This article came through the wires earlier this morning and immediately there were calls on the Disability Research list-serv to remove kids with disabilities from regular schools. There were implications that mainstreaming, or inclusion, had "gone too far". Unable to resist I entered the fray with this response that has generated a significant amount of both support and backlash....since it seems to be so divisive I thought I'd post the link to the article in the NY Times for your general edification and then my response to the article and list-serv comments below. After reading these, what are your thoughts on the issue?
My Response: "So, I have a couple of issues here with the comments made by Jeremy and Dawna on the NY Times article. First of all, there seems to be an assumption in Dawna's comments and in the article that autism and attention deficit disorder are behavioral problems when, in fact, they are merely an expression of neurodiversity. Just because a child has autism or ADD doesn't automatically mean that they will also have behavioral issues. In fact, if students with autism or ADD act out it is generally the result of a classroom or school culture that does not meet their unique needs and does not welcome them. The minute these kids are labeled, teachers, students, and administrators begin treating them as the "other" and I know from personal experience that children are very perceptive and can only stand "othering" for so long before they begin to fight back. We all have a desire to be included and accepted by the group, and children with disabilities are no different.
Second, the notion that we should maybe begin looking at "resegregating" special education or social services in general is a dangerous proposition. The minute we begin segregating on the basis of behavior, it's just a slippery slope away from segregating on the basis of diagnosis and, if taken to the extreme, appearance. Now, I am well aware that "inclusion" and "normalization" schemes are often financially motivated and I know for a fact that for inclusion to be done correctly it takes more funding than is currently allocated to the school system...but the primary problem is teacher training.
I have just completed a large scale survey of teacher training programs in the western U.S. and most regular education teachers are still graduating with little or no training on how to accommodate students with disabilities and diverse students. In fact, our data shows that if regular ed teachers get any training it is on behavior management...which creates a paradox for us in this situation. If the only training regular education teachers are receiving is on how to behaviorally "manage" students with disabilities then you are setting them up for failure in an inclusive environment because the only way they've been taught to deal with students with disabilities is behaviorally, not academically. It's like the old adage: if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. In our research we gathered data from over 800 teachers and administrators on barriers to inclusion and the number one barrier identified by practicing teachers and administrators was a lack of training on how to modify lessons and create academic accommodations for students with disabilities in the regular education classroom. Thus, we have a lot of teachers running around our schools with hammers, and whacking every kid with a disability on the head because that's all they've been trained to do. They don't know how to academically include these students, therefore the students get upset and frustrated, and eventually act up...finally giving teachers the chance to use the hammers they've been trained to use in our colleges and universities.
Now, resegregation is the easy answer. Just make these kids disappear. Let's not deal with them, let's put them back in closets, padded rooms, and jail cells and that will solve all our problems in schools. Right? Well, I for one, doubt that it will solve the behavior problems in schools...it's always easy to blame the kids with disabilities because they can't stick up for themselves. If the author of this editorial wrote that African-American kids had more behavior problems, or Hispanic kids had more behavior problems and were a danger in our schools then there would be a nationwide call for his resignation and for his head...but since it's kids with disabilities we're talking about it's still okay. That doesn't seem right to me.
Resegregation might be the easy answer, the real solution lies in changing the way our teachers and administrators are prepared. Now they are being prepared to "deal" with students with disabilities...we need to change the system to where they are being prepared to effectively include and accommodate the needs of students with disabilities. There is a big difference, and it's a big job, but at least it's not a reactionary call for outdated institutionalization practices. Haven't we already learned that lesson?"
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