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You are here: Families & Children > Special Education > Special Education Rights for Children & Families > General Information About Special Education
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Introduction
Why should I figure out if my child needs special education services as soon as possible?
What kind of help can my child get?
Do I have to pay for special education?
Where will my child get special education?
Introduction
Read this section if you are a parent, foster parent, guardian, or if you take care of a child who is not doing well in school. You will learn about special educational services that may help your child.
A child can have trouble in school, or not want to go to school, for many different reasons. It can be because of behavior problems, emotional problems, language problems, medical problems, or learning disabilities.
Here are some signs that your child needs special education:
- Has trouble reading, writing, or doing math;
- Has trouble sitting still, concentrating, or following directions;
- Has problems with talking or pronouncing things;
- Forgets where things are;
- Can't keep track of time;
- Doesn't understand things like up and down, left and right, or front and back;
- Has problems with motor skills like holding a pencil;
- Has trouble with personal routines like brushing teeth; or
- Is in his own world or has trouble making friends.
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Why should I figure out if my child needs special education services as soon as possible?
It's not always easy to see a disability. Learning disabilities are really hard to spot.
Your child can be very smart and still have a learning disability. Sometimes being smart is not enough. Children with learning disabilities can get frustrated and skip school or even drop out if they don't get the help they need.
Children who have problems in school can have the same problems later in life. For example:
- Students with learning disabilities drop out of high school 2 times as much as students without learning disabilities.
- Half of the delinquent children tested had learning disabilities they didn't know about.
- A third of teens with learning disabilities will be arrested within 3 to 5 years after high school.
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What kind of help can my child get?
Special education can give your child the help they need. Children who are at least 3 years old and are having trouble learning may be able to get special education or "related services."
Related services can be transportation and other supportive services like speech therapy, psychological services, physical therapy, social work services, and counseling services.
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Do I have to pay for special education?
No. Special education is free. The law says that children with disabilities have the right to have a free, appropriate public education (also called "FAPE").
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Where will my child get special education?
Children with disabilities must get their education in the least restrictive environment (also called "LRE"). This means that, as much as possible, they have to be with students who aren't disabled.
But if the child can't be in a regular classroom because of his or her disability, they will be placed in a more controlled place. The local educational agency (also called "LEA") has to give the child the chance to learn in different settings, like:
- Teaching the child in a regular classroom (with special aids and services);
- Giving the child other services, like resource specialist services (called "pull-out" services because children are taken out of the classroom to get them);
- Teaching the child in special day classes and centers;
- Teaching the child in special state schools;
- Teaching the child at home;
- Placing the child outside the home and teaching him or her in a hospital or institution; and
- Placing the child in a private school.
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Last modified: 03/17/2008
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