Inclusion..

[Guest guest]

I really tried to stay out of this discussion, because my views are usually

not the most popular. But...

I think one point that seems to missing in this discussion concerning

inclusion is that children with IEPs included in regular ed classes

do not have to " keep up " with anyone. I think the curriculum should be a

parallel one, but with modifications and adaptations, if/when needed.

I truly believe, and studies show, that inclusion does work. I think that

in many cases people tend to jump to conclusions when there are behavior

problems. The problems are not always that the child is frustrated because

of the difficulty of the class work. And, the solution is not always

removing the child and placing them in a more restrictive environment.

One more thing that you may not want to hear. Don't be afraid of inclusion.

It's a way of life, not necessarily a program. For those of you looking at

self-contained and inclusive classes, why not start with the least

restrictive? Give it a chance and give your child a chance. Who knows what

the outcome will be. It may take a while, and like most classes, it may be

good one year and not so good the next. That's just how school tends to be.

Something I think is very important is if you begin in an inclusive class,

you can always change your mind, and look at different options. If you

begin in self-contained, in most cases, it is very difficult to get out of

it. I guess my view is start at the top.

Debbie

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