Mainstreaming: Does it Help Children's Special Needs?

Mainstreaming: Does it Help Children's Special Needs?

Inclusion describes the practice of placing children with special needs in regular classrooms. Inclusion, also known as mainstreaming, gives all students the opportunity to learn from their individual differences. It allows special needs children to receive their education in a "normal society." Children with special needs are encouraged by the challenges that face them in a regular classroom. They also learn to defend themselves from the attitudes of other students. At the same time, non disabled students will learn to recognize and respect the talents and abilities of their peers. Mainstreaming focuses on providing services to students in a regular classroom setting rather than pulling them out to receive special services. For many schools, mainstreaming is the norm. All students, disabled or not do have the right to an equal opportunity in education.

Kate Manners, an intelligent, funny, eight-year-old with cerebal palsy is an example of a disabled child striving for her opportunity in a regular classroom. Sometimes it takes a very large key to open even a small door (Baldrige, 1). Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was the key to her door of education. After attending the Schreiber Pediatric Center in Lancaster for children with disabilities, her parents, professors, and therapists, felt that she was ready for the public school system. The recommendation of the multi-disciplinary evaluation team from Rohrerstown Elementary in the Hemfield School District in Lancaster was for her to attend a kindergarten class in another school that provides support and student aid for those students not ready to attend a regular kindergarten class. After one y...

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...r extra help in certain subjects. All of this scheduling can become distractive to the classroom. A third issue that faces mainstreaming is the budget constraints. The cost of providing all the needs of disabled children is especially high. The costs of the teachers aids, and therapy can put a strain on public school districts budgets. Educators d parents. If administrators, teachers, and parents come together to learn about the change then they can open up a new world of education for children. Mainstreaming allows disabled and non disable children to learn and grow together. This experience helps them to deal with individual differences and to learn to look beyond them. In my opinion mainstreaming is only a positive outcome for the education of children. Both disabled and nondiabled students have the right to an equal occupation despite their differences.