The Inclusion Debate

In the field of education there is much discussion regarding inclusion. Approximately 10% of public school students are eligible for Special Education. Within that category there are varying levels of abilities and behaviors. Some students receive occasional modifications, or just pull-out speech services 30 minutes a week. Others need to be taught in a one on one setting for more of the day. Traditionally, school has been a place for student to learn academic skills to prepare them for the job force later in life. Over the last few years, there has been a strong push to look beyond traditional academics and examine the social lessons learned at school as well.

As rates of autism continue to rise, more students are having social difficulties than previously noted. Speech therapists are now spending almost as much time working on pragmatic language with students as articulation. As the deficits of special needs students expand, the education system has had to adapt.

With one parent who is a teacher and another who is a neurologist, the topic of inclusion of those with developmental and neurological differences has been around most of my life. Now working directly with the autism population in the public school system, I experience the challenges and rewards of inclusion almost daily. My goal as a behavior and autism specialist is to provide the student with the greatest growth opportunities possible. How to come about such growth is highly debated and a “best practices” is still undecided. This is where individualization comes into play.

One of the toughest aspects to my job is talking with parents about how their child fits in. More than once, I’ve seen a parent start to cry when they tell me their child did not get invited to a birthday party all year. Friends are an incredibly important part of school; studies have shown that peer tend to have more influence than teachers. If a student is unable to access their peers, would that not be damaging?

On the other hand, a student placed in full inclusion may be continuously surrounded by peers, but whether or not interactions or learning is taking place should be examined. At times, a student’s behavior may be so disruptive, it takes away from the learning environment of the other students. Is the mere presence of peers enough? If a student is better able to learn in a smaller setting should they be removed in order to be taught the state required academics?

Perhaps there is a grey area. Students are often included during parts of the day and have time to receive more direct instruction as well. Most commonly, students are included for P.E., art, electives, and the lesson portion of the academic subjects. Then they go to a smaller setting to work on the assignments, tests, etc. This too requires a high level of individualization. For some students, they may need lessons explicitly taught, but are able to do independent group work. For them, it may be best to receive the lesson in pull-out and be in the classroom for work time.

Inclusion is a hot topic in the field of education. While there are strong voices on each side, I believe the end results will match one of the mantras of special education: Individualization is key.