Written By Claudia Soruco

Throughout the last several years, there has not been an issue that causes more controversy in Early Childhood Special education among teachers, parents, and administrators in the United States than the topic of INCLUSION♥. Central to this controversy is the issue of determining whether inclusive education can produce desired achievement outcomes for all children with disabilities.

But what is inclusion?

In Early Childhood Education, inclusion involves educators providing full access to a wide range of learning opportunities, promoting belonging, participation and engagement of every infant and young child with disabilities and their families.

In favor of Inclusive Education

Recent research has confirmed when children with disability are putting into a regular setting either pre- school or elementary classroom; there are many positive effects not only for the children with disabilities but for the non-disabled peers as well.

Inclusive classrooms provide children with disabilities with more chances to observe and imitate the behaviors, social interaction pattern, and problem-solving skills of their typically developed classmates. Also, when children with disabilities are placed into regular environment, they have more opportunities for developing friendships with the same age peer, which leads to greater acceptance by the population in and out of the school community.

The benefits for children without disabilities include greater empathy, acceptance and tolerance, as they spend time with children with a diverse range of disabilities. Another advantage of inclusion for regular education kids is that they can develop significant skills necessary for their adult’s lives. These skills include leadership, increased abilities to teach and help others, self- empowerment, and improved self-esteem. Also, students without disabilities does not have a negative impact on their academic learning because of the presence of students with disabilities, and can, in fact, enhance it. (Read more: Special Education Needs and Inclusive education).

Against Inclusion

On the other hand, opponents to inclusion tend to see it as more harmful rather than beneficial. One of the arguments is that children with disabilities placed into regular settings are less likely to receive highly individualized services that they would receive it in a special education class otherwise (small class size, limited distraction, and one-on one instruction). Another important reason is that children with special needs, who attend a regular classroom, can become an easy target for teasing, harassment, and name- calling by the other children, who may not be ready to accept their peer with disabilities. This is especially truth when the classmates are too young (2-3 years old), and are not cognitively, socially, and emotionally ready to understand the differences. A 2-3 year old typical child is at the beginning of understating to be kind and tolerant with others. This child might not understand why the special education children are receiving one-on-one attention while he or she is not.

So What?

Inclusion itself is not entirely good or bad. Inclusion is just a concept that requires the appropriate resources, support, accommodation, collaboration, and teaching strategies in order to become a positive thing. In other words, when teachers and parents are fully prepared and have the adequate materials available, inclusion will produce the results that the researcher in favor of it are talking about.

Only an effective implementation of an inclusive education is what will fade the arguments and attitudes against inclusion.

How to Successfully Implement Inclusion? 

• The curriculum should be modified and individualized to meet the needs of the inclusion child. The
  presence of curriculum modification helped them to increase children’s engagement and to decrease maladaptive
  behaviors.
• A collaborative practice is another factor that promote a successful implementation of inclusion within the classroom. Collaboration among administrators, general educator, special educators, parents, related services providers and children is the key for the delivery of quality education for all students. When working in a collaborative relationship, individuals are free to seek advice, engage in respected conversations, which ultimately have a positive repercussion in the child’s achievement and behavior.

• The use of peer support intervention  is another way to enable an effective implementation of inclusive education. This involves one or more peers without disabilities providing academic and social support to a student with disabilities. The benefits for both parts are higher level of engagement in activities associated with the general curriculum. In these activities, the teacher’s role is basically to provide guidance and support to the child who is serving as peer support.

• Parental involvement can help a lot! Since parents are their child’s most important teacher as they best understand their child, they should provide information concerning the strengths, talents, and gifts of the included child so that teachers can focus on what the child can do, and incorporate it into their individualized education program. Also, parents should be kept informed of the children’s progress, and should be advised of problems that happen in order to work with the teachers in finding solutions to these problems.

• Recognizing the age of children in inclusive programs is indispensable in order to provide a meaningful education. For example, for childcare inclusive programs (2-3 years old) teachers should promote the participation of all children in daily routines and activities. This program should encourage flexibility and creativity in childcare professionals.  A 3- years olds child loves to ask a lot of questions, specially “why” or “how”. They may ask questions about differences in people. When children ask questions, teachers should give honest answer. Always using the child’s name in the answers. For instance: “Michael gets food through that tube, just like you use a spoon.” It is important to consider the child is a child, not a disability. “People first” language is essential when talking with other children. A child is that young may not understand why some “special attention” is given to the child with disabilities, unless the teacher creates a sense of community in the environment, and where every person is valued as unique and has something valuable to contribute to the benefits of others.

These are just some ideas on how we can make inclusion work and give every child an opportunity to participate in the same events as every other member in society, regardless of any physical or mental disabilities. It is super important keep educating ourselves and put into practice the best inclusive practices so that ALL children in this nation can receive the best education as possible.

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