Mainstreamed Education

MAINSTREAMED EDUCATION

The purpose and goal of my research on mainstreamed education is for people to better understand the topic of mainstreaming as well as the purpose it can serve in providing a child with new opportunities. Mainstreamed education, in this case, is being referred to as putting a child with mild to severe learning disabilities in a regular classroom setting rather than placing them into an inclusive classroom whose students are all handicapped in a way.

To discover that a family member suffers from a condition that results in some form of life long disability is, naturally a tremendous blow. Determining what kind of education they will receive is important to their growth and independence as a person. So what are some differences between mainstream classes and special education classes? Of course, the main difference between both classes is that special ed classes go at a much slower pace in a much more structured environment. As a student with a disability, you are allowed to have an aid follow you around and assist you with your schoolwork and other everyday task that one with a disability might have trouble with.

If mainstreaming turns out to be too difficult for a child, parents have the option of either putting them in a LD (learning disability) class full time or they can mix it up between both mainstream and LD classes (Crockette, 1999). This can also benefit someone with a disability by giving them the experience of a mainstream classroom setting but also taking them out if they are harder learning at certain subjects.

At first most parents are unsure of doing this. After all most believe that if their child may be teased and seen as an outcast by other children if put into regular classes. The main goal behind mainstreaming is so that students will have a better aspect in regards to looking at their peers (Fink, 2000). Those handicapped have a higher chance of learning how to communicate and understand strangers then they would in a special education class (Fink, 2000). Not only will the handicapped learn how to communicate with others but also the integration is likely to have addition benefits for the regular students they are mixed with, in terms of developing their awareness and understanding of special needs children with learning and social disabilities (Baron-Cohen Dr., Bolton Dr., 1993). They will have a better understanding on those who are handicapped and learn how to interact with each other rather than shun them away from a group.

The process may take time but many studies do show that when you mainstream a child into regular classrooms, he or she performs better in school and develops higher communication skills than the students who are left in special ed. classes (Meisel, 1986). Along with communication skills being developed, their learning skills will increase as well. Most students with disabilities who are mainstreamed are allowed an aid to help them with whatever they may need. This helps since the class curriculum will remain the same for all of the students.

The knowledge I have gained from my brother has helped me to better understand what it is like to be someone with a disability, specifically autism. Through him I have also learned what has and hasn’t worked for him and other children with disabilities academically. My brother is a student who has been mainstreamed but still receives special education support. He has improved his social skills dramatically over the past two years of being mainstreamed. Along with social improvement, he is now catching up academically and can almost be taught at the same pace of what a normal person his age would be. So if he is improving so dramatically then why is he still receiving special educational support? Although my brother is advancing in his academic field he still struggles in a few subjects. Two days out of the week he will be taken out of class to go and receive extra help in a subject he can’t fully understand. When he is in a mainstream class, he has an aid that will help assist him when he is given instructions in class that he can’t fully comprehend. My brother is not the only one who has taught me what it is like to be someone with a disability. In fact, I learned what it is like from the teachers’ perspective in teaching children with disabilities. Over the summer, I work for an organization that provides a structured learning environment for children with disabilities while at the same time, teaches life lessons rather than academic lessons. I was lucky enough to work with two different kids with completely different disabilities last summer. One was diagnosed with Down syndrome while the other was severely autistic. This job gave me insight about what will and wont work for someone with a disability. While they both enjoyed activities that involved going outside or to the gym to play, they needed to approach to subject at matter different from each other. The one with autism needed to be told in advanced what activities would be held that day and if the schedule became slightly different he would not cooperate and refuse to do anything the rest of the day, or at least until lunch time. While he was tough, the one with Down syndrome loved anything random or spur of the moment. The only trouble he would have would come from playing with other children. He preferred to be off on his own, or even be the center of attention at times but would never play with the other children. Through this, I have gained a much better understanding on how a teacher has to approach each child differently. And as children are approach differently you will discover that some therapies, such as mainstreaming, just won’t work for them.

Of course there are the select few who shouldn’t be mainstreamed. Those with severe mental and physical handicaps may need to remain in a better-suited environment until they start to develop better academic skills. Highly structured teaching programs have been claimed to produce the greatest gains for kids with disorders such as autism (Levine, 2002). If a teacher is not actively initiating interaction and being directive, a child may simply drift away from social contact into the pursuit of repetitive behavior in which will allow very little learning of new information (Levine, 2002). Even then, not all will succeed if enrolled into regular classes. If unsure about how a child may do in a mainstreamed class, parents should first talk to the students’ teacher. Teachers will have a better understanding about your child’s academic skills and can inform you about whether or not your child should be enrolled into regular classes.

Mainstreaming is not always the answer. To know whether or not someone will benefit from being mainstreamed you have to fully understand