Contrary to Arne Duncan, and the latest DOE report claiming IEPs should be written the same for everyone, students with behavioral/emotional disabilities–should have the right to services to address their problems. If their difficulties go unaddressed, left to the general education teacher with a class of 30 students, it could affect not only the student who acts out, but the students in that class without disabilities.
Placing 90% of students with disabilities into general classes, means teachers get a hodgepodge of disability challenges. How does this affect students who don’t have such difficulties?
Students with serious behavioral disabilities are one of the biggest problems facing teachers in public schools today.
Public schools must serve all students while private, parochial, and charter schools can counsel students out so the school environment will be favorable for learning. Most of today’s charter schools are strict and will not deal with children who act out.
We learned, in fact, that some “marching in a straight line” charter schools carry discipline too far and suspend students with even minor offenses.
Success Charter School leader Eva Moskowitz was embarrassed, rightly so, during a recent report by John Merrow. It came to light that kindergartners in her charter schools were suspended for lightweight behavior problems—the same problems public school teachers addressed through thoughtful solutions.
But the problem remains, that until traditional public schools find more viable solutions for serving all children, and teens, with behavioral and emotional disabilities, students will continue to appear to fail in the inclusion classroom, and in public schools when they are put up against schools that can get rid of such difficult students.
While Arne Duncan and company swear that high expectations is all that it takes, and that inclusion should be for everyone, they don’t take into consideration the effect inclusion has on students with emotional disabilities who need additional assistance—and those without disabilities.
Teachers in general classes used to document their attempts to assist a student with disabilities, but if those strategies did not work, the teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist, school counselor, and other professionals, and, of course, parents, met and worked out an Individual Educational Plan and class placement for the child to get help.
IDEA re-authorization, along with No Child Left Behind, made this procedure more difficult, and with the new rules, one wonders if there will be an end to the IEP! Yet, students who act out in general education classrooms are what drive some parents to put their children in private, parochial, or charter schools.
Research has been murky when it comes to inclusion benefits for students with emotional or behavioral disabilities, but spillover effects were found, affecting students without disabilities.
One study found that over half of all first graders are taught in inclusion classrooms, over 25 percent work alongside students exhibiting learning disabilities, and almost 10 percent share their teacher with a classmate who has an emotional disorder (Fletcher, 2009).
When teachers are forced to spend added time accommodating a child who acts out, it affects all the other students.
And, test result findings from the same study, suggest that first-graders, with a student in their class who exhibited an emotional disorder, had decreased test scores in reading and math. This spillover effect is likely larger in low-income schools.
Think not only how that affects individual students who don’t have disabilities, but teachers and schools. Inclusion affects how a teacher is evaluated, and it could also matter as to whether a public school stays open.
Schools should be set up to accommodate students with emotional and behavioral difficulties, without making children, or teens, feel stigmatized, and without ruining the education of students without disabilities.
Inclusion is a worthy class placement for many students with disabilities, and they can succeed there, especially given smaller class settings and teachers with proper training, resources, and added support from other professionals.
I would argue, however, that teachers in inclusion settings are not always getting that support and those resources.
More studies should be done to determine the effectiveness of inclusion, and a continuum of special education services for all students with disabilities who are not ready for inclusion, and a meaningful IEP should be available.
It is no cakewalk like the Obama administration is implying. We should not brand students with emotional or behavioral disabilities, nor should students without disabilities have to bear the brunt of ineffective inclusion placements that stymie their ability to learn.
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Fletcher, Jason. 2010. “Spillover Effects of Inclusion of Classmates with Emotional Problems on Test Scores in Early Elementary.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 29 (1):29-83
ABA based FBA’s should be the starting point in Gen Ed and ESE classrooms to give the student a better chance of responding to a variety of environments.
If the behaviors are not addressed, guided, redirected…. nothing will happen…
and the consequence as we know… poor academic performance, unnecessary suspensions, etc.
Last year I had to fight for one… it was implemented… within 2 mths behaviors reduced by 30%
by end of school year… work being done 100% and only 1.6 interventions per class period…
behaviors not an issue this school year…
Dyslexia is… that’s another matter… please write about it!!!
Applied Behavior Analysis and Functional Behavioral Assessments are certainly warranted, Yadira, and if a general ed. teacher has a small enough class size and outside support then a child with behavioral difficulties may succeed in an inclusion setting.
My point here is that most general ed. classes are not set up for this, nor are the teachers given adequate support for student/s with these behavioral difficulties and all students suffer.
Charters and most private and parochial schools aren’t set up for this either.
The new emphasis that IEPs should use the same standards found in the general classrooms, only means that things are going to get worse for students with behavioral issues, their teachers, and the other students in the class.
Not in this real, concrete world of public education in California. (FYI current population 38 million) “If a general education teacher has a small enough class.” That anyone utters this means THEY DO NOT TEACH. We do NOT have small enough classrooms. 31 in my class had 36. 5th graders in a public school. That IS reality. Full inclusion is full delusion.
Paul, I state repeatedly that class sizes are too large. When I talk about smaller class sizes for inclusion to work I am almost always talking hypothetically!
But you are right in that I am no longer teaching. I am sorry you have 36 students. I would not support inclusion in that setting.
Yes to your comment. Our classes are too big. The other problem is the number of students with disabilities placed in one class. Almost half of my class has either autism spectrum disorder or anxiety disorders, some have multiple diagnosis. It’s not possible to meet their needs let alone the needs of the rest of my students.
Incredible comments… all so valid…
our steps to work on inclusion… https://youtu.be/NaUvJJAQG98
I work on educating teachers, therapists, all children surrounding my kid…
The best response so far… from the kids themselves… eliminating the fear factor is key… the tools implemented are helping immensely
academics, social, etc.
I take full responsibility for what my kid can and cannot do that is considered improper – she knows she cannot swear, push, spit no one…
So many ideas we must keep sharing… we must empower our kids…
BTW, “adequate support” does not mean more professional development, or behavior charts. It means that there is a warm body (hopefully a trained one) assisting. In all my years of teaching, I have never seen a teacher be able to do a good job of differentiating while managing poor behavior, at the same time. That is because it is physically impossible.
AMEN! Thank you, Shirley, for a critical distinction!
Shirley you’re correct, there’s not enough classroom support and to ask a Gen Ed teacher to do it all is ludicrous. The average Inclusion teacher on most high school campuses are in coaching positions and that’s all that’s on their mind all day, sports. It’s sad how they hide all day and students don’t receive the support, as Gen Ed teachers struggle with behavior issues. Austin should ban coaches from applying for those Inclusion positions or Principals should do a better job at who they’re placing in those roles.
Thank you for your comment, Lee. That’s sad to hear.
I’ve subbed in a general education room with an autistic child. 4th grade. When he gets mad he tell everyone to shut the F#*% up and gives them the finger. 4th graders hearing that and dealing with that daily is inexcusable. I wouldn’t want my child being exposed to outbursts like that. There are other situations that are worse.
I think the degree in which this happens, and other behaviors would certainly warrant further consideration. Sometimes teachers in general ed. classes can eliminate such outbursts, or the student might have needed more structure for awhile, that the general ed. class couldn’t provide.Thanks for sharing!
When they start paying general education students to accommodate and support special education students, let me know. Duncan is all about money. Dump them into one big pot and wish everyone luck. if they fail, it is the teachers’ fault. If I had a special education student, the last place I would want them is competing about general ed students. They have enough emotional issues coping with being different without ramming it down their throats.
Every child deserves serious consideration concerning class placement and parents deserve options and support in making those decisions. Thanks.
This is such an important discussion to have. As an advocate, I see problems with parents of general ed students understanding the need for inclusion (when/where appropriate). In their case, it’s a matter of education. But, I also see lots of districts not doing inclusion well. Mostly, it’s a matter of training for both the general and special ed teachers, and the choice of students to participate. Inclusion is not for every student – behavior issues or not. What the USED is pushing is going to be disastrous for many students..
Agreed! Thank you, Julie.
Additional training for teachers and support personnel just cannot overcome large class size, lack of resources for the student and teacher, lack of appropriate support technology, and shoehorning all disabilities into regular classrooms despite their expression and severity. Until those issues are addressed, classrooms will be emotionally unhealthy and unproductive for all students and their teachers.
I must say, the only times I have ever heard that it is a matter of training, in regards to this issue, it is coming from administrators, or those who are out of the classroom, aka administrators, researchers, instructional coaches, parents, psychologists. etc…
Address those issues stated above, and perhaps this can ring true. Until then, it is so blazingly false, and detrimental to the spirit of the hardworking, intelligent teacher. In fact, that “training” is, generally, a huge waste of valuable time.
Amen. Even as a para, we are not psychologists or miracle workers. Kids screaming, throwing chairs, attempting to stab kids with scissors or pencils, throwing everything off the shelves, tearing everything off walls, screaming or swearing, kicking and hitting staff,… Unfair to the the rest of the kids,
in my opinion.
Nancy, thanks for getting this out there. There is another huge part of this, and that falls on building administrators and district admins. In my experience, I find they fail to look out for the best interests of the student in many situations. For engaged parents of children with disabilities, it is a constant fight at times, as if you are stepping on someone’s ego. I watched in horror as a guidance councilor who failed to implement my son’s IEP correctly get picked as our state councilor of the year. I’ve seen schools flat-out refuse to allow parents to educate their child’s peers and staff about their child’s disabilities. For far too many parents of students with disabilities in my state, it has become a living nightmare that never seems to end. And now they want to throw Common Core into IEPs? It is getting ridiculous. I wrote about this today as well: It feels like students with disabilities are being put in a pressure cooker lately. I am really starting to fear for these kids…
https://exceptionaldelaware.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/arne-duncan-leaves-nuclear-bomb-parting-gift-for-students-with-disabilities/
Well put, Kevin. I don’t know what will become of the students with special needs–all students. It certainly deviates from where I thought we would be at this point in time. It didn’t need to be like this.
Thank you for your advocacy and best wishes with your son. He’s lucky to have you as a dad.
This makes me sick. I am ALL FOR INCLUSION. Yes, many schools may not have the resources to do this properly but do you really believe that this is the sped teacher or students fault? Absolutely not. I’m sorry that putting a child into a a mainstream classroom makes your job a little more stressful, excuse me while I go back to my sped classroom with 10 other students with disabilities in my class at one time. These students are put into mainstream classes to help them. If your sped teacher is just throwing students into a classroom, maybe you should actually attend an IEP meeting and put your input in. You all make me sick even thinking that these students are a burden in the classroom and on other students. As a teacher, suck it up. You’re taught to accommodate to ALL students. Also, EDUCATE your students on the disability in which your student has, it’ll make a hell of a difference. As for thinking about these children in such a way, I’ll pray for you.
Hi Brittanie, I agree that inclusion can be a good placement and am not blaming any teacher or student. I am sorry if you came away with that idea.
But don’t you think a student who repeatedly acts out in a general education class needs extra help in a smaller class setting with a teacher who can help them get back on track?
That was the point with this post. Leaving students to act out in the general ed. class disrupts other students and doesn’t really help the student with the behavioral or emotional disability.
However, inclusion can work, especially if the teacher has supports in place. And I agree that inclusion should be the ultimate goal.
If I blame anyone it is the policymakers who are making cuts to special education and who believe that all children should learn the same thing the same way.
I am no longer teaching.
I am sorry if the post offended you, but thank you for your concern.
I work in a classroom of 8 severely behaviorally and emotionally-challenged students. On an hourly basis, we may have 3-4 students running outside, in all different directions, perhaps towards the state highway, while also having one student write “fu– you” all over your walls and desk with stolen sharpies, while another student randomly howls like a wolf while one who is trying to get work done is traumatized to the point of banging her head on the concrete wall. All of a sudden, 6 rocks crash through your windows.
Learning, in these circumstances, is IMPOSSIBLE. No student should have to be subjected to this on a daily basis! Yet this happens across the country, in schools like mine, and in self-contained classrooms, traumatizing kids who already have struggles of their own, and who may have PTSD, depression, severe anxiety, or more. It is unfair for ANY student to have to experience this level of disruption and danger in the classroom.
The answer is definitely more professional educators who have training in how to work with students with emotional and behavioral challenges. And, yes, students sometimes must be excluded, at the very least if they are showing no signs of even wanting to learn.
Nancy, thank you for your article, and I commend you for your graceful response to Brittanie. She’s probably an administrator by now. ;-P
I understand. Students with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties can have a tough time. I’m glad your students have assistance in what sounds like mostly a self-contained classroom. Hopefully, they can continue to learn, eventually improve their behavior, and return to the general classroom. But until then, they need more personal care. Thank you for your interesting comment, Katalina, and good luck!
Teachers in districts that are half way implementing inclusion are struggling. You chose to teach special education so don’t complain that your classes consist of at least ten disabilities. Your smug attitude is disgusting. Inclusion has destroyed my classes from behavior to slowing down the curriculum. I am losing five to six chapters each semester due to slowing down content for special education students. Many special education teachers in my district like inclusion because it means no lesson plans or grading for them. Inclusion doesn’t work and the only reason it’s being implemented is because it is cheaper! Inclusion is a sad failure that is cheating the general education student from obtaining the education they deserve and the special education student from obtaining a appropriate education. I am resentful of the farce that is inclusion. I respect each of my students and see the inclusion struggling with content that is inappropriate for their developmental level. There are only so many ways to teach twelfth grade content to an individual that reads on a fourth grade level.
I have to respectfully disagree. As a special education teacher and an aunt to a student with special needs, I think inclusion is a great idea when it is implemented correctly. My question to you is what about the students civil rights? What about functioning in the real world ( the end goal for all students, disability or not)? Are you going to advocate for a special store for the to go through or a separate gas station for the,? These things do not exist in the world. Plus who is going to help the, fit in? Who cares about losing chapters, because the end result is for all students to become ” productive citizens”. We have to think about what is best for our students, all of our students. I am not saying inclusion is the best but we must think about it from the real world aspect. As for making all IEPs the same, takes the “individualized” out of the plan.
Completely agree.
Why should my child’s education suffer because of the students that are not able to control themselves…..good students have rights too.
Britanny, did you even read the article? Try for a minute to put yourself in the shoes of a teacher who has 30 students in a classroom, 5 of whom have severe behavior problems. The teacher does everything in her power to differentiate and accommodate, while trying to make sure she teaches all her students the current grade level standards, even though many of her students are 1-3 years below grade level. If you’ve ever taught math like this, you wouldn’t be telling us teachers to “suck it up, we are taught to accommodate.” Yes, we may be taught to accommodate, but there is only so much we can humanly do to help all of those 30 kids in that classroom. It breaks my heart that I am not able to give my students with special needs the attention they need in a classroom environment such as this. Inclusion could work in a mainstream classroom, but not with the large class sizes that most public school classrooms have and without the support teachers need. You may want to go back and read the article again so you can at least try to understand it a little better. I feel like you have completely misunderstood the point that the author was trying to make.
Inclusion, in theory is wonderful, however the issues arise when the theory is improperly put in to practice. A good and appropriate inclusion class would provide students with disabilities with the opportunity to work alongside typically developing peer models while at the same time providing non-disabled children with he opportunity to accept and embrace differences. This is ideal. However, when the needs of the children are so severe that it completely interferes with the flow of the classroom and the education of all of the students in the classroom, the model or the manner in which it is implemented should be revisited. Providing teachers with the appropriate support and offering alternatives for children with behaviors that will offer the support that will allow students with disabilities to access the curriculum and to also give them the opportunity to socialize and interact with appropriate peer models. I am pleased to see that research is being conducted on how inclusion impacts non- disabled children as they are the population that is often ignored not considered in the discussion regarding inclusion. Inclusion is not the problem, the problem is poor implementation of the model and not recognizing that no two children are alike. so uniformity will always fail in practice.
Well said, Veronic. I agree with it all.
The bottom line is that everything is based on money. Full inclusion is the most economical with all teachers dual certified. District offices are packed with administrators making six figures and making decisions without teacher input. Full inclusion for all students is not a viable option regardless of the class size. It is cruel for the student with special needs to sit through classes where there is only minimal understanding. They continue being failures and they act out because of frustration and boredom. The students without special needs suffer because their curriculum has lost most of its rigor in order to accommodate all students. The cool-aide drinkers tow the line and refuse to fight for what is right for students. As long as they receive their pay they will sell their souls rather than step up and do what is right. It is amazing; when I started teaching about 30 years ago, children were not thought of individually. Now students are nothing more than data makers.
I thought there was more effort 30 years ago to sincerely look at individual students and do what was right by them. But I do agree that the bottom line is money.
Also, those administrators you mention–how many of them are real educators? I bet you would agree few.
Thanks, Joan. Well said.
You know, they are called IEP’s for a reason. They are INDIVIDUAL Education Programs. The inclusionistas, who want inclusion for all, regardless of individual need, are the greatest threat to special education and special needs students. Unfortunately, they tend to be made up of the most influential “experts” in our field, such and as the universities and colleges. (for example, CSLA, and CSUN, “you know who you are). Please make no mistake, I am not against inclusion, full or part time. For those students who can succeed in the general ed. classroom, there is much benefit to including them. However, not all special needs students are cut from the same bolt of cloth and treating them as one homogeneous group, is counter productive.
I agree with you, Craig. As a teacher I worked to make mainstreaming a reality. But children have different needs and the IEP is special for that reason. I think every student should have one!
Thank you for also mentioning the colleges here. I find the university College of Ed. involvement with all of the reform business (emphasis business) troubling. Take care.
I would just like to point out that much of what you have stated further contributes to the stigmatization of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. I fully understand that teaching individuals with emotional and behavioral needs within the general education classroom can be emensly fruatratating if you do not have the resources, knowledge and support of administrators and team members. However, excluding students not the answer. The structure of the school and classroom climate is where we need to start. Research shows co-teaching, if impilented correctly, can significantly help all parties here. Co-teaching emphasizes collaboration, where the special and general educator are both involved in the development and implementation of lessons and behavioral procedures. That means they believe and are seen (by students) as equals rather than merely having one educator police bad behavior while the other tries to teach a lesson. Behavior issues normally arise due to environmental triggers, as I’m sure you know. The special educator knows her students, their learning styles, their IEP goals and families – she is invaluable to the general educator because she can shed a light on triggers within the classroom and content for that specific student. The general educator is the content classroom management expert – you need both parties to be actively participating in both the planning and implementation in order to be proactive in preventing negative behaviors from these students. We have to try to steer clear of the blame and shuffle game. It is our job teach and advocate for these students. I know that it seems nearly impossible if you do not have adequate support, but it is vital for these students to have teachers who value them as they do with “general students”. They likely face stigmatization from their family, peers, and community in general. Be the exception. I promise you’ll see progress.
*implimentation
I also have to point out that I’m not a general or special ed teacher, but I did work closely with many ED/LD/ADHD students as a paraprofessional and my mom has taught gen edu for 25 years. I’m currently working on my BA in special ed and disability studies. I do not claim to be an expert- but I can speak to the issue as a former student with LD/ED who experienced great success with co-teaching strategies. I had excellent teachers dedicated to creating a non-threatening, inclusive environment. High standards kept and success expected of all students. They used plenty of universal design strategies, so I could barely tell when something was accommodated for and who needed it. The dynamic between the two teachers made all the difference. They were good friends and you could tell they worked together on each lesson. They kept dialog across the room about topics/discussions and would alternate when giving lessons. This kept the momentum and spirits high. Even so, I struggled occasionally. Despite my push back they responded contrary to the opinions expressed in this blog post. Their collaboration and dedication to all of their student’s participation helped to build trust and rapport. I cannot thank them enough for that. I needed a content rich environment, acess to teachers, peers and accommodation – despite my struggles.
Thank you, Lexi. But no where did I say that co-teaching is something bad. I applaud co-teaching and believe that inclusion might work if co-teaching takes place. But ask the general education teachers how many of them have a special education teacher to co-teach with and you will find many will say none.
I would also disagree about stigmatization. When it is said that ALL children must be in one setting and master the same material, there will be children that require something different. How will they look to their classmates when they don’t understand or do badly on the test? Many of these students are not having their needs met, and we are essentially telling them, no matter how subtly, that if they need something different they aren’t measuring up!
Making it look like there is something wrong with a special class placement, even a resource class, takes us backward.
Inclusion wants everyone on the same page.
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the reply. I meant to address some of the comments above, not your original post. I do agree with much of what you have stated. I used co-teaching as an example of what I would consider to be a successful inclusion strategy for some students with behavioral/emotional/learning disabilities.
I do not assume that you believe it to be bad. Every child and situation is different and I think you raise valid points regarding the effectiveness of inclusion. It may not be for every child.
I just wanted to address the tone set by many who have commented.
I write this as a former student who benefitted greatly from effective inclusion and support (within a smaller classroom and general)
I reaped the benefits of a strong team of administrators and educators dedicated to shaping the environment for all needs. Co-teaching methods combined the best of both worlds and a broad range of students
benefitted, disabled or not. It just something to think about.
I do understand that many times general educators do not have the support they need to successfully implement effective inclusion strategies, such as co-teaching, but I would hope that both the interventionist and general educator would advocate for better support and preparation in effective methods, rather than pushing these students out of their classrooms in fear of lower test scores. I say this with the utmost respect for the teaching profession, and do not blame the teachers, but the systems failing around the teachers for the stressors in the classroom today. However, I have to challenge some of the thinking driving these comments. Passing students around is not the answer. It’s reshaping the ideals and environment (school and community) surrounding these kids.
Sometimes some very dangerous situations are there that no one will ever solve with our tiny “bandages” we place on them… We train our general ed kids to move away (take cover) while the troubled kids live out the serious issues that they unfortunately, carry with them each day. Of course it changes the learning environment. It is a lose lose situation for both the learning or emotionally disabled and the general ed student. There are not even close to enough trained special needs educators on hand to help. It is sad to know that it is expensive to provide trained interventionists, therapist so schools have to work with the least number of trained personnel that they can possibly “get away” with. Sometimes schools have to wait months before the correct level of Spec Ed evaluator can even come to a campus and access a situation. We should all be asking for more help for our kids who need it the most. Less administrators, more classroom educators …you know, the ones who actually work with the kids! I have had some great “staff development” training’s on how to help diffuse a serious situation and hopefully even act in ways to avoid one, but it never included how to continue the teaching and/or activity I was engaged in with the other 30 students simultaneously. Our state wants to now regulate required instructional minutes, rather than days! So, instead of weather make up days, will we look forward to class disruption makeup minutes….? Sorry, I just went off topic a bit with that one but this instructional time in the day is where the discussion started, I think.
I doubt you’ll ever find a parent of a child with an IEP who would disagree. Fully fund IDEA. Russ Feingold and Chuck Schumer tried. It’s come up again and again–but it dies in committee. Meanwhile, districts are forced to find ways to cheap out on helping these kids. That’s how we got the fiasco called RTI, and MAP tests that dump kids into RTI and keep them from getting special ed evaluations that might lead to figuring out what is really going on and helping them, which we don’t have resources to do. Instead, we cross our fingers that a little extra attention and weekly testing will be the magic cure. They take the test, see minimal progress and their crappy score yet again, and learn to hate school. Very inexpensive way to pretend we’re helping.
Fully fund IDEA. Pay to train teachers, starting with special ed teachers. Pay to hire special ed teachers with training, school psychologists, and school social workers. Wealthy but small districts are not keeping up with special ed demands. How can urban, poor districts do it?
I’ll say it again. FULLY FUND IDEA.
There are a dizzying array of neurological, sensory, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges that students may have, as well as combinations of them. To expect the general education teacher to meet all of these needs in a large classroom is delusional. I taught at the RI School for the Deaf for over 25 years. The typical class size was 5, and teachers still struggled to meet the needs of each individual student. There is a crucial need for teachers trained for and experienced in the range of special needs that students present with, as well as for school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Waving the mantra of high expectations over all of these children while ignoring their complex challenges doesn’t meet their needs! Students deserve to have a range of placements available to them, re-assessed each year. This was the intent of Public Law 94-142 – Education of All Handicapped Children Act, which was enacted at about the same time that I earned my master’s degree in education of the deaf. The IEP team is supposed to assess the child’s unique learning challenges based on the results of authentic diagnostic assessments. These are the anti-thesis of large scale standardized achievement tests, and particularly the Common Core based tests. What a travesty! Decisions about whether to include a student in a general ed classroom need to be made on a case by case basis. Those who make the decision need to do a reality check and assure themselves, the teachers, the parents, and the other students that the placement is truly working in the best interests of all. Special education cannot be done on the cheap. What does this mind-boggling ignorance and arrogance of Arne Duncan and his “all children need to have the same expectations” translate to in terms of quality of life for these children? No one is saying not to challenge them, but not to recognize and address their struggles is inhumane and counteracts the intent of the law.
I have taught special education for the past 14 years. This is my first year teaching in the gen ed setting. I have 8th grade history and language arts. So I have seen both sides of the issue. I have had mainly students who are deaf and hard of hearing, but have taught cross-categorical classes as well. When they have a hearing loss, they also frequently have severe language delays due to lack of communication at home. They also lack basic background knowledge due to low language abilities. I was fortunate to be able to keep many of my students in a self-contained setting, but when appropriate for the student, I made sure they were out in the inclusion class with supports. Now that I am teaching in a general education setting, I have two inclusion classes. In one of those classes, I have no behavior issues, and while they can get a bit chatty at times, for the most part, everyone in there is compliant. We get SO much done! In the other inclusion class, there is one student who reads on a kindergarten level and has severe compliance issues (partialy due to his low cognitive abilities). He is also alternately assessed. I frequently wonder how being in my class learning about the American Revolution is beneficial for him. He doesn’t understand anything we are discussing, and he harasses other students on a daily basis-God forbid we have any down-time. Thankfully my IS is able to spend time with him so I can focus my attention on the rest of the class. In my other history class (non-inclusion), I have two students who are in the process of being identified. They both have severe behaviors, and I am frequently spending my time (because there is no IS) dealing with their behaviors rather than teaching. That class is typically a day behind the others in terms of the material we are able to cover and their test scores are lower. My Language Arts classes usually go smoothly, as I have only a few kids on IEPs and they don’t require any additional intervention services in ELA or behavior. So, yes, behaviors do make a huge difference on the other students in the class, and having a blanket inclusion policy is not good for every student.
I have had numerous classes with students who come from a ECP classroom. They are suddenly not an ECP student and placed in my general ed Kindergarten without any support. It takes unimaginable amounts of documentation for each student who enters my classroom without support. I have a class of 20 or more and at least 4 severe needs students who are unclassified and sometimes a nice calm student is receiving special education services. I have 15 other students half who are going through divorce, abuse of some sort, a death in the family, a new sibling, or another family trauma. Some who are behind in learning because their parents have to work their hearts out to make ends meet. My 15 students who also could use Social Work or Title I support are often more taxed for learning due to the fact that their teacher has to spend every second documenting, and calling for help for the students who have IDEA on their side, yet no consistent special education support. I as a teacher am also, learning how to dodge tables, learning how to keep the non- violent students safe, and learning how to teach different methods to students X, Y, Z,L and another to the majority.
If the students with special needs are to be addressed in general education each general education teacher should have less students or a special education teacher teaching alongside them as well as a teacher aide on hand. In my experience there are so many crisses in the building due to behavior, that there are no special education teachers physically addressing my students needs consistently. They are standing out in the hall documenting a student with a meltdown from the class next door or down the hall or whichever student actually injures someone is getting the help. This seems to encourage students behavior to climax and the others to hunker down, to be stressed, to be unable to work to their best potential because they are constantly worried. Are we creating a climate of more emotionally disturbed students?
There is not enough support.
Cutting Social Work, Counselors, nurses, and librarians and all other specialists 10 years ago has created a climate of anxiety and hopelessness.
I am so sorry, Jen. This sounds like a difficult situation to say the least. School districts don’t seem to be investing in special education anymore. I hope it turns around someday. I’m wondering if you have a PTA. I’m guessing not. Maybe you can speak to your principal about finding volunteers in the nearby business community. Just a thought. I wish I had another suggestion. Please stay in touch. I will be posting a dad’s account to get special ed. services. He also had a problem.
I teach students with severe/profound intellectual disability and autism. Most people don’t know these kids exist because behaviors are so severe the parents can’t take them in public. They certainly are not represented in the media either which often depicts people with autism as gifted. A typical day for me is making sure suzie doesn’t smear poo from her diaper everywhere, Johnny is not attacking and biting someone, Billy is not throwing furniture and Mary is not bashing her head against the wall. I have children with tics that cause them to scream 87 times an hour and children that need to wear pads/guards to keep them from seriously hurting themselves. Some of my kids have only reached the developmental milestones of 3-5 month olds. I use every technology imaginable, attend every training, read every FBA, IEP and PBIP and implement them with fidelity but they are not cures. None of my kids understand the abstract concept of a letter or a number. Policy makers who say things like all kids can master grade lever content and restraint should be banned have obviously never met my kids. I can get sued for restraining but also sued if I let the child get seriously injured for not acting. These are decisions I have to grapple with daily. You would not want my kids in a classroom with your son or daughter, keeping them safe and focused on learning would be impossible. To perpetuate the idea that all we need is high expectations for all is turning a blind eye to the ranges of cognitive disabilities that are growing in number every year. I should also point out that this idea comes from one study performed on young children of Mexican immigrants who developed a higher IQ score after teachers were told they were really gifted. It takes both language and literacy skills to take an IQ test. Was it really teacher expectations or the acquisition of language skills that made such an impact on their score? Why haven’t we seen such dramatic results in older populations or disability populations? I want what my kids need to lead a happy life and reach their potential but telling me that a completely dependent 13 year old that exhibits behaviors coming of infants and has not met developmental milestones beyond that of a five month old should be in a regular seventh grade class learning grade level content using grade level standards is why I watch every single special education teacher I know quit year after year. I would invite anyone who challenges anything I have said to please visit my classroom and meet my students before judging based on your narrow perspectives and experiences with disability.
Hi Bree. This is heartfelt and describes my concerns so validly. I was working on another post about behavior before the pandemic. I’d like to complete it one of these days. Would it be o.k. if I mentioned your comment? I know so many parents who don’t always understand the reality of teaching students with severe behavioral difficulties. So often the horror stories we read in the paper are about those who likely didn’t have any preparation to work with children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, or we only hear one side of the story.
I especially appreciated this. “Policy makers who say things like all kids can master grade lever content and restraint should be banned have obviously never met my kids. I can get sued for restraining but also sued if I let the child get seriously injured for not acting. These are decisions I have to grapple with daily.” I heard of school district (years ago) that provided one teacher to 2 students who had severe behavioral disabilities. Something to think about….
I have worked with students with some of the difficulties you describe. It is challenging, and teachers need tremendous support. Thank you for your candid and important essay. Stay in touch.
Yes, you can mention any of my comments. Thank you for your reply.
Some of these comments sound dehumanizing of children with disabilities. I understand many people do not have the patience with children who are struggling with severe medical problems. Probably shouldn’t go into education unless your specifically teaching the more accelerated kids.
It makes it worse that these children With disabilities are often verbally, physically abused whether by a student, teacher, or at home with little voice or understanding to communicate. Who taught these disabled kids swear words? Somebody did. They are not monsters..they are imitating and reacting to their environment. One must never forget a child’s humanity no matter the disability.
In my opinion, we are not that much further as a society that sent children to institutions, chained mentally ill people, etc. Temple Grandin’s mother recalls visiting an institution for disabled children and adults. The woman in charge said when she first arrived to work, there were people wearing no clothes, left in their feces/urine, and doing nothing with their minds or bodies.
She quickly took over and made the staff treat their patients as humans, not animals. They were given strict structure, taught hygiene, given jobs, and hence, purpose.
I hear a lot of tiny violins that teachers do not what special needs kids in their classrooms with kids that are easier to deal with. Well, guess what? I wouldn’t want my special needs kid in your classroom.
Parents of special needs kids are told that they need to focus on mainstreaming their child into an inclusive classroom to grow social skills, but rather the risk of their child be left to their own devices, bullied, or met with opposition full of apathy for their disorder that cannot be cured. Parents are told to fear contained classrooms that will become a place for their child to be “warehoused” learning only self correcting puzzles and wasting away with so-called life skills of making a peanut butter jelly sandwich.
What a poor excuse of an appropriate education… FAPE is a joke!
Sorry, if I don’t care about normal kids or gifted kids..um, I think they’ll survive and go on and be independent, have relationships, get jobs, and never have to suffer traumas that the disruptive students will have to endure .
I think how we treat and educate those without particular strengths says a lot about us as a whole. There is no kindness in shoving a struggling child into a sea of confusion/fear/trauma or locking the child away with little consideration of humanity, beauty, truth, and goodness of the world. Homeschooling with challenging, yet modified curriculum and therapies would be a far better service to a child in need. Not everyone can do that or wants to do that…but for me it is the ultimate sacrifice to my special needs child. I’m in 100% and will never give up, never stop, never tire to have my child have the same rights and opportunities of every child. Every human.
I am not sure which statements you found offensive. Maybe you could give an example. You make a lot of generalizations. The intent of the post was to find a better way to help children who act out, so they get the help they need. Students who have serious emotional and behavioral disabilities, need more individualized assistance, and they’re not going to get that in a class with a huge number of students.
Many classes are 30 students. Some high school classes are larger (pre-Covid-19 of course), and a child who acts out might be a danger to others and themselves. Most teachers try their best to accommodate students who act out, but parents and teachers need to work together. Inclusion usually has a better chance of working if the classes are smaller. Maybe focus your complaints on reducing large class sizes or helping out in the classroom.
It is a difficult topic. I think parents might reject individualized help for their child in a resource class, but that might be where a child gets the most help, especially if the teacher has special preparation.
Thanks for your comment, Heather.
I have removed the word “troubled.” I have been uncomfortable with that word and I hope this helps.