Instructor Karen Crumley
Article 1
22 September 2014
Integrated Classrooms with Learning Disabled Students and Traditional Students
A major conflict that arises is should we integrate children with learning disabilities in a traditional classroom? Who does it benefit? An excerpt from the article “Despite a court ruling 25 years ago that gave children with disabilities equal access to general education activities, change has been slow.” These children deserve some sort of exposure to the traditional classroom setting. Where they have that they are entitled to which is a chance to see the curriculum and have some attempt to try it.
Who benefits from it? I can tell you right away that it’s not only the learning disabled children that benefit. Habib the father of Samuel says, "He's also had a tremendous impact on his peers. His peers now see disability as part of the natural diversity of our world." Which is exactly what it is; Disability is a part of the natural diversity of our world. They can make on impact on each other.
I believe that it is necessary to mix the class rooms for the benefit of both children socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. For the children who are at the higher end of the learning ladder the show the children on the lower end of the ladder things like, how to mimic different activities and motor skills. This also allows children to better understand emotional issues and how to make necessary adjustments and grow to their executive function.
Suppose the child is disruptive and is not learning, I still believe the child needs to at least have some exposure to the classroom setting and curriculum just as the adjustment states have made. Even, the child that is extremely disabled they still could benefit from possible even a period to two periods a day. Samuel’s father says, “When he's able to be accepted ... and not ostracized or sent to a separate room, I think it makes him