Benefits of Inclusion for Students with Learning Disabilities

Benefits of Inclusion for Students with Learning Disabilities

There are many benefits for learning disabled students when placed in an inclusive classroom. Research has shown that students with learning disabilities can be supported in a general education classroom setting for the entire day with academic achievement as high as or higher than those in a separate setting (McLeskey & Waldron, 1998). There are many positive benefits which include improved social skills, stronger peer relationships, enhanced academic performance, and positive feeling about one self.

By being in a classroom with students that are not learning disabled it allows the learning disabled student to work on there social skills. As Richard Considine, a spokesperson for New Jersey Protection and Advocacy Inc. says “Integrating disabled students is good for the kids, and for society.” (Davis, 2003) Learning disabled students can learn the proper ways to behave in a classroom from the non learning disabled students. Often in a non inclusive classroom there is many different things going on, and students try to get away with not behaving properly, because their peers don’t know how to. If they are in an inclusive classroom their peers can show them how to act. The non learning disabled students are role models to these learning disabled students. (Walther-Thomas, 1997.) Inclusion had helped these students peer relations. Studies have shown that learning disabled students have developed friendships with non learning disabled students and this helps all students socially.

Inclusion has improved students feelings of self esteem and confidence. No longer are these students labeled “special ed,” and no longer will these students not have faith in...

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...duals with Disabilities Education Act.

Newspapers

Davis, M. (2003, September 21). Special ed debate revisited. The Record, pp. A1, A14.

Many school districts are sending disabled students to special schools outside of the district, denying them their right to a least restrictive environment

Perlstein, L. (2003, August 21). Taking the lead in shift toward more inclusion; New special-ed officials eye better integration. The Washington Post, T16.

This newspaper article discusses the current push towards inclusion in the United States.

Websites

Special Education Inclusion. (2001). Retrieved February 25, 2002 from http://www.weac.org.htm

This source included a lot of valuable and detailed information on specific legal cases concerning inclusion. This site also contained information about laws dealing with special education and inclusion.