Running head LITERATURE REVIEW “SUPPORTING STUDENTS

Literature Review “Supporting Students with Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Schools”

in Support of Domain D

Marissa Jadrosich-Forgét

National University: TED 690 Capstone Course

Professor Daniel Weintraub

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Abstract:

This is a literature review on the article “Support Students with Severe Disabilities in

Inclusive Schools.” This article discusses the benefit of having students in an inclusive

classroom and how important teacher’s plan instruction and designing learning experience to

support all these different types of students.

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Today, there are so many different types of students within a single classroom. Some

are gifted, some have learning disabilities, some have behavioral challenges, and many other

designations. All of these students should have the opportunity to learn within a single

classroom; however, many times these students are signaled out and not given the opportunity

to learn from their peers due to budget constraints or just the lack of understanding by

administration for special needs kids. So, it is really important that teacher’s plan instruction

and design learning experience to support all these different types of students. One of the

ways that this can occur is by implementing inclusive practices.

The problem: “Although some progress has been made, a large percentage of students

with severe disabilities are still educated in separate classrooms or settings” (Kurth, 2015, pg.

261). This states that although students are being included in general education classrooms,

that in many cases there are still students who are being education primarily in Special Day

classes due to their disabilities. This is despite the research that students who are in inclusion

classrooms can learn academics, communication, social, self-determination among other skills.

So, why is this still occurring? The problem is that just placing students in a general education

classroom is not enough and many times the expectation is that if they are in the general

education classroom that they are expected to do and act the same as the other students in the

classroom. Additionally, classroom sizes are so large and with varying abilities that teachers

struggle on being able to ensure that everyone is learning. Furthermore, with the development

of standards, teachers are expected to be at a certain place at the end of the year, so that when

the student is promoted, the next teacher could teach from where the prior teacher left off.

This means that a single teacher cannot ensure that everyone has mastered the content, and
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there are more students falling behind. This is further supported by the author who states

“…the focal point has shifted primarily from where a student receives his or her educational

program, to what and how the student is taught…common features are accommodations and

adaptations, a culture of belonging, professional collaboration and engagement with peers”

(Kurth, 2015, pg.262). The accommodations, adaptations, support and professional

collaboration are essential to ensure that these students are getting the support that they

need, and these students are being set-up for success.

So how do we solve this problem? The author states that “As more schools and districts

adopt policies to include students with significant support needs in general education settings,

a need exists to better understand how these practices are implemented” (Kurth, 2015, pg.

262). This means that by understanding the best practices in supporting students with special

needs, only then, will all students are getting an opportunity to be equally educated in the

classroom. The article proposes a solution. It conducted a study which focuses on best

practices for teachers in an inclusion classroom when doing the concept of inclusion. There

were seven broad themes that emerged. These seven board themes were:

1) A teacher arrangement (who was providing instruction)

2) The type of engagement demonstrated during the activity

3) The types of general classroom support that are available

4) The type of work or activity the student was performing

5) The type of supports provided to the student

6) The interactions the student had with others, and

7) The choices provided to the student (Kurth, 2015, pg. 262).

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These studies resulted in that students who had severe disabilities were provided with

supports either through co-teaching arrangements, instructional aides, small group, one-on-

one, and other related providers. To be successful, general education teachers must consult

with their special education counterparts to plan instruction that supports all students within

the classroom. This is super important, because it ensures that everyone is not only on the

same page, but the instruction in planned with the pieces that are needed for it to be

successful. Other things that were used to ensure a successful inclusion included the use of

universal design for learning. This included making adjustments to the presentation of material

or rephrasing questions in a way that students can understand the content material.

Additionally, these classrooms were equipped with assistive technology or adaptations were

made to the material so that all students could access the same course materials. These are

just some examples that teachers did for successful inclusion practices. It is important to note

that there are variations of inclusion practices across school sites and districts, but these are

just some examples of things that have been implemented successfully in an inclusive

environment.

Since my credential is in general education, it is important for me to understand what

inclusion practices are successful, so that I can ensure that my classroom and lesson planning

includes an environment that all students can learn in. This literature review helped me

understand what inclusion strategies that could be successful in my classroom depending on

the school or district that I work in.

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Reference

Kurth, J., Lyon, K., and Shogre, K. (2015). Supporting students with severe disabilities in

inclusive schools: a descriptive account from schools implementing inclusive practices.

SAGE. 40(4). DOI: 10.1177/1540796915594160