Special Education Department Faculty
Curriculum
Most students at the Forest Park Schools who
receive special education services are being
included in the general education classroom for all
subjects, with the special education teacher
co-teaching and/or the special education aide
assisting.
Dickinson-Iron
Intermediate School District Special Education Page.
Benefits to students with disabilities [information
from wikipedia.org]: It is believed
that educating children with disabilities alongside
their non-disabled peers facilitates access to the
general curriculum for children with disabilities.
Studies show that students with disabilities who are
mainstreamed have:
- Higher academic achievement:
Mainstreaming has shown to be more academically
effective than exclusion practices. For
instance, The National Research Center on
Learning Disabilities found that graduation
rates of all students with disabilities in the
U.S. increased by 14% from 1984 to 1997,
although this report does not differentiate
between students enrolled in mainstreaming,
inclusive, or segregated programs.
- Higher self-esteem: By being included
in a regular-paced education setting, students
with disabilities have shown to be more
confident and display qualities of raised
self-efficacy. All students in California who
went to a different school prior to attending a
mainstreaming program were asked to fill out an
assessment of their old school as compared to
inclusion program. The assessments showed that
out of all students with disabilities 96% felt
they were more confident, 3% thought they had
the same experience as an excluded student, and
1% felt they had less self-esteem. Overall,
students felt that they were equal to their
peers and felt that they should not be treated
any differently.
- Better social skills: Any kind of
inclusion practice, including mainstreaming,
allows students with disabilities to learn
social skills through observation, gain a better
understanding of the world around them, and
become a part of the “regular” community.
Mainstreaming is particularly beneficial for
children with autism. By interacting with
same-aged “normal” children, children with
autism were observed to be six times more likely
to engage in social relations outside of the
classroom. Because children with autism spectrum
disorders have severely restricted interests and
abnormalities in communication and social
interaction, the increased interaction with
typical children may be beneficial to them. The
same 1999 study showed that students with
Down’s syndrome were three times more likely
to communicate with other people.
Mainstreaming also benefits other children. It
opens the lines of communication between those
students with disabilities and their peers. If they
are included into classroom activities, all students
become more sensitive to the fact that these
students may need extra assistance.
Benefits to non-disabled students: Many
people believe that educating non-disabled students
and students with disabilities together creates an
atmosphere of understanding and tolerance that
better prepares students of all abilities to
function in the world beyond school. Students
without disabilities who engaged in an inclusive
physical education program reported increases in
self-concept, tolerance, self worth, and a better
understanding of other people. The students also
reported that the inclusion program was important
because it prepared them to deal with disability in
their own lives. Positive aspects that come from
inclusion are often attributed to contact theory.
Contact theory asserts that frequent, meaningful,
and pleasant interactions between people with
differences tend to produce changes in attitude.
More information on Special Education:
