Home and School: A Collaborative Approach to Special Education

Today, more special education students are taught in regular classrooms, and collaboration is increasing. Collaboration helps to ensure children with learning disabilities get a free appropriate public education, including specialised instruction, in a regular classroom. 

There are several ways to ensure students get the instructional support they need. Collaboration provides options to allow students to be educated (as required by in law in many developed countries) in the least restrictive environment. 

The Lead Teacher Collaboration Model 

In classrooms with a lead teacher, often the regular classroom teacher delivers the instruction in the subject area. The special education teacher is an observer who works with children after instruction to provide specially designed instruction, ensure understanding, and to provide adaptations and modifications. 

The Learning Centres Collaboration Model 

Each teacher is responsible for instruction in a specific area of the room. Students are assembled into groups that rotate through the centres for instruction. Special education teachers may deliver instruction in areas of their certifications and may also serve as support to other teachers without a special education background. 

The learning centre collaboration approach is particularly appropriate for younger students, for whom centre-based education is more typical. 

Withdrawal Collaboration Model 

In some settings, rather than having special education teachers or therapists “included” in general education classrooms, students are “withdrawn” for services. In such situations, students might leave the classroom for therapies or particular subjects, and then return to the general education classroom. When this occurs, the general education teacher collaborates with the special needs professional to be sure the student’s needs are being met. 

Alternative Collaborative Setting 

Partially or entirely separate educational settings are relatively rare, even for students with significant learning or developmental challenges. A substantially separate setting is designed specifically for students with disabilities; for example, some classrooms are set up to serve students with autism while others are set up for students with speech and language disabilities, etc. 

Students work one-on-one or in small groups with a special education teacher and possibly with instructional assistants for all or part of the instructional day. Even when students are placed full time in special education classrooms, teachers may communicate with each other to ensure students’ programs include appropriate instruction. 

Separate settings are typically used with students who have a more significant need for direct instruction.