How do you choose the best setting for your child with learning disabilities? When I was growing up we had resource rooms where some students went for individualized instruction of certain subjects. I was aware of the resource room but don't remember any stigma attached to my peers who spent time there although those students may disagree. Now we have Inclusion settings where students remain in the classroom for all subjects and there is an inclusion teacher who is there to assist students with IEP's and modify material and assignments. I work in a school that follows that model and my sister is an Inclusion teacher for a 6th grade class and the idea is that the class doesn't know who the Inclusion teacher is there for because she is moving about the class helping all students. I have seen the model work well for some students who need that extra support but am unsure how I feel about it for students with multiple or more severe disabilities. As a parent, are we doing our children a disservice by enrolling them in schools that follow the Inclusion model because we don't want them to feel different if they are removed from the classroom to visit the resource room? Are some special education students struggling in schools with the Inclusion model? This is a link to an article outlining the 2 types of Inclusion, push-in and full inclusion.
http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/Inclusion-What-Is-Inclusion.htm
This is a thought provoking question. I definitely believe students with disabilities should be in a classroom of their own simply because they are disabled and probably can't perform on the level of students without disabilities. Students with disabilities of all sorts need special attention, usually one on one attention.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's great to want to have them in a regular setting so they won't feel any different from any other student, but I think it does them a disservice because the speed of learning may be too much for them, usually leaving the aide to write or read everything.
With that said and or if I were a parent of a disabled child, I would want my child in a separate environment so that he/she can learn as much as possible rather than trying to keep up with the other students and teacher.
Great questions and truly something to think about!!!
Jada
I think it depends on the student whether they can be included or not. Some schools/administrators/teachers believe that students with ADD should not be included in a "regular" classroom. Some students do need one-on-one attention (which the Special Education teacher cannot provide either) while some would fare better being included with the rest of the students. Part of the problem with a student who has special needs may be because he or she is so visibly separated from the rest of the school.
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