My Child Needs Special Ed
By Ziva Schapiro, OTR

Gan Safa, Vaadat Hasama, Kita Mikademet

you feel like you have just landed in a new country." What are these names and what do they have to do with my child", you wonder. The process of placing a child in a special education program can be very stressful and sometimes scary...
Whether you are concerned about your child's early development and are wondering if he needs to be in a special gan, or if your third grader still can't read fluently and the school suggests moving him to a special class, you may need help understanding the system.

The first step in the placement process is the psychological evaluation. If your child is under age 5, a developmental psychologist can assess him through your kupat holim. School age children (including gan hova) are assessed through the school psychology services (sherut psichologi hinuchi) run by the iriya or moetza. Often times, parents turn to private assessments because of long waiting lists. After the evaluation, the psychologist will help you understand your child's learning style and needs and give you an indication of what type of program is best suited for him.

At this point in the process, it is helpful to look at the various options that might be appropriate for your child. Does he need a gan safa (language gan), gan tikshoret (communications gan) or just a gannent siach (educational aid)? Is a kita mikademet (self contained special ed class) an option or does he need to be in a special education school? As you research these options, an important question to ask is how much inclusion (shiluv) is available and how much of the time are the children in the separate program. It is also important to clarify the therapies and adjunct activities provided as they may vary.

The vaadat hasama, placement board, is the official meeting which determines the need for a child to be placed in special education. The vaada is comprised of professionals of misrad hachinuch and the local municipality whose job it is to analyze the reports and listen to the parents to help understand the needs of the child. It is helpful to bring the child's teacher, ganenet or other professional working with the child in order to help the members of the vaada get a better "feel" for your child. Since you have already done some research, you may be able to tell the vaada which program you think is most appropriate for your child's needs and why. At the end of the meeting, a recommendation is given, but the final placement is determined usually closer to the start of the school year.

Often, parents are concerned that placement in a special education preschool program will keep their child in special schools for their entire school career. While this is sometimes true (when necessary) it is certainly not the rule. The goal of special education is to help children become integrated as much as possible into the regular school system. This is often seen when children who have spent several years in gan safa, are integrated into a regular first grade class. We may even forget that only as a result of the fact that the child spent two years in this special gan is he able to go to regular first grade and had he been in regular gan he may not have been able to be in a regular school! There is also often the concern of a stigma and your child feeling like he is different. It may be true that your child will understand that he is not in gan with all the neighbors, but children who fail in regular programs feel different too. In the long run, keeping a child out of special education just because of the stigma may not really be helping them.

Although this process may seem difficult, especially for parents who don't speak much Hebrew, remember that everyone is concerned about your child's interests. Hopefully, placement in the right program will allow him to learn in the way that is most suited for his needs and to reach his potential.

Ziva Schapiro, OTR, is the clinical director and owner of Mercaz Rakefet Child Development Center in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Her new manual, Navigating the Special Education System in Bet Shemesh, has just been published by Mercaz Rakefet to help parents learn to deal with the system. It is available in Hebrew and in English and is available at the Mercaz by calling 992-047 or by contacting info@mercazrakefet.co.il.