Imagine this scenario: You are a special education teacher at your neighborhood elementary school. You receive a call from the legal guardian of a child in your school. They tell you during the phone call they believe their child has some kind of a specific learning disability in reading and that is the reason their child is receiving poor to failing grades in most subject areas. They have heard about special education because their neighbor’s daughter received speech and language services when she was younger, and they asked for you by name when they contacted the school’s main office. The legal guardian has asked to meet with you so you can explain more about special education and what might happen if their child is evaluated for a learning disability. The legal guardian has had no direct experiences with special education.
You spoke with the legal guardian briefly over the phone, and they are open to a face-to-face or a teleconference meeting. You want to ensure the legal guardian leaves the meeting with a full understanding of what is involved in the special education process and what they might expect to have happened. You also want to ensure they feel like an equal partner in the process. In preparation for your meeting, you will need to develop a short presentation to explain the process and organize any materials and resources you think will be helpful for the legal guardian in aiding their understanding and enhancing their level of comfort.
You will develop a narrated presentation consisting of the following slides (title each slide appropriately):
- Introduction/title slide
- Overview of IDEA (Week 1)
- Definitions of special education, LRE, and FAPE (Week 1)
- An outline of steps in the referral process (Week 2)
- A description of the IEP team and what each member might contribute (Week 3)
- An overview of specific learning disabilities in reading, including characteristics commonly seen in children and strategies for effective instruction (Week 4)
- An explanation of the continuum of services and options that may be available for their child (Week 7)
Throughout the presentation, include questions or other strategies to help engage the parent or legal guardian in the process.
You may add any additional slide(s) you believe are relevant and appropriate.
Develop or include one additional resource to help the legal guardian better understand any element in the process (you may choose the element).
Length: Narrate a 6 to 8-minute presentation of 12-15 slides (excluding title and reference slides) with transcription in the Notes sections. The accompanying resource should be at least one page.
References: Include a minimum of five credible or scholarly resources.
The completed assignment should address all of the assignment requirements, exhibit evidence of concept knowledge, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the content presented in the course. The writing should integrate scholarly resources, reflect academic expectations and current APA standards, and adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.
