Reflection Journal # 8

As with all of the previous modules, this week’s reading was very insightful. There were many key points within the reading. These key points include, but are not limited to, early intervention, opportunities through law and eligibility for early intervention within early childhood special education. The reading also talked about the individual family service plan (IFSP) and curriculum and instructional strategies. Special education early intervention makes a difference in the lives of the children, the parents and families. The principles governing early childhood special education are applicable in all educational areas, in all levels of severity, and in all categories of disability for students of all ages. Children with disabilities learn skills in sequential manner. Early intervention provides a wide range of educational, nutritional, child care, and family supports for children birth to 5 years old. Early intervention special education programs enable educators and parents to promote child development and independence at an earlier age by correcting or minimizing the effects of the disability. With accurate assessments, there are opportunities to prevent or discover secondary disabilities quicker. Congress reauthorized the original special education law, PL 94-142, in 1986, and later updated it again in 1997 and 2004. That reauthorization extended mandatory educational services to children with developmental delays or disabilities from ages 3 to 5 and offered voluntary incentives for educational programs for children from birth to age two. The Individual Education Program (IEP) and the Individual Family Services Plan were both mandated by IDEA. The IEP provides appropriate education for children with disabilities of school age, where as the IFSP provides services for children with developmental delays from birth to