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The pros and cons of inclusion for special education students
The pros and cons of inclusion for special education students
Inclusion of children with special needs in the normal classroom
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Allen and Cowdery (2012) state ‘Inclusion is not a set of strategies or a placement issue. Inclusion is about belonging to a community – a group of friends, a school community, or a neighborhood’ (Pg.5). Inclusion of children with disabilities in 'normal' classrooms, happens to be a widely debated topic; whilst there are valid arguments on both sides and benefits for both inclusion and segregation, inclusion has become law (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008). Inclusion requires a great deal of work in and out of the classroom setting. One of the most prominent barriers is that of communication; with lack of time, funding and negative attitudes of not only parents, but the student body and teachers bringing up the rear (Teaching children with disabilities in inclusive settings, 2009). Teaching children with disabilities in inclusive settings (2009) mention that it is important for educators to realize, all children face barriers in learning not just disabled students. While thinking about these issues, it is also important to consider the benefits that could be gained from the inclusion of students with severe disabilities into integrated classrooms. Inclusion has had many success stories and although there is no perfect success rate; Inclusion has more benefits and learning capabilities for all students than segregation. Such benefits include opportunities for interaction, imitation and observation with typically developing children; whilst also promoting social-emotional, language and cognitive skills (Allen & Cowdery, 2012).
Communication difficulties can arise from many situations and has a multifactorial nature (Buckley, 2002). Inclusion requires good communication skills due to the amount of commu...
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Hultgren, S. (n.d.). Inclusion – What does it really mean? Retrieved from http://www.ct-asrc.org/docs/inclusion.pdf
MacBeath, J., Galton, M., Steward, S., MacBeath, A., & Page, C. (2005). The costs of inclusion. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Marotz, L. R. (2009). Health, safety and, nutrition for the young child. Australia: Thompson Delmar Learning.
Shaddock, A., Giorcelli, L., & Smith, S. (2007). Students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms: A resource for teachers. Commonwealth of Australia.
Teaching children with disabilities in inclusive settings. (2009). Bangkok, Thailand: UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.
Vanderbilt Kennedy Centre. (n.d.) Including students with multiple/severe Disabilities
in the general education Classroom. Retrieved from http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy_pdfs/TipSheets/tipsheet_ClassroomInclusion.pdf
It is essential that all students have access to a quality education and an inclusive education system should meet their diverse needs. The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD] (2014) stipulates that education providers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support students with disabilities to comply with the standard. Graduate teachers should also demonstrate an understanding of legislative requirements and be able to identify teaching strategies that support the involvement and learning of students with disabilities (AITSL, 2014). They should understand the importance of focusing on what a student with a disability can do and work with the student’s strengths. A graduate teacher should know what resources, agencies and assistive technologies are available to support the learning needs of a student with a disability.
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
Smith, T. (2012). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings. 1st ed. New Delhi, India: PHI Learning Private Ltd.
What do we do with children with disabilities in the public school? Do we include them in the general education class with the “regular” learning population or do we separate them to learn in a special environment more suited to their needs? The problem is many people have argued what is most effective, full inclusion where students with all ranges of disabilities are included in regular education classes for the entire day, or partial inclusion where children spend part of their day in a regular education setting and the rest of the day in a special education or resource class for the opportunity to work in a smaller group setting on specific needs. The need for care for children with identified disabilities both physical and learning continues to grow and the controversy continues.
The movement for inclusion in education has advanced since the years of special schools for children with disabilities. Although there have been significant changes to the laws protecting the rights of children with disabilities there remains an underlying debate as to whether these children should be in main stream classes. Most states and territories in Australia practice inclusive education, however this remains a contentious topic with differing attitudes. It is evident whilst many challenges remain, schools should implement and deliver quality programs that reflect best practice policies. Positive teacher attitudes, promoting diversity, modelling inclusion in the classroom and developing a sense of community by working in partnerships
Sorte, J., Daeschel, I., Amador, C. (2011). Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children. (Ashford University ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Downing, J. E., & Peckham-Hardin, K. D. (2007). Inclusive Education: What Makes It a Good Education for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities?. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities (RPSD), 32(1), 16-30.
The majority of students with disabilities should be in an inclusive setting. These students are generally placed based on the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Furthermore, the majority of these students are able to keep up academically with their peers, even
The inclusion of children with learning disabilities into normal classrooms has proved to exhibit both positive and negative effects on children with and without disabilities.
Inclusion is not a new idea, but has been rapidly gaining momentum within many disciplines internationally. Inclusive education is a term often associated with Special education, and children with additional needs. However, inclusive education is about ensuring that educational settings allow for meaningful participation by all learners. Each child has their own unique identity, ways of doing things, strengths and weaknesses. Ministry of Education [MoE] (1998) states that teachers “should recognise that as all students are individuals, their learning may call for different approaches, different resourcing, and different goals” (p. 39, emphasis added). This statement shows that all children may require differing approaches in education, and that learners with and without diagnoses require an educator that is skilled in the practice of inclusion. Key strategies such as early intervention, partnerships with parents/whānau, transitioning, and equitable teaching are practices that inclusive educational settings use to ensure that all children are provided for within the setting. Partnerships with parents/whānau and other professionals are key to ensuring that inclusion is achieved.
The true purpose of school is to prepare children for their future in becoming lifelong learners and global citizens. For children with special needs, special education services prepare and provide support for them in dealing with the challenges they face daily. Laws such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has enforced schools to provide education to all children and reinforces the purpose of the school, which is to provide children the Least Restrictive Environment to help them develop to their optimal potential. There are myriad of concerns regarding inclusion’s effect on typical developing students, yet a research done by Bui, Quirk, Almazan, and Valenti shows that “[p]resence of students with disabilities results in greater number of typical students making reading and math progress compared to non-inclusive general education classes” (p. 3). Therefore, inclusion not only benefits children with disabilities, but it also benefits typical developing student’s academic skills and allows them to learn acceptance and respect for students with disabilities.
The idea of inclusion within a classroom tends to breed controversy from many people. Currently there is no clear consensus on a definition of inclusion (Heward, 2006). There are many different views on how students with disabilities should be handled. Those views ranged from students being fully included, partially included, or not included at all in mainstream schooling. Different descriptions of inclusion tend to reflect the person's own opinions towards it. People who feel students should not be included in the classroom focus on the negative characteristics of inclusion, such as the challenges of developing plans for students as well as the hard work it requires to incorporate those plans. However, studies show that full inclusion has many benefits to the students, for both students with disabilities as well as students without them. Inclusion has shown to improve the student's social skills, encourage communication, inspire laws and regulations, and improve the overall schooling experience (Gargiulo, 2012). Although it will take longer then some would like or have the patience for, full inclusion can be done in the classroom, with its benefits outweighing the hard work that it requires.
Inclusion in classrooms is defined as combining students with disabilities and students without disabilities together in an educational environment. It provides all students with a better sense of belonging. They will enable friendships and evolve feelings of being a member of a diverse community (Bronson, 1999). Inclusion benefits students without disabilities by developing a sense of helping others and respecting other diverse people. By this, the students will build up an appreciation that everyone has unique yet wonderful abilities and personalities (Bronson, 1999). This will enhance their communication skills later in life. Inclusive classrooms provide students with disabilities a better education on the same level as their peers. Since all students would be in the same educational environment, they would follow the same curriculum and not separate ones based on their disability. The main element to a successful inclusive classroom, is the teachers effort to plan the curriculum to fit all students needs. Teachers must make sure that they are making the material challenging enough for students without special needs and understandable to students with special needs. Inclusive classrooms are beneficial to students with and without special needs.
The EPSEN Act (2004) defines inclusion as the intention to provide people with special educational needs the same right to avail of, and benefit from, appropriate education as do their peers who do not have such needs. The idea of inclusion is far from new but is still struggling to find its feet in the Irish education system. It can be said however, with confidence that the segregation of normal students from special students is being wiped out, with there being a decline in special schools since the early 1990s (Pijl, Meijer, Hegarty 1997).
Odom, S. L., Buysse, V., & Soukakou, E. (2011). Inclusion for Young Children With Disabilities: A Quarter Century of Research Perspectives. Journal Of Early Intervention, 33(4), 344-356. doi:10.1177/1053815111430094