To the issue of organization of special education in the United States of America

Contact: Nykonenko Nataliia, PhD of pedagogical sciences, associate professor of pedagogy and special education department in Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Dnipro, Ukraine. Academic interests: peculiarities of special education organization and special education teachers preparation in the world, sexual education of schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities.

The main features of special education system in the United States are highlighted in the article. They include constantly updated legislation on the rights and education of individuals with disabilities, the introduction of high-incidence disabilities and low-incidence disabilities, determining the levels of inclusion and the content of special education teachers’ preparation, federal settings needed for corresponding placement of students with disabilities in US educational institutions, and specially tailored Individualized Education Programs.  It is emphasized that the long history of the formation of special education in the USA has become a sample for other special education systems all over the world mainly due to progressive legislative acts’ adoption and constant updating. It is noted that “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” categorized the wide range of disabilities eligible for special education into two groups, low-incidence disabilities and high-incidence disabilities. Low-incidence disabilities occur more rarely in the special education student population and include developmental disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, severe cognitive disabilities or multiple disabilities. High-Incidence Disabilities involve speech and language impairments, mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioural and emotional disturbance. The basic principles and a list of types of disabilities used in the American education system for determining the necessity of classifying students into the special education category are explored. It is stated that “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” has also established six modes of placement of special education students in different categories of US educational institutions (Federal Settings 1-6) determined according to the type of disability. Having analyzed the Act, it has been proven that American special education students spend different amounts of time in inclusive educational environments. Considerable attention is paid to study the peculiarities of Individualized Education Programs for US special education students, which are discussed and approved by a group of professionals and parents headed by a special education teacher.

Key words: special education, special education in the USA, students with special educational needs, Individualized Education Program, high-incidence disabilities, low-incidence disabilities, federal settings in US educational institutions.