Inclusion or Mainstreaming: which is better for your special education student?
A primer for evaluating the school's offer of FAPE
Federal law guarantees the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to kids with disabilities. That can include kids with learning and thinking differences. FAPE is a powerful legal right for students and families. Knowing what FAPE covers can help parents and caregivers advocate for the services and supports their loved ones need. It can also help schools and families partner with each other.
FAPE requires schools to:
Provide special education to meet the unique needs of a child. This means specially designed instruction. For example, a student with reading challenges might be taught with a multisensory reading program.
Provide related services to help the child benefit from special education. Related services may include things like speech therapy, counseling, or even transportation.
Provide these services for free — at no cost to parents and caregivers.
Provide accommodations and modifications that help kids learn and participate in the general education curriculum. Audiobooks and extra time for schoolwork are examples of accommodations.
Create an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a written plan for a child’s special education experience at school. By law, an IEP must include things like services, progress monitoring, annual goals, and more.
Teach kids in the least restrictive environment (LRE). As much as possible, kids with IEPs should be learning alongside their classmates. Putting kids in separate classes is only allowed if it’s necessary to meet their unique needs. This trend is fading as more schools close their special day programs.
FAPE does not require a school to:
Provide the best services possible for kids, or “maximize” their potential. Instead, the law requires that schools provide services that are “reasonably calculated” to help a child make progress.
Provide a specific program or class setting that a parent or caregiver wants for a child. Parents are members of the team that creates the IEP, and they can give input. However, FAPE doesn’t require schools to offer a specific educational program. The IEP team makes the final decision based on the needs of the child.
Guarantee a child a spot in an extracurricular activity or sport. FAPE isn't a right to preferential treatment for clubs and sports. But the school must give kids an equal opportunity to participate.
At times, schools and families may disagree about what FAPE requires for a child. They might disagree about the type or amount of services. Or about accommodations or placement. When there’s a disagreement, it’s important to try to work together to find a solution.
One of the most common disagreements has to do with a misunderstanding about what mainstreaming and inclusion mean in practical terms.
Underlying Differences Between Mainstreaming & Inclusion
Although the terms “mainstreaming in education” and “inclusion” may be used interchangeably at times, they are in fact two very different movements. The controversy of mainstreaming vs. inclusion stems from a difference in understanding why a student with disabilities should join a general education classroom when possible.
The concept of mainstreaming is based on the fact that a student with a special education eligibility may benefit from being in a general education classroom, both academically and socially. A mainstreamed student may have slight adjustments in how they are assessed, but they learn mostly the same material and must demonstrate that they are making academic gains from their classroom placement. The concept of inclusion is based on the idea that students with a special education eligibility should not be segregated, but should be included in a classroom with their typically developing peers. A student in an inclusion classroom usually needs only to show that they are not losing out from being included in the classroom, even if they aren’t necessarily making any significant academic gains. This blanket statement does not apply to all inclusion settings, but proponents of inclusion tend to put more of an emphasis on life preparation and social skills than on the acquisition of level-appropriate academic skills. Here, an important note is needed. I am talking about the content / curriculum of the class and the student’s rights / responsibilities, not the physical space itself. Both mainstreaming and inclusion place the student in a general education classroom with their typically developing peers.
Curriculum and Assessment Changes
Based on these underlying differences between mainstreaming and inclusion, the technical aspects of instruction and assessment differ depending on which one is being used. In a mainstream classroom, the child is usually expected to keep up with the classroom instruction, although some accommodations are allowed. For example, if the class is learning about the names and capitals of the US States, a mainstreamed student may need to know only the names of the states, in addition to his own state capital. In an inclusion environment, a child may only need to know the name of their own state and of the country. They also may receive one-on-one instruction by a paraprofessional in order to accomplish this goal. The curriculum is often completely rewritten for the included student so that they will have the capability to pass the assessments and gain confidence in their skills, even if they are not performing anywhere near the level of their peers. Given these definitions, mainstreaming implies accommodations / differentiation within a common curriculum and inclusion implies modification of the curriculum which can create two completely different pathways to curricular goals. Usually, modification does not go hand in hand with academic rigor. Thus, be sure to read the proposed IEP goals, structures, and supports. As with any legal contract, the devil’s in the details. If you’re expecting your child to keep pace with grade level norms, and they’re not, chances are they are in an inclusion setting and missing out on the rigor. Remember, state tests assume typical development and are generally tied to the common core standards for each grade level (CCSS). If you’re unsure about the knowledge that your child should have at any given educational level, there are several metrics out there besides the CCSS. You can also find curriculum offerings from the likes of the Core Knowledge Foundation or MEK Review, to name a few.
Teaching Support
Another difference between mainstreaming and inclusion is the fact that a mainstreamed child often has little or no additional classroom support, aside from the regular education teacher. A student in an inclusion classroom often has an entire support team helping them to adjust to the classroom and supporting the general education teacher to be able to provide an individualized for the special education student. This is a big issue when reviewing an IEP or an offer of FAPE. From a support standpoint, the main difference between mainstreaming vs. inclusion is the level of support and expectations that the student encounters. Students who are mainstreamed must be able to handle the adjustment to a general education classroom on their own, whereas students in an inclusion setting often have support groups, in addition to expectations and assessments that are tailored to their own development.
Philosophy
The philosophy behind inclusion is distinct from mainstreaming. A truly inclusive classroom is designed to accommodate the needs of all learners, by providing "differentiated" instruction. In theory, with the right training and resources, a general education teacher can provide such a broad range of instructional approaches that all children can successfully learn in her classroom. Depending on the situation, grade, and other factors, the teacher might have the support of a Special Education Inclusion Specialist, like me, to ensure that each student receives an individualized and inclusive learning experience.
Not surprisingly, whilst mainstreaming is fairly common, true inclusion is hard to come by. In most states (and particularly after grade 3), teachers are strongly encouraged to train their students to excel in specific standardized tests — making an inclusive and differentiated instruction difficult to provide. Whilst the idea of inclusive education may be appealing, it is the rare teacher, school, or district that has the resources, creativity, patience, and experience to make it work well.
Which is Better for Your Child?
Only you and your family will know what is best for your child. Your local school will offer the version of FAPE that they can afford. Students usually get one eligibility for SPED, and thus all accommodations revolve around the government approved practices involved in supporting that specific eligibility. But, if your child has a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and an Other Health Impairment (OHI), the IEP team will decide which of these impacts your child’s access to the general education curriculum the most. One will get the support. The other, more often than not, will not.
I’ve seen this play out for students with or at risk for Emotional / Behavioural Disabilities (sometimes called Emotionally Disturbed - EBD). Many schools and districts used to segregate ED students into special classrooms, away from the general education peers. But the literature shows, many students with or at risk for EBDs often have significant learning struggles as well. In these cases, the system focuses on the behaviour and not so much on the learning. Mainstreaming these students often leads to problems in the classrooms as general education teachers usually do not have the skills to manage extreme behaviours. These students will do quite well, however, in inclusive settings where there is less rigor - which is often a trigger for this student population. (I have a paper on this topic coming out this fall - a successful RtI reading comprehension intervention with such a population.)
Conversely, many autistic students do quite well in mainstreaming situations where their teachers have good classroom ecologies. Structure, supports, and routine allow these students the peaceful space to thrive.
Conclusion
Special Education is by necessity highly personalised. The IEP should be uniquely tailored to meet a student’s specific goals whilst accommodating their specific needs. If you believe that the offer of FAPE doesn’t address your child’s needs, there are several options available. Advocates, such as myself, exist to help you understand the offer and what your options are. It may be that your neighbourhood school is not capable of providing what your child needs. In these cases, many states allow for you to shop around for charter or magnet schools. There is also the option to homeschool your child (you control the curriculum and provide the instruction) or engage in home study (school provides curriculum and instruction to your child, who remains at home). In America, there are so many options.
— December 16, 2023 Note —
Some of the materials herein have made it into my books, No Place for Autism? and Holistic Language Instruction. No Place for Autism was released in February 2023 from Lived Places Publishing and is available at Amazon and other major book retailers worldwide. Holistic Language Instruction will be out in 2024.