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Essay Subject: Practice & theory of integrating handicapped into regular classroom environment. Laws, purposes, curriculum, roles of teacher & students. Advantages & disadvantages.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Practice & theory of integrating handicapped into regular classroom environment. Laws, purposes, curriculum, roles of teacher & students. Advantages & disadvantages. Paper Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to discuss "mainstreaming," a theory and its implementation regarding the integration of the handicapped into the regular classroom environment. Further, the laws and curriculum surrounding mainstreaming will be reviewed and the role of teachers and students will be analyzed along with mainstreaming's advantages and disadvantages. The passage of Public Law 94-142, signed into law by President Gerald Ford on November 25, 1975, which has as its overriding goal, an education for all handicapped children and youth, has been termed one of the few occasions wherein modern professional ideologies and technologies have been codified into federal law and thus into a national policy (Michaelis, 1980, p. ix). The result of four years of legislative battle, its sweeping realignments has underscored the pressing need for new Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Being out of step presents problems for children at home and in theneighborhood, but it can be most devastating in the classroom where socialpressures are intense. 73). ix). The parents may agree ordisagree, in which case they are entitled to a hearing. Best on fifty-two handicapped andnonhandicapped students in the second through eighth grades. From a very early age they may never havelearned how to get along with children their own age because of their ownimmaturity and troubles in communication. "When everyone else is more or less in the same boat, it is easierto feel a sense of belonging. 33). Sometimes the mainstream my actually increase a handicapped child'ssocial isolation and represent a more restrictive environment than aspecial class which could provide the support and social acceptance theyoungster needs. Home and school partnerships inexceptional education. The involvement of parents is required by law in the acceptance ofany special education program recommended. The data gathered from theparents can help the school gain a more thorough understanding of thechild, and participating in the process of data gathering helps the parentsto become more satisfied with the school's program. NewYork: Doubleday. Realistic assessment of musical capability isimportant not only in terms of initial education placement, but also inselection of music education objectives. 94-142 has been admirable;unfortunately, research suggests less-than-overwhelming satisfaction in theprofession with mainstreaming as it exits (Gfeller & Darrow, p. In fact, studies have shown that non-handicapped children interact very little with their handicapped peers andfrequently regard them as the "untouchables" in the class (Osman, 1982, p.67). One of the programs developed to meet the needs of certainhandicapped children is mainstreaming. Citing the music field as their reference point, Gfeller and Darrowpoint out a 1981 survey indicating that sixty-three percent of musiceducators were involved in mainstreaming, but were inadequately prepared towork with the handicapped, including the development of special programsand individual education plans (Gfeller & Darrow, 1988, p. In the years since, there still appears tobe a major discrepancy between the recommendations for successfulmainstreaming and the situation that actually exists in public schools(Gfeller & Darrow, 1988, p. 25; Lamm, 1982, p. And being more readily accepted in agroup can give a child the chance to practice social skills and learnhow to get along with others. 15). 28). Further research has shown these conclusions to beapplicable to all areas of education. New York:Teachers College Press.----------------------- 13 Arranging such details requires time andenergy and cooperation between several entities. Further, a1986 survey of elementary music educators in the Southeast showed that theybad little or no administrative support and lacked the resources forworking with the handicapped. & Darrow, A. Gfeller and Darrow concluded by arguing that music educators musttake a more active role in placing handicapped children. As mainstreaming matures within the educational system, research hasshown that its lofty ideals were more difficult to implement thananticipated. References Osman, B. The system has proveditself flexible, however, and, where interest is there, appears able toadjust to the demands and needs of these special children. (1962). All involved with the child should be brought into the routine'splanning and any circumstances needing revision communicated immediately.Close monitoring is the secret to teacher/parent trust building. In fact, their feelings toward a handicapped child oftendetermines how that youngster is viewed by his peers. This is where parents can be agreat source of support for teachers facing problems in mainstreaming achild. The teachers may be partially responsible forthis in not seeking the support available. It my bethat a child needs to spend part of the day in a selfcontained program andpart of the day at the regular high school, at the technical high school,or even on a job placement. And to the administration, theindividual child's program must also be integrated into the total fabric ofthe education system, the state plan and the local plan. The discontent and frustration associated with mainstreaming also canbe felt by teachers who may feel the burden it imposes on them. In the past, much of the legislation on behalf of the handicapped hasbeen dissipated by the lack of both an organized advocacy group andfinancial support. In the first few years following the 1978 implementation ofmainstreaming, research indicated a lack of preparation of most instructorsworking with the handicapped. This means that if a child has a problem reading, he may begiven the opportunity to go to the resource room, a classroom set up in aregular school where a teacher with special training works with childrenwho have learning problems, for reading remediation during some portion ofthe day, and continue to take other subjects with his/her peers. 27; Michaelis,198 , p. Mainstreaming problems formusic teachers. Sometimes the peer culture iseven more powerful than adults in remedying a child's social disabilities."Peer interaction, in fact, might be called the least utilized resource ineducation" (Osman, 1982, p. The special education handbook. Michaelis, C. Such thinking allowed educators to look at the childfirst - not as a series of handicapping conditions - but as a whole child.They looked at the physical, physiological, psychological, social andeducational needs of the child. A study was recently conducted by graduate student Heidi M.Inderbitzen and psychologist Deborah L. Shore, K. When children with special needs were first identified under the newlaw, it was decided to give them all the help that was possible, and aproliferation of special classes resulted. Mainstreaming is usually accomplished by withdrawing the child fromregular class only on a limited basis for remedial work in a "resource"room, rather then placing him in a specific special education class (Lamm,1982, p. to the maximum extent appropriate to theneeds of that child" (Michaelis, 198 , p. Many believe the findings have important implications for successfulintegration of handicapped children into the classrooms. Teachers play a crucial role in influencing a child's social statusin the classroom. They maybe teased about their problem, left out of games, made a scapegoat ortotally ignored. A teacher canembarrass or compliment a child, enhance his self-image or destroy it,without even knowing it. Identification of a child as handicapped is the first step in placinga child in a special education setting. (1987, October). 15). In addition, making administrators and evaluatorsmore aware of the skills needed by a student to keep up with a musiccurriculum was recognized. 27). Though the term itself is not inthe law, what is written in the regulations is "least restrictiveenvironment," and "the child is educated in the school he or she wouldattend if not handicapped" and that "each handicapped child participateswith nonhandicapped children . T. The education system seem to dictate thatteachers alone can teach values and skills in the classroom, andinteraction between children is discouraged except in the gym andextracurricular activities. This evaluation compares the childto other children to find where he/she is lacking in certain skills andabilities. . Rather thansimply identifying a list of complaints, it may be necessary for musicteachers to aggressively seek potential sources for inservice andconsultation. The survey showed most bad only a few hoursof training in special education and that child psychology was the onlyuniversity course cited that addressed the needs of special children(Gfeller & Darrow, 1988, p. Some of the strategies for improvement, state Gfeller and Darrow,developed as a direct result of the problems identified in the research.For example, a recent study showed that while consultation with specialeducation teachers and counselors concerning mainstreamed children usuallywas available, inservice training as noted by music educators was providedonly upon specific request. It soon became apparent thatthere was no way in which the system could have a special class for everychild or need that was identified. Administrators must be creative, and cooperative as well. Healthy peer relationships, after all, contribute to ayoungster's future values and attitudes as well as to his mental health andintellectual ability as an adult. 15). The mix of professionals and parents who fought forP.L. Many believe it is time to start appreciatingthe role children can play in teaching each other, in the classroom and onthe playground. This is where theterm "resource" began and the thinking that the resources must be adequateto meet the need. Administrators were dealing not just with educationalobjectives of a handicapped child but with his/her social growth as well.In addition, there was the response from classmates and teachers toconsider as changes took place within the classroom. Learning disabilities explained. Inderbitzen and Best found that as nonhandicapped children get older,they view the handicapped more positively. They usually need muchmore one-on-one exposure and a great deal of practice to improve theirsocial skills. Psychology today,15. Under the "least restrictive environment" called for in the law, ifit is not possible for the child to be in the neighborhood school, he/sheshould be in a school as close to the family home as possible andsupplementary services must be provided in conjunction with regular classplacement, which may vary in different schools. Further, the 1987 study revealed specific areas that might beaddressed in inservice training, thus allowing for particular problems tobe targeted as key topics for clinics at state, regional and national musiceducator conferences. "If we say the task is to educate thewhole child and to provide him with such special remediation as an analysisof his strengths and weaknesses may require, then we get to the concept ofmainstreaming" (Michaelis, 198 , p. He may even begin to learn how itfeels to be popular (Osman, 1982, p. 7). The Education Digest, 46-48. In some schools a resourceteacher takes the handicapped children half of the day, in other schoolsthe resource teacher helps the regular teacher and doesn't remove thestudents from the regular class, and in other regions the resource teacheroperates a room full of teaching equipment (Lamm, 1982, p. The regulations specified for P.L. Those involved inthe education of special children recognize from this study the need tofoster more positive attitudes in handicapped children toward their more"normal" peers. Maryland: Aspen Publication. According to educators Kate Gfeller andAlice-Ann Darrow, the intent of P.L. (1982). Using aseries of drawings that depicted people in various states and shapes - fat,"normal," missing a limb, blind or in a wheelchair - the researchers askedchildren what adjectives they associated with the people in the pictures -smart, pretty, dirty or healthy, among other positive and negative terms.They also showed the children pictures of handicapped and nonhandicappedchildren, and asked them questions regarding whom they would prefer to sitnext to (Walton, 1987, p. 94-142's passage demanded modern programs for the optimal developmentof all exceptional children. Teachersindicated only limited involvement in the education placement of a childand his/her abilities musically were not give much consideration duringplacement. Although the schedule mayspecify a certain number of hours, the amount of time the handicapped childcan be with nonhandicapped children will vary considerably according to theactivity. 94-142 in the Federal Register,1977, p. New York: Random House. They canbe required to integrate a child into their class without adequatepreparation or planning, causing his/her to feel angry and even depressed.They must now adjust to a variety of behaviors they have never had to copewith before. The purpose of this paper is to discuss "mainstreaming," a theory andits implementation regarding the integration of the handicapped into theregular classroom environment. No one to play with. The concept of nonhandicapped children and handicapped childrenattending school together may be distasteful to many parents of handicappedchildren, believing that they won't receive the extra care and attentionneeded. Further, the laws and curriculumsurrounding mainstreaming will be reviewed and the role of teachers andstudents will be analyzed along with mainstreaming's advantages anddisadvantages. So, although the regular classroom is considered tobe the "least restrictive environment" according to federal guidelines,that may not be the case for handicapped children, particularly it theyturn out to be the least accepted members of the class (Osman, 1982, p.66). 46). In addition, a 1987 investigation ofteachers in Iowa and Kansas demonstrated limited education preparation forworking with the handicapped. (1988, May). B. As handicapped children are mainstreamed into regular classrooms,teachers and parents need to be aware of a powerful influence on theoutcome: the negative attitudes that handicapped children hold towardtheir nonhandicapped peers (Walton, 1987, p. The evaluation includes not only formal testing, but alsoinformal evaluation, developmental/social history, and other informationfrom the parents (Michaelis, 198 , p. Many districtshave either discussed or actually implemented programs providing counselingfor parents and the child to help them move smoothly through the transitionto mainstreaming. Merely placing children physically in the mainstream does notguarantee they will be integrated into the class or that the environmentwill cure all their social deficits. The researchers also found that although handicapped children do notshow a preference for other handicapped children as companions, they pickmore negative adjectives to describe their nonbandicapped peers as they getolder (Walton, 1987, p. (1987). However, the intent is to avoid stigmatizing the child whileexposing "normal" classmates to others. The result of four years of legislative battle, its sweepingrealignments has underscored the pressing need for new guidelines in theresponsibility of America's primary-secondary educational system tohandicapped citizens and their parents. Further, the law requires that the state provide each child with aneducation and other related services, such as counseling, therapy,recreation, transportation and medical evaluation at public expense, andunder supervision and direction without charge (Michaelis, 198 , p. The challenges related to its implementation and monitoring haverequired diligence by all interested parties, for, though the ideas andconcepts are appropriate, they also must be applied to the day-to-day, hour-to-hour school life of each child. 47). In order to meet the specific needs of a child, it is important thata tailor-made schedule and routine be developed. That was when the idea of grouping,putting together children with handicapping conditions that requiredsimilar types of intervention, came to the forefront. Walton, S. The passage of Public Law 94-142, signed into law by President GeraldFord on November 25, 1975, which has as its overriding goal, an educationfor all handicapped children and youth, has been termed one of the fewoccasions wherein modern professional ideologies and technologies have beencodified into federal law and thus into a national policy (Michaelis, 198 ,p. Gfeller, K. 7). 34). 25). 42474, are as follows: (1) To assure that all handicapped children have available to thema free appropriate public education; (2) To assure that the rights of handicapped children and theirparents are protected; (3) To assist states and localities in providing for the educationof handicapped children; and (4) To assess and assure the effectiveness of efforts to educatesuch children (Michaelis, 198 , p. . As many teachers have discovered, it is one thing torecognize the special academic needs of a handicapped student, but quiteanother for teachers to deal with aberrant and sometimes antisocialbehavior. (198 ). 47). But regardless of age, theygenerally choose a picture of a child with no handicap as their preferredcompanion. 46). With the lack of understanding and the stigma attached to ahandicapped child, the reality is that most of these children live in aworld that is qualitatively different from that of their peers. While those surveyed agreed that their administrators weresympathetic to the difficulties of mainstreaming, there was littleadministrative support in the process, such as inservice training,classroom aides during music time and extra preparation time. Lamm, S. As the authority figure, teachers set the tone, but it also is truethat children are influenced by their peers. Further, handicapped children do not seem to acquire social skillsvicariously from the classmates who ignore them. S., et al. Study after study has shown thatchildren with learning disabilities generally are considered to have thelowest social status in a class. Handicapped views. Children with all sorts of handicaps are often rejected by theirclassmates and even by their teachers. 67). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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