Inclusion

The woman whose blog I read is a special needs teacher. She has mainstreamed her children in a normal classroom setting and said that it was very successful. By doing this, she has helped her students succeed academically and socially. Studies show that many students with disabilities learn from behaviors of others in the classroom. Kids always want to fit in with their peers and want to learn from them, students with a disability are no different. Inclusion in a normal classroom setting helps students with disabilities not only academically, but it introduces them to new techniques and teachers, new social settings, and increases their learning on how to work with others. According to Hill, the only downside to inclusion of children with a disability in a normal classroom setting is the overwhelming increase in classroom size. Hill describes this as a large issue especially in middle school and high school, where many states do not have a max on how large a classroom size is. The advice she gives parents, is to help their child with their homework. She also believes that inclusion is a great idea for students with disabilities, but at the same time looks away from it because of classroom size, and the possibility that students may not be getting enough attention in the classroom.


http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/23/students-learning-disabilities-succeed-regular-cla/