IDEA

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs special education programs in schools in the U.S., providing every student the right to a free and appropriate public education.

Pull-Out Programs

In some schools, special education is addressed with pull-out programs. Pull-out programs involve removing students from the general classroom for short sessions to address their individual needs, such as therapy with autism specialists, classes designed for gifted students, and social skills or anger management sessions with a school psychologist.

Integrated Classrooms

Other schools use an integrated, or inclusive, approach to special education. These students are accommodated for their learning differences inside the regular classroom. Children are given the accommodations they need to attend class with their peers.

The Great Debate

Those who favor the pull-out model for at least part of the special education equation believe that the needs of the majority of the students must be taken into consideration. Another argument for the pull-out method is that it gives the child time with specialists who are trained to help them with their specific needs.

Criticisms

Some people believe that all classrooms should be fully integrated with the needs of each individual child taken into account. The pull-out method also often puts at-risk students in the same classroom as special needs students, which some critics believe inhibits the educational experience of the special needs students.

Source:

NCLD.org: The State of Learning Disabilities

The Council for Exceptional Students: LD News

LDOnline.org: Learning Disabilities Online