School Social Inclusion
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"We live in a diverse world. We need to learn how to live in a diverse world well."
-Dr. Thomas Hehir, School Inclusion Expert, Author of Effective Inclusive Schools
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For more students, the best part about coming to school is seeing and spending time with friends. For students who struggle to make social connections, going to school can be a lonely and frustrating experience.
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What are the benefits of social inclusion of children with disabilities?
For those with ASD, proposed benefits often center on improved social acceptance and improved social communication, and peers play a critical role in these outcomes. For typical developing peers, inclusion may reduce stigma, allow for social learning, increase social acceptance, and improve the social standing of students with ASD. Some typical developing peers actually benefit from therapists being in the classroom. For example, if an OT is working with another child, some children with watch how the OT is helping a child how to write and this child can improve their own handwriting techniques as well. These children will grow up more comfortable with people who are different from themselves and will be more open to hiring people with disabilities because they can see their abilities.
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What are barriers of social inclusion?
1. Lack of knowledge about disabilities, which leads to fear and uncertainty about ow to interact with students.
2. Peer pressure, which discourages students from interacting with their classmates with disabilities.
3. School and community culture, which places high value on success and achievements.
4. Nature of the student's disability, which hampers traditional communication and may also lead to inappropriate social actions.
5. Teacher attitude, which determines the tone of the class, and therefore, the degree of acceptance of students.
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In a study, 82% of the general education students indicated they would help a student with special needs if asked by a teacher or teacher assistant. 10% stated they would not. 60% said they would interact more if the teacher explained how better to relate to students with special needs. 68% of students felt that students with disabilities would fit better socially if students knew more about the disabilities. (Sparling, 2002) Social acceptance at senior high school. International Journal of Special Education, 17(1), 91-100
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Although no teacher can create friendships among students, every educator can create conditions in the classroom that will give students opportunities to strengthen social relationships, learn from each other and give support. "It's a falsehood that autistics do not relate. Rather, they relate in their own ways. (1999, P. 83).
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Build Community Through Curriculum
It's fairly easy to incorporate community building and team building exercises throughout the day/year. It takes time and involves meaningful and continuous interaction. You can find examples in the book "Your Going to Love this Kid!" pages 92-107.
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You can also incorporate social stories. They can be written and implemented in many different ways. They are very effective for helping people with Autism learn about unfamiliar situations which helps reduce stress and/or anxiety because the outcome is predictable.
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If you are interested in more detail about school social inclusion, check out these books: