Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities
Federal law in the United States requires that students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate given their individual circumstances. As a result, students with less support needs have enjoyed increasing amounts of time i...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/478 |
| _version_ | 1797433662726209536 |
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| author | Eric J. Anderson Matthew E. Brock Kara N. Shawbitz |
| author_facet | Eric J. Anderson Matthew E. Brock Kara N. Shawbitz |
| author_sort | Eric J. Anderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Federal law in the United States requires that students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate given their individual circumstances. As a result, students with less support needs have enjoyed increasing amounts of time in the regular education classroom, while their peers with developmental disabilities are still largely served in separate educational settings. When these students are not included in the regular education classroom, they are not able to access the academic, social, and communication benefits of inclusion. The inclusion of students with developmental disabilities has long been a point of contention and disagreement among special education teachers, administrators, and scholars. It is the goal of this paper to carefully consider the perspectives and practical considerations that affect the placement of students with developmental disabilities and understand why these students spend less time in the regular education classroom than their peers with other disabilities. In addition, we weigh the relative advantages of inclusive and separate placements. After reviewing these issues, we believe that it is possible to simultaneously value a spectrum of placement options and advocate for increased inclusion in the regular education classroom. We discuss evidence-based practices to support inclusive placements and areas of future research to support inclusion of students with developmental disabilities in the regular education classroom. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:20:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b46d79ad974425991d91434847b20ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:20:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b46d79ad974425991d91434847b20ee2023-12-01T22:04:56ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-07-0112747810.3390/educsci12070478Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental DisabilitiesEric J. Anderson0Matthew E. Brock1Kara N. Shawbitz2School of Counseling and Special Education, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USACollege of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USACollege of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USAFederal law in the United States requires that students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate given their individual circumstances. As a result, students with less support needs have enjoyed increasing amounts of time in the regular education classroom, while their peers with developmental disabilities are still largely served in separate educational settings. When these students are not included in the regular education classroom, they are not able to access the academic, social, and communication benefits of inclusion. The inclusion of students with developmental disabilities has long been a point of contention and disagreement among special education teachers, administrators, and scholars. It is the goal of this paper to carefully consider the perspectives and practical considerations that affect the placement of students with developmental disabilities and understand why these students spend less time in the regular education classroom than their peers with other disabilities. In addition, we weigh the relative advantages of inclusive and separate placements. After reviewing these issues, we believe that it is possible to simultaneously value a spectrum of placement options and advocate for increased inclusion in the regular education classroom. We discuss evidence-based practices to support inclusive placements and areas of future research to support inclusion of students with developmental disabilities in the regular education classroom.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/478inclusioneducational placementdevelopmental disabilitiesleast restrictive environment |
| spellingShingle | Eric J. Anderson Matthew E. Brock Kara N. Shawbitz Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities Education Sciences inclusion educational placement developmental disabilities least restrictive environment |
| title | Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities |
| title_full | Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities |
| title_fullStr | Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities |
| title_short | Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities |
| title_sort | philosophical perspectives and practical considerations for the inclusion of students with developmental disabilities |
| topic | inclusion educational placement developmental disabilities least restrictive environment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/7/478 |
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