At consulting together we take pride in creating a realistic IEP for the student. In my experience teachers and parents do not put enough thought into how they include general education into the child's plan.
Research says that most students with special needs gain more knowledge when taught general education curriculum with appropriate support and accommodations. If the student has ADHD or a learning disability I would agree. They can complete the curriculum of their peers with minor modifications. However, what if we are talking about a nonverbal student with Autism? The goal might be to work on social skills with same aged peers.
Most elective classes that students with severs disabilities are being placed into are considered there general education time. A non verbal student, Johnny, attends art class where he is among his same age peers and asked to complete the assignment. Of course the assignment has been modified and accommodations are always given but how is this beneficial to the child? He attends the art class with a paraprofessional and is given a dog to color. Johnny has limited fine motor skills and can not grasp a crayon correctly. The paraprofessional modifies the assignment and uses hand over hand to complete the assignment. How is this considered social development? More than likely Johnny is not in any way interacting with the general education peer.
Does the student benefit from general education curriculum? In the case of Johnny, no he would not. I would rather see a child stay in special education and work on life skills or communication. Students like Johnny do not spend enough time on skills that benefit their life outside of public education. Stay tuned for the next blog on how to include general education into a student like Johnny's IEP.
