Historical Perspectives in Special Education

A brief review

Ancient Views (BC)

Seriously affected seldom survived birth Mildly disabled survived and contributed Belief in supernatural led to (2) different

views: Demons; therefore kill them Unique; therefore revere and honor Regardless, those with disabilities were

isolated

An Ethical Dilemma

Over 400,000 babies are born in the US premature

They are at risk for life long disabilities

Often policy to resuscitate all babies weighing 1 lb or more

Greek and Roman

Early: Away from supernatural to natural causes

Holistic interventions such as: Diet Exercise Natural herbs etc Mind, body, spirit

Greek and Roman (con’t)

Later in this period: Need for military superiority Therefore, needed society free of

“defectives” Returned to previous views of disability Called Era of Extermination Individual is what he is, now and forever

Greek & Roman(con’t)

Consequences of Philosophy: Punishment: Chaining Left on hills to die Thrown off cliffs Locked away Drown Father had right to terminate child’s life

Locked away

Thrown off cliffs

Chained

Greek and Roman treatment of the disabled

Middle Ages

Rigid caste system Era of Ridicule Those with disabilities were: Used as servants or fools Some were still put to death Dwarfs were used as clowns Overall, ridiculed for deformities and behavior

Middle Ages

Becky

Judy

Renaissance

Era of Asylum Catholic Church accepts those with

disabilities as wards of state Cared for in isolation No education at first, but humane

treatment Belief: Once disabled, always disabled

Industrial Revolution

Era of Education Need for mass education, literate

society, and good workers Vocational Emphasis Sheltered workshops emerged

Early Education Efforts

Itard-wolf boy, multi-sensory learning Sequin-training sequence Montessori-individualized and discovery

learning These were some seeds of special

education

Maria Montessori

Eduard Seguin

Jean-MarcItard

Pioneers in Special Education

Turn of the Century (early 1900’s) Early: Biological emphasis Institutional Care/medical model 1900-1950’s some classes for the

mentally retarded

Turn of the Century (con’t)

Late: Environmental emphasis Veterans-rise in litigation and legislation Civil Rights movement in 50’s and 60’s

Contemporary Issues

Inclusion Zero Reject Litigation/legislation Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Parents as equal members Collaboration between general ed and

special ed