Disabilities
...so look into the child’s school records to see if there has been a history of the disability. They should even pay special consideration to the child’s work, focusing on the areas where the child is having the most difficulties. Once all of these methods have been used than a multidisciplinary team can begin to discuss an appropriate placement for the child. Parents play a huge part in the assessment process. It is imperative that parents be aware of their rights so that they can become actively involved. This Digest offers suggestions to parents informing them of what they can do before, during and after the evaluation are done. The number of culturally diverse students entering American Schools is increasing each year. Research shows that culturally diverse students make up a large percentage of children in special education programs. These students are being over represented in special education programs because the assessment tests are culturally and linguistically biased. Assessment is a complex process and becomes even more so when dealing with culturally diverse students. It is essential that a thorough evaluation be done of each student that includes both formal and informal methods of collecting information. A thorough evaluation done by trained professionals is the key to correctly diagnosing children. The last section of the article dealt with the six primary academic areas that are assessed: intelligence, language, perceptual abilities, academic achievement, and behavior...