Does anyone feel that current emphasis on inclusive classroom are hurting some kids with special needs?

Question

rukidding: Many public schools districts will not provide one on one due to budget constraints to some children with disabilities (as in non-homeowners) ....

Answer 1

As a teacher, I can say ABSOLUTELY!!! Technically, in most places, those with special needs are supposed to have a one-on-one relationship with a person skilled in filling the gap between those who don't have special needs and those that do. For example, a student who is deaf should have a teacher beside him who signs lectures, etc. This doesn't happen in most districts, however, even when it is mandated by the state. The situation of a deaf student is relatively easy to solve; the slower student, the student with ADD or ADHD is more complex. I had a "wrap around," I forget what they are officially called, but it's an adult who is supposed to keep the student on track, who was being paid $600 a week (the regular pay for a Catholic school teacher) but was putting in ear plugs to study for college! She wouldn't speak to her assigned student until I spoke to him. I shouldn't have had to speak to him for that reason at all. I could go on. If I were the parent of a student with special needs, I'd try to find a school that would give him a better education than an inclusive classroom could or will in most cases.

Answer 2

We live in CA and currently my son is classified as special education due to vision.  He does have inclusion in some classes, but other classes, it's just not practical for him.  For instance, he has the option to do his math in braille, large print (I mean LARGE!!) or on a CCTV, so it better to have him in the special ed classroom where his equipment is.  Gym class is inclusion as well as science lab.  When they do bookwook in science, he has a "buddy" and his tests are given to the braille aide in advance to translate.  

So, to answer your question,  my son feels he is more a part of the school student body than when he was exclusively special education-no inclusion.  He's much happier!

But...there are a few mentally disabled students with severe behavioral problems that I feel inclusion hurts the regular kids and disrupts THEIR learning!

Answer 3

Every student has different needs, abilities, etc.  This is why the IEPs are to be used.  Those students who have a qualified paraprofessional that give direct support during classes benefit the most from inclusion.  The student not only gets the one on one support, but also is exposed to the regular education peers.  This is their opportunity to make friends, learn social interaction, be challenged and succeed in ways that the self contained class cannot offer.

Answer 4

It's not the process of inclusion itself that's hurting them, it's the untrained employees and the school's who are unwilling to hire assistants so that they have the one-on-one they need.

Both of my autistic kids were integrated into regular ed classrooms, and they had assistants who were trained by professionals and were capable of it. The school didn't want to do it, they claimed to not have the staff (hire them!) or the time (find it!) or the money (so sad, federal law states that you provide what's necessary for the LEAST restrictive environment they can function in) Parents have to stay on top of the schools and insist that they follow the law, or yes, kids get screwed.

Answer 5

i agree on the concerns of lose of individualized teaching. however, do consider the effects of the PRESENCE of children with special needs in inclusive classroom. for typically developing children, being familar with children with special needs can help them to understand and accept individual differences. also, as typically developing children are more participative and socially active, they can initiate interaction with children with special needs. academic achievement aside, these children may benefit from the social interactions. Hopefully, they will "graduate" (integrate)  into the community in time to come.

Answer 6

No, I don't.  If a special needs student needs additional support, there are workers trained to help.  It's a federal law that these children's education must be ADAPTED to their needs. Also teaches the other students to learn tolerance and patience.  If you feel your child is not getting the length of time or special instructions he/she needs, call the State Dept. of Education after speaking with the school's principal, etc. Special ed kids need to be with all sorts of people. It helps them develop to their full potential.

Answer 7

They certainly are. Kids with special needs are now thrown in with a larger pool of kids. Therefore they do not get the individualized attention they need, or the same one on one time. And you either have to teach slower for them and cheat the faster kids, or the other way around. It can't be both ways. So no one wins, and everyone suffers. Another problem political correctness causes.

Answer 8

If the kids were given the one-on-one trained aides and floating spec ed teachers the models called for, inclusion would be a great method.  

The reality is they are often given reading/behavior aides who are not sufficiently trained to meet their needs.  Spec Ed teachers are not available to support students in academic classrooms.  As a result, the kids are making fewer advances and experiencing more estrangement than if they went to the resource classroom for all of their academics.

Plus, since few school systems have "at home" tutors available for homework and take-home work to assist these kids.    Their parents - who the school systems refuse to train to be effective - stumble through the nightly chore of tutoring their kids, often for hours.

Some of these parents suffer from the same learning disabilities as their kids and are just not equipped to serve as nightly tutors past elementary grades, if that.

It is a sad state of affairs.

I understand the need to incorporate these kids in the mainstream of a regular classroom, but they learn better in a designed resource room than a regular classrooom - especially the ones with ADHD.

Answer 9

I agree with everyone else. It hurts kids when they are not provided with a high level of service in the gen ed classroom.

As I see it, principals are using inclusion to eliminate special ed staff. Actually inclusion takes more staff, not less, especially if the kids are scattered throughout the grade level in different classrooms. How can your provide the modifications and accomodations if you have a huge case load?

Inclusion when done right works very well. The ideal situation is to have a team teaching situation in which a special ed teacher teams with a gen ed teacher.