special education inclusion training

Understanding Inclusion in Special Education: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies

Imagine a classroom where every child, regardless of their abilities, feels valued and supported. That’s the essence of inclusion in special education. It’s not just about placing students with disabilities in general education classes; it’s about creating an environment where all students can thrive together.

Inclusion ensures that students with special needs have access to the same educational opportunities as their peers. By fostering a culture of acceptance and collaboration, you help break down barriers and promote a more inclusive society. Understanding what inclusion means and how it benefits everyone is crucial for creating a truly equitable education system.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding Inclusion: Inclusion in special education involves integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms, ensuring they have equitable access to learning opportunities alongside their peers.
• Benefits of Inclusion: Inclusive education not only enhances academic outcomes and social skills for students with disabilities but also promotes a more accepting and collaborative school culture for all students.
• Challenges of Inclusion: Effective implementation of inclusion faces logistical hurdles like resource allocation and attitudinal barriers such as misconceptions and prejudice, requiring schools to address these challenges proactively.
• Effective Strategies for Inclusion: Key strategies for successful inclusion include ongoing professional development for teachers and classroom adaptations such as assistive technologies and flexible seating arrangements to accommodate diverse learning needs.

Understanding Inclusion in Special Education

Inclusion in special education involves integrating all students, including those with disabilities, into general education classrooms. This approach focuses on providing equitable access to learning opportunities.

Defining Inclusion

Inclusion means placing students with disabilities in general education settings with their peers, rather than segregating them. This model supports the principle that every student, regardless of their abilities, deserves to participate fully in school activities. Inclusion isn’t only about physical placement; it involves providing necessary supports and modifications to ensure meaningful participation.

The Importance of Inclusion

Inclusion helps promote social development as students learn from diverse interactions. It also advances academic growth by offering students with disabilities access to the general curriculum. For teachers, inclusive classrooms encourage the use of differentiated instruction techniques. Inclusion creates a more accepting school culture where all students recognize and appreciate individual differences.

Benefits of Inclusion in Special Education

Inclusion in special education brings numerous benefits to all students. It enhances overall learning experiences and creates a more accepting school culture.

Academic Benefits

Inclusive education boosts academic outcomes for students with and without disabilities. Access to the general curriculum promotes higher expectations and achievements.

• Exposes to Diverse Learning Environments: Students engage with various teaching styles and methods.
• Encourages Peer Support: Collaboration with peers enhances understanding and retention.
• Promotes High Standards: Teachers adopt strategies benefiting all, such as differentiated instruction.

Social and Emotional Benefits

Inclusion fosters social skills and emotional development. It encourages positive interactions among students with diverse backgrounds.

• Enhances Social Skills: Regular interaction with peers improves communication and teamwork.
• Reduces Stigma: Inclusive settings diminish stereotypes and discrimination.
• Builds Self-Esteem: Students gain confidence through equal participation and recognition.

Challenges in Implementing Inclusion

Inclusion in special education presents several challenges. Addressing these challenges ensures that all students receive equitable learning experiences.

Logistical Hurdles

Logistics often complicate the implementation of inclusion. Integrating students with varying needs requires additional resources such as specialized staff and adaptive materials. Schools must also reconfigure classroom layouts to accommodate assistive technologies. Transportation can pose issues, as routes and schedules need to account for accessibility. Professional development for teachers becomes vital; they need continuous training to handle the diverse needs effectively.

Attitudinal Barriers

Attitudes towards inclusion can significantly impact its success. Some educators and parents may resist changes due to misconceptions about disabilities or concerns over academic standards. Prejudice and a lack of awareness often lead to exclusionary practices. Schools must address these biases through training and awareness programs. Promoting an inclusive culture requires consistent efforts to challenge and change entrenched negative attitudes. Educators equipped with both knowledge and positive attitudes can foster a supportive environment for all students.

Strategies for Effective Inclusion

Implementing effective inclusion in special education requires deliberate strategies leveraging professional development and classroom adaptations.

Professional Development for Teachers

Teachers play a crucial role in fostering an inclusive environment. Ongoing professional development ensures they possess the skills and knowledge necessary to support diverse learners. Workshops, online courses, and seminars address topics like differentiated instruction, behavior management, and inclusive teaching practices. By engaging in continuous learning, teachers enhance their ability to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities effectively.

Classroom Adaptations

Classroom adaptations involve modifying the learning environment to accommodate all students’ needs. Incorporate assistive technologies, flexible seating arrangements, and sensory-friendly spaces to support diverse learners. Adjusting teaching materials and methods also helps. For example, offering visual aids, extended time for tests, and personalized learning plans ensures equitable access to the curriculum. By implementing these adaptations, you create a supportive and accessible learning environment for all students.

Embracing inclusion in special education is crucial for fostering an equitable learning environment. By integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms, you help create a more accepting and diverse school culture. While challenges exist, implementing effective strategies like professional development and classroom adaptations can make a significant difference. Prioritizing inclusion benefits not just students with disabilities but the entire educational community. Remember, a commitment to inclusion is a commitment to every student’s success.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is inclusion in special education.

Inclusion in special education refers to integrating students, both with and without disabilities, into general education classrooms. This approach ensures equal learning opportunities and promotes an accepting school culture.

Why is inclusion important in special education?

Inclusion is vital as it enhances students’ learning experiences, fosters a positive and accepting school culture, and can lead to improved academic outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities.

What are the benefits of inclusion in special education?

The benefits of inclusion include improved social interactions, better academic performance, increased acceptance of diversity, and a more supportive school environment.

What challenges are associated with implementing inclusion?

Challenges include logistical issues like classroom size and resources, as well as attitudinal barriers from teachers, students, and parents who may not fully support inclusion.

How can teachers support effective inclusion?

Teachers can support inclusion by engaging in professional development that equips them to handle diverse learning needs, using assistive technologies, and implementing personalized learning plans suited for each student.

What role does professional development play in effective inclusion?

Professional development helps teachers learn strategies and tools to support diverse learners, ensuring they can effectively adapt their teaching methods to accommodate all students.

How do assistive technologies aid in inclusive education?

Assistive technologies, such as communication devices and adaptive software, help students with disabilities engage more fully in classroom activities, ensuring they have equal access to learning opportunities.

What are personalized learning plans?

Personalized learning plans are customized educational strategies designed to meet each student’s unique needs, preferences, and abilities, ensuring they receive appropriate support to succeed in an inclusive classroom setting.

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Welcome to TIES Center!

Because you are here, we already know you want to make inclusive education a reality for all students with disabilities, including those with extensive support needs. We can help with evidence-based knowledge and resources designed for creating high-quality fully inclusive classrooms and schools.

You will find tools to help you learn about inclusive education, inspire others, and plan lessons that work for all students. We focus on moving students from less inclusive to more inclusive educational environments. The TIES Center Core Values drives all of our work.

What is inclusive education?

• One in which each and every student is valued and fully supported as active and engaged participants in their school.
• All students, including students with extensive support needs, are supported to succeed in making academic progress, building friendships, and engaging in extracurricular activities along with their grade-level peers.
• Read more about how TIES approaches inclusive education

Who are the students with extensive needs?

• Students with extensive support needs are students who require intensive and individualized instruction and substantial supports to access the curriculum.
• These are most often students classified for special education services under the categories of autism, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, and deaf-blindness.
• Students with extensive support needs may include, but are not limited to, students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Why can you rely on the information you find on the TIES website?

• TIES brings together recognized experts in inclusive education to provide evidence-based resources, tools, curricula, and reports so students with disabilities, including those with extensive support needs, can learn in classrooms with their non-disabled peers.
• From 2017-2022, TIES was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

How can TIES help?

• More details about the types of support TIES offers
• Contact us for more information about how we can work together at [email protected]

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Students With Disabilities Deserve Inclusion. It’s Also the Best Way to Teach

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Students with disabilities face substantially increased rates of abuse and restraint in schools. As an education and disability advocate seeking to change that, I frequently encounter well-meaning arguments for separating higher-needs students from the general population.

Many parents and teachers express sympathy, yet also a desire to keep certain groups of students away from the general population for a variety of reasons.

“Is mainstreaming special needs kids a good idea if it prevents the other kids from learning?”

“And what were the 20-something other kids in the room doing when the teacher was spending most of her time attending to your special-needs child?”

“It’s too bad the other children are the ones who lose out when special-needs kids are mainstreamed. This story is all well and good, but it means that this woman’s child got way more than the other children did in terms of support and attention.”

These are the types of comments found in parent forums and in response to articles about autism and other disabilities in the classroom. And they are echoed by teachers who are facing poorly integrated classrooms with strong behavior challenges. Resistance to inclusion itself as a practice remains entrenched.

Many teachers and parents do not know the pedagogy behind inclusive instruction. Inclusion is not about throwing disabled children into general education classrooms without support or tools and leaving teachers to clean up the resultant chaos. Schools don’t meet anyone’s needs when they integrate thoughtlessly.

They also do not meet the legal requirements defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees all children the right to free appropriate public education. That includes education for disabled students in the least-restrictive environment possible—not segregated and sequestered away from their peers.

Inclusion works when educators collaborate, get the support they need, and believe in the value of all students.

It might be less convenient at first for teachers and students (and parents) to learn about and embrace the disabled student populations at their schools. But there is no inherent right to be free from inconvenience . Perhaps it’s time to look more closely at why we as educators and parents are demanding that to begin with.

Inclusion, by definition, involves carefully assessing a child’s needs and then implementing a strategic plan to support that child within the general classroom setting. This is done by a special education team, rather than one general education teacher. The team offers options such as teacher training, team-teaching, pushed-in special education instruction, classroom accommodations (a standing desk, computer workstation, etc.), an interpreter, or a classroom assistant added to the room for portions of the day.

My son is autistic, and he has an assistant in his mainstream classroom to support him and several other students as needed. The rest of my son’s accommodations rarely affect his classmates at all. He uses a keyboard to write, he meets with the school counselor when he’s overwhelmed, and he has social-skills mentoring. The staff at his school meets and works together, mainstreaming children of all abilities. Test scores and academic achievement remain strong, even with a push-in of students from a countywide behavioral program for students with significant emotional disabilities. The general education students are doing great!

Cost is frequently at the heart of arguments against inclusion. It does take money to adequately support special needs students in mainstream classrooms, of course. It costs significantly less to push an assistant in and offer training, however, than to create a separate classroom with a special education teacher or place a child in a specialized private school.

The cost of time is more significant. Inclusion requires teachers, schools, and entire school systems to commit to the model. It requires training and a general overhaul in perspective—about the role of education and the inherent value of each child and his or her learning experience—disabled or not.

However, inclusion is best practice for disabled and non-disabled students alike. Studies show that when inclusion is done well, the whole class benefits. It doesn’t take away from one group to focus on another—quite the opposite. It enhances the ability of non-disabled kids to cooperate, work together, understand and value different perspectives, think critically, and even test well.

Yes, research indicates that a majority of general education students test the same or better on standardized tests when they are educated in the same classroom environment as their disabled peers. Classrooms that have several unsupported students with severe behavioral disabilities are the exception. But diagnoses like this are rare, and added supports for those students seems to be key.

When supported and given adequate training and tools, teachers in inclusive classrooms understand and instruct a variety of learners, individualizing instruction to meet the needs of all learners better. Students have varied needs and strengths, whether disabled or not. Teachers in inclusion settings learn to address this and teach better because of it.

Empathy—which cannot be measured quantitatively—matters, too. How children view peers who look and learn differently from themselves is also a consideration as they grow to adulthood and become members of their communities, and as they live and work alongside a diverse array of citizens. It’s a critical factor in whether communities and workplaces are able to function and thrive.

Finally, and most importantly, disabled students can achieve . Their talents and gifts are varied, as are the talents and gifts of all students. They are legally entitled to an appropriate public education, but they also have so much to offer their non-disabled peers, teachers, and schools.

Inclusion works when educators collaborate, get the support they need, and believe in the value of all students. It’s time for schools and teachers to reevaluate their long-held biases, and it’s time to address the initial financial investment required for training and staffing. It’s also the law.

Inclusion is the least expensive, most effective method of teaching students. It starts from the top, with administrators making this a priority. When administrators model inclusivity and support teachers in its implementation, the entire school (and school system) culture changes. Test scores are rarely negatively impacted and often go up. More importantly, children become better citizens.

Inclusion is best practice. It is also, quite simply, the right way to teach.

A version of this article appeared in the May 08, 2019 edition of Education Week as What Students With Disabilities Deserve

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Start Today - Become Board Certified in Inclusion in Special Education Now - Click Here

The growing need for board certified in inclusion in special education .

The National Association of Special Education Teachers ( NASET ) recognizes the increasing need for qualified teachers specializing in the field of inclusion education. In order to enhance this area of concern, they have created an extensive and comprehensive program through online video lectures and training whereby upon completion, you become  Board Certified in Inclusion in Special Education ( BCISE ) .

Implementing inclusion education (IE) is a significant challenge facing the educational system. One of the main difficulties in implementing inclusion education is that special and general education teachers may receive insufficient training to work specifically in complex teaching contexts like an inclusion setting and not always have sufficient training to respond to the unique needs of students in their classroom.

Well trained special education and general education teachers are considered the key to the success of inclusion education. They are expected to provide an appropriate education to the wide variety of diverse students they will come in contact within this type of setting. Therefore, their positive attitudes toward inclusion of pupils with special needs are critical. These teachers with a high sense of self-efficacy and a belief in their ability to motivate their pupils, even those with mild and severe disabilities, have been found to have a direct impact on student achievement and emotional well-being. A high sense of self-efficacy among these specific teachers also influences dialogue and cooperation between school staff and parents in developing individual programs for this diverse population.

Implementing inclusion education involves providing an appropriate education for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Yet, most research examining teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards IE suggest that teachers experience frustration, fear, anger and lack of confidence regarding their ability to meet the needs of students in this type of setting. In practice, however, the research shows that both special and general education teachers feel unprepared for the task of IE.

According to UNICEF, there is a global shortage of teachers, particularly of teachers who are sufficiently trained and motivated to include children with disabilities (and from other marginalized groups) in regular schools. Yet, such inclusion is vital for achieving Education for All goals and bringing the millions of currently excluded children into education.

In order to develop the skills, experience and confidence to be inclusion of all children, teachers need to learn about and practice inclusion education during pre-service and in-service training, and they need to be given opportunities for continuing professional development.

The Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education ( BCISE ) program provides you with many different areas of study. Upon completion, you will understand how to:

• Provide direct support to students in a classroom by delivering instruction and ensuring learning through a variety of co-teaching models and strategies.
• Develop Individualized Student Programs (IEP) for students; maintain compliance with all federal regulations and state policies regarding the education of students with disabilities.
• Ensure appropriate accommodations and modifications to the curriculum, lessons and learning environment.
• Design engaging classroom activities and differentiated lessons so that all students may access the curriculum and benefit from the educational experience.
• Formally and informally assess the student learning (rather than relying solely on standardized curriculum) to create a comprehensive learning program.
• Set high expectations that are appropriate for students.
• Work collaboratively in the co-taught classroom.
• Build a partnership with families, encouraging their active participation in students’ learning.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the principal and Director of Special Services.
• And much, much more

The NASET Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education (BCISE) program is comprised of a comprehensive compilation of 30 Units of study broken down into 5 specific Modules. Each Unit contains video lectures, PowerPoint presentations, supplemental videos and supplemental readings. At the end of each Module, there is a multiple-choice examination which must be successfully completed to move on to the next Module.  Upon successful completion of each Module exam, you will immediately be able view/save or print a professional certificate of completion.

Clearly, having Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education (BCISE) brings attention to a level of expertise you have compared to other teachers in the field and also allows for the designation of a highly qualified specialist in the field of special education and inclusion teaching. The NASET Board Certification program for becoming an Inclusion Education Specialist (BCISE) offers you all the materials to be an effective, articulate, and qualified specialist in the field of inclusion education. In the end, completion of the BCISE program will provide you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to confidently work in inclusion settings with students, parents, and administrators.

Inclusion Specialist Links

Bcise application - click here   , bcise module/unit summaries  - click here, bcise requirements and cost  - click here, bcise faq  - click here, bcise handbook - click here, bcise forms  - click here, go to module access portal, career center.

• MODULE/UNIT SUMMARIES (BCISE Program)
• BCISE Requirements and Cost
• Advisory Council for Board Certification Programs
• Module Access Portal

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