NAEAnews. “SPECIAL NEEDS,” August, 2002, Vol. 44 (4) p.14.

This column will focus on the Individual Educational Program (IEP) in response to a request for IEP information at the Special Needs Issues Group meeting in Miami Beach. So here is the IEP from the art perspective, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good; the IEP assures that students with special needs receive an annual planned program. The bad; art education is not specifically mentioned although art therapy is acknowledged under “related services.” The ugly; art education teachers are generally left out of the IEP educational loop.

Here is a brief summary of the IEP and its connection (or lack of) to art teachers. The IEP is part of the landmark special education Federal legislation, Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975). It ensured that all children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education. A key provision of P.L. 94-142 is an annual meeting to design an IEP for each child. The IEP: describes the child's levels of educational performance; sets annual goals and short term objectives; indicates the related services to be provided; specifies when services are to begin and gives an approximation of the duration of services; and identifies procedures to evaluate the student's progress. The annual meeting should include the child's classroom teacher, a school representative (knowledgeable about special education), one or both parents (not included prior to this legislation), the child (when appropriate), and others at the discretion of the parents or agency. But the art teacher is not included in the discussion.

P.L.94-142 has since been revised, re-authorized, and expanded. It is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and includes preschool children, infants from birth to three, and older students in an Individual Transition Plan (ITP).

Stephen W. Smith, an authority on the IEP, notes the intent of Congress in “Creating Useful Individualized Education Programs (IEPs),” ERIC Digest information (December 2000). “The law clearly states that a relationship should exist between the IEP and classroom activities.”… “This basic link between the student's needs and his or her program represents the very essence of special education and specially designed instruction.” Smith stressed the need to involve “a variety of participants in developing the IEP” to provide “essential and relevant information, allow for evaluating data provided by other professionals, and enhance cooperation as team members.” What does this mean for art educators?

Art therapy is discussed in IDEA under the category of “Related Services,” which includes supportive services like speech pathology, occupational and physical therapy. The current structure still leaves out the art education teacher. Claudine Sherrill addressed art education in Creative Arts for the Severely Handicapped, 2nd ed. (1979). References to art education in the Federal Register as early as 1977 acknowledged the arts as a “viable and effective way” to teach skills and “reach youngsters who had otherwise been unreachable.” It was left to each “public agency” to see that students with disabilities had the “variety of educational programs and services” that were available to non-handicapped students, including art and music.

Audrey Di Maria addressed “Related Services” in her comprehensive article “Art and the IEP” in Art for All the Children, 2nd Edition, (F.E. Anderson, 1992). Di Maria described ways that art met cognitive, motor, and communication skills in IEP performance areas. She included a sample IEP form to show how the needs of a hypothetical student, “Mark,” could be addressed through art therapy. Di Maria matched the IEP goals to art therapy but they fit art education as well.

Art teachers can add another perspective to the IEP process but are seldom included in the annual meeting. However, their input can be submitted through the classroom or special education teacher. Many art teachers are unfamiliar with the IEP process. Sue Loesl, an adaptive art specialist in the Milwaukee Schools, helps art teachers organize their art objectives, write clear descriptions of student skills, and set realistic goals for student IEPs. Loesl adapts art materials and tools, and develops strategies that use alternative materials. Her information enhances the IEP.

The reauthorization of IDEA is now in committee in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. How many of those members, one might wonder, realize that while P.L.94-142 recognized the value of art for special education students, it made no provision for their direct input in a student's IEP?

Further information is available through the Educational Resource Information Clearinghouse (ERIC). <ericec@cec.sped.org. > or http://ericec.org

SED/Arts Organization   |   SED/Arts References   |   NAEA Special Needs Issues Group   |  CEC Special Interest Group for Teachers of the Arts