INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT- IDEA

 

 

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT-  IDEA

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT- IDEA by Dr. ARUN KUMAR.RM

 

1.     OVERVIEW:

·        The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004) is aligned with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001).

·        The purpose of IDEA 2004 is to ensure that children with disabilities have a free appropriate public education to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.

·        IDEA requires that as part of a comprehensive evaluation, a child is assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, including if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities which includes consideration of the need for OT and PT evaluation and services.

·        The context in which therapy services are provided determines the focus, requirements, and expected outcomes.

·        This Guide supports collaborative teaming, training, and an integrated service delivery approach.

·        The roles of occupational therapists and physical therapists in school systems and early intervention programs support this approach as an avenue for ensuring that infants and toddlers receive early intervention services in the natural environment and that students receive special education instruction and related services in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

·        Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is an antidiscrimination statute that protects both IDEA-eligible children and children who have disabilities but do not need special education services.

2.     SECTION 504:

·        A civil rights law, Section 504 ensures that children with disabilities have equal access to education. Eligibility for Section 504 protections in schools is determined through a school team process.

·        Occupational and physical therapy are among the services that are available to children with disabilities under Parts B and C of IDEA 2004. Occupational and physical therapy practitioners, having skills and knowledge based on sound anatomical, physiological, and theoretical constructs, provide a unique service to children with disabilities and contribute specific expertise to the team responsible for meeting the child’s educational or family service plan needs.

2.1.          The IDEA Part B Code of Federal Regulations

·        Defines occupational therapy as services provided by a qualified occupational therapist including:      

1.     Improving, developing, or restoring functions impaired or lost through illness, injury, or deprivation

2.     Improving ability to perform tasks for independent functioning if functions are impaired or lost; and

3.     Preventing, through early intervention, initial or further impairment or loss of function

 

2.2.          The IDEA Part C Code of Federal Regulations

·        Defines occupational therapy as services to address the functional needs of an infant or toddler with a disability related to adaptive development, adaptive behavior, and play, and sensory, motor, and postural development. These services are designed to improve the child’s functional ability to perform tasks in home, school, and community settings, and include:

1.     Identification, assessment, and intervention

2.     Adaptation of the environment, and selection, design, and fabrication of assistive and orthotic devices to facilitate development and promote the acquisition of functional skills

3.     Prevention or minimization of the impact of initial or future impairment, delay in development, or loss of functional ability.

3. UNDER C- IFSP

·        Under Part C, services are provided through the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) process.

·        Therapy-related decisions for qualifying infants and toddlers are based on identified child and family outcomes.

·        Therapists promote the child’s awareness and interaction with the environment and the acquisition of motor skills and sensory processing abilities through intervention, parent coaching, support, and training.

·        Therapists assist families in helping their children develop increased independence in mobility and activities of daily living, including play, and in preparation for entering school (MSDE, 2003).

 

4.  UNDER B- IEP

·        Under Part B, services are provided through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.

·        The IEP team determines the need for related services (related services is defined as transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education which includes physical and occupational therapy.

·        During the development of a student’s IEP, the IEP team identifies the professional expertise necessary for students to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and make progress in the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment.

·        As appropriate, occupational and physical therapists may be part of the team that prepares students with disabilities for further education, employment, and independent living.