skills (LD), anger Management ( emotional/ Behavior Disturbance), Creative and
Critical Thinking Skills (Giftedness), functional Academics ( Autism) English, Reading,
Math, Makabayan. Who dictates the Curriculum? Individual needs of the child School System
(DECS) Received instruction from? SPED teachers, occupational therapist, Physical
Therapist, Speech Pathologist. Regular Teachers ( Subject Teachers) Primary Function OF
SPED TEACHER: To meet the goals and objectives established in the IEP OF REGULAR
TEACHER: To teach the curriculum Type of Classroom SPED Classroom, Self-contained
room; Resource Room, Mainstream classroom Regular Classroom
2. Local and international laws/legislations
Local Laws:
Republic Act No. 7277:
Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities
Republic Act No. 9442
Article XIV, Sections 1 and 2 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines
Republic Act No. 5250: "An Act Establishing a Ten-Year Teacher Training Program for
Teachers of Special and Exceptional Children."
Articles 3 and 74 of the Presidential Decree No. 603 of 1975
Republic Act No. 3562: "An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind in the Philippines
Section 24 of BP 232:
"Special Education Services"
Articles 356 and 259 of Commonwealth Act No. 3203
Batas Pambansa Bilang 344: "An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons."
Education Act of 1982 or Batas Pambansa Bilang 232
Presidential Decree No. 1509 of 1978
Section 8, Article XV of the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
Persons with disability are part of Philippine society, and thus the State shall give full support
to the improvement of their total well being and their integration into the mainstream of
society. They have the same rights as other people to take their proper place in society. They
should be able to live freely and as independently as possible. This must be the concern of
everyone the family, community and all government and non-government organizations.
Rights of persons with disability must never be perceived as welfare services. Prohibitions on
verbal, non-verbal ridicule and vilification against persons with disability shall always be
observed at all times.
"The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels
and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all."
"The emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted child shall be treated with sympathy and
understanding and shall be given the education and care required by his particular condition."
Special Education in the Philippines is anchored on the following fundamental legal
documents
An Act Providing For The Rehabilitation, Self-Development And Self-Reliance Of Disabled
Person And Their Integration Into The Mainstream Of Society And For Other Purposes .
required cars, buildings, institutions, establishments and public utilities to install facilities and
other devices for persons with disabilities
"The State shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education regardless
of sex, age, breed, socioeconomical status, physical and mental condition, social and ethnic
origin, political and other affiliations. The State shall therefore promote and maintain equality
of access to education as well as enjoyment of the benefits of education by all its citizens."
provided for the formal training of special education teachers of blind children at the
Philippine Normal College, the rehabilitation of the Philippine National School for the Blind
(PNSB) and the establishment of the Philippine Printing House of the Blind
provided for the formal training of teachers for deaf, hard-of-hearing, speech handicapped,
socially and emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded and mentally gifted and youth at the
Philippine Normal College and the University of the Philippines
An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons
with Disability as Amended, and For Other Purposes’ Granting Additional Privileges and
Incentives and Prohibitions on Verbal, Non-Verbal Ridicule and Vilification Against Persons
with Disability.
"the State further recognizes its responsibility to provide, within the context of the formal
education system services to meet special needs of certain clientele. These specific types shall
be guided by the basic policies of state embodied on General Provisions of this Act which
include the education of persons who are physically, mentally, emotionally, socially,
culturally different from the so-called 'normal' individuals that they require modification of
school practices/services to develop to their maximum capacity."
"the right of every child to live in an atmosphere conducive to his physical, moral and
intellectual development" and the concomitant duty of the government "to promote the full
growth of the faculties of every child."
created the National Commission Concerning Disabled Persons (NCCDP)
"The State shall provided adult citizens the disabled and out-of-school youth with training in
civics, vocational efficiency and other skills."
"Thus, where needs warrant, there shall be at least special classes in every province, and if
possible, special schools for the physically handicapped, the mentally retarded, the
emotionally disturbed and the mentally gifted. The private sector shall be given all the
necessary inducement and encouragement."
"A complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of national
development."
International Laws:
In Article 25 (1) the UDHR specifically mentions the socio-economic rights of people with
disabilities: the right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing, housing and
medical care and social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment,
sickness, disability, widowhood, old age. Article 7 guarantees equality before the law and
equal protection by the law for all people, including against discrimination.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) (article 26) – This treaty lists
several rights that are relevant to disability. Article 26 states that all people are equal before
the law and have the right to equal protection of the law.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) (article 2) – The
Covenant does not explicit refer to disability. However, disability can be included under
“other status” in article 2 (2), which calls for non-discrimination on any grounds such as race
and color, and “other status”.
Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons (1971)- This declaration was
proclaimed by the UN General Assembly and states that: “The mentally retarded person has,
to the maximum degree of feasibility, the same rights as other human beings.”
Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975)- This declaration adopted by the UN
General Assembly is the first international document that tried to define the term “disability.”
The Declaration includes a number of social and economic rights as well as civil and political
rights.
Declaration on the Rights of Deaf-Blind Persons (1979)- Article 1 of the Declaration states
that “…every deaf-blind person is entitled to enjoy the universal rights that are guaranteed to
all people by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights provided for all
disabled persons by the Declaration of the Rights of Disabled Persons.”
3. Components of IDEA
IDEA is composed of four parts, the main two being part A and part B.Part A covers the general
provisions of the law; Part B covers assistance for education of all children with disabilities; Part
C covers infants and toddlers with disabilities, including children from birth to age three; and Part
D consists of the national support programs administered at the federal level. Each part of the law
has remained largely the same since the original enactment in 1975. In practice, IDEA is
composed of six main elements that illuminate its main points. These six elements are:
Individualized Education Program (IEP); Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE); Least
Restrictive Environment (LRE); Appropriate Evaluation; Parent and Teacher Participation; and
Procedural Safeguards. To go along with those six main elements, there are also a few other
important components that tie into IDEA: Confidentiality of Information, Transition Services, and
Discipline. Throughout the years of IDEA's being reauthorized, these components have become
key concepts when learning about IDEA.
4. Magna Carta of PWD
An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons with
Disability as Amended, and For Other Purposes’ Granting Additional Privileges and Incentives
and Prohibitions on Verbal, Non-Verbal Ridicule and Vilification Against Persons with
Disability."the State further recognizes its responsibility to provide, within the context of the
formal education system services to meet special needs of certain clientele. These specific types
shall be guided by the basic policies of state embodied on General Provisions of this Act which
include the education of persons who are physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, culturally
different from the so-called 'normal' individuals that they require modification of school
practices/services to develop to their maximum capacity."
5. Salamanca Statement
The Salamanca Statement says that: every child has a basic right to education. every child has
unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs. education services should take into
account these diverse characteristics and needs. those with special educational needs must have
access to regular schools.
6. Nature and Characteristics of Children with Disabilities
Some learning disabled children may have trouble taking in information that is delivered
verbally (auditory information) or they may have issues with reading (visual information). This can
lead to them not being able to recognize the shapes and positions of letters of the alphabet or of
numerals.
The inability to comprehend is another fairly common learning disability. Some children may not be
able to assemble information into a meaningful mental picture. A child with a poor vocabulary may not
be able to understand a set of instructions or a lesson delivered with words that are not a part of their
vocabulary.
Another example of a learning disability would be problems with short term memory. Short term
memory is important when it comes to basic tasks like spelling and simple arithmetic. A child with
short term memory issues may have trouble remembering how to spell certain words. They may need
to have lessons repeated to them more often than other children not affected by their particular learning
disability.
A fourth kind of learning disability comes in the form of the inability to communicate meaningfully.
These are people who have issues mentally organizing information and being able to deliver it in a
manner where it would make sense to the hearer. This problem hinder their ability to communicate
functionally.
How learning disabilities are diagnosed
The methods range from testing, including intelligence and aptitude tests, as well as monitoring the
child to see how he or she interacts socially. In many cases academic performance may also be a part of
the criteria used to assess the child. These things all give experts the complete picture they need to
decide how to categorize the learning disability.
Treatment
Once the assessment of a child has been made, then a course of action for treating their disability is
charted. This may include lesson plans specially designed to cater to a specific child, or placement in
an educational program that has been designed for children with similar disabilities. Among the tools
used to teach the learning disabled are such methods as smaller classroom size, specially trained
teachers, and environments with reduced stimuli that may improve the child's ability to focus on their
work.
