INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: Inclusion

Research shows that early intervention is the key to inclusion being successful. Evidence shows that children who begin their lives in inclusive classrooms treat that environment as natural. And most of the time, the inclusion is successful and continues to succeed for all children as they grow. The level of achievement however is related to the degree of disorder.

 Intellectual disability is not a condition that can be “cured”. There are no medications that treat this disorder. However, with the proper care and educational opportunities, students with intellectual disabilities can be productive members of the community. “It has become evident that with stimulation, support and direct supervision there is no limit to the students' learning capacity. However, the process for some students with intellectual disabilities takes longer (Winzer). On average, a student with a mild intellectual disability may learn at two thirds the rate of their typical peers in an academic year. 

  For inclusion to be successful for the students with intellectual disabilities, many factors must be taken into consideration:

There are three major goals in the education of students with intellectual disabilities:

• PRODUCTIVITY
•  INDEPENDENCE
• PARTICIPATION

To accomplish these goals, students are presented with the instruction in areas of:

ACADEMIC SKILLS: 

Using the necessary accommodations and modifications, certain academic skills are attainable.

SOCIAL SKILLS:   

When students are included in a positive environment along with accepting peers, social skills, communication and appropriate behaviour can be modeled.

SELF-HELP SKILLS:

 By teaching the students the necessary self-help skills, students with intellectual disabilities can achieve varying degrees of independence.

                                         

VOCATIONAL SKILLS: 

Vocational skills can lead to an opportunities for participating in gainful recreational and vocational activites in the future.