History of Special EducationIntroductionSpecial education has faced many changes over the last century. During this time there have been many opinions about how students with differences should be educated and treated. This article will discuss the history of special education throughout the 20th century. We will also discuss laws associated with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Finally, we will discuss the current and future challenges that laws pose for special education. History of Special Education For much of our nation's history, children with special needs or disabilities have been sidelined. Despite compulsory education laws in place since 1918, many students were denied an education and forced to study at home or be institutionalized. The few students with mild or moderate disabilities who were allowed to enroll in special programs in public schools were often placed in separate classrooms from other students and denied an adequate education. William (2008), points out: “There was rarely anything 'special' about these programmes. American society largely continued to view many people with disabilities as crippled, feeble-minded, mentally defective, or diseased, according to a medical model of disability.” These views and ideas often led many students with disabilities to drop out before graduating. One of the first special education movements in the United States began after World War II, when several parents organized advocacy groups in the United States. The American Association on Mental Deficiency was one of the first groups to form and held its first conference in 1947 to address special education needs in the United States. Numerous landmark cases have also...... half of the document...... ualized to the needs of students, in an environment that best serves the child. However, more needs to be done to ensure that all students are identified and served sooner and that these services are more widely available to students and their parents. As educators we should take steps to ensure we are prepared to teach all students and to help these students make a smooth transition into adulthood. Works Cited Heward, W. L. (2009). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Myhill, W. (2008). The first hundred years of special education in America? 1817 to 1925. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://knol.google.com/k/william-myhill/Pardini, P. (2002), The History of Special Education. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/16_03/Hist163.shtml