Is IEP and Special Education the Same?

Is IEP and Special Education the Same?

IEP and Special Education are often used together, which makes many people wonder whether they mean the same thing. IEP and Special Education actually refer to two connected but different parts of the support system created for children with diverse learning needs. IEP and Special Education work side by side, but an IEP—Individualised Education Program—is a specific plan under Special Education designed to meet a child’s unique goals. This raises an important question: What is the Full Form of IEP in Special Education? Understanding this difference helps parents, teachers and caregivers make better decisions for a child’s growth.

Table of Content

What is an IEP?

An Individualised Education Program (IEP) is a written plan created to support students who have learning difficulties, developmental delays, or disabilities that affect their academic progress. It makes it obvious what the kid needs to do in school and what kind of help they require. Teachers, parents, Special Educators and other professionals who know the kid’s needs work together to build an IEP.

Key points about an IEP include:

Personalised Goals

Each IEP outlines learning goals based on the kid’s strengths and challenges.

Specialised Support

It specifies teaching methods, accommodations, and tools the kid requires.

Continuous Assessments

The IEP is assessed regularly to check if it is yielding the desired outcomes and make the desired modifications if needed.

Lawful record

It is a document that ensures that the child acquires the essential academic aid and assistance that they are entitled to as per the educational policies.

An IEP aims for the teaching methods to be based on the child’s strengths and to help the learning process to be stress-free for the child. It includes areas like academic growth, behaviour support, speech needs, social skills, and physical development, depending on what the child requires. By creating a structured plan, an IEP helps teachers understand exactly how to assist the child in reaching their potential.

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What is Special Education?

Special Education is a set of teaching methods, support services and changes to the way kids learn that aim to help kids with disabilities or learning problems do well in school. It makes sure that every kid has the same opportunity to study, no matter what problems they have. Instead of a one-size-fits-all strategy, special education focuses on fulfilling each student’s requirements by using different techniques.

Prime aspects of Special Education are as follows:

Tailored instructions

Special Education ensures that the child’s learning styles and preferences are given maximum importance, and the child can learn at his own pace.

Adaptations

Desired changes are made as per the child’s needs, ensuring that the learning outcomes as per the IEP are achieved.

Need-based therapy

Specialized Services in the form of speech therapy, occupational therapy, or behaviour intervention may be provided depending on the child’s requirements.

Personalised attention

The child gets personalised attention from the teachers, where they work with the child one-on-one, helping them understand concepts better.

Special Education endeavours to eliminate the academic gaps that have arisen due to the child’s diverse learning needs. Its primary aim is to provide the child with a conducive learning space that fosters learning for all children given them an equal chance to be a part of the mainstream education. It aims to focus on all the developmental domains of the child, such as their socio-emotional and physical development. Its goal is simple—ensuring that every learner gets the right tools to grow, learn, and succeed.

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What is the Difference between IEP and Special Education?

IEP is an integral part of Special Education. It is a larger domain that comprises various teaching approaches, intervention plans, and well-rounded support systems that help children with special needs overcome their academic as well as social challenges to be an active component of mainstream education as well as the community at large.

IEP is an important component of Special Education, which outlines the yearly goals of the child and lays down a proper pathway to be followed to ensure that the learning outcomes are attained effectively.

The important variations are as follows:

Purpose

• Special Education focuses on providing overall support and programs for students with diverse needs.
• IEP outlines individualised goals and the exact support a particular child requires.

Scope

• Special Education is a comprehensive topic that includes all the aspects concerning Learning disabilities, such as teaching pedagogies, varied therapies such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and practical classroom management techniques.
• IEP applies only to students who need a personalised plan.

Structure

• Special Education is a system of services.
• IEP is a legal document that details goals, accommodations, and progress tracking.

Team Participation

• Special Education involves teachers, therapists, and support staff.
• IEP is designed by a certain team that is restricted to the IEP only. It will not look into the other aspects of the child’s development, such as concessions or accommodations.

Special Education is a broader term which includes a lot of significant apsects of which IEP is a crucial topic that provides the roadmap to be followed by teachers, parents and educators to help the child attain his true potential.

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What is the Similarity between IEP and Special Education?

IEP and Special Education are complementary to each other as they together help children with special needs overcome their learning challenges, enabling them to lead independent lives successfully with minimal assistance. Their main aim is to ensure that the learning needs of every child are addressed effectively and every child gets the entitled aid in the form of academic aid, concessions, and monetary benefits as listed in several educational policies.

Vidhyanidhi Education Society (Govt. Regd.), a pioneer teacher training Institute has initiated an ideal Special Education Needs Course that empowers educators to understand the above two perfectly and apply them in the educational system precisely.

Some similar features are as follows:

Learner-based approach

IEP and Special Education emphasise the child’s learning needs and strengths.

Primary goal is Inclusion

The main goal is to foster maximum participation in a regular classroom along with their peers, and to celebrate each one’s differences.

Professional Alliancing

A team of various professionals, such as special educators, occupational therapists and parents work together to give the child the best interventional support.

Focus on Progress

Tracking improvement, adjusting strategies, and reviewing outcomes are essential in both.

IEP and Special Education share the purpose of making learning accessible and effective for children with disabilities. When the valuable aspects of systematic methods, thoughtfully curated interventions are applied in the child’s learning journey, along with constant personal guidance learning process becomes joyous for the child, helping them attain their learning goals successfully.

Undergoing a Special Education Needs Course equips educators with the latest teaching pedagogies and classroom management skills that help children with special needs merge comfortably into a regular classroom.

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