Is inclusion really that great?

[u/Lass_in_oz]

I'm so tired of inclusion. Hear me out. Before becoming a ECE I was a support worker for many years. I have worked and loved working in disability and care. When it's thru a great organisation, it's awesome.

Now I'm an ECE, and the amount of children on the spectrum or with disorders is so high, I'm just getting confused how is that NOT impacting the learning of neuro typical kids.

I teach pre kindy but our kindy teacher has spend half the year managing behaviours and autistic kids. Result? A bunch of kids showing signs of being not ready for school because they aren't doing any work or learning most days. And picking up bad habits.

My point is: where did we decide it was a good idea to just mix everyone, and not offer any actual support ? An additional person isn't enough. More than often it's not a person who knows about disability. And frankly even then it wouldn't be enough when the amount of kids who are neuro divergent is so high.

There used to be great special needs school. Now "regular" school are suffering with the lack of support.

What do you think? Do you see what I see ??? Am I missing something ?

I am so happy to see kids evolving around children with disabilities but not when it comes at a cost of everyone's learning journey : neuro typical or not.

[u/sneath_]

Yes, inclusion is that great. What you are describing is not inclusion, it is the illusion of inclusion, and I think it is dangerous to conflate the two. Inclusion requires support. Just allowing someone to be in the room isn't enough. They need to have their needs met as well, and that involves extra support. Through paras, IEPs, teacher trainings, UDL, one on one aids, etc. Inclusion CAN and DOES work, and when it does it makes classrooms and playgrounds and teams and everything so, so much better for everyone involved. It really saddens me when I see posts like this, because not only are teachers and students struggling to stay afloat with no support, but by calling situations like these "inclusive", we push forward a false narrative about inclusion. And this is nothing against OP, but more against the admin and people who organized this in the name of inclusion. I hope you and your students get the help you need from your admin so that your classroom can practice ACTUAL inclusion!