What is the Relation Between Mainstreaming, Integration and Inclusion?
The three most recent terms, mainstreaming, integration and inclusion, demonstrate the movement and changes in special education.
Andrews et. al. 1993 (p.34)
Of note is that the majority of people use the terms interchangeably. One of the first terms used to describe the process of combining students with special needs and students without special needs into the public school system is integration (Child Care Center on Inclusion, 2000, p. 1). In the past, students were usually expected to keep up with their peers without additional support. Unfortunately, this is why the term mainstreaming is associated with the word “dumping” because students were placed in such classes for the sake of what they thought was equality but with minimal support. |
Besides such criticism, mainstreaming was looked at as a step towards a better future. Mainstreaming supports that students with special needs may benefit in general education classroom. The learning process is the same as his/her peers but it may differ in the way he/she is being assessed as long as progress is evident in the regular classroom.
Currently, the terms mainstreaming and integration have been replaced by the term inclusion. Integration aims towards an inclusive learning environment. Schools that use such strategies focus on the movement of including students with special needs in the regular classroom with accommodations and/or modifications to the curricula based on their needs to help them be successful. Students may spend some time in the classroom and some time in an alternative placement, which is the most supportive learning environment.
Currently, the terms mainstreaming and integration have been replaced by the term inclusion. Integration aims towards an inclusive learning environment. Schools that use such strategies focus on the movement of including students with special needs in the regular classroom with accommodations and/or modifications to the curricula based on their needs to help them be successful. Students may spend some time in the classroom and some time in an alternative placement, which is the most supportive learning environment.
Inclusion is a “philosophy that states all individuals, regardless of ability, should participate within the same environment with necessary support and individualized attention. Inclusion is more than simply placing individuals together, it’s a belief that all individuals belong and are valued” (Kasser & Lytle, 2005, p.42). In other words, inclusion is a principle thus making integration a strategy that supports inclusion. Inclusion argues that students with special needs should not be segregated; in this case, progress is not a main concern but adaptation and not being excluded is key in the classroom environment and society. This may be different in some schools but emphasis is usually on social gains and life skills than academic gains.
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Inclusive education can be categorized into several levels based on Lieberman and Houston-Wilson’s Model of Continuum of Supports and Placements (2002). This model, for students with special needs, emphasizes the different levels of inclusion. These levels are detailed in the chart below. Parents and teachers come to an agreement as to what type of support their child will be placed into based on his/her unique needs.
A table that outlines the Lieberman and Houston-Wilson Model of Continuum of Supports and Placements is highlighted below (Lieberman & Houston-Wilson, 2002, p.1):
A table that outlines the Lieberman and Houston-Wilson Model of Continuum of Supports and Placements is highlighted below (Lieberman & Houston-Wilson, 2002, p.1):
In Lebanon, students are mainstreamed if the school does not support special education services thus it is referred to, as listed in the table above, as “full inclusion with no adaptations or support". On the other hand, schools that do have inclusive classrooms and integration base their implementation on trial and error to help a child meet his/her needs. Based on the circumstances of teachers in Lebanese schools; a suggestion would be to carry out and attend workshops to educate themselves.