Inclusion?

Does inclusion for children with special needs work?  Before we ask ourselves whether or not it works, we need to ask what inclusion means.  The Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB) has a Special Education Policy.  The policy indicates that the HRSB endorses the value of inclusive schooling and does so in accordance with the Education Act 54(2)(d).  The HRSB states that it is committed to “developing and implementing educational programs for students with special needs within the regular instructional settings with their peers in age in accordance with the regulations and the Minster’s policies and guidelines”.   Students with special needs are defined by the HRSB as students whose needs are such that they require supports in addition to those provided by the classroom teacher. 

There is an excellent article on Education Canada’s website regarding inclusion.  The article cites work from Roger Slee (British Journal of Sociology of Education 31, no. 5(2011): 561-573) who opines that we need to ask how we build the capacity of schools to grow with and work with difference , instead of asking how we train people to recognize difference and then run to the special education teacher for support.  In other words, we need to train teachers how to effectively manage the varying needs and capabilities within their classrooms.  It is my opinion that in order to effectively manage an inclusive classroom, our teachers need to be provided not only with specialized training, but also additional classroom resources.   

The key question is whether the child being “included” is benefiting socially and academically.  For some children being in a classroom setting can result in increased anxiety and distractibility.  It begs the question:  Are some children being kept in the classroom in the spirit of inclusion when they could be more successful in a different educational setting?   For example, for a child who struggles with emotional self-regulation, it can be challenging to socialize with peers of the same age who have already developed these skills.  Children need to be given opportunity to develop skills in a setting where they feel comfortable.  This also brings up the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders in a child’s development and education.  The stakeholders are the child, the child’s parents or guardians, educators, administrators, the child’s treatment providers (pediatrician, psychologist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, etc.), and the community. 

In a previous blog post I discuss working with your child’s school.  Although the school might recognize that a child is having difficulty with learning, the parent or guardian must authorize intervention, including testing. 

Seeking resources outside of the school can benefit your child’s ability to have success in an inclusive classroom.  For example, if we consider a child with emotional self-regulation challenges, an occupational therapist can be quite beneficial in this area.  While Occupational Therapists do work with schools, they typically will perform a brief assessment and offer recommendations to be implemented within the classroom.  Occupational therapy services are also available through the public health care system and privately.  By parents attending sessions with their children, the tools provided can be practiced at home as well as at school.  Occupational therapists who do not work in the school are open to visiting the school and/or communicating with the school. 

Regarding time spent in the classroom, from my observations as a volunteer at my son’s school, there are a number of children who leave the classroom throughout the day to work with a resource teacher or other staff member, in particular for assistance with math and language arts; and then there are some children who go to a resource room for a break from the classroom due to difficulty managing in an environment with high sensory stimuli.  We need to look at our classrooms and ask ourselves, how can we do this better? 

In some private teaching environments, children are taught with other children who are at the same developmental level, rather than with their peers of age.  The children are typically with children within a few years of their own age.  This allows the teacher to teach children with the same developmental level in a given topic, and also reduces the child’s frustration of trying to keep up with a curriculum that is beyond their current ability.  This would be interesting to pilot at a school with our current resources to determine whether it would result in better learning outcomes.

Speaking of resources, increasing classroom support in the form Education Program Assistants (EPA) or teacher’s aids would greatly benefit the classroom, in my opinion.  While some children, including our son, have an EPA assigned to them for a portion of the day, there are other children whose needs have not been clearly identified and are considered not to warrant EPA support.  Educating teachers on how to manage the various learning differences in their classroom is obviously important; however with a classroom of 20 plus children it can be difficult to address the learning needs of each student. 

Technology is another area that we should be investing in.   Most children today are comfortable with using technology, and for some it opens up an opportunity to advance learning.  Take a child with a speech and language disorder.  Assistive technology can address the child’s difficulty to communicate which is fundamental to success in school. 

So, back to our original question:  Is inclusion working?  Well, like I said, it depends.  For our son, inclusion has been successful so far.  However, I must tell you that he is provided with EPA support, assistive technology and works with a resource teacher for part of the school day.   We also have sought additional intervention outside of school and work with our son at home.  So although he is part of a regular classroom, he spends approximately half of his learning time outside of the classroom. 

In order for a child to have a successful school career, all stakeholders need to take part in creating a learning environment that is appropriate for the child.  We also need to clearly identify the learning goals for the child.