How to Start Difficult Conversations About Inclusion

I hope that the time off from school has been positive not only for your kids, but for you as well. For most of my readers, there’s one more week to go before the kids return to school, but for some others, today might be the BIG day.

One of the most sought-after things in public education for children with disabilities, especially those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, is the elusive regular education classroom, or inclusive education. There are tons of data to support the enormous benefits of inclusion for children with disabilities. In fact, there are no studies to the contrary. Having students learn side by side positive role models who can act as friends, social development partners, language and communication examples, as well as helpers, cannot be understated.

There is a reason that schools push back against inclusion. It’s hard! There is nothing easy about doing what’s right and doing what’s best for students with learning differences. It is so much easier to place them in the separate classroom down the hall or outside in a portable than it is to put supports and training of staff into a classroom to ensure that everyone knows how to support and educate the child who may not learn like most of the others. But, when we train teachers on how to teach students who learn differently, they become better teachers for all their students and all the students end up benefiting as a result. So, while it might be hard, it is also something that benefits children with and without disabilities.

Fighting for Inclusion

Yes, it often feels like a fight when parents bring up desires to include their children in regular education, especially when the school has had years of placing him or her in a separate, segregated classroom or program. I’ve had numerous parents tell me that when they bring it up, the staff will make comments like, “Don’t you want your child to get more attention? Aren’t you afraid that your child will get lost in a regular classroom? Aren’t you concerned about them being bullied?” Of course, every parent has these concerns, but none of these comments or questions should make you second guess what we know is best from all the research that’s out there. And besides that, it’s the school’s job to ensure that supports and a safe learning environment are in place for every child, not just those without disabilities.

That being said, I’m not suggesting that all students should be pulled from what they know, which might be a special education classroom or program, and placed in a regular classroom full time, cold turkey. It does vary from student to student, but especially for children who have a tendency to exhibit behaviors when they are in a new or frustrating situation, there must be a precise plan devised prior to the move. Most certainly, a slow and calculated process should be developed before the move is made. For some kids that means starting with something as simple as classroom visits to meet the other students, pick out their desk, experience a lesson presented by the teacher, etc. But for other students, that may mean that a paraprofessional is placed in the classroom, along with their visual supports and reinforcement system, and they’re ready to go full time. My point is that every student is unique and should be treated as such. The “I” in the IEP means that school teams need to carefully look at each individual student every year and consider inclusive education. In fact, the point of special education is to give children what they need so that they can be better prepared to be included in a regular education classroom, and in the future included in the workforce. Spending your entire education segregated is not likely to prepare you for an adult life much unlike your education.

Three Steps Prior to Inclusion Conversations

1. Ask your school for your child’s complete schedule. If they are already spending some time in a regular education classroom and some time in a special education classroom, you want to have both schedules so that you can clearly see what they’re doing in each of the classes. If they are only in a special education classroom, then you want to ask for that schedule as well as a classroom schedule of the same grade level. Think about your child’s interests and abilities as you examine the two schedules. If your child likes maps or science, look to see when the regular education classroom has science and social studies. If your child likes books, look at the reading block. If your child likes numbers, consider math time.

2. Put together a list of the things that you think that your child needs in order to be successful in a regular classroom. This could be a paraprofessional, a reinforcement system or token economy, a visual schedule, a box of sensory items, a social story that highlights the cool things that happen in a regular classroom, assistive technology, and a whole host of other strategies. There are tons of books out there on classroom accommodations that focus on the learning process and how to make the general curriculum accessible for all students.

3. Send your teacher and the person who runs your IEP meetings an e-mail and let them know that you want to have a meeting to discuss adding inclusive education to your child’s schedule. When they get your e-mail, they will probably freak-out and try to create their own list of why you should wait. This is why creating a list of your own, before you even reach out to them, is beneficial. If they don’t push back, that is a big red flag that your child probably should have always been in regular education. Once the meeting is set, let them know in a follow up e-mail that you would like to have the first few minutes of the meeting to share your point of view. This is likely to throw them off their game a little bit because hearing a parent’s desires to see their child develop a sense of belonging through the inclusive education process is very difficult to combat.

How much time is the right amount of time?

This question can only be answered by you. Some parents love the idea that their child is going to be included in regular ed all day every day. Some parents feel that the needs of their child cannot be met in a regular classroom. For those who are a little scared about this process, start small. If you are worried, that fear that you have will trickle over into your child’s life. This could be a really big change for your child, and you want them to feel how excited you are for them so that they will look forward to the opportunity, even if they can’t verbally express it. But, if all they feel from you is your anxiety, it will surely backfire.

So, as we prepare to begin the second semester of this school year, it is the perfect time to have these conversations with your school. Don’t get off track by comments related to the “testing season” or that “It’s not the right time” or “This is the way we’ve always done things” or that “There’s no money in the budget right now.” The time is now. The law is on your side. The research wholeheartedly supports the benefit of inclusive education. YOU GOT THIS!

Sending good vibes 😊