inclusion questions

The future of special ed would be to make all education truely special. I think our education system as it exists today fits a specific “type” of child. I guess you could call this a regular child or a normal child. Kids who fall out of that prototype are labeled as “special.”

The classroom should be a flexible place with room for all children with varying learning styles. It should be a place where children can express their gifts and get real help in addressing their deficits.

To give a real world example. I have found that my son concentrates better if he is allowed to do some physical exercises. He has sensory integration dysfunction and sometimes things like doing a long jump or jumping off a chair can help him to focus. It really takes only about 3-4 long jumps to get him on track. I have even seen this change his mood from doom and gloom to gleeful joy. I think a lot of boys are like this. The problem is, schools are not a place where such activity would ever be allowed. It is seen as too disruptive to initiate something like this. So a little girl or boy who is quiet and calm and does not need physical stimulation does very well at school. Kids like my son tune out or fidget. I think schools miss the big picture and don’t really address kids true needs.

Read some Mel Levine.

You had some good points.
Is your son in and inclusive classroom?
&
What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages of inclusion?LindaF wrote:
>
> The future of special ed would be to make all education
> truely special. I think our education system as it exists
> today fits a specific “type” of child. I guess you could call
> this a regular child or a normal child. Kids who fall out of
> that prototype are labeled as “special.”
>
> The classroom should be a flexible place with room for all
> children with varying learning styles. It should be a place
> where children can express their gifts and get real help in
> addressing their deficits.
>
> To give a real world example. I have found that my son
> concentrates better if he is allowed to do some physical
> exercises. He has sensory integration dysfunction and
> sometimes things like doing a long jump or jumping off a
> chair can help him to focus. It really takes only about 3-4
> long jumps to get him on track. I have even seen this change
> his mood from doom and gloom to gleeful joy. I think a lot
> of boys are like this. The problem is, schools are not a
> place where such activity would ever be allowed. It is seen
> as too disruptive to initiate something like this. So a
> little girl or boy who is quiet and calm and does not need
> physical stimulation does very well at school. Kids like my
> son tune out or fidget. I think schools miss the big picture
> and don’t really address kids true needs.
>
> Read some Mel Levine.

I would be glad to respond.

1. Do you have experience in inclusion classrooms?
Yes. Our district follows the inclusion model and this is our fourth year. I oppose the use of the inclusion classroom as the answer to all learning disabled children. My son is dyslexic (5th grade reading at 2nd grade level) has short term and working memory issues and has auditory processing deficits. So, basically he is his own little word most of the day because he cannot keep pace with the general education classroom.

2. What is your philosophy of inclusion?
I believe inclusion should be an option, but it most certainly is not appropriate for all learning disabled children.

Inclusion was implemented as a result of a lawsuit by parents who felt that their physically disabled child was being discriminated against, by being segregated, in order to meet that child’s individual needs.

Two things are going very wrong. #1: Learning disablity is not that same as physical disabilty in every case, yet they are all put under the same umbrella. We would not address these issues the same way in a classroom. #2: It is not humanly possible to address individual needs of 28 children in one classroom (which is the goal of inclusion); therefore some are left out, left to their own devices and passed along.

3. What are the critical dimensions of an inclusive classroom?
I have researched this myself and found that teachers are required to take “one” class on special education or children with learning disabilities in order to be a certified teacher. They are then put in a classroom in a district that follows the inclusion model since this is the trend. They are not qualified to instruct those students. Teacher qualification and appropriate teaching style are critical, not a bonus.

4. Advantages/disadvantages?
I honestly see no advantages to his arrangement other than it is cost efficient for the district. The disadvantages:
a. LD children require most of the teacher’s time and energy to absorb and complete material.
b. Most of the time they are lost, embarassed to ask again and again and eventually tune out or give up.
c. These children’s self-esteem suffers greatly as they realize that they are not as “smart” as the other children in their class, cannot complete the work and are usually punished for all of the above.
d. Children who are of average ability and the gifted suffer as well. The teacher’s time is spent trying to keep a handful of kids (LDers) heads above water and the others must wait or not reach their level of ability. The other option (like we experienced last year) the teacher gravitated toward the gifted and left the LDers in their wake.

5. Do you think that children with any kind of disability can be included in the gen ed classroom?
I think it is cruel and irresponsible to not separate and educate LD children appropriately. Instead we are so worried about being politically correct, so we throw them in the classroom and hope for the best. After all, parents are told by administators to lower their expectations for their LD children (that is the truth, I have it on tape).

6. Tips for teachers forced into inclusion?
Learn as much as you can about every disability that comes up in your classroom. It is not difficult. Parents are able to find the info. I have even supplied it to teachers and have not received a positive response.

7. Reasons that make inclusion unsuccessful?
Unqualified, sometimes clueless teachers, using accomodations and modifications in the classroom instead of remediating the issues, treating all disabilities the same and truly not understanding what LD means.

8. Is inclusion emphasized because it is values-oriented?
I’ve been told that inclusion benefits all children, disabled or not. I do not agree. I have seen more cruelty on behalf of the non-disabled students toward the disabled than ever before. Children with a physical disability receive compassion and understanding because we can see their limitations and most people want to help. LD children know that they can’t keep up yet they are forced to do so to “be like everyone else.” LD children are viewed as stupid or mentally retarted when in fact all they need is specialized instruction. People are annoyed with him and dismiss him because he can’t keep up in class. I think it does more damage to the child’s self-esteem to force him into this situation. My son has needed private psychological counselling in order to deal with school on a daily basis.

9. The future of special education?
Inclusion will come back to haunt us. I believe it is just as cruel to most of these children as institutionalizing them like we used to do many years ago. We are basically doing the same thing, ignoring them.

We need to get off of our self-righteous high horses and address this issue like educated people. There is no harm in grouping children according to ability and letting them experience success and achievement accordingly in an appropriate environment. Yet we are being brainwashed into believing that inclusion must work for everyone. It is just such a sad, sad situation.

Why are kids flipping out and acting out with hostility and deadly force in the schools? Was this happening pre-inclusion days? Now, I am not saying that inclusion is solely responsible for such acts, but school environment certainly has something to do with this trend. What has changed in the school environment? Inclusion is on the top of my list and my son is living proof that this environment has caused him psychological damage.

Yes, my son is in inclusion.

The problem for him is that they have made assumptions about his abilities based on how he tests. Kids with visual/motor deficits do not test well and are not very good at work sheets. He can perform an oral report with unparralled comprehension of the material, confidence and poise. I am currently working with his teachers in order to accomodate his deficits rather than modifying the curriculum. The easy route is to modify the curriculum. The reason this is easy is because they can do the same thing for all the kids in sped. Accomodations take more work. Each child’s deficit is different and accomodations take some thought. That’s OK that is what I am here for, I am quite good at thought.

Accomodations that I will ask for include: including less information on each page of the worksheet or test, reading him the test when appropriate, covering up parts of the test with plain white paper to only show the problem he is working on, allowing the use of cue cards to remind him to recheck his work, allowing for more extensive placement tests that take his verbal understanding of the material into account. I am also asking that they encourage him to recheck his work rather than re teaching content he already knows.

To be fair they do allow the children to perform oral reports once every two weeks. Next time it is his turn he will be reading the poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” and discussing Paul Revere’s importance to our nation’s history.

He is 8.

Little Lulu -

Has your son ever been in the self contained classroom? If not, has it ever been suggested?

little lulu where are from?

Illinois

I have asked for this for three years but have been told that it is not on our district’s continuum.

We are finally getting a separate classroom (this year) for language arts that contains 3 other children, but the same ol’ song and dance on implementing individual instruction. Its just non-existent.

I truly believe he needs self-contained for the entire day. The school does not agree.

I never thought about the difference between physical disabilities and LD but you are 100% correct. Kids in wheelchairs are popular and never teased in my experience-and those are the examples teachers use when they praise inclusion

Weve had several boys with aspergers in our childrens’ classrooms. They are made fun of and laughed at and no one wants to work with them on team projects. My second son, who is gifted, was frequently paired with one boy because he was one of very few who wouldnt torment him. And, while I certainly wouldnt have called the parent and complained about the child, I will be honest and admit that both ds and I were resentful of his always being picked to be his partner-ds wanted, and deserved, as much variety in his social undertakings as the rest of the class.

Yet the system likes to act like its all one big happy family out there

AMEN! I too, am immensely frustrated with “inclusion.” My son is LD/ADHD. He CANNOT keep up with the other children. His teachers agree he needs one-on-one—or at least a small group setting—but that’s not an option anymore…unless of course I’d like to slip him into the DH room (that’s what they’re pushing for). It’s much easier for them that way. My son’s self-esteem is shot. He feels like a failure every day. It’s so unfair. My son CAN learn, but not in the mainstream classroom. So, instead, he’ll struggle 10X more than he would have to if he was not mainstreamed. His education will suffer, his self-esteem will suffer, his relationships with others will suffer. What a great idea “inclusion” was!