Reflective Essay About The Best Buddies Program

Positive self-perception and self-esteem is crucial to the well being of all individuals. Therefore, the negative self-perception and low self-esteem of children and adolescents who have attracted disability labels is concerning, especially because these qualities seem to digress as students progress from elementary grades, to middle years, and to high school. While society has made many strides toward full inclusion of students with disabilities, it is clear that, for various reasons, simply including students who attracted disability labels in the classroom is not improving how these students perceive or feel about themselves. Understanding why and what can be done is critical to ensure that all students’ well being, including a positive sense of self and sense of belonging, is supported by our schools and by society in general.

Have you ever had to take a test, yet you couldn't do it in front of everybody? Some people have this feeling, except it happens everyday, and they get stressed easily, and almost freak out. Kaitlen Kropp feels this way too, since her school didn't have a sensory room. (A room where you can sit by yourself and calm down) She wanted to change that. She wanted to change that idea, not to just help her, but to help everybody in her school. This 17 year old Girl Scout Ambassador paved the idea of a sensory room by first talking to her principle, Kara Kendrick. “It's not always easy to make a plan or start on a project,” Kara stated. (Stressful)

As we grow in education, it always seems as in there is someone that is left behind. Educators need to be able to reach out as many students as possible, but some may argue that it does not feel this way. Often, students with special education needs are considered to be too difficult to teach, or simple just a “lost cause.” The way we interact and care for all students not only shows in each student, but it shows in the impact it has on the community as a whole.

The common traits of ASD, which include anti-social and often disruptive patterns of behavior, can make children with autism challenging for typical learning children to approach. Though the issue of including children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms is a complex one, peer-mediated interventions can promote the growth of social skills at every level of education. By educating the general population of typical peers and empowering them to be a part of the process a dent can be made in the social exclusion often experienced by the ASD children in mainstream settings. Implementing these interventions enriches the lives of all of the children involved, “possibly developing sustainable social relationships” expanding the effects of the program beyond the academic setting (Hughes et al., 2013). Also, these methods provide teachers an unobtrusive method of teaching that has benefits for the entire class. These methods could be helpful to other student populations that have intellectual

It is important for teachers and facilitators to select willing, socially competent peers who share similar interests or have some history with the person they will be working with (Sartini, Knight, Collins, 2013). Additionally, peers need to be given relevant disability education. This is important, as informed students tend to be more open, understanding attitudes and less likely to misunderstand some of the behaviours displayed by students with disability (Campbell, Moreton, Rouston and Barger, 2011 in Carter et al.,

Unlike my last verbal essay which I was not very passionate about. The topic that I chose for today is very close to my heart and I am very passionate about it. Why I chose this topic is because I am a one on one aid for a boy diagnosed with Down Syndrome. His name is Justin and helping Justin is one of the main reasons I decided to major in social work. I have personally seen Justin blossom from being placed in an inclusive classroom. An inclusive classroom is when children with and without disabilities participate and learn together in the same classes. Research shows that when children with disabilities attend classes alongside peers who do not have disabilities, good things happen (Stout). When placed in inclusive classrooms, Down Syndrome students blossom academically and socially from experiencing regular, daily contact with their nonclassified peers.

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.

An individual with intellectual disabilities can face many barriers in not only their academic life, but also their social life. Peter, has faced barriers to his successful inclusion in the classroom. One of the barriers the video mentions is teachers displaying unwillingness to including Peter in their classroom simply because teachers do not accept him or his disability. I believe prejudice is a barrier many people with intellectual disabilities are forced to face at a given point in their lives. I think the prejudice stems from fear and misunderstanding of people who are physically or mentally different. In chapter nine of this week’s readings, it highlights on the importance of individual relationships are between the teacher and the student with a disability. Focusing on a student’s strengths rather than there IQ or weaknesses is essential to their success. “Some teachers focus on her IQ, but that’s not a useful fact. Everything depends on the relationship Rachel and I have with educators, on their skills, and on Rachel’s attitude, behavior, and self-determination.” (Turnbull. p. 187). Another barrier Peter faces is the desperate struggle of wanting his independence, yet still needing outside assistance for things. The loneliness and the inability to properly communicate his emotions are one of the biggest mental barriers Peter has faced. Peter overcame and managed these barriers through

In a post written by C. Lawrence she says, “In the real world we are all expected to function alongside with each other” (2015), so why are we separating/excluding children with special needs from other students, during the most important times in their lives, during their learning process? Aren’t we supposed to be teaching our students the importance of diversity and empathy towards one another? Placing children with special needs in mainstream classrooms is beneficial to children of all learning abilities because they will learn from one another and develop empathy for other human beings, whether they suffer official “disabilities” or not” (Concordia Online, 2012).

In the article entitled Extracurricular activities and the development of social skills in children with intellectual and specific learning disabilities the authors begin to explain why children with intellectual and specific learning disabilities social skills are absent. According to Brooks, Floyd, Robins, and Chan, “participation in social activities is positively related to children’s social adjustment, but little is known about the benefits of activity participation for children with intellectual and specific disabilities” (2015, p. 678). Children typically become aware of how to interact with other children through Albert Bandura’s social learning theory. Bandura’s theory is a behavioral worldview that emphasizes that people learn by

Children with special needs are slightly different from non-disabled kids, but they’re should not be a barrier between non-disabled children and children with disabilities. Special needs covers a wide range. Some children with physical disabilities use wheelchair, or cane while other children with learning disabilities such as, autism, or emotional disorder. Children with special needs are like all children they want to make friends. Non-disability children want respect, love, good education and job of their dream. Children with special needs can do the same things non-disabled kid do, but it can take them longer. It requires additional explanation or attention. Parents of children with special needs usually feel isolated and uncertain about their child 's future. Schools can help them find support that children are not alone and help is available. Teachers should meet with parents in order to get to know the children better, the specific of their children. Special teachers may come into the class to work one-on-one with the student, for individualized attention. Change begins with an honest examination of understandings, knowledge and belief. Children with special needs should spend more time with non-disabled kids. Children with special needs should study more at public school to learn from

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.

One of the most controversial issues facing educators today is the topic of educating students with disabilities, specifically through the concept of inclusion. Inclusion is defined as having every student be a part of the classroom all working together no matter if the child has a learning disability or not (Farmer) (Inclusion: Where We’ve Been.., 2005, para. 5). The mentally retarded population has both a low IQ and the inability to perform everyday functions. Activities such as eating, dressing, walking, and in some cases, talking can be hopeless for a child with mental retardation.

There are many aspects of my philosophy of education, but one of my core beliefs is that all students should be treated in a respectful manner whether they are a full time member of our classroom or not. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of having many students from our school’s self-contained classes join our classroom for varying periods of time. Many Kindergarten students have not had exposure to students who have special needs. My goal is to teach my students that even though many students might act differently than themselves, they are a child just like them. They want to play and learn just like them. Once we have had these discussions, I am amazed about how open and caring my Kindergarten students are.

Unlike fully inclusive classrooms, fully exclusive classrooms limit students opportunities to be apart of socially diverse environments. In his social experiment, Fryxell finds that when two groups of students with severe disabilities are broken up into two groups where one is in general education classrooms and the other is in self-contained classrooms that, “[S]tudents placed in [the] general education [classrooms] ha[ve] higher levels of social contact with peers without disabilities; ... students in general education receiv[e] higher levels of social support from others, as well as provid[e] higher levels of social support; and … those students hav[e] substantially larger friendship networks composed primarily of peers without disabilities” (Fryxell “Placement along”). Additionally, Stevens and Slavin observe that after a year of fully inclusive classes that, “[H]andicapped students [are] more accepted socially by their non-handicapped peers than were similar students in traditional schools with pull-out remedial programs” (Stevens and Slavin “The Cooperative”). Socialization with mainstream students is important to how students without disabilities view their peers who have them. The University of Greenwich finds that students without disabilities who have not had a lot of experiences regarding students with disabilities have “stereotypic attitude[s]/judgments” towards people with disabilities based on the “psychological and physical attributes (stereotypes) of groups