INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY

Gulseren Arikan

EDSD 6644

Definition of LD by IDEA

“. . . a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.”Disorders not included by the definition: the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. Amendments Sec. 602(30)

Symptoms of LD

Students with LD,

may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;

may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;

may not understand what he or she reads;

may have real trouble with spelling;

may have very messy handwriting;

may struggle to express ideas in writing;

may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;

may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;

may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;

may have trouble following directions;

may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;

may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;

may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;

may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;

may not be able to retell a story orderly

may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from thereNational Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (2004)

Symptoms of LD (cont’d)

The pros of inclusion

Children attend their home school, with their siblings and neighbors. They are members of their own community.

Full inclusion students will get a richer speech model by being together with their general ed peers, and that they will see, and model, more appropriate social behaviors than they would if they were in a special education class.

The child acquires more academic skills due to higher expectations in general ed classroom

The cons of inclusion

the curriculum of general education doesn’t match the needs of the child,

the child may not have needed service or teacher attention, the child may not be treated well in the regular classroom,

the student may be overwhelmed by the surroundings in the regular classroom,

the age of the student may be too young or too old compare to the rest of the peers,

the student needs to feel less stigmatized and to achieve that it is better to be with other disabled students,

teachers in regular system do not have enough and appropriate training concerning the needs of disabled students

Research findings on the effectiveness of inclusion

Most regular classroom teachers are not adequately prepared to meet the instructional needs of mixed-ability groups of students (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996)

Few regular classroom teachers possess sufficient knowledge to accommodate students with learning disabilities (Baker & Zigmond, 1990 quoted in (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996))

Teachers generally provide undifferentiated, whole-group instruction, with an emphasis on conformity rather than accommodation. In all, there is scant evidence that current classroom practices militate against the "sameness of instruction" for students with disabilities (Baker & Zigmond, 1990 quoted in (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996)).

Collaboration is fundamental to helping teachers identify, adapt, and implement alternative instructional strategies (Graden & Bauer, 1992 quoted in (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996)).

Research findings on the effectiveness of inclusion (cont’d)

Traditional segregation of students with disabilities from the mainstream has not resulted mainly from their differentness but from the inability of educators to offer classrooms where they can learn along with other children (Zemelman et al. (1993), quoted in Sindelar)

Only a handful teachers in education programs go on to take additional special education methods courses. not much different from most teacher education programs in this regard. (Zemelman et al. (1993), quoted in Sindelar)

There is no large cadre of willing and able classroom teachers embracing special education students and the inclusion movement. not all teachers willingly volunteer to work with students with disabilities (Zemelman et al. (1993), quoted in Sindelar).

Inclusion classrooms build self-esteem and an improved self-concept or self image in students with disabilities. Inclusion settings build social skills by interaction (Wolfberg & Schuler, 1999 quoted in Savich, 2008).

Possible accommodations or modifications

breaking tasks into smaller steps

giving directions verbally and in writing;

giving the student more time to finish assignments;

letting the student with reading problems use textbooks-on-tape

letting the student with listening difficulties borrow notes from a classmate or use a tape recorder

letting the student with writing difficulties use a computer with specialized software that spell checks, grammar checks, or recognizes speech

-- grading-- verbal-- activities-- tangible-- contract-- group contingencies-- natural contingencies may be used for reinforcement (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996)

arrangements in seating, grouping of students, scheduling of instruction, lesson rules/routine

Implementing direct instructions which emphasizes drill and practice and immediate feedback

Teaching strategies that the students may apply individually

Peer-assisted learning strategies

Motivation of the students

Interactive dialogue between teacher and the student

Using visual devices like graphic organizers to organize information (Ellis&Howard, 2007 quoted in Hallahan et. al 2009)

Possible accommodations or modifications (cont’d)

Applying different criteria to assess the student: pass/fail-- contract-- IEP content-- multi-program-- portfolio-- other as criteria to asses students (Arllen N., Gable R.A, 1996)

Curriculum based measurement to assess student’s progress

Testing accommodations

substituting materials with lower level reading

using study partners whenever reading or writing is required

engaging student in memory-enhancing strategies

Possible accommodations or modifications (cont’d)

Research findings on the effectiveness of accommodations

Research seems to indicate that students with learning disabilities often use fewer and less sophisticated learning strategies

Enhancing the content of material can help student with learning disabilities (Gajria, et al., 2007 quoted in Hallahan 2009)

Test results indicated a significant improvement in the performance of the students with reading disabilities who received accommodations package (Fletcher et al., 2006 quoted in Hallahan 2009).

Recommendations for practiceTeachers need to plan what will be taught by whom and to map out how the special education teacher will function in the classroom. (Roach, 1995)

Making several kinds of instructional adaptations in order to accommodate the needs of students with LD. (Roach, 1995)

To implement the same curriculum, until it becomes clear that the student needs adoptions (Merrit, 2001)

Achievable and simple goal

There is not one single recipe for inclusion because it is individualized; it will look different for every student and needs tailoring. (Merrit, 2001)

Promote peer collaboration and a positive classroom environment

Good collaboration between IEP team and general ed. teacher

Involve parents in the student’s education and update them. (Merrit, 2001)Start with the least restrictive environment (Merrit, 2001)Provide the same opportunities that other students have (Merrit, 2001)Treat the students fairly and avoid favoritism (Merrit, 2001)Embrace inclusion and learn something new, instead of complaining about it. (Merrit, 2001)Promote active and meaningful participation of students (Silliman et al. 1999)Dynamic documentation of student’s progress, keep them on task (Silliman et al. 1999)Be open to changes, be flexible for meeting the needs of the students and implementing new instructions (Silliman et al. 1999)Holding higher expectations for the students (Merrit, 2001)

Recommendations for practice (cont’d)

References

1. Arllen, N. ., & Gable, R. (1996). Accommodating students with special needs in general education classrooms. Preventing School Failure, 41(1).

2. National Center on Secondary Education and Trans. (2002). Accommodations for students with disabilities in high school (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: Special Education Programs. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://ici.umn.edu/ncset/publications/issue/jan02.html

3. University of Florida. (n.d.). In Full inclusion of students with learning disabilities and its implications for teacher education . Gainesville, FL: Special Education Programs. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from sed.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/29/2/234

4. National Dissemination Center for Children with . (2002). Learning Disabilities. In Disability Fact Sheet (Vol. 7). Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.nichcy.org/disabilities/specific/pages/ld.aspx

References (cont’d)

5. Merrit, S. (2001). Clearing the hurdles of inclusion. Educational Leadership. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from Ebsco.

6. Silliman, E. R., Ford, C. S., Beasman, J., & Evans, D. (1999). An inclusion model for children with language learning disabilities: building classroom partnerships. Topics in Language Disorders. Retrieved June 2, 2009, from Ebsco.

7. Roach, V. (2002). In Supporting inclusion. Retrieved May 27, 2009, from Ebsco.

8. Hallahan , S. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2009). Exceptioanl learners (11th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.