Description
This is the Discussion Instructions:
Including everyone:
A Model Preschool Program for Children With or Without Disabilities
The Jowonio school is located in Syracuse, New York; it is one of the earliest programs for young children, including students with disabilities. The name is borrowed from the Onondaga, Indians which means to set free (Barnes & Smukler, 2013, p. 99). The school environment is for children with disabilities to be with their peers in the least restrictive environment. For many years some parents had children with disabilities and were unable to get services for their children. They organized (Association for Retarded Children, United Cerebral Palsy) and started pre-school programs. They had also advocated for federal and state funding to help their programs.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) has a strong emphasis on parent involvement; this is where the students are placed in the least restrictive environment. Here is a website: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ with some information from the U.S. Department of Education that has some more information and resources on IDEA. Mainstreaming was once referred to as the placement of a child with disabilities into a regular classroom. Children can become successful when teachers and adults receive the appropriate support. At Jowonio, they focus on cooperative rather than competitive activities (Johnson & Johnson, 1999; Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec, 1990, as cited in Barnes & Smukler, 2013, p. 104) daily. As a teacher we must learn to read a childs behavior for its communitive intent, this is a way for us to know how to help a child develop. For example, suppose we are sitting at circle time, and a child feels uncomfortable because there are too many people in their space, In that case, they will be showing us signs, and this is where we can remove the child from that area for a little while, and then when they have relaxed, we can integrate them back into the group. This is a reason why parent involvement is so significant, especially if the child is nonverbal. It helps the process and creates the best programs for the child.
Responding to complex behaviors can be one of the most challenging aspects of a teachers job. When you teach a child something, teach them what you want them to do rather than telling them what you want them to learn. Its more effective, and the child will grasp more what you are asking them to do.
Writing prompt:
Inclusion is an essential aspect of the development of a child with disabilities. List a few other reasons you feel inclusion can be beneficial to both a child with disabilities and their peers?
Jessica Clough
Reference:
Barnes, E. & Smukler, D. (2013) Including Everyone A Model Preschool Program for Children with and without Disabilities. In J. Roopnarine & J. Johnson (Eds.), Approaches to Early Childhood Education. 6th ed. (pp 99-122). New Jersey: Pearson.