special education summary

special education, Education of children who differ socially, mentally, or physically from the average to such an extent that they require modifications of usual school practices. An early proponent of education for the blind was Valentin Haüy, who opened a school in Paris in 1784; his efforts were followed by those of Louis Braille. Attempts to educate deaf children predate Haüy, but not until Friedrich Moritz Hill (1805–74) developed an oral method of instruction did teaching deaf individuals become established. The development of standardized sign languages further advanced instruction. Scientific attempts to educate children with intellectual disabilities began with the efforts of Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard (1775–1838) to train a boy who had been found running wild in the woods of Aveyron; Itard’s work influenced such later theorists as Édouard Séguin (1812–80) and Maria Montessori. Children with motor disabilities, once considered in need of special education, are usually integrated into a standard classroom by adapting the environment to their disability, often through physical apparatuses (wheelchairs, modified desks). Children with learning disabilities and speech disorders usually require specialized techniques, often on an individual basis. For children with behavioral and emotional disorders, special therapeutic and clinical services may be provided. For gifted children, special programs of enrichment and acceleration are usually preferred to special classes.