Practical literacy programming for students with special learning needs

In recent years the worldwide movement towards integration and inclusion has made special-education practices - which aim to facilitate the effective teaching of all students in regular classrooms - increasingly routine. The appropriate education of students with disabilities, particularly those with learning difficulties, behaviour problems, or mild intellectual disabilities, is now commonly considered the responsibility of classroom teachers (Pearson, 2000; Weishaar, 2001). Today's primary teachers are expected to be actively involved in the referral and assessment of students, in learning support team meetings, and in the development and implementation of individual education plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities. This chapter takes a practical look at IEPs - what they are, why they are developed, and how classroom teachers can program individually and inclusively to cater for the learning needs of all students.