The Challenges of Special Education for Parents and Students: A Literature Review By Reshma Mulchan

This issue of NASET’s Practical Teacher was written by Reshma Mulchan, a graduate student at Florida International University. The article presents a literature review on the challenges of special education for parents and students. Multiple studies (Burke, 2013; Chen & Gregory, 2010; Mandic, Rudd, Hehir & Acevedo-Garcia, 2010) often claimed that parents of students with disabilities encountered a plethora of barriers and challenges regarding special education systems.  Parents are hampered in their quest to source information pertaining to specific special educational services because they cannot acquire reliable support and guidance.  In addition, sometimes inadequate information is furnished to parents of students with disabilities about special education support and funding. Sourcing disability funding and support services can be a problem when parents don’t apprehend the process. Furthermore, parents struggle to find appropriate funding for special equipment and support for their child with a specific disability. Parents are unable to advocate for their child with disabilities because they are not equipped with necessary information. Moreover, many parents misunderstand the process of Individualized Education Program (IEP) and their role as an advocate for their child with disabilities because of language barriers. Parents can become overwhelmed by the trials and obstacles regarding finding appropriate educational services and systems for their children with disability.