...construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). Since topic of inclusion in education came to the forefront there has been plenty of conversations as well as some confusion and uneasiness from all parties involved. Inclusion is an issue that has outspoken advocates on all sides, whether loyally for, frankly against, or somewhere in the middle. There is no doubt schools will need to change to accommodate an inclusive approach in order to provide services to students with disabilities. Inclusion is not only about making changes in the services now offered, it is more depth, where there will be a major a “facelift” to the current educational system required to ensure the program is successful. Supporting Inclusion The goals for full inclusion are to be a positive and progressive experience for students, parents and teachers; and in order to complete this, all of the required resources and support need to be in place. The concept of inclusion is an easy sell when we live in a society that values equality. Provision consists of ordinary supports such as, “philosophy, policies, people, materials, technology and curricula” (Ryan & Paterna, 1997). From research completed, full inclusion in the classroom is a positive step forward in education. Full inclusion in classrooms provides an atmosphere that “contributes to a positive classroom culture, acknowledges differences, promotes acceptance, and...
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...Inclusion Education and ADHD: A Hit or a Miss? Alice A. Avila-Smith COM 22 July 15, 2012 Katherine Cox Inclusion Education and ADHD Brianna, a precocious seven-year-old student diagnosed with ADHD came home from school and handed her mother a report with a turned down smile on it from her teacher indicating she was disruptive in class, earning her a time-out. Her mother asked why she talked so much in class. With a wide-eyed innocent expression on her face, Brianna says, “I don’t want to but I have to! (B. Smith, personal communication, October, 2002). For an estimated 4.5 million school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD, this same sentiment could be echoed much to the dismay of parents and teachers alike. Forty percent of these children are also diagnosed with co-morbid conditions, secondary to ADHD, such as learning, and conduct disorders or Oppositional Defiance Disorder, a condition marked with aggression, conflict-seeking, ignoring even the simplest requests, and frequent outburst (Flippin, 2005). Proponents of Inclusion Education argue integrating disabled students with their non-disabled peers into mainstream classrooms is beneficial to teaching them how to socially function in the world after high school; however, immersion does not guarantee inclusion for the ADHD student, who typically does not benefit from the one-size-fits-all classroom model. Inclusion of ADHD students in mainstream education has merit, but it has missed the mark because it leads to...
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...I was born in Westminster, South Carolina. I am a young, middle-class Caucasian female of the European descent. I received an average education from a public school system that was mostly middle-class, Caucasian where I made remarkable grades and went on to a private Christian university. The school district that I teach at now has a completely different culture, majority Hispanic ethnicity, with a lower-to-middle social class than where I grew up and am used to. Just this last semester, roughly twenty percent of the student population at Big Spring High School failed at least one class. Being a Special Education Inclusion teacher means working with those students who have the educational need for academic support within the general education...
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...entitled “Special Needs Characteristics of Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders That Affect Inclusion in Regular Education”, by Stoutjesdik, Scholte, & Swaab (2012). The aim of the research paper is to determine the special needs characteristics of children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) that predict the placement of these children in restrictive school settings. The researchers point out that children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) are often placed in the most restrictive educational settings, despite various countries’ aim to place all children in the least restrictive settings possible, based on the Salamanca Statement (1994). This is due to the fact that EBDs are considered the most challenging disabilities to be catered for in regular education settings. The researchers argue that there are differences in the characteristics between children with EBD that are educated in special education schools and those educated in inclusive education schools. It is argued that these differences play a significant role in the decision as to where a child with EBD is placed and the study seeks to answer two research questions: determination of the differences in characteristics between children with EBD placed in the two different settings, and determination of the the difference that contribute most to placement in restrictive education settings. The researchers mention previous studies that have determined that young age, ethnicity, male...
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...Special Education Inclusion Jessica Thammavongsa Com/156 March 8, 2014 Diane Moore Special Education Inclusion The process towards inclusive educations is just that – a process. It can be a rewarding, yet challenging journey to create an educational system where excellence and equality walk hand in hand (Frost & Pearpoint, 2004). Throughout the last several years, the topic of inclusion has been at the epicenter of debate among educators, administrators, and parents. Inclusion remains a controversial concept because it relates to educational and social values, as well as to our understanding of personal worth ("Special Education Inclusion", 2001). Placing students with varying disabilities into regular education classrooms causes misunderstanding with educators and administrators on the advantages and disadvantages of inclusion. Inclusion is a "philosophy that brings students, families, educators, and community members together to create schools and other social institutions based on acceptance, belonging, and community."(Salend, 2001, p. 5) Inclusion is practiced in schools to establish collaborative, supportive, and nurturing environments for learners that are based on giving all students the services and accommodations that they need to learn, as well as respecting and learning from each other's individual differences. (Salend, 2001) Inclusion is not necessarily just focused on students with disabilities. When implemented correctly it is also designed...
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...Inclusion in the Classroom: The Teaching Methods Melady A. Sherrill ENG 102 07/10/2011 Heidi Ashbaugh Inclusion in the Classroom: The Teaching Methods Inclusion is the best way to meet the needs of all the children involved in a classroom setting. A teacher’s role and teaching methods need to change in an inclusion classroom. Inclusion provides the diversity of processing special education children in with the mainstream children to enrich the learning environment. Inclusion means the act or practice of including students with disabilities in regular school classes (Merriam Webster, 2011). Although research on the long term effects of inclusion may be sketchy, there is some evidence of the positive effects of inclusive education on the students who are not disabled. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated that children with disabilities be educated with the children who did not have a disability, education in the United States changed (ED.gov). Before this act, few classrooms included students with disabilities. As late as the middle 1970s, an estimated one million children with disabilities did not even attend school (Inclusion Confusion, 1999). Special education changed with the passage of the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and its 1997 amendments. This legislation moved children with special needs from their separate rooms into regular classrooms. To meet the demands of the IDEA, schools must provide students...
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...Full Inclusion is the theory that children with disabilities, particularly those with learning disabilities, should be placed in regular classrooms full time. It refers to the movement that all students with disabilities, regardless of type or severity, are educated full time in a general education classroom and program. This method would allow disabled children to make friends with “normal” children and be given the opportunity to learn in a stimulating environment, where they can get the “real world” education that they will need to be able to fit into society and flourish as productive members. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with special needs are entitled to a full, free, public education in regular educational programs and settings. The inclusion classroom would provide exactly that, a setting for these students to interact with their peers of all ability levels, thus most accurately mirroring the real world outside of school. At current most schools in the United States do not use the method of full inclusion. The current trend in education is to use either mainstreaming or what is considered the least restrictive environment (Feldman 273). Mainstreaming refers to the practice of educating students with special needs in regular classes during specific time periods based on their skills. This means regular education classes are combined with special education classes. Least Restrictive Environment refers to the concept that children with...
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...Concept Paper Template The Graduate School Version: January 2013 © Northcentral University, 2013 Educators’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Inclusion Model: A Comparison Including Students with Mild, Moderate, and Severe Disabilities Concept Paper Submitted to Northcentral University Graduate Faculty of the School of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION by Teriann S. Nash Prescott Valley, Arizona May- June 2014 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Purpose of the Study 2 Research Questions 3 Hypotheses 4 Definition of Key Terms 5 Brief Review of the Literature 5 Summary 7 Research Method 7 Operational Definition of Variables 9 Measurement 10 Summary 11 References 12 Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography 13 Introduction Inclusion is the current terminology (replacing mainstreaming and integration) that is used to describe a classroom where students with and without disabilities learn together. According to Georgiadi, Kalyva, Koukoutas, and Tsakiris (2012), “Inclusion is defined as access to mainstream settings, where children with special educational needs are educated together with their typically developing classmates through an array...
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...Topical Reference List: Inclusion of Autism Spectrum Disorder Students Lindsey Liermann Liberty University Abstract This paper includes a reference list of literature relating to components of successful inclusion for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In general, the literature seems to indicate what practices are effective for successfully including ASD students with typical peers, as well as, if inclusion is right for all ASD students. The literature includes evidence that the different components support students’ progress in general education settings. More empirical data needs to be collected to see if different components work for all students with Autism Spectrum Disorder while with typical peers. Keywords: students with ASD, inclusion, typical peers, successful strategies, perceptions of inclusion, support, and modification for students. Topical Reference List: Inclusion of Autism Spectrum Disorder Students Until recently, the common practice was to pull children with Autism or other disabilities out of regular education classrooms for majority of the day or even have them completely segregated. It seemed more efficient to provide specialized instruction in separate classrooms where children with Autism could received individualized attention without having to alter the mainstream curriculum that typical peers received. But, different practices were proposed in the 1980’s for greater efforts to “include”...
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...classmates did not want anything to do with Sam. As a result of Sam being in the class, a new teacher, Ms. Bryan, the special education teacher, started to work with Sam on some activities such as reading. Everyone in the class, Liam included, thought this was substantial evidence that Sam was stupid and do not belong in the class. In next few weeks, the class was approach about possible peer tutoring. They asked for volunteers and of course Liam volunteer and was selected. Liam had a discussion with his teachers about the importance of peer tutoring. In this discussion they explained that Sam had some learning issues and needed more help. Liam did not know he would have to help Sam when he volunteered, but he did not want to go back on his word. So he decided to continue on. Liam’s and Sam’s predicament represents the policy of inclusion, the types of services granted in such a program, and the advantages and disadvantages related to this policy. Since the United States is having problems with educational programs not meeting standards, the educational policy of inclusion should be supported because every child deserves an equal and quality education. Granted that a discussion of inclusion is deemed required to fully grasp the concept. In a nutshell, inclusion means all students with disabilities are full-time in the regular education setting (MacMillian, Gresham,...
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...The Benefits of Inclusion for Exceptional Students George Santos Brandman University EDUU 511 Abstract Inclusion is a very controversial concept in education today. It is the idea of including special education students in a general education class. This class will provide the special education, or exceptional student, with the support and resources needed to succeed in that environment. This paper will analyze and discuss inclusion. Evidence and support will be provided to defend the position that inclusion provides benefits for both exceptional and non-disabled students. The Benefits of Inclusion for Exceptional Students One of the most controversial concepts in all of education is the concept of inclusion (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2012). Inclusion is the idea that a student with special needs, or an “exceptional student”, attend and is educated in the classroom that this student would normally attend if they were non-disabled. Erwin explains that "the true essence of inclusion is based on the premise that all individuals with disabilities have a right to be included in naturally occurring settings and activities with their neighborhood peers, siblings, and friends" (Erwin, 1993, p. 1). Inclusion includes the commitment to bring resources and services to the exceptional students as opposed to moving them to a segregated location that holds these services and resources (Lipsky & Gartner, 1994). Inclusion is the idea for exceptional students to begin...
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..."The inclusive education has increasingly become a focus of debate in discussions about the development of educational policy and practice around the world" (Farrell and Ainscow, 2002, cited in Winter and O'Raw, 2010, p.3). The inclusive education focus on people with disabilities and learning difficulties (Winter and O'Raw, 2010). Booth and Ainscow (1998 cited in Winter and O'Raw) state that the policies on inclusion should not be restricted only to the education of pupils identified as having special educational needs. However, this essay will contextualise the inclusion policy in the broader context of the policy making in the Irish context. It will look into the background document developed for the inclusion. It will evidences consultations...
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...Picture this: you are a general education teacher. Under a new federal law, you have to instruct every type of student, including those formerly enrolled in special education programs. You have little to no training or resources to help you through this new process. Some of these students are nonverbal. Some of them cannot read or write. Some react violently when faced with too much sensory input. Now, imagine sitting all of these students down in a blended classroom and teaching the works of Shakespeare. Clearly, these students cannot learn or absorb the material, even if adapted to better fit their needs. Even writing a paper or making a simple speech exceeds their abilities. This is the problem that lies within the premise of mainstreaming...
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...How to Improve an Inclusion Classroom Chapter I: Introduction Problem There are a lot of controversies about inclusion classrooms. Some believe inclusion means full inclusion, or a child being confined to a self-contained classroom. While others believe that inclusive classrooms welcomes all children, yet realize that for some students the general education placement may not be the best option. Since there are no specific guidelines that teachers and parents follow for an inclusion classroom, trial and error is very necessary to see what works. Elements of the Problem . Determination of necessary modifications and levels of support is not well defined or applied. Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few (Judge in Oberti vs. Board of Education). Education is forever changing and there is a need for classrooms changes including joining together disabled and non- disabled children. Although many parents and teachers agree with this statement, the questions is how do we as a whole meaning the teachers, parents and support team go about improving an inclusion classroom? How to Improve an Inclusion Classroom Chapter II: Literature Review Introduction Inclusive education is about embracing all, making a commitment to do whatever it takes to provide each student in the community- and each citizen in a democracy- an inalienable right to belong, not excluded. Inclusion assumes that living and learning together is a better way that benefits everyone...
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...The New Model of American Education: Inclusion or Exclusion?? November 27, 2011 EEX5665 Bernadette Harris University of North Florida College of Education & Human Services Graduate School According to the U.S. Department of Education, the N.C.L.B. Act of 2001, came the law of public education that states “that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.” This law was instituted to increase accountability in public educators for the individualized education of every student in the public school system. In theory, it eliminates the ability to simply push students forward from grade to grade without evidence that they can perform at grade level. It brought with it the death of what we had previously come to know as “social promotion.” Quickly on the heels of N.C.L.B. came the I.D.E.A. (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) of 2004, which affirms the guiles of N.C.L.B. while taking accountability a bit further. I.D.E.A. states that “all students (including those with disabilities) must have access to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” (Wright, 2004). The “least restrictive environment,” as defined by legislators, has become what is now known as “inclusion education” and the birth of the “inclusion” classroom. Prior to the passing...
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