Least Restrictive Environment

1
Least Restrictive Environment

• By
• Peter Holford
• Scotia Mortenson
• Corinne Robertson

2
Inclusion

• Students with special needs make academic
  progress
• Exposure to greater academic expectations
• From teachers and peers
• Students are not receiving labels
• Breaking cycle of low self-esteem and low
  academic expectations for themselves

3
Inclusion and Social advantages

• Students with disabilities being educated in
  regular classrooms gain several social advantages
• Develop greater social skills through increased
  interaction with more socially developed peers
• Learn through imitating acceptable behavior
• Motivated to improve communication
• Better behavior and language development is
  increased

4
Inclusion and Community

• Students with disabilities that are incorporated
  into regular classrooms become more involved
  members of school and home community
• Included in social events in and out of school
• Make friends with larger range of students in
  their environment

5
Inclusion and Instruction

• General education teachers are often able to
  strengthen the students skills by individualizing
  instruction for these special education students
• Break subject matter down into finer parts
• Adapt instruction to appeal to multiple
  intelligences
• Teachers are able to learn from collaboration
  with special education teachers

6
Down side of Inclusion

• Confusion to the exact meaning of Inclusion
• Defined by the Least Restrictive Environment to
  the most Restrictive
• Full inclusion (most involvement with general
  education environment)
• Partial inclusion (in gen. ed. Class but taken
  out for part of the day
• Mainstreaming (in gen. ed. School but have own
  special ed. Class interact with gen. ed
  students during lunch, recess, etc.)

7
Inclusion and different districts

• Diversity among school districts in how inclusion
  has been implemented
• Some educators mistakenly believe they are
  required to place almost all students in regular
  classrooms
• Leads to students being overlooked and not
  receiving appropriate assistance

8
Inclusion and general education students

• Students with disabilities are receiving extra
  assistance in their classes to keep them on
  target with their class
• May be distracting to other students
• May take away from their instruction
• Teacher will not have the time to work with each
  student and their individual needs

9
Resource Rooms

• Used for students with special needs being
  educated in a regular classroom
• Students are pulled out to receive additional
  support
• Teacher is a special education teacher
• Support includes language, math, problem solving,
  critical thinking or any subject or area that
  needs extra attention

10
Tools used in Resource Rooms

• Students are given the opportunity to receive
  computer assisted support
• Variety of software and programs available to
  meet the needs of all the students
• Instruction is individualized for each student
• Different teaching styles are used depending on
  the child

11
Resource teachers and diverse students

• Emphasis on certain areas and teaching beliefs
• Positive reinforcement
• Multi-modal approach
• Collaboration with general education teacher and
  students parents
• Consistency in all environments

12
Down side to Resource Rooms

• Students are missing out on instruction in their
  regular classroom
• Other classmates view them as different
• Extra work in one area for the student from one
  class
• Focus on one subject in resource room and falls
  behind in other subjects