1. Which of these is not a type of ADHD?
a. predominantly inattentive
b. predominantly hyperactive/impulsive
c. combined predominantly inattentive/hyperactive/impulsive
d. predominantly attentive/active
2. Which is an example of an internalized EBD?
a. aggression
b. bullying
c. anxiety
d. disruptive behavior
3. Autism occurs in one out of every _____ children.
a. 88
b. 54
c. 92
d. 78
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Chapter 6: Learners with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
Chapter six focused on learners with emotional and behavioral disorders, which included disorders due to both internal and external factors. This is one thing I did not realize while thinking about disabilities. I always knew that genetics could affect a child, since there are some genetic or chromosomal disorders that can affect cognition, but I never realized how much impact home life and the environment in which a student is raised can affect their learning as well. All of the environmental, both home and school life, and the social factors with everyone a student comes in contact with, can affect the way they comprehend things or the way they react to things.
For this chapter, a Wordle was created on chapter six, highlighting the main points of the chapter, such as types and categories of EBD, biological factors, severity, and prevalence of EBD’s. One thing I thought was very useful in this chapter was Wood’s model of behavioral assessment, which seems to be another type of FBA or ABC process of evaluating students’ behaviors. These processes look at things such as the focus of the problem, a description of the problem, antecedent, and consequence of the behavior, where and when it occurs, who actually thinks this is a problem, and goals to help stop the problem behavior. I thought the most interesting part of this process was identifying who actually thought the behavior was a problem. This allows the specialist to look at behaviors across all environments, because what I think is acceptable behavior in my classroom, may be behavior that is looked down upon in other classrooms. This makes sure that the behavior is actually a problem, and not just a small issue in one teacher’s classroom. I think that it is important to always look in to these types of things to make sure a student is not being picked on or misdiagnosed with an EBD.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Chapter 5: Learners with Learning Disabilities
Chapter 5 discussed the criterion necessary for a student to be diagnosed with a learning disability. Although in the past the diagnosis seemed to be limited to brain injury impairing cognitive processes, I think it is very beneficial that IDEA has added new qualifications to diagnose a learner as well. The one criterion that I think needs more detail was the qualification of having a disorder in the use of language. I feel as though it needs to be clear that the student is not diagnosed because of his or her native language (which is also laid out for IDEA assessment for it to be fair) so that the student has an equal opportunity to learn. I feel as though coming from a different background should not be held against the student because he understands a different way of speaking. Chapter 5 outlined intrinsic differences in students, such as the effects of a brain injury or other nervous system delay or cognitive impairment, but it also outlined extrinsic effects that can be attributed to a student having a learning disability. I did not realize how the environment in which you live in can have an effect on your education, such as lead poisoning or living by biochemical factories. An example of this is a recent study on a town in New Jersey. My mother showed me the article about how Toms River, NJ is said to have more students being diagnosed with autism because of a power plant in the town. Whether or not this is true is still up for debate, but it is interesting to think that one power plant can cause such a drastic increase in students with autism.
It also makes sense that the chapter discussed learning disabilities being the most common disability. I feel like I have seen this first hand through field placements. I have been in 2 learning support classrooms with students with specific learning disabilities, and it seems as though there are always a high amount of students in the class. However, when I had placement in a multiple disabilities classroom, there were only about 5 or 6 students in the room at one time, having more adults presents than students themselves. I feel like this is an example of how physical disabilities may often be less common than learning disabilities. Although none of the students had TBI's, there were a couple that were paralyzed and nonverbal. Obviously, this affected their cognition, but the cognitive delays were not the main source of their disabilities. I think that assessing the students based on what they can do is the important thing with learning disabilities, rather than assessing them on what they cannot do. This way, the students will not have a negative image of themselves because of their label as disabled, but they will have more confidence in the things that they are able to do instead.
It also makes sense that the chapter discussed learning disabilities being the most common disability. I feel like I have seen this first hand through field placements. I have been in 2 learning support classrooms with students with specific learning disabilities, and it seems as though there are always a high amount of students in the class. However, when I had placement in a multiple disabilities classroom, there were only about 5 or 6 students in the room at one time, having more adults presents than students themselves. I feel like this is an example of how physical disabilities may often be less common than learning disabilities. Although none of the students had TBI's, there were a couple that were paralyzed and nonverbal. Obviously, this affected their cognition, but the cognitive delays were not the main source of their disabilities. I think that assessing the students based on what they can do is the important thing with learning disabilities, rather than assessing them on what they cannot do. This way, the students will not have a negative image of themselves because of their label as disabled, but they will have more confidence in the things that they are able to do instead.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Blog #3
First Day of Placement:
This week was my first day of field placement at Bear Creek Elementary school in the Etown School district. The school itself is amazing, this being the first year students are attending it. It is a huge school with separate wings for each grade, my home for the semester being the fifth grade wing. Of course, my classroom is at the very end of the hallway in a little secluded learning support classroom with an amazing teacher named Mrs. Jordan.
Mrs. Jordan has three classes in the 2 hours that I am in her classroom. The first is a reading "fast track" program, which is basically just seven students in fifth grade who need extra support with reading due to their diagnosed learning disabilities, including ADD, ADHD, and autism. These students are pulled out into Mrs. Jordan's classroom during their general ed class' reading classes as well so they are not missing important material in other subjects. This is a 45 minute period, where unfortunately, little work was actually done. The class got off topic a lot, and a lot of students were calling out and getting out of their seats. Mrs. Jordan made an effort to get more done, but with 7 against 1, it was unsuccessful.
The second class is out of Mrs. Jordan's classroom. We traveled across the hall to Mr. Mooney's fifth grade general ed class, where 11 out of his 27 students have IEP's. Somehow, he seemed to have a good handle of the class and everyone seemed to be generally on task while working on group projects on Benjamin Franklin and his life. Mrs. Jordan's job during this class was to just walk around and make sure students were on task and understanding the assignment. She assisted students with reading and proofreading their sentences, as well as asking them questions to make sure they were comprehending the assignment. After about twenty minutes, the class seemed to wrap up and Mrs. Jordan took the 11 students with IEP's back to her room.
The third class that Mrs. Jordan has is another "Fast Track" reading program, just with a different topic than the first group. The Fast Track program is basically a basal for special education students that helps them with reading and comprehension. The students receive a little magazine type book with one topic at a time so they don't get distracted, and the teacher is responsible for introducing new vocab, reading the story, and questioning the students in their predictions, comprehensions, and conclusions. This third group was a very rambunctious group, making Mrs. Jordan stop the lesson several times to remind them of proper school behavior. Unfortunately, the only thing the students gained from their lesson today was three new vocab words, which none of them even wrote down.
I am very excited to continue working in Mrs. Jordan's classroom because I'm sure it will be a challenge. I am also eager to work one on one with one of the students in her first class on his ORFs and MAZEs. Hopefully the students' behavior will get a little better so the rest of the semester will go a little smoother, but as of now, I feel like I am really going to enjoy this placement and learn a lot from Mrs. Jordan.
This week was my first day of field placement at Bear Creek Elementary school in the Etown School district. The school itself is amazing, this being the first year students are attending it. It is a huge school with separate wings for each grade, my home for the semester being the fifth grade wing. Of course, my classroom is at the very end of the hallway in a little secluded learning support classroom with an amazing teacher named Mrs. Jordan.
Mrs. Jordan has three classes in the 2 hours that I am in her classroom. The first is a reading "fast track" program, which is basically just seven students in fifth grade who need extra support with reading due to their diagnosed learning disabilities, including ADD, ADHD, and autism. These students are pulled out into Mrs. Jordan's classroom during their general ed class' reading classes as well so they are not missing important material in other subjects. This is a 45 minute period, where unfortunately, little work was actually done. The class got off topic a lot, and a lot of students were calling out and getting out of their seats. Mrs. Jordan made an effort to get more done, but with 7 against 1, it was unsuccessful.
The second class is out of Mrs. Jordan's classroom. We traveled across the hall to Mr. Mooney's fifth grade general ed class, where 11 out of his 27 students have IEP's. Somehow, he seemed to have a good handle of the class and everyone seemed to be generally on task while working on group projects on Benjamin Franklin and his life. Mrs. Jordan's job during this class was to just walk around and make sure students were on task and understanding the assignment. She assisted students with reading and proofreading their sentences, as well as asking them questions to make sure they were comprehending the assignment. After about twenty minutes, the class seemed to wrap up and Mrs. Jordan took the 11 students with IEP's back to her room.
The third class that Mrs. Jordan has is another "Fast Track" reading program, just with a different topic than the first group. The Fast Track program is basically a basal for special education students that helps them with reading and comprehension. The students receive a little magazine type book with one topic at a time so they don't get distracted, and the teacher is responsible for introducing new vocab, reading the story, and questioning the students in their predictions, comprehensions, and conclusions. This third group was a very rambunctious group, making Mrs. Jordan stop the lesson several times to remind them of proper school behavior. Unfortunately, the only thing the students gained from their lesson today was three new vocab words, which none of them even wrote down.
I am very excited to continue working in Mrs. Jordan's classroom because I'm sure it will be a challenge. I am also eager to work one on one with one of the students in her first class on his ORFs and MAZEs. Hopefully the students' behavior will get a little better so the rest of the semester will go a little smoother, but as of now, I feel like I am really going to enjoy this placement and learn a lot from Mrs. Jordan.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
American Teacher Reflection
I thought the presentation of American Teacher was a huge eye opener to the field of education. I never realized how many hours I would have to add to my day as a teacher. All of my cooperating teachers for field placements would talk about going on home visits, grading papers, and working tutoring programs or the school play after school, but I never actually sat down and considered how much extra time these minor details could add up to be. Hearing the teachers in the movie say they were at school from 6 am until about 5:30 pm was amazing. I never thought I would be at my job that much each day, adding up to about 60 hours per week. This made me think about how I will never have to listen to my sister complain about being at her accounting job for 50 hours a week. I definitely win :) Regardless of the long hours, I'm still 200% sure that I want to be a teacher.
Seeing how dedicated these teachers were made me realize the type of teacher I want to be. I want to be the teacher that stays 12 hours a day, that helps students in and out of the classroom, that calls students ten years down the road when tragedy strikes, and i want to be that teacher that makes learning fun and interesting. I want to push my students to the best of their abilities and make them realize that they really can do anything. I think that Mr. Benner's story was the most inspiring. Although it was so sad to see his marriage end because of how dedicated it was, it was amazing to see how far he was willing to go to support his family on his teaching (then later floor store) salary. I feel like he would be so motivating to have as a teacher, coming from basically nothing and turning into a driven, successful, and happy teacher, father, and coach. I wish that I was able to have a teacher who cared as much as Mr. Benner did.
One thing I did not like about the movie was how much it referenced salaries of teachers and stressed the need to get a second job. I feel like if teachers want to teach, they should not be discouraged for any reason. I think this movie could turn students away from being a teacher because of how much it stressed how little money they would receive compared to doctors and lawyers. I feel like it's not really fair because without teachers, the doctors and lawyers would not have gotten the educations they needed to progress that far into their careers. I feel as though teachers are completely under appreciated and seen as more of a burden (because of people who don't want to pay taxes or don't help their child get pushed as much as needed) than a blessing. I think everyone should watch this movie to see how much a teacher really does each day and how little time they actually get for themselves.
I also thought that it was great to have current teachers involved in the discussion at the end to provide some input that the movie did not provide a lot of detail on. I thought it was great to hear how long some of the teachers had been teaching, and to hear that one was even willing to move 5 and a half hours away in order to find a job. Knowing that this is something I may need to do to get a job is scary, but I think it's necessary to challenge myself and push myself outside my comfort zone in order to be the best teacher I can be. I definitely agree that connecting with the students is one of the most important parts of being a teacher. If you can't connect with students, they will not listen to you, respect you, or want to learn. Information needs to be relevant and relatable for students to succeed. I thought the American Teacher presentation was a great way to open my eyes to the world of teaching beyond what I have been taught in the classrooms at Etown.
Seeing how dedicated these teachers were made me realize the type of teacher I want to be. I want to be the teacher that stays 12 hours a day, that helps students in and out of the classroom, that calls students ten years down the road when tragedy strikes, and i want to be that teacher that makes learning fun and interesting. I want to push my students to the best of their abilities and make them realize that they really can do anything. I think that Mr. Benner's story was the most inspiring. Although it was so sad to see his marriage end because of how dedicated it was, it was amazing to see how far he was willing to go to support his family on his teaching (then later floor store) salary. I feel like he would be so motivating to have as a teacher, coming from basically nothing and turning into a driven, successful, and happy teacher, father, and coach. I wish that I was able to have a teacher who cared as much as Mr. Benner did.
One thing I did not like about the movie was how much it referenced salaries of teachers and stressed the need to get a second job. I feel like if teachers want to teach, they should not be discouraged for any reason. I think this movie could turn students away from being a teacher because of how much it stressed how little money they would receive compared to doctors and lawyers. I feel like it's not really fair because without teachers, the doctors and lawyers would not have gotten the educations they needed to progress that far into their careers. I feel as though teachers are completely under appreciated and seen as more of a burden (because of people who don't want to pay taxes or don't help their child get pushed as much as needed) than a blessing. I think everyone should watch this movie to see how much a teacher really does each day and how little time they actually get for themselves.
I also thought that it was great to have current teachers involved in the discussion at the end to provide some input that the movie did not provide a lot of detail on. I thought it was great to hear how long some of the teachers had been teaching, and to hear that one was even willing to move 5 and a half hours away in order to find a job. Knowing that this is something I may need to do to get a job is scary, but I think it's necessary to challenge myself and push myself outside my comfort zone in order to be the best teacher I can be. I definitely agree that connecting with the students is one of the most important parts of being a teacher. If you can't connect with students, they will not listen to you, respect you, or want to learn. Information needs to be relevant and relatable for students to succeed. I thought the American Teacher presentation was a great way to open my eyes to the world of teaching beyond what I have been taught in the classrooms at Etown.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Blog #2: IRIS Module on RTI
Thoughts before completing the module:
I think that the procedures that Rosa Parks Elementary School is using to try to provide struggling students with assistance could be improved. It seems as though the school is genuinely trying because of the formation of the S-Team, which basically establishes that some students do have difficulties in some areas and do need assistance. I think it's great that Mr. Hess was concerned for his students, but I feel as though since the student's reading levels have been cumulatively low, the teachers the student previously had could have done something earlier in his education. I believe that recognizing that there is a problem is the first and most major step. I also think that the S-Team is doing all they can to provide necessary students with special education. I believe that the school personnel are dissatisfied with this process because students who genuinely need special education services are not getting them because their skills do not lack in enough areas, but some students who should not necessarily qualify for special education services are receiving them instead.
Some approaches available to help struggling readers are pull out programs, which should only be implemented if completely necessary once all other options are ruled out, IEPs for students so teachers know where students need to be, training for teachers so that they have experience and knowledge necessary to teach in inclusive classrooms, and cooperation from other staff members (such as the formation of S-Teams so all teachers are on the same page) and family members. If the student's education is the main focus from everyone around that child, then the student will be sure to succeed more than before.
I definitely think that the school would find previous grade reports helpful when choosing which approach to adopt. For example, in the case of the student in the module, he had problems in previous grades that were never addressed. I think that if the student's needs were addressed earlier than third grade, implementation of a plan now might not be necessary. If the second grade teacher had word that the student had a rough time in reading in first grade, he could have tried an RTI type of tiered plan in which instruction was intensified so that the student could progress rather than fall behind even more. I think the school as a whole should address what type of school they want to be (whether an RTI tier typed school which allows for multiple attempts to solve problems, or a school who tests once and then judges students from there, ex: IQ discrepancy model). I think that the school personnel needs to talk about each student on an individual basis, grade by grade, to determine what is best for each particular student.
To help its struggling readers, the S-Team might has several options. I think some of the simpler ones could be to have the student be paired with a reading buddy, so that he is still gaining the information in classes such as math and science that he needs, but he is not tripped up on trying to read to access the information. Another option would be to have more visual clues for the student so that reading does not occupy all time in the classroom. The student seems so focused on trying to read the text that there is no way he is actually comprehending the other subjects. I think if the text was simplified for the student (not dumbed-down in any way, just simplified) then he can definitely benefit from staying in an inclusive classroom. Personally, I do not think this particular student needs any type of Tier 2 or Tier 3 RTI intervention in this school. I believe that his teachers and S-Team members are completely capable of keeping him in a Tier 1, general education environment.
Response after completing the Module:
The disadvantages of the IQ discrepancy model are very unfair for students who struggle in school. Students who need special education because their expected and actual achievement scores are too close together, even if they are very low (below proficient). Unfortunately, by the time students have a discrepancy between the expected and actual achievement scores, it is often too late in their education for them to do anything about it and they are more behind their classmates then they would have been if they followed a routine such as RTI, where lacking in proficiency can be caught early on. Because of the faulty IQ discrepancy model, students who do not necessarily need special education are being pulled out of general education to take the spots that other students who are not proficient can benefit from.
RTI addresses these disadvantages by observing and evaluating each student on an individual basis rather than just as a part of a test. RTI allows for a variety of strategies to be tried and tested before a student is placed directly in special education. I personally think this is a great idea. Although it may be a challenge for teachers, especially if there are multiple students being evaluated using RTI in one class, I think it is the job of the teacher to do everything in her power to make sure these students do not lose any more learning time because of being pulled out and placed directly in special education. When other methods of helping a student learn can be implemented, pulling them out to a special education classroom should be the last resort.
I think that the most difficult part of implementing the RTI model would be if there are multiple students that need to be evaluated in a classroom. It can be hard on the teacher to try to adapt or modify her teaching strategies for a variety of learners. I think it can also be difficult for the S-Team to work together to make sure everything is being done so that students do not move up to the next tier of the RTI model. All teachers and administrators (as well as parents) should be working together with the student to make sure that the student is doing his best to try and stay on track with his general education classroom. I think that overall, RTI is a great model and as long as communication and teaching strategies are used to their full effect, there really are no major concerns with the model itself.
I think that the procedures that Rosa Parks Elementary School is using to try to provide struggling students with assistance could be improved. It seems as though the school is genuinely trying because of the formation of the S-Team, which basically establishes that some students do have difficulties in some areas and do need assistance. I think it's great that Mr. Hess was concerned for his students, but I feel as though since the student's reading levels have been cumulatively low, the teachers the student previously had could have done something earlier in his education. I believe that recognizing that there is a problem is the first and most major step. I also think that the S-Team is doing all they can to provide necessary students with special education. I believe that the school personnel are dissatisfied with this process because students who genuinely need special education services are not getting them because their skills do not lack in enough areas, but some students who should not necessarily qualify for special education services are receiving them instead.
Some approaches available to help struggling readers are pull out programs, which should only be implemented if completely necessary once all other options are ruled out, IEPs for students so teachers know where students need to be, training for teachers so that they have experience and knowledge necessary to teach in inclusive classrooms, and cooperation from other staff members (such as the formation of S-Teams so all teachers are on the same page) and family members. If the student's education is the main focus from everyone around that child, then the student will be sure to succeed more than before.
I definitely think that the school would find previous grade reports helpful when choosing which approach to adopt. For example, in the case of the student in the module, he had problems in previous grades that were never addressed. I think that if the student's needs were addressed earlier than third grade, implementation of a plan now might not be necessary. If the second grade teacher had word that the student had a rough time in reading in first grade, he could have tried an RTI type of tiered plan in which instruction was intensified so that the student could progress rather than fall behind even more. I think the school as a whole should address what type of school they want to be (whether an RTI tier typed school which allows for multiple attempts to solve problems, or a school who tests once and then judges students from there, ex: IQ discrepancy model). I think that the school personnel needs to talk about each student on an individual basis, grade by grade, to determine what is best for each particular student.
To help its struggling readers, the S-Team might has several options. I think some of the simpler ones could be to have the student be paired with a reading buddy, so that he is still gaining the information in classes such as math and science that he needs, but he is not tripped up on trying to read to access the information. Another option would be to have more visual clues for the student so that reading does not occupy all time in the classroom. The student seems so focused on trying to read the text that there is no way he is actually comprehending the other subjects. I think if the text was simplified for the student (not dumbed-down in any way, just simplified) then he can definitely benefit from staying in an inclusive classroom. Personally, I do not think this particular student needs any type of Tier 2 or Tier 3 RTI intervention in this school. I believe that his teachers and S-Team members are completely capable of keeping him in a Tier 1, general education environment.
Response after completing the Module:
The disadvantages of the IQ discrepancy model are very unfair for students who struggle in school. Students who need special education because their expected and actual achievement scores are too close together, even if they are very low (below proficient). Unfortunately, by the time students have a discrepancy between the expected and actual achievement scores, it is often too late in their education for them to do anything about it and they are more behind their classmates then they would have been if they followed a routine such as RTI, where lacking in proficiency can be caught early on. Because of the faulty IQ discrepancy model, students who do not necessarily need special education are being pulled out of general education to take the spots that other students who are not proficient can benefit from.
RTI addresses these disadvantages by observing and evaluating each student on an individual basis rather than just as a part of a test. RTI allows for a variety of strategies to be tried and tested before a student is placed directly in special education. I personally think this is a great idea. Although it may be a challenge for teachers, especially if there are multiple students being evaluated using RTI in one class, I think it is the job of the teacher to do everything in her power to make sure these students do not lose any more learning time because of being pulled out and placed directly in special education. When other methods of helping a student learn can be implemented, pulling them out to a special education classroom should be the last resort.
I think that the most difficult part of implementing the RTI model would be if there are multiple students that need to be evaluated in a classroom. It can be hard on the teacher to try to adapt or modify her teaching strategies for a variety of learners. I think it can also be difficult for the S-Team to work together to make sure everything is being done so that students do not move up to the next tier of the RTI model. All teachers and administrators (as well as parents) should be working together with the student to make sure that the student is doing his best to try and stay on track with his general education classroom. I think that overall, RTI is a great model and as long as communication and teaching strategies are used to their full effect, there really are no major concerns with the model itself.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Chapter 1: Perspectives on Disability
After reading chapter one, I feel much more educated about the proper way to refer with people who have a disability. I feel like the most important pieces of advice to remember from this chapter are that every individual is unique, and their disabilities can be just as unique as they are. Another important piece of advice is to always use people first language and the active voice instead of the passive voice.
I think that our community as a whole has come a long way since the early days of disabilities and the middle ages, where people were outcasted or experimented on simply because they were different. I think that it is very important that we progressed since those times, institutionalizing less people with disabilities and allowing them more of an equal opportunity to show their excpetionalities rather than hide them. I feel like IDEA is allowing more families to get the support their children need to be able to attend general education classrooms (if the necessary IEP calls for it), and is allowing for students to feel more "normal" being placed in general education classrooms, regardless of the negative aspects some may see from inclusion and mainstreaming.
One thing that sort of bothered me from this chapter was the fact that they called integration or mainstraming "normalization" in the past. I feel as though just because a student is already in a general education classroom, they are not necessarily normal. Everyone at some point or another has struggled in their education, and just because they are supposidely on track with their peers, it does not mean they are normal. There may be some children in special education settings that are normal based on the qualifications of grades, but have some behavioral problems keeping them from being in general ed. Just because a student is in a general education classroom, it does not mean they are normal and that any other student not placed in general ed is not normal.
I have had an experience like this while working at a day care this past summer. I worked with children who ranged in age from 1 year to 13 years of age, 3 of which were children with Autism. Two of these 3 students were siblings, a year apart, who could not be any more different. Brendan, a six year old with autism was very well behaved and very intelligent. Brendan could tell you all about trains and how they worked, about the sports he loved to watch, and about what he did at home with his daddy. His nine year old sister, Jess was the complete opposite. Although very polite, she would throw intense temper tantrums if she did not get her way. There were times where she would literally throw herself on the ground and scream to the point of vomiting to prove how badly she wanted something. The third child with autism was Jason, a nine year old who was very energetic and always happy. He never threw screaming fits like Jess and barely talked, so he never told stories or explained processes like Brendan did. However, Jason was a very violent child. He threw toys and chairs, bit all the time, and would spill everything just to get a rise from the teachers. His behavior was awful, but he was a very intelligent little boy who loved to sort things by color, shape, and size. He knew when he did something wrong and loved being prepared for the schedule of the day. He always knew what was coming next. These three kids taught me so much about how different a diagnosed disability could be in different cases. This was my prime example of a real life situation from this chapter, reminding me that no two cases of a disability is the same and it is so important not to generalize students based on their disabilities.
I think that our community as a whole has come a long way since the early days of disabilities and the middle ages, where people were outcasted or experimented on simply because they were different. I think that it is very important that we progressed since those times, institutionalizing less people with disabilities and allowing them more of an equal opportunity to show their excpetionalities rather than hide them. I feel like IDEA is allowing more families to get the support their children need to be able to attend general education classrooms (if the necessary IEP calls for it), and is allowing for students to feel more "normal" being placed in general education classrooms, regardless of the negative aspects some may see from inclusion and mainstreaming.
One thing that sort of bothered me from this chapter was the fact that they called integration or mainstraming "normalization" in the past. I feel as though just because a student is already in a general education classroom, they are not necessarily normal. Everyone at some point or another has struggled in their education, and just because they are supposidely on track with their peers, it does not mean they are normal. There may be some children in special education settings that are normal based on the qualifications of grades, but have some behavioral problems keeping them from being in general ed. Just because a student is in a general education classroom, it does not mean they are normal and that any other student not placed in general ed is not normal.
I have had an experience like this while working at a day care this past summer. I worked with children who ranged in age from 1 year to 13 years of age, 3 of which were children with Autism. Two of these 3 students were siblings, a year apart, who could not be any more different. Brendan, a six year old with autism was very well behaved and very intelligent. Brendan could tell you all about trains and how they worked, about the sports he loved to watch, and about what he did at home with his daddy. His nine year old sister, Jess was the complete opposite. Although very polite, she would throw intense temper tantrums if she did not get her way. There were times where she would literally throw herself on the ground and scream to the point of vomiting to prove how badly she wanted something. The third child with autism was Jason, a nine year old who was very energetic and always happy. He never threw screaming fits like Jess and barely talked, so he never told stories or explained processes like Brendan did. However, Jason was a very violent child. He threw toys and chairs, bit all the time, and would spill everything just to get a rise from the teachers. His behavior was awful, but he was a very intelligent little boy who loved to sort things by color, shape, and size. He knew when he did something wrong and loved being prepared for the schedule of the day. He always knew what was coming next. These three kids taught me so much about how different a diagnosed disability could be in different cases. This was my prime example of a real life situation from this chapter, reminding me that no two cases of a disability is the same and it is so important not to generalize students based on their disabilities.
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