What do those in the field view as top concerns?
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
In some ways, educating children with disabilities has never been easier, with helpful technology, lower stigma and widespread integration among people of various abilities. But special education professionals shared the issues that remain challenging in their field.
From Marianne Jones, director of Children’s Dyslexia Center of Central New in Oriskany:
• “I feel that teacher training in college needs to change and be updated. This approach we use, Orton Gillingham approach, has been around for over 100 years. Not many people know that Children’s Dyslexia Center provides training for teachers and non educators to help children with reading issues and diagnosed dyslexia. After I learned here at the center, one of the most difficult things was to think back to children in my earlier career whom I could’ve helped if I had known better.
• “Teachers need support of the administration behind them.
• “Sometimes, there’s coexisting conditions like ADHD that need to be addressed as well as the learning disability. The struggles they have because of their cognitive ability. Many with dyslexia are very intelligent and very creative. They can be good problem solvers. It’s a difference in how their brain processes language.
• “So many children fall through the cracks. The earlier children get intervention, the easier it will be. When we get children at 15 to 16 years old, they’ve developed coping strategies and it’s hard for them to learn a new way. Early intervention is key. Get learning disabilities identified early and get in here early.”
From Kristyn Roth, chief marketing officer, Autism Society of America
• “One of the most pressing challenges in special education today is the nationwide shortage of qualified special educators and support staff. During the 2023–2024 school year, over half of school districts and 80% of states reported personnel shortages, according to the U.S. Department of Education. These gaps directly impact students with disabilities, who often require individualized support to succeed.
• “To address this, federal and state governments must invest in recruitment, training and retention strategies. Without meaningful investment in the special education workforce, schools cannot adequately meet the needs of the students they serve.
• “This crisis is compounded by chronic underfunding. Despite the federal government’s longstanding promise to cover 40% of the excess cost of special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), funding has consistently fallen short, covering less than 15% in recent years.
• “As recent federal budget decisions and directives related to the Department of Education continue to freeze or reduce education funding, the needs of students, especially those with disabilities, are increasingly going unmet. Every child deserves the opportunity to access a quality, inclusive and supported education.”
From Heather M. Burroughs, advocacy and education director for AutismUp, Rochester:
• “We’re hearing from parents about the impacts of staffing shortages in special education. Some students are receiving less than ideal services, being defaulted to tutoring (which doesn’t meet all needs) or in the worst cases, receiving nothing at all and ending up isolated at home. Innovative, inclusive, community programs like ours are helping to fill in the gaps.”