Early Intervention In Education Essay

Imagine a public education system that denied children with disabilities the right to attend a public school. It is hard to picture that was the reality for millions of children before 1975 when legislation was passed ensuring the free and appropriate education for children born with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is federal legislation that was passed to appropriate money and mandate services for the education of over 6.5 million youth with varying disabilities. IDEA’s purpose was to create greater social equality which in the long-run produced more independent, productive, taxpaying citizens. As with most federal mandated programs, the government’s promise to fund IDEA has fallen short creating an increased financial burden on local communities and taxpayers.

Department of Education, 2018). IDEA provides a wide range of resources for both parents and educators. A large portion of the legislation focuses on early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Early intervention facilitates a successful transition into an educational setting. There are many challenges that arise with differential education which is required to educate those with disabilities. The original legislation committed funding for IDEA to be 40 percent of the average per student cost for every special education student. The average additional cost in 2004 to educate a student with a disability was $9,369 over a non-disabled student (NEA, 2017). This number continues to rise. Funding has consistently fallen short of the promised funding level which diverts even more resources from traditional students to special education. The shortfall creates financial inequality and a burden for local communities and taxpayers to educate all students with or without