Chapter01 allen7e

Chapter 1An Inclusive Approach to Early

Education

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Inclusion Defined

• Inclusion means that children with special needs attend school with normally developing peers.

• Inclusion is belonging, being valued, and having choices.

• Inclusion is accepting children and families and encouraging their participation.


Inclusion in Perspective

• Forget and hide—children with disabilities were placed in institutions, and families were told to forget about them.

• Screen and segregate—people with disabilities now had civil rights.


Inclusion in Perspective (continued)

• Identify and help—children were now identified earlier, so treatment could begin earlier.

• Include and support—Americans with Disabilities Act is passed and inclusion begins.


Rationale for Inclusive Early Education

• Ethical issue—segregated classes for children with disabilities often do not have the materials, funding, and support of regular classrooms, making their education inadequate.


Rationale for Inclusive Early Education (continued)

• Socialization issue—through inclusion equal social status is implied:– Children of varying abilities grow up together,

and acceptance is mainstream.– Re-entry into the social norms is not

necessary, because they are already a part of the norm.



• Developmental issues– Children with and without disabilities are

provided lessons that enhance their level of development.

– Children learn from each other.– Children model appropriate interactions with

others.



• Cost issue—cost is actually reduced, because existing program structures are already in place.– Segregating typical and atypical children

actually costs more and is a duplication of services.


Supporting Inclusion: Implications for Teachers

• Structuring child-child interactions– The teacher needs to focus her activities on

encouraging play between children with and without activities.

– After a period of imitating each other’s behaviors, children will begin to play together on their own.


Supporting Inclusion: Implications for Teachers (continued)

• Planning classroom activities– Activity-based approach has the teacher

develop lessons based on typical preschool activities and incorporate IFSP and IEP goals at the same time.


Supporting Inclusion: Implications for Teachers (continued)

• Professional collaboration– Interdisciplinary teams are developed and

must work together to meet the needs of the individual child.

– Professionals share their strengths to improve the child’s educational outcomes.


Benefits of Inclusion

• Benefits for children with disabilities– Gains are made in

• social competence• social play• developmental domains• higher levels of play


Benefits of Inclusion (continued)

• Benefits for typically developing children– Developmental outcomes

• These do not suffer; in fact, typically developing children continue to grow in skill development and benefit from the lower staff/child ratio.



• Peer tutoring– Children benefit from explaining what they

know to someone else.– Explaining their knowledge to a peer makes it

more special because they are helping a friend.



• Developing sensitivity– Understanding differences– Becoming aware of our strengths and

weaknesses– Not being afraid to ask for help



• Benefits for families– Parents’ attitudes become more positive over

time as they see• their children become more accepting of

differences• their children become more comfortable around all

people



• Benefits for society– As the children grow into adults, they are

• more accepting of individual differences• more mature in their responses around others• able to respect others for what they can do


Concerns and Challenges of Inclusion

• Will special needs be served?– Parents and professionals often feel that they

cannot meet the needs of the child.– Are specialized services going to be

available?– If so much time is spent on children with

disabilities, will the typical children feel shortchanged?


Concerns and Challenges of Inclusion (continued)

• Concerns about inappropriate behaviors– Normally developing children will begin to

imitate inappropriate behaviors of children with disabilities.

• This is unfounded and false.• Children will not imitate unusual or stereotypical

behaviors.


Concerns and Challenges of Inclusion (continued)

• Will special needs children be teased?– Not if given good role models who answer

questions honestly and support friendships


Final Thoughts

• Inclusion is the law.

• There are more benefits than downfalls.

• Society will be more accepting of all individuals.

• Cost should not be a deterring factor.

• Try it; you might like it.
