A Case Study of Reverse Inclusion in an Early Childhood Classroom

Historically, students with disabilities were served in separate facilities or not at all; however, a more modern approach to education deems that all students should be served in the least restrictive environments. At first, students with disabilities were served in inclusion classrooms which are still used today, but there is evidence that a student with disabilities are better served when they attend inclusion classes instead; thus, depending on the level of the disability, some students spend all day in a self-contained classroom, some spend only a part of the day, and some are completely in inclusion classes. Thus, the two classroom styles will be compared using the observations

In some general classrooms, teachers tend to give more time and attention to children with disabilities, leaving general education students who may be struggling with little to no help. Socialization is another whole ballpark, inclusion could lead to children developing negative attitudes about peers with disabilities, especially if they feel they are receiving more attention from the teacher and other students in the classroom. Teachers of general education classes may have a fear of teaching students with disabilities. They feel they do not know them well enough and that they will make a mistake. This can then in return allow the teacher to push the student with a disability away and not give them the best education piece they can. These teachers feel like they should not have to change their classroom for a student that is coming to them. It also shows that these teachers are not trained properly in special education.

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 the act of having students with disabilities and abled body students in the same classroom. In concept this has many benefits not only for the students but it also saves time and money for the school, however in practice I do not think inclusion works the way it was hoped to. Inclusion in theory will put light strain on the classroom because of safe guards such as helper teachers are in place to help out. In my experience these teachers are in the way most of the time when students are trying to learn, and students feel cheated when the special needs students are handed a supplemented test making the students feel bad. Lastly that the pros of inclusion in the classroom are set in perfect conditions with good teachers on both sides special education and general education, however most of the time that is not the case.

In their landmark study, Soukup, Wehmeyer, Bashinski and Bovaird (2007) compared access to curriculum between inclusive classrooms and self-contained ones. They reported that in an inclusive general education classroom, students with disabilities were more likely to be working on a grade-level curriculum and were significantly more likely to be provided some sort of adaptations to improve their access to it whereas in a self-contained classroom, students with special needs were mostly working on below-grade-level standards and tasks. Further, there is considerable evidence that a child’s view of himself or herself is greatly influenced by environmental reinforcements and their perceived competence by significant others in the child’s life (Harter, 1999), and that expectations about the child’s abilities can affect his or her performance through self-fulfilling prophecies (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968). When children with special needs are placed in segregated classrooms by virtue of having a disability, they are automatically categorized as less capable and intelligent than the students from the general education classrooms and, as a result, receive a less stimulating learning experience. It has been

I read that the education department reported that more than half of the children with disabilities in preschool are not in inclusion programs, I knew by what I have learned in this course that this report was not in alignment with the believes

Students with special needs need deserve the same education general education students are presented with. The philosophy of “ Disability Inclusion” concentrates on creating a safe, loving, and effective learning environment for students who suffer from physical, learning, and behavioral disabilities. When a student with disabilities is placed in the same environment as a non-disabled student, the results show wonderful improvement. When we are able to discover the strength of the student we are able to see just how much the student can improve in an inclusion classroom. Disability Inclusion not only sets a new beginning for an equal education of special education students, but it allows for more interaction with the child, and a more hands-on assessment.

Are all children created equal? Are they all the same? Do they all need the same things? Can they all excel at the same pace? These and many more questions come up when we discuss the topic of inclusion. Inclusion is the term many educational professionals use to explain the integration of students with special needs into regular education classes. The terms mainstreaming, deinstitutionized, normalization, as well as the least restrictive environment all have been used to in the past to refer to inclusion. Is inclusion what is best for all students with disabilities? What steps need to be taken in order to achieve this goal?

Within the past decades and a big discussion has occurred regarding the most appropriate setting within which to provide education for students in special education. Although the change in the educational environment is significant for handicapped student the concepts of inclusion also bring up new issues for the regular education classroom teachers.

In a review of literature on inclusion, Salend and Garrick (1999) concluded that benefits of inclusion for many students with disabilities actually gained academically and had an increase in peer acceptance. They also gained higher self-esteem and more friends. On the opposing end, there is research that cautions that inclusion may not be the best place for every child. A study by Naomi Zigmond et al. (1995) found that only half of the students placed in inclusion classrooms were able to benefit. Past research has shown that for the other half that did not benefit, it could be because they were not accepted, understood, and interacted with in a prosocial manner (McKinney & Westervelt, 1980). There are studies that have concluded that students with disabilities were less popular, had poorer self-concepts, and could not assess their own social status (Stevens & Slavin, 1995).

Inclusion in classrooms can further benefit the communication skills and sense of community among students with and without disabilities. “Children that learn together, learn to live together” (Bronson, 1999). For students with special needs, inclusive classrooms provide them with a sense of self-belonging. The classrooms provide diverse environments with which the students will evolve feelings of being a member of a diverse community (Bronson, 1999). For students without disabilities, they learn to develop appreciation of the diversity. The classrooms provide many opportunities for the students to experience diversity and realize that everyone has different abilities that are unique and acceptable. From this realization, the students will learn to be respectful for others with different characteristics (Bronson, 1999). Inclusion in classrooms is beneficial to all students’ individual and community growth.

Many children have had learning disabilities for many years. Each year more and more of these children are being helped. Schools are working to improve their special education programs and to have all kinds of students work together in the same classroom. The practice of inclusion was started because educators felt that special needs students would achieve more in traditional classrooms with non-learning disabled students than they would in special education classes. However, research findings suggest that there really is no difference in academic achievement levels for special needs students when they are placed in regular classrooms.

For years children with special needs were ushered off to separate classes and schools. Children with special needs have the right to attend classes with their same aged peers in the same classroom with support. Students with special needs deserve the same opportunities they would have if circumstances were different. Inclusion gives those students with special needs the chance to be part of the community; able to form relationships outside of the family unit. All students benefit from inclusion; students with disabilities develop social skills and develop friendships while non-disabled students learn tolerance and acceptance.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a strong movement within schools around the United States to integrate students with disabilities in to general education classrooms. Schools have been making more efforts to increase educational opportunities for students with disabilities, and while there are many benefits to inclusion, there are also many challenges. Inclusion of special education students in a regular education classroom continues to be the center of debate amongst administrators and teachers. Everyone has their own ideas and attitudes towards inclusion, and research studies have revealed that there are many things that contribute to those positive or negative attitudes.

Every child has the ability to learn, but the way a child learns and processes knowledge can be very different, especially for a child with special needs. (Mainstreaming Special Education in the Classroom) As a society we owe all children the chance to reach their full potential, thus we must set up an environment where this accessible. Integrated education unarguably allows the must vulnerable and excluded children this chance. According to Inclusiveschools.org, “Inclusion” does not simply mean placing students with physical or mental disability in general mainstream classrooms, but rather offers fundamental change to school community and how children learn altogether. Effective models of inclusive education according to various sources, is the right model of education for special needs students because it allows greater access to mainstream curriculum, preparation for integration in an inclusive society, and promotes a tolerant and inclusive society. (Full inclusion: Has its time arrived?, The Benefits of inclusive Education.)