Segregation or Inclusion? Educational Supports for Children with Disabilities

A member of the Early Childhood Family Support CoP recently described an initiative to launch a "short-term, intensive, individualized educational program for children with physical and communicative disorders." If realized, the guiding philosophy for this program would be transition back to a local school. The program has received funding for a facility that will be located so that it can serve five school districts. The program, as it is now planned, will only serve children with disabilities. In other words, if it comes to be, it will provide a segregated education for children with disabilities.

The description of this program led to a lively discussion within the CoP. One mother wrote, "To those of us who remember life before inclusion, it is a somewhat scary concept to think of a fully segregated school. For our sons who have Fragile X syndrome, it is known that much of their learning occurs incidentally. The broad base of knowledge that they now have as young adults is a direct result of their exposure to concepts taught at school that were believed to be beyond their grasp. Their observations and interactions with typical peers were invaluable in their language and social skills development." One of the researchers in the discussion wrote that it seemed counterproductive to provide instruction to get children ready for a natural environment. This is especially true given the amount of good research-based information we have about providing instruction in natural environments.

At the same time, there is an acknowledgement that some children need at least some time in a more intensive, one-on-one environment. For example, a special education teacher wrote that she had taught in both a full inclusion school and a self-contained classroom. She saw benefits and drawbacks in each of the settings for delivery of specialized instruction. She wrote, "I certainly did not need 7 hours of segregated instruction, but I valued (and my students benefited instructionally) from 1:1 instructional time with me." This teacher went on to say that her students also benefited from time with their typical peers, learning things she could not teach them or didn't think to teach them because the occurred naturally. Another mother described the school in her community, which developed "social skills classrooms." There was one for young children and one for middle school children. "Both programs are housed in K-8 schools and the children interact in regular classrooms as they are able. In my opinion, it is not a perfect solution. however it provides families with options they did not have before, and truly works well for some."

The discussion in the Early Childhood Family Support CoP is not isolated. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal describes how many parents of children with autism are rejecting typical classrooms and asking that their children receive specialized instruction in specialized classrooms (Parents of Disabled Students Push for Separate Classes, By ROBERT TOMSHO, November 27, 2007; Page A1).

What do you think? Is there a place for segregated schools and classrooms? Is this a move back to the future? Post you comments here or join the discussion in the CoP.