My research topic is early intervention (EI) and inclusion in the
classrooms. I interviewed a childcare
center owner/director that has been in business for over 12 years. She is also a mother of seven children and
her youngest are twins that were born premature and had the services of early
intervention the first three years of their life. The second person that I interviewed is a
pre-kindergarten teacher in the school district; her classroom is an inclusion
classroom that currently has 3 students with IEP’s. After talking with these professionals, I am
even more determined to advocate for the children that need early intervention
and for them to have inclusion when possible.
Some of the insight that they both gave me from their
personal experiences were great. The Pre-k
teacher told me that some of the things that she talks to her colleagues about
is that they sometimes have a hard time meeting the academic needs of all of
the children and trying to fit in all required academic standards and
benchmarks into the daily allotted time.
the child care center owner, and the teachers in the center believe that
have EI services in the classroom is the best for children and will have the
best rest for all involved. This will
teach the other children empathy for their classmates. It shows that just because someone is
different does not mean that they cannot be our friends.
Early intervention advocates are doing so much now for young
children and more children are in an inclusion program. They are catching learning needs early to
provide all students a good foundation in the lower elementary levels. They are also allowing the children to all
learn together and they are having more specialists and therapists come into the
classrooms.
When it comes to things that concern them the most is that
the criteria of who needs the EI needs to be adjusted some. Because the criteria is so stringent, some of
the children that may need the service do not get it because they are just
missing the requirements that are currently in place. Another concern is that while the children
are having inclusion in the schools they need to have inclusions in all aspects
of the children’s lives. These children
are forming bonds in class and they have common interests out of school, they
should be able to play sports or other activities today.
The questions that I have for my classmates would be:
1.
Have you ever worked with children with a
disability before? What were your experiences?
2.
Did the child receive early intervention
services?
3.
How were they treated in the classroom?
4.
Do you agree with inclusion?
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteWhen asking questions ask open ended questions vs. yes/no questions. This is a great topic because with early intervention services (and the earlier the better) it only benefits the child's growth.
Deborah children for whom a delay or disability is highly likely or has been firmly established will now begin an ongoing relationship with a range of providers of early intervention services and supports. Establishing a positive relationship between parents and professionals is critical for families. The way in which a preliminary intervention program is carried out when families enter the early intervention program, and the extent to which conscious decisions are made to promote community participation while developing a partnership with families, can clearly have a major effect both now and in the future on all aspects of inclusion.
ReplyDeleteDeborah,
ReplyDeleteI have worked with special needs children in my classroom, currently I have two, one with autism and the other with physical special needs. Every year since I have had a classroom, at least 10, I have had children with special needs. They are a challenge and delight to work with and I am totally in favor of inclusion. The children with special needs seem to blossom in the classroom and the other children learn so much also including emphathy and acceptance. I cannot image a classroom without a child with special needs.