Inclusion in Preschool
Is for Everyone!
Learning Objectives:
• Understand the benefits of inclusion for
typically developing children, children with
disabilities and communities
• Know five educational goals for preschool
children regardless of disability status
• Know five levels of adaptation for children
with disabilities
• Understand how to adapt activities to
children’s special needs
Benefits of Inclusion
• For typically developing
children
• For children with
disabilities
• For families of typically
developing children
• For families of children
with disabilities
• For the community
Benefits for Typically Developing Children
• Can develop accurate views
of individuals with disabilities
• Can develop positive
attitudes toward people who
are different than they are
• Can learn about altruistic
behavior and feel good about
helping others
• Have models of people who
overcome challenges
Benefits for Children with Disabilities
• Have same educational opportunities as others
• Avoid the negative attitudes of people who have
not had contact with disabilities
• Learn social and communication skills with typically
developing children
• Have realistic life experiences that prepare them to
live in their community
• May develop friendships with typically developing
children
Benefits for Families
of Typically Developing Children
• Have opportunities to
interact with families of
children with disabilities
and support them
• Be better able to teach
their children about
individual differences
and acceptance of
people who are
different from them
Benefits for Families
of Children with Disabilities
• Learn about typical
development, and notice areas
in which their children with
disabilities are developing well
• Reduce sense of isolation from
others in their communities
• Develop relationships with
families of typically developing
children who can provide them
with emotional support
Benefits for Communities
• Offers a more affordable way to
get children with special needs
into a school program at an
early age
• Can decrease need for special
education services throughout
the educational lives of
children with disabilities
Goals of Preschool Education
that Apply to All Children
• Becoming more confident
learners
• Learning to interact positively
with peers
• Learning to respect others
and to celebrate differences
• Learning to communicate
effectively
• Acquiring and using problemsolving skills
Issues in Selection of Preschools
for Inclusion Programs
• Physical facility
• Transportation
• Staffing
Models of Inclusion
for Children with Special Needs
• Full inclusion in class with
typically developing
children
• Partial inclusion with some
individualized instruction
• Specialized classroom for
children with special needs
Five Levels of Adaptations
to Children’s Special Needs
•
•
•
•
•
Environment
Activity
Materials
Instructions
Assistance
Adaptation: Environment
• Make seating, materials
and activities accessible
for all children
– Room setup
– Adaptive equipment
– Positioning of child
in the room
Adaptation: Activity
• Consider whether you need
to adjust the following:
-- length of time allowed for
the activity
-- the types of responses
required of the children
Adaptation: Materials
• Examples:
-- making a crayon or
pencil larger by wrapping
foam or play doh around it
-- substituting a
hollow ball or a ball made
of foam for a regular ball
Adaptation: Instructions
• May be modified by:
-- using pictures as well as
words
-- giving instructions one
step at a time rather than all at
once
-- giving a child with
disabilities a “helper”– another
child or adult who can repeat
instructions as needed
Adaptation: Assistance
• Encourage children to work
in pairs, either with
individual responses or with
a single response for the pair
• Have the teacher provide
special help as needed for
the project
Adapting Activities to Children’s
Special Needs
1. Break down the activity into steps.
2. Think about what steps the child with special
needs can do, and what steps will need to be
modified.
3. Determine the best modifications based on
least intrusive means.
4. Notice how the child does with the
modifications, so that you can use this
information for other activities.
Two Views of the Classroom
• Some teachers think of their class as a group
in which all children are expected to conform
to the whole.
• Other teachers think of their class as a group
of individuals, each with their own
personalities, skills and needs.
Teachers who think the second way have more
success with inclusion.
Celebrate Differences!
• This is the principle that makes the second
group do well. For them, it isn’t just the
children with special needs who need
adaptations. Every child needs them from
time to time, and to help children learn up to
their potential and to be eager learners, it is
important to recognize those needs and
accommodate them as best we can in the
classroom.