What Educational Benefits Are Available to Children With Cerebral Palsy?
Questions about schooling are very common for parents of children with cerebral palsy, as the injury can range in severity. Fortunately, there are resources that can help children with disabilities receive an education, even in severe cases.
Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, disabled students are given the same equal access to receive an education within the public schooling system as abled students. Public schools will provide aides, independent education programs (IEPs), individualized family services plans (IFSP) and other resources that accommodate individuals with disabilities.
What Types of Accommodations Help Children With Cerebral Palsy?
Schools can accommodate children with cerebral palsy by providing assistive technology. Communication devices that utilize pictures, symbols, letters and words can help a child with cerebral palsy interact with course material. However, in some cases, assistive technology will not be provided by the school if there are no means to afford it.
IEPs utilize teams of school staff, each with differing areas of expertise, to help students with cerebral palsy by providing a customized learning program. For example, an IEP may utilize speech and occupational therapists. In addition to educators and school staff, parents play a crucial role during the IEP process.
Children with disabilities are usually placed in smaller classes so educators and school staff can give them more individualized attention and provide modifications to lessons that meet the conditions stipulated by an IEP.
Cerebral palsy caused by birth injuries can mean a lifetime of social and health care expenses for children. One mistake by a medical professional can drastically alter the future of an innocent child. We encourage our readers to learn more about cerebral palsy by visiting our webpage and following us on Facebook.
Shapiro Law Group – Tampa Bay Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Did You Know? According to the Centers for Disease Control, the costs of cerebral palsy, not including out-of-pocket expenditures, emergency room visits and lost wages for family members, is still over $920,000 per family.