Human rights and the American constitution both agree on one thing; the fact that every person deserves to live in a world where they are treated equally, with love, and with respect. This implies treating every person, regardless of their gender, skin color, race, or sexual orientation to equal rights of employment, education, and any other social, or political forum. In availing equal and fair chances to all, there is the need to put into consideration another category of the marginalized group: people with disability, more particularly children with disabilities who require special treatment in the school setting. These children require special education from an early age which ensures their specific needs for learning are taken into account. It is essential that children who require special education are allowed these opportunities to learn and to grow holistically so that they are adequately equipped with the knowledge and the technical skills to compete favorably in the society.
Special education encompasses a few technical areas that are important to define and understand if proper care is to be taken to ensure children with special needs get the help they need. A special needs child can be described as a kid with a condition, mostly medical, that interferes with their healthy growth and development, especially mentally (Ahmad, 2015). Such children, therefore, find it challenging to learn in a typical classroom setting, requiring special care, what will be referred to in this article as special education. Special education encompasses four critical areas in its approach to help a child with special needs. These areas include special therapy which is geared towards helping the student learn how to communicate and better understand others and the general learning environment. Occupational therapy as a second area concerns itself with assisting special needs learners with doing their everyday tasks using a classroom aide (Ahmad, 2015). Simply put, occupational therapy takes on a more practical approach in guiding the learner better understand the concepts being taught, laying the necessary aide, such as illustration charts to further expound on the ideas, and then doing a follow up as the lesson progresses. An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is developed explicitly following the assessment of a special needs' learner (Ahmad, 2015). This plan is important because it highlights the needs of the student, their challenges in a typical classroom, and how better they can learn following whatever guide. Lastly, special education has to focus on other aspects of learning that are tailored to meet the needs of the learner, such as extra tutoring beyond classroom hours, extended period for tests and homework, and tailored physical education concepts. It is important for every child who qualifies as a special needs' learner be incorporated into such a learning program.
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The main question that always pops up when the debate of special education arises is, "how does one help a child of special education get the help they need?" the first step towards attaining this kind of help is taking the kids for special needs test. Parents are always urged to be watchful of their children's overall growth and development, especially from a very young age, and report any signs of odd behaviors. These different behaviors could be delayed toddling, withdrawal, extreme quietness, among others. Reporting these behaviors to a medical facility at the earliest opportunity increases the chances of early prevention treatments. There is no denying that not all of the special needs cases are extreme, or untreatable, provided they are detected early (Radford, Bosanquet, Webster & Blatchford, 2015) . Through early detection, medical apparatus is better placed to put the child on medication, or reversal therapy which have significant chances of aligning the child with the average growth and development. In other words, when it comes to early intervention and prevention, it is imperative that parents and guardians take their children for medical tests whenever they feel concerned about the child's development, and subsequently their learning ability in a typical school environment. Such tests should therefore not be delayed because the sooner these children access the help they need, the higher their chances at receiving intervention and prevention treatment (Radford, Bosanquet, Webster & Blatchford, 2015) . Additionally, if such cases are beyond prevention, early tests ensure that the children are placed in special education programs at an early age, thus increasing their chances of succeeding in school. Every child deserves the opportunity to go to school and acquire the knowledge they need which will go a long way in providing security and stability for their future.
It is essential, therefore, to follow the medically, and legally stipulated procedures of getting help for a child who is believed to be of special needs. The first step parents and guardians are expected to take is to talk to their family doctor or physician (Elliott & Kettler, 2015) . Alternatively, for families that do not enjoy such privileges, it is essential to talk to doctors and physicians at public health facilities who are better placed on examining the child, administering the necessary tests. The child can as well be seen by a psychologist, a therapist or any other specialist who will see if the child's development is on track or needs secondary intervention measures. Should the need arise, the child should then get tested. Such a kid who qualifies for tests must show the need for extra help in reaching milestones. The tests can be via the early intervention program of the state, or any local school district. Depending on the age and ability of the child, a parent can file for a free test, with or without a doctor’s referral. For instance, if the kid is under the age of 3 years, the parent should call the early intervention program instituted by the state, or they could call the local school district if the child is three years or older (Elliott & Kettler, 2015) . For children who are older than three but are evidently having difficulties in school, the parent should ask for a medical evaluation by talking with a psychologist, the school counselor, or the teachers to set up the testing. The type of tests offered depend on parental concern and the child's needs. These tests can evaluate the motor skills, language skills, developmental and behavioral problems, or IQ (Elliott & Kettler, 2015) . Depending on the results of the tests, Parents and educators then set up the child to be enrolled in an appropriate special education program.
What does the law say about special education? The American constitution is concerned about the general welfare of all its citizens, including children with disabilities who require special education. As such, it has made provisions through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which ensures that all children living with disability are given the same free, quality public education as all the other children (Lipkin & Okamoto, 2015) . The act defines disability as any physical or mental condition which limits a child's ability to learn. It covers children from birth up to the age of 21. Having undertaken the necessary tests as a first step, the children who qualify for special education then receive a written plan which sets customized learning goals for them and additionally explains how these goals are to be reached. From this point, parents, therapists, teachers, and school psychologists, alongside other stakeholders then work together as a team to fill in the plan. This team plays an integral part based on their experiences, medical history, and assessment of the child with a disability. The American education system recognizes two plans which are offered to the learner based on their ability and age. These include the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) (Lipkin & Okamoto, 2015) . IFSP is given to infants and toddlers up to the age of 3 years who have developmental delays, or medical issues which can potentially lead to developmental delays. These include the loss of hearing, premature birth, or Downs syndrome, and other genetic problems. The IEP, on the other hand, is given to children between the ages of 3 to 21 who have proven physical or mental disabilities (Lipkin & Okamoto, 2015) . It can be inferred quite correctly therefore that children who are tested below the age of 3 and enrolled into IFSP have better chances at early intervention measures which might prevent severe or permanent special needs conditions.
In conclusion, it is important to point out that this article emphasizes the need for equality and equal education opportunities for all children, regardless of their growth and developmental status. It is plausible the measures the American government has put in place to ensure the educational rights of special needs children are taken into consideration through the availing of appropriate special education programs. It is crucial therefore for every parent and guardian to be extra cautious in monitoring the growth and development of their children, and report any form of weird behavior at the earliest opportunity for testing. If done early, these tests have a better chance at providing intervention and prevention programs that could ensure the child is redirected to the normal growth and development, hence no need for special education. However, for children with irreparable conditions, early tests ensure their initial enrolment into special education programs, thereby giving them a better chance at growing holistically, like every other American child.
References
Ahmad, F. K. (2015). Use of assistive technology in inclusive education: Making room for diverse learning needs. Transcience , 6 (2), 62-77.
Elliott, S. N., & Kettler, R. J. (2015). Item and test design considerations for students with special needs. In Handbook of test development (pp. 390-407). Routledge.
Lipkin, P. H., & Okamoto, J. (2015). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children with special educational needs. Pediatrics , 136 (6), e1650-e1662.
Radford, J., Bosanquet, P., Webster, R., & Blatchford, P. (2015). Scaffolding learning for independence: Clarifying teacher and teaching assistant roles for children with special educational needs. Learning and Instruction , 36 , 1-10.
