Nowadays, there are an increasingly number of infants and young children with special needs were born, play, develop and learn in our community. Therefore, the inclusion of children with special needs in early childhood settings has been promoting and becoming increasingly common. Hence, it also keeps an essential role in every child’s development and learning, especially special needs children. In details, the documented benefits of inclusive early childhood settings are: exceptional children are better able to learn, have a sense of belonging; academic skills are more progressive and have adaptive behaviour. However, strength-based approaches should be incorporated into early childhood programs to facilitate optimal learning in young children. …show more content…
To help children develop inclusive beliefs and values about disability, it is essential that teachers and other adults provide children with alternative perceptions about disability and the place of children with disabilities in early childhood settings and communities. In this study, the types of attitudes that helped to create inclusionary early childhood environments were characterised by a language of human rights, of belonging, and of equitable opportunities and social justice. (Karen Turnock, Diane Gordon-Burns, Kerry Purdue, Benita, Rarere-Briggs, and Robyn Stark, 2011)
When children ask questions or make statements about disability and difference, these need to be responded to with openness and honesty. And when teachers and other adults have opportunity to talk about differences, they also have an opportunity to focus on “sameness”. (Karen Turnock, Diane Gordon-Burns, Kerry Purdue, Benita, Rarere-Briggs, and Robyn Stark,
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Inclusion is a controversial subject which has been debated for decades. Susan Crowell in her article, Inclusion in the Classroom: Has it Gone Too Far?, explains that “inclusion is the idea that all children, including those with disabilities, should and can learn in a regular classroom.” In theory, the idea of all students being included and educated together is a philosophy which sounds morally correct, especially when considering that the disabled were not always treated with compassion. Often the disabled were institutionalized and banished from society, even in recent history. Ma...
Inclusive education is a general setting which a child with disability or special child was put together with normal student that accompanied by a normal teacher. It aims to nurture the special child in terms of social communication and educational aspects. According to Forlin (2010) a comprehensive model of training grasps a social model of disability that encompasses the privileges of all children to be educated together and is upheld both morally and ethically..
Early childhood education is a very important step during a child’s educational career. This is the level where the entire framework is laid. The four major areas of development are further defined ...
According to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, inclusion is the action of including students with disabilities in a regular public classroom (2010). Children with disabilities are now being included in the general education classrooms along with their peers who do not have disabilities; they are offered additional support and any other help that may be needed for them to succeed in a general education classroom. Having inclusion in schools makes every child feel welcomed and apart of something bigger. This practice not only helps the child with disabilities but inclusion helps the children without disabilities. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the history, the pros and cons of inclusion and the next steps.
Guskin, Samuel L., Gottlieb, Jay, (1941), Attitudes Toward Children with Disabilities. Encyclopedia of Educational Research, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, (Vol. 1).
Now there are development standards defined and expectations of a child as a whole. The development standards define the milestones a child should pass by a certain age. These milestones are basically “what children should know and be able to do”. (Shala 7). Because of this early childhood development’s main goal is to thoroughly progress a child’s potential in their social, motor, and cognitive development. (“Early” 1). While development itself is made up of changes in the amount of difficulty attempting certain activities and acquiring skills, gradual movement from basic to complex adjustments in learning, and gaining new ways to move one's body. (Damovska et al 13). For this reason it has become dire for programs to exist that are aimed at younger groups of children so that their mental and social development may continue on track. (“Early” 1). While their level of behavioral unde...
...e centre for studies on inclusive education (CSIE) that is an independent centre committed to promoting and encouraging full inclusion of students with SEN, and campaigns for the closure of special schools, believing special schools creates a barrier to a more inclusive society (Hall, 2002 and CSIE, 2014). however, many argue that full inclusion may not always benefit a child with SEN, Farrell (2009) states that the view that inclusion should be the primary aim of a school is flawed. Schools aim should be to educated children not include them. In agreement with this point Warnock (2005) argued that inclusive education needs to be rethought as the current process of inclusion is not working. Warnock also stated there was still a need for special education to be provide to children with SEN who could not have their educational needs met in a mainstream environment.
Slee (2001) argues that inclusive schooling demands schools to recognise all types of difference from disabilities, ethnicity, gender, class and sexuality. Furthermore, he challenges schools to accept difference, to encourage and promote flexibility thus benefiting not only the curriculum and pedagogy, but the community and students themselves (Slee, 2001).
Parents always want the best for their children, and most importantly, they want the best education and the best environment. Deciding which school to place their child to get an education can at times be a hard decision. Education in general is a form of learning where the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are carried from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or even research. There are many types of education that schools offer to use in the classroom and inclusive education is one of them. Inclusive education in the classroom is incorporating students with disabilities in all, or some of the day, in a classroom with students without disabilities. Inclusion of students that have learning disabilities into regular general education classes has become a priority in many school districts. Many reasons supports providing opportunities for students with learning disabilities; to learn and interact with their peers that do not have disabilities, learn age- appropriate social skills, they’re more independent and acquire developmentally advanced skills, and develop friendships. The general education classrooms affect the achievement of the students as well as the social behavior. Placing disabled students in these classrooms affects many aspects of not only their lives, but the teachers and other students as well.
Harchik, Alan. “Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms: Pros and Cons” News for Parents. 2005. May Institute. 18 Mar 2011.
In order to promote the best outcome from the curriculum we must consider that each child is an individual in their own right. Tricia David (2001: 55) states that early childhood should be a time of “spontaneity and of exploration according to individual interests”. Thus accounting for the child’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their likes and dislikes, provides a curriculum, which will promote optimum development. This is also known as a ...