Since the beginning of the 21st century, possible options for the general education curriculum have included inclusion classrooms, which is known as inclusion. This approach seeks to provide students with disabilities with the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers while encouraging diversity and acceptance in the classroom. It includes modifying curriculum and instructional methods to meet the needs of all students, as well as providing support services such as unique educational resources and accommodations. Such actions are necessary to educate and socialize inclusive children who have the same right to a life of dignity and quality.
Research has shown that inclusion can lead to improved academic and social outcomes for students with disabilities, as well as increased understanding and acceptance of diversity among students without disabilities (Inclusion: The Pros and Cons, n.d.). However, it can also pose challenges, such as the need for additional resources and support for both students with disabilities and teachers. It is essential for schools to have the necessary resources, such as trained special education teachers and aides, and to provide ongoing professional development for all teachers to implement inclusion effectively.
It is important to remember that children with disabilities have a full right to socialization, much of which occurs during school time. It is also necessary for healthy children to learn to interact with special children, to understand how to find common ground with them when other children are different, and to learn understanding, help, and empathy (Special Education Resource, 2019). Overall, including children with disabilities in general education classrooms can lead to increased opportunities and improved outcomes for all students, but the necessary resources and support must be provided to do so.
Inclusive education guarantees parents the right to educate a child with developmental disabilities in a mainstream school. It should be remembered that the inclusion of this category of children into the system of a public school is not an end in itself but a way to create the most favorable conditions for the development of the child (Special Education Resource, 2019). The process of integration can be effective only when the efforts of family and school are aimed not only at corrective training and education but also at forming a humane charity attitude, combined with a fundamental knowledge of the possibilities of children with special educational needs.
Additional teacher qualifications in working with inclusive students can solve the problem of additional hiring. Teachers with other qualifications should receive increased pay for working with regular and inclusive students, which motivates a large number of professionals to take professional development courses. The Department of Education would not incur a significant financial loss, and in addition, such training would create hires among inclusive people, which would increase the number of workers who would pay taxes and fund the department out of their own pockets.
Morally, everyone should have basic emotions, compassion, and, most importantly, patience. In working with inclusive students, healthy children will learn to behave in a more restrained way. In addition, with more time to absorb the material, students will have a better chance of learning new topics even better.
Healthy children are more likely to be disruptive than inclusive children. In addition, each school has a therapist whose work will be focused on behavioral therapy for inclusive and healthy children and who can advise teachers on how to behave in such situations. It is true that bullying is a threat, but it is also inherent in classrooms where all children are healthy. The problem of bullying is solved by involving teachers in the life of the school, where a potential bully will be detected. After that, work will be done with the child and his parents on the topic of behavior and control of emotions toward inclusive children. Such a problem can be solved by hiring a teaching assistant. These professionals have a lower salary, which helps the school budget, but also perform a wide range of work, from paperwork to help during the learning process. Thus, it is possible to relieve the teacher of additional work, thereby improving the quality of teaching.
References
Inclusion: The Pros and Cons. (n.d.). Concerns About and Arguments Against Inclusion and/or Full Inclusion – Issues…about Change. Sedl.org, 3(4). Web.
Special Education Resource. (2019). Traditional school VS. homeschool | pros and cons | special education decoded. In YouTube. Web.