Jul 19

Benefits of Inclusion For Teachers and Students

By wendyhaestier Classroom 1 Comment »

Picture a classroom where all of the children look, act and develop exactly the same. You won’t see extensive learning opportunities on the part of the teacher or the children. Inclusion is necessary for fundamentals to be learned and expanded. This is what my son, Daniel (who was born with Down Syndrome), brings to his daycare class and the other two-year olds he interacts with, just as they bring these things to him and each other. Daniel has been part of an inclusive classroom since he started daycare at 4 months old. He is accepted as just another child by the other kids in his class, and as a learning and teaching experience by his teachers.

Daniel’s teachers have learned much more about child development as they have seen even the tiniest of changes in what he does. With many other children, they progress so fast that these changes go unnoticed; such as the way your entire body has to learn how to walk up stairs, not just your legs. Or in the way your mouth, arms, hands and trunk of your body has to mold itself and build up muscles in order to drink from a straw or an open cup. This has allowed the teachers to creatively help other children who are struggling, know exactly what tips and tricks to use to help the others in the classroom as well as Daniel. They have realized that nothing we do is automatic, that our bodies adjust to even the slightest changes and as teachers, we can promote these changes in order to help with development.

Daniel’s friends (his classmates), benefit from this since their teachers are more aware of how a child physically develops. Many of them are learning to help Daniel, by holding his hand and looking out for him even though he is quite capable of doing most things on his own. They realize that Daniel isn’t exactly like them, just as each of them is different from the other. Is Daniel thought of as different or special? No, he is a part of their circle of friends and accepted be each person. This is what inclusion is all about; if acceptance starts with the little ones, then it will be part of the big world.

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Mar 08

Individuals, Not Classifications

By Matthew Weinger Classroom, Micah's Story 1 Comment »
Matt

Matthew Weinger

I moved to suburban Detroit from out of state toward the end of fifth grade, when I was ten years old.  I found myself as the much maligned new kid amongst 75 or so children who’d been together since kindergarten.  What easily could have meant disaster for my self-esteem instead became a love affair with my new friends.  I was almost immediately embraced, welcomed, and included by Micah and his peers, a group known as the Circle of Friends.

It turns out that being the new kid is a blessing in disguise.  I’m sure Micah at the time thought little of what he had done.  But look, that’s the whole point!  To him I was merely a new friend.  A quick display of friendliness and compassion on his part meant the entire world to someone else, that being me.  I won’t ever forget that day…Circle of Friends more than opened my eyes; it opened my heart and opened my mind.

I no longer see the world the way I used to see it.  No more cool kids and weirdos or jocks and dorks. No more retards.  Micah, his family and his circle have taught me to view and accept people as individuals without classifications.  Just because someone stutters doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of conversation.  A blind man would certainly enjoy being read aloud to.  Someone who can’t run so fast may still get satisfaction from being a member of a track and field team.  A child who has poor penmanship could well be a magnificent writer.  Luckily, the standards by which society measures people are evolving, if ever for the better…

Thanks to Micah and his Circle of Friends, I feel as though I am a better friend, a better person, leading a better life.

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Jan 21

Everyone Benefits from Inclusion

By deborahconn Childcare, Classroom, Community 1 Comment »
Deborah Conn

Deborah Conn

I must admit, a smile literally spread across my face as I watched six small groups of early care and education workshop participants from Santa Barbara County, California talking animatedly and quickly filling flip charts with lists of ideas. Their task was to brainstorm the benefits of inclusion for children with special needs and their families, children without special needs and their families, program staff, and the community. I was smiling because this was such a stark and wonderful contrast to the first time I’d led the same activity twenty years earlier in the same building. Even then, people could think of a few reasons why inclusion benefited children with disabilities, but it was hard for them to come up with ideas on how inclusion benefited others. And, sadly, there were a few then who actually verbalized that children with disabilities had no place in a preschool classroom with children who were typically developing.

A common theme that ran through these small groups today was “respecting and celebrating differences” – not just accepting or tolerating differences. The groups concluded, independently, that adults who grew up prior to special education legislation and the Americans with Disabilities Act were learning to value inclusion from their own preschool children. Just a few of the many other benefits noted from the various groups were: learning to work together to accomplish a goal, mastering skills by helping peers, gaining leadership skills, feeling less isolated, learning new information and skills, increasing awareness, becoming valued members of the community, being able to stay in and contribute to a community (rather than having to move elsewhere to find inclusive settings), learning adaptations that help all children, and improving honest communication.

I recently took the opportunity to talk with some Head Start teachers about how inclusion has benefited them personally. Michelle Valencia shared, “Having children with special needs in my classroom really helped my confidence and has made me a better teacher for all children.” Michelle explained that she has now taught a number of children with significant disabilities and that her successes working with them helped her become more outgoing. In fact, she has even done presentations with her program’s disabilities coordinator. I visited Michelle’s classroom recently and saw first-hand the confidence that she talked about as she worked with a very diverse and lively group of children, including a little girl with spina bifida, who was fully included in all the activities that were going on.

In another classroom I visited, Mary Flores, a center director, talked about the positive changes that she has seen in adult family members of the children without disabilities. Three preschoolers who have significant visual impairments and two children with Down syndrome are enrolled in her center. A few parents expressed concerns at the beginning of the school year about whether their own children would get enough attention and whether the curriculum would be “watered down.” Mary proudly reported that the families soon saw that curriculum is easily adapted and individualized so that all the children can participate. These same parents have told Mary that their own children have become more helpful to others in general and more empathetic since being in the program. A couple of the concerned family members are now volunteering at the center and work with all the children. In fact, one mother wants to go to school to become a special education teacher.

Although work still needs to be done to educate teachers, administrators, legislators, and the community on the benefits of inclusion, and there are surely battles that still need to be fought until all children with disabilities and their families are fully included in our schools and communities, it is heart warming to see how many people today are demonstrating that inclusion works but that everyone benefits from inclusion.

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Dec 17

Inclusion: “It’s a good thing”

By tinamacaulay Childcare 3 Comments »

Tina Macaulay

Tina Macaulay

My name is Tina Macaulay.  I am currently studying Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria.  My practicum is with Supported Child Development (SCD), a program that helps children with special needs participate in community childcare settings.  I am writing about my experience as a child with inclusion and how it led me to following my current career path.

My first recollection of participating in an inclusive setting is at the age of ten.  My mother organized for me to ‘volunteer’ at a local daycare.  This was a special negotiated after school care arrangement for me, as my three year old sister attended this centre.  I would help with snack time and play with the preschoolers for about an hour and half each day.  Shortly after I began attending this daycare a four year old child started, she was blind, and it became part of my task to help her adjust to the setting.  Initially, she was very tentative and would resist exploring the centre.  The sound of the other children and the unfamiliar setting left her frozen to the chair where she was sitting.  The details are blurry, but I recall bringing her toys to explore with her hands, as I verbally described them.  Her favourite item was a walking doll, she loved exploring the facial features, the eyes, nose, lips and the doll’s her hands.  I think because the doll was about the same size as the girl, she found it particularly interesting.  The doll soon became the motivating item to encourage her to explore the centre.  We could together walk the doll to the housekeeping corner or we could go in search of the doll in the block area.  The other children would often watch as the girl explored the new items, and soon accepted that she used her hands to understand objects and people.  They learned to pause when interacting to give the girl a moment to explore their hair, face and listen to their voice before continuing on with their play.  I found it very exciting to witness her becoming comfortable in the setting and making friends.

The process of providing child centred interventions, and patiently giving her time to explore when she felt comfortable, made for a successful learning opportunity not just for the girl but her peers as well.  And now in my career, I am doing this for other children.  In my work as an Early Childhood Educator, I have had many more opportunities to watch children with developmental disabilities participate alongside their typically developing peers.  I can attest to the value of inclusion in that it creates understanding and tolerance which facilitates development, a sense of belonging and improved social skills.  Children ideally learn to value diversity as friendships develop and they become more sensitive to others’ needs.  A social justice framework for successful inclusion insures access, participation and supports for children of all abilities in early childhood settings.  This structure is dependent on educators because their perspectives have a direct influence on whether children have equal opportunities to be involved.

Shaping individual perspectives on inclusion is relevant to my current role as practicum student with Supported Child Development program.  In my placement, I act as a consultant to childcare centres, early childhood educators and families with the objective of insuring the successful inclusion of children with designated support needs in community programs.  As a SCD consultant practicum student, with an education and experiential background in Early Childhood Education with a special needs citation, I have the opportunity to positively affect other’s perceptions in my community by providing support, training and resources.  I take this learning role very seriously and carry with me the lessons taught to me by each individual child I have had the privilege of working with.  Starting with that inspiring girl I met when I was ten.  As Martha Stewart would say, “Inclusion: It’s a good thing.”

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Nov 30

The Benefits of Inclusion for ALL Kids

By Deb VanderGaast Childcare 3 Comments »

Deb VanderGaast

Deb VanderGaast

I am a registered nurse, and I operate Tipton Adaptive Daycare in our home in Tipton, Iowa. As my logo says, I provide, “Quality, professional childcare for children of all needs and abilities.” Since it is a family daycare, my daycare is completely integrated, include age integrated. This provides a unique benefit to children with developmental delays. They have the opportunity to be with children at both their physical age and their developmental age. Since everyone in the group is of different ages, sizes and developmental levels, no one stands out as being different from the group. I teach the children that everyone has special needs. Some people need a wheel chair, a blankie, glasses, a feeding tube, medicine, a pacifier, a hug, a nebulizer, hearing aids, diapers, braces, a sippy cup, a bib, a helper, a nap, or in my case, a cup of coffee. Because of this integrated environment, the kids seem to notice the differences less than they notice the similarities.

The benefit to my own children without disabilities has been remarkable. My teenagers are more sympathetic and accepting of differences in their peers. They tend to be protective of the kids that other kids tease or avoid because they don’t fit in. My two preschool-aged daughters are very accepting of children with special needs. Rather than stare at a child with a disability, they will start talking to them and invite them to play. If they have questions about a person’s disability, I encourage them to ask the person rather than talk about the person as if they weren’t there. Believe me, if someone asks about one of the kids in my care and I don’t let the child who is capable of responding answer for themselves, the kids will scold me for it.

My favorite moment was when I put a school age boy with profound physical and mental disabilities into a cube chair so he could sit on the floor with the other children during free play. I had put a small table in front of him to prevent him from falling forward. Another boy his age saw this as an opportunity for a play mate. He placed a variety of plastic animals on the table in front of the other boy, divided the animals evenly between them, and began to enact Pokie-Mon battles. The game was very fair with both boys winning about the same number of battles. The boy with cerebral palsy could not actively participate in the game, but he had such a huge smile the entire time. For a brief time he was not the boy in the wheelchair. He was just another boy involved in a game of pretend.

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