Alternative Ways To Serve Handicapped Children are given in this article. We hope you find it helpful, informative, and able to guide you.
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Besides what special education offers, there are other resources for the education of handicapped children. Many states provide educational facilities for children who are deaf, blind, deaf-blind or have other severe handicaps such as profound retardation.
Alternative Ways To Serve Handicapped Children
When children with the above handicaps are brought to your attention, your state-operated schools should be investigated.
Also, when faced with the problems of providing a special education program, your school is not prepared to deliver or investigate the state’s regular program.
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For example, a special art class or a special physical education class, or a behavior modification program given to regular pupils may be useful for one of your handicapped pupils.
Before entering into a treatment or rehabilitation agreement, the parents of the handicapped child should clarify if the child is eligible for the program, by age group for students, especially those between 2-5 and 18-21 years.
The physical facilities where the services will be delivered should be adequate. Are there architectural barriers that should be resolved to help the handicapped child? Is the program management satisfactory? How Is the program supervised? How are equipment and supplies to be provided?
Does the program provide substitute teachers to assist the handicapped child? What are the program referral procedures? Does the program provide transportation services? What are the costs of services? what is the professional status of the personnel providing the services?
If these questions are answered satisfactorily, there should be no problem with the agency providing the services. As the following are some specific services that are provided by some agencies.
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Department of special education has the following:
1. screening of children to detect possible causes of handicaps
2. comprehensive assessment
3. Psychological counseling
4. Placement of the child in a special school when the need arises.
5. Program evaluation to determine suitability.
6. Fresh referral of the child to a more appropriate program where an earlier placement is inappropriate.
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has the following:
1. Vocational evaluation and training
2. work-study program
3. Vocational counseling
4. Job placement and follow-up services
5. Sheltered workshops
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Department of Health consists of the following:
1. Diagnosis and evaluation
2. Medical services pertaining to diagnosis and evaluation.
3. Physical and occupational therapy
4. Vision screening
5. Dental services
6. Department of Mental Health comprises:
7. Psychological examination and further referral as needed
8. Psychological services
9. Training and education of some development disabled children
10. Educational services for severely and profoundly handicapped children in special schools.
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In summary, we may say that sources for meeting the specific needs of some of your handicapped children include:
i. State-operated schools.
ii. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (secondary school students)
iii. Department of Mental health (state and local)
iv. Department of Special Education
v. University-based clinics.
Vi. Medical schools (handicapped children’s division)
vii. Children’s Hospitals
viii. Approved private facilities (e.g. group homes, Special reading centers).
ix. Private psychiatric clinics and residential treatment facilities.
x. Department of Youth Services (Juvenile detention homes Remand homes)
xi. Department of Public Health (Municipal and Local Government).
xii. Private schools (residential or day schools).
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From these agencies, one can obtain the following services: Medical (diagnosis), Psychological, Social Work, Educational, Job training and placement, ln-services training Transportation, Speech, and Hearing Therapy.
