Free-Speech...just not for teachers?!

Most of us have completed our American Heritage requirement and perhaps still remember a few things, if nothing else, some of our "Constitutional rights and freedoms" in being American citizens. The First Amendment is supposed to protect the freedom of religion, speech, and the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition the government. However, in a recent court case, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of a Michigan special education teacher who argued she was fired for her complaints that the size of her teaching caseload kept her from providing the proper amount of instruction to each of her students. The teacher was suing that she couldn't be fired for such complaints, on First Amendment free-speech grounds, however the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against her (following a previous court decision that ruled on-the-job speech by public employees is not protected by the First Amendment.) (See: Article 1) Where does that leave us, as potential special educators, knowing that we are limited in what we are allowed to voice our opinion or raise concern for? In this case, the teacher was taking issue with her class size and her ability to meet the needs of her students. Did voicing such concerns warrant her termination? Are we not supposed to be advocates for our students? Can we successfully do so if we have to "clear" our arguments before voicing them? On the other hand, in another recent court case (this time parents of special education students in Stamford schools) are threatening to file a civil rights complaint against the district if the proposed cuts to program funding are passed. It was proposed to cut more than a dozen special services providers (teachers, speech therapists, social workers), which in turn, would increase the class sizes for the remaining teachers.(The exact same argument that got the teacher fired!) The argument was made that "every student with a disability gets an IEP. They get what they need, not what happens to be available," which is what angers parents. (See: Article 2) It is necessary for parents to have an active role in planning the IEP, however, if their constitutional rights allow them to fight against certain conditions (such as class sizes and proper funding), and yet teachers have limitations in what they can "fight" for, how will the student's needs be met? By limiting teachers' free-speech rights, are teachers limited in what they can actually advocate for a student? Should teachers have the same rights as parents? How do you feel knowing that there are potential limitations in what you (as a future educator) are allowed to say in promoting student's rights and needs? What can and should be done about this?

Testing for Disabilities

With today's technology, the option is available for women to have their fetus tested for different disabilities during the early stages of pregnancy. As discussed in Article 1, testing can be done on the mother's blood or on cells from the placenta to detect a variety of different disabilities. Many women choose to have this testing done and, as the article states, logically decide to have an abortion if the child has a disability. The article raises the issue that there can be false positives to a test or false negatives, meaning that some children aborted would have otherwise been healthy and some children born will be born with a disability. Some women refused to have an abortion and continued to receive pressure from their doctors to abort the baby. Article 2 discusses one man's perspective on testing for disabilities. He states that testing is not always accurate, especially people who test for autism. Testing does not account for disabilities that are not proven to be genetic such as Autism. He argues that tests should not be done because not all disabilities will show through the tests. I doubt that anyone in this class would choose to have the testing to decide whether an abortion is appropriate or not. The question we pose is this: would you consider having the tests done to see if your child has a disability? Is it important to know whether or not the child will have a disability before the child is born? What is your opinion of testing for disabilities in a fetus during the first few months of pregnancy?

Medicating Children

In the article We are over-medicating children Andrew Browning makes the solid statement that we as Americans are over-medicating our children. He references the episode of Frontline on PBS called “The Medicated Child” saying that in the last 10 year period there was overwhelming 4,000 percent increase in the number of diagnosed cases of bipolar disorder in children. He goes on to say that with all the side effects and interaction of all the different drugs for the different disorders, we do not know what the long term affects will be for our children. One the other side of the argument of medicating children the article Pros of Medicating Children with ADHD lists many benefits to medicating children. According to this article, there are many ways medication will help children with ADHD. It states that [the drugs] ability to control these negative symptoms of ADHD could dramatically change the child's daily life. After read these two articles and with your previous knowledge, what do you think? We all know children who are on medication and who aren’t on medication. I know a little boy right now whose teacher said that he needs something, because his inability to focus is messing with his school, so his parents are trying to figure out what is the best thing for him. Is medicating our children really the answer, or do the risks outweigh the benefits? When we are teaching in classrooms, do we want our students to be medicated so they are “easier” to handle or do we want them medicated so it helps them learn. I know that personally, I think it depends on the child. With some children there are ways to help them without medicating them whereas some kids really need the help that the medication provides them. What are your thoughts?

Is full inclusion Desirable?

http://www.ehow.com/about_5332138_full-inclusion-disabled-students-desirable.html

http://www.ncmsa.net/ressum14.htm

Is Full Inclusion Desirable?

We have learned a lot about LRE (least restrictive environment) and it's importance in education student with disabilities. However, is most the schools we go to the students are confined in their own classroom just for students with severe disabilities? Is this the best environment for them? What are the implications of including student in a regular education classroom? Article 1 and Article 2 talk about some of the implications that full inclusion can have on teachers, and students with or without disabilities. As a future teacher would you prefer to teach your students in your own classroom or send them to mainstream classrooms? I know we all want the best for our future students, but we also have to think about all the individuals impacted by the decision of inclusion.

What Should Teachers be Informed About?

This last week in our PETE class we discussed the topic of HIV and AIDS and if teachers and physical educators should be informed whether or not students have this disease. We thought it would be an interesting topic to present to the class seeing as we are all going to be future teachers and we should form our own opinions. As a group we don't necessarily agree or disagree and we are not trying to persuade you all to agree with what has previously been discussed. We are just genuinely curious as to your opinion on the matter. The articles we have included are just information on AIDS and an article discussing whether or not the information should be disclosed. So let us know! Do you think teachers should be informed whether or not students have HIV or AIDS. Or do you think that it is more important to keep the matter private for the child's sake?

Sheltered Workshops? Yay or Nay?

During the 1950s sheltered workshops became very popular because they housed those with disabilities and placed them minimally in job situations.Before then those with disabilities were either left at home with nothing to do or were placed in institutions. This concept arose for disabled persons to get out in the world and gain some experience working. But with modern changes should they still be placed in these environments? Do they help the workplace (Article 1)? Or are there better options in which everyone involved will benefit more (Article 2)?

The "R" Word

In our Adaptive PE class we were speaking about the “R” word. Many of us had strong opinions about its usage. I know from my own experience that I do not like the word because of its offensive nature, but I feel like whether you say the R-word, challenged, disabled or special, it means the same thing.

Special Olympics began a campaign to eliminate the words “retard” and “retarded” back in 2004, and this article shows the NBA players also backing the campaign. A strong argument to eradicate the word is that words matter! They can be very offensive and hurtful and using the R-word is a prime example of narrow mindedness. Another blog article shows that legislation in some states is now starting to eradicate the R-word. So on the one hand there is the argument that words matter and we should not use or include offensive language in our vocabulary. The “n” word for example would never be associated with organisations and legislation nowadays so the “r” word should not be either. On the other hand, the cost of changing old legislation to eradicate the R-word would be extremely high and many organisations would not be in favour of this. Also changing the word does not necessarily change the attitude. People will find new ways to say the same hateful things so some could argue will changing the word eradicate the problem?

So our questions to you are what is your opinion on the use of the R-word? And do you think changing the word will help change peoples’ attitude?

Funding

Group, Samantha Linton, Katie Swenson, and Carlie Palmer

Funding is always an important issue in Special Education. In Article 1 it says, 40 percent of the extra costs of the
inclusion of special needs children into regular classrooms would be covered by the
federal Government, this is clearly not being done. This is a very important issue for us future teachers. If you are going to a new school or a school with little funding you are going to be starting from scratch. This can be very difficult. Article 2 With so many students with special needs out there sometimes the money is hard to achieve. There are so many promises out there for money but you have to go find it (like grants). What do you think the government could be doing more of the help with the funding in special education class rooms? And where should this money come from? The state and national government keep passing responsibility back and forth.

Prenatal Surgery: Good or Bad?

Group: Emily Rice, Morgan Fry, Shauna Corry

It’s dangerous enough to perform surgery on an expecting woman; what about operating on her unborn child? Is this even possible? Amazingly, it now is. Pre-natal surgeries have been conducted to help correct Spina Bifida. Article #1

Needless to say, this is a controversial subject. Both pros and cons are well explained in this article. Article #2 Some believe that no operation should be conducted in which the benefits fail to outweigh the possible costs. Operating on a child still in the womb and at a fetal age where it could not survive outside the womb, poses every possible risk to both mother and child. One must take into account whether it is better to face whatever impacts Spina Bifida will bring or to make the gamble of operating and possibly losing the child altogether. As a mother-to-be, one group member says she would be terrified to operate on her completely dependent child and would have to take everything into account before making a decision.

Others feel that it’s worth the risk to potentially help their child live a fuller life. Successful surgeries have occurred which encourages both doctors and parents-to-be. This option and the continued development of surgical procedures ensure that the topic will continue to be followed.

What do you think? If it were your child, how would you react? Would you consider surgery? What things would you be taking into account?

 

The Argument for Confinement

In the article, Court Upholds Involuntary Commitments For People With Disabilities the constitutionality of placing people with disabilities under government-institutionalized care is decided in Nebraska. After being challenged by a person with an IQ of 62 who was recently committed by the state, it was deemed that the state holds the authority to place people with developmental disabilities in mental hospitals if they are “determined to be dangerous.” In the same article, lawyers argue that this law is unconstitutional because it does not require a trial to be held for people with disabilities. On the other side of the argument in the article People With Disabilities Confined Involuntarily For Decades, Suit Alleges discusses three residents of Texas who have intellectual disabilities who have been institutionalized for a total of 130 years without anyone reviewing their placements, and it is feared that they are not alone. These are just two articles that discuss opposing viewpoints dealing with confining people with disabilities, how many others are there? Our questions to you are: 1. What is your opinion regarding both sides of the decisions, 2. What precautions could the state take to prevent people from being placed in care?

Group: Julia, Tiffany, Danielle, Jordan, Kristen

Disabilities in Literature

Group: Shauna Corry, Morgan Fry, and Emily Rice

Have you ever stopped to think about how individuals with disabilities are presented in literature? If not, it is probably because you have not come across it very often. The following two articles focus on this lack and need for more main characters with disabilities: Article #1 and Article #2. After reading these two articles we realized how much of a need there really is for accurate portrayal of disabilities in literature. Children without disabilities have so many role models to look up to in the books that they read, but those with disabilities do not. We believe that is is important that the children that must live day in and day out with hardships due to their disability would benefit from reading about characters with similar disabilities who find their true potential and talents despite the setbacks they may have. In addition, reading books that have main characters with disabilities provides a great teaching opportunity for teachers to discuss differences with their students and how to reach out to those that are different. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was given as an example of inaccurate portrayal of disabilities and these articles point out that several other pieces of literature that have attempted to include individuals with disabilities also portrayed them wrong or placed the individuals as a minor character. However, though there may be several books that do portray disabilities wrong there are some that do a great job in approaching the issue (Tru Confessions, Rules) Our questions to you are: (1) How do you think characters with disabilities should be presented in literature: do you agree or disagree with the points made in the articles, (2) Do you feel there is a need for more literature that focuses on someone with a disability, and (3) What, if any, books have you come across featuring a character with a disability that you appreciated.

Does siet effect children with autism

I remember watching an old episode of Ellen, when Jenny McCarthy was a guest on the show. She spoke about her new book “Louder than Words” that was the record of how she helped her son ‘recover’ from autism. Here: http://www.pr.com/article/1076 is a link to a little about her and about her book. She speaks about how putting her son on a strict diet vastly improved his symptoms. There have been many cases where eliminating Gluten and in fact all forms of yeast has improved symptoms in children with autism. On the other hand studies completed last year did not have an accurate control, group so the results were invalid. Also if a child with autism’s favourite foods needs to be eliminated from their diet, a mother could be looking at endless tantrums and never ending screaming. http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm has another article with more information on the subject.

My question to you all is what have you heard about the effects of changing diet on children with autism? Do you think it is worth Mothers at least attempting the strict diets?

Technocentric approach - Adequate or not?

In the article Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Curriculum-based Technology Integration Reframed, Harris, Mishra, and Koehlher make a case for why a technocentric (bottom of page 3) approach to technology integration is inadequate. Explain what you think that they mean and whether you agree or disagree and why. In your response you need to state their main argument and why the TPCK framework supports their argument and whether you agree or disagree and why. Your response should be approximately 150 words (give or take. I will not be counting the words but this will give you an idea of how in depth I want your response)

Hyperbaric Chambers and Autism

Last week when my Dad was here he told me that my Uncle and Aunt were thinking about buying a hyperbaric chamber for my cousin Conner. Apparently there has been a lot of research on these chambers with their benefits and treatments for individuals with autism. Even though Conner has cerebral palsy and severe brain damage and not autism, I guess the pressure from hyperbaric chambers would still help him. I had never heard of using hyperbaric chambers being used for the treatment of autism and disabilities before, so I found a couple videos and articles. I found that there are a lot of hyperbaric therapy centers across the United States. There is also a lot of controversy between where the little amount of scientific proof gives enough evidence that they work.  Here is one cite for a treatment center in California.  On ABC news health website, I found an article titled, “Hyperbaric Autism Treatment Show Possible Promise” .  Hyperbaric therapy is a procedure that has little scientific evidence backing it up for a treatment of autism but there are new studies that are ready to prove it has a valid treatment with replicated findings. 

Here is one more article

And a pretty neat video. You should definitely watch it!!

I think that having more research and studies with hyperbaric chambers will be very important for the future of therapy and treatments. Even though there is not a lot of scientific proof that these hyperbaric chambers work, the parents are seeing changes in their children. I do not think that they are not just a waste of time and money. If children with autism are showing even just the smallest amount of progress from these chambers, I think that researchers are on the right track. And if my family ends up getting one for my cousin, I will let you know what happens.

My questions for yall (you all) are if you have ever heard anything about these hyperbaric chambers? And what do you think about them? Do you think it will become the “new thing” for therapy? Do you think these chambers with further research will be able to benefit all children with disabilities? And have you heard of any other new technologies being used for treatments or therapy?

Animals and Special Education

For my blog post, I researched different ways that people use animals to teach and interact with children with disabilities. In trying to think of something interesting for one of our last blogs, I finally came up with something that had always interested me. My older brother, Dallas, has Down syndrome and had a difficult time learning to speak and communicate effectively until he reached his teenage years. It seemed that all at once he was talking up a storm to everyone he met and bearing his testimony every single fast Sunday. But during that time he preferred almost anything over strangers, he LOVED animals. He would go in our backyard and spend hours petting our dog, Coach, and following him around the yard. He would pick him up and put him on the trampoline and take naps with him and bounce him around while Coach sat patiently through it all. Interestingly enough Coach loved him just as much. He knew when Dallas would get home from school and would jump and wag his tail when he saw him through the window. They were, and still are, a mischievous pair. Not only have I seen this happen with my brother but many other kids with disabilities as well. I used to work at a horse ranch that did therapy on horseback for kids with autism, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities. It was amazing to watch some of the kids as they struggled to concentrate while their moms spoke to them but as soon as they were brushing a horse and petting his nose, nothing could distract them from the horse. The horses could tell when they had someone extra special on them and would be gentler and slower. Some kids were scared of such large animals at first but once they had pet the horse and ridden them for awhile they usually calmed down and would be excited to try again the next week. My question is if you think that animals are a good “tool” to use in Special Education? Some people think that it is dangerous or a waste of time, but I think that one of our number one goals is to get the students engaged and excited about learning. This article, , shares the story of a dog named Chloe who went into different Special ed classes and interacted with the students and it became a very positive experience. Do you think that animals should be allowed in Special Ed classrooms? Besides allergies, do you see that many constraints? Even beyond utilizing the bond, understanding, and patience that a lot of animals have with children with disabilities, what ideas can you come up with of how to use animals to teach other lessons? Have you too had experiences where animals get through to someone when no one else could?

People with Disabilities in the Work Force

I read an article about hiring people with disabilities and how it is beneficial for both the employee and employer.It can be costly because the workplace will need to be adjusted in order to be accessible to people with disabilities. Besides the cost I think that it is a great idea to have employees with disabilities. Just think about the boost of confidence that it gives these employees. They feel useful and needed. Everyone likes to feel needed. Some children that I worked with when they had their own responsibilities they felt more confident and even just looked happier. It is natural for every person to want to feel needed and useful in any way. Some companies have even started support groups for their employees with disabilities. This allows them to express their specific needs that otherwise their employees would not recognize on their own. I think that this is a great program. It is a way to keep the building and environment in a condition that allows all their employees to feel safe and included.

The company can also benefit from having people with disabilities work for them. A lot of them are really bright and can bring great ideas and input to a business. Not to mention they can give input on how to aim their product towards the customers with disabilities. This other article really gives insight on how companies need to be exposed to people with disabilities in order to feel comfortable and realize how beneficial it can be to them.

I think that companies should start having a quota to fill with people with disabilities. I really think it would help the community to be more aware of this population and realize how wonderful they really are. It might even be what our country needs to be humbled and appreciative of our lives and what we have. When I work with children with disabilities it brings such a great light into my day. They are amazing people! So, I guess my questions are what do you think about integrating people with disabilities into the workplace? How do you feel about the support groups that some companies have? And how would this benefit the employee (with disabilities) and their employer?

Disabled Individuals in Adulthood

This article talks about individuals with autism in their later years. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=8800. Because autism is becoming more apparent and well known the issue of transition from child to adult has become more of a concern. One of the main concerns is where the individual will live. There are a couple options: the person could be placed in a group or rehabilitation home, an institution, or stay with their family. Growing up, the house next door to me was rehabilitation home. There were only about 3-4 individuals that lived in the house at a time with a care giver there at all times. The patients who lived there had many different disabilities, not autism. From my experience with this home I saw that the care givers were not always the best and didn’t have the best interest of the individuals that lived there. Most of the people that worked there just needed a job and this gave them that and a place to stay. In this specific case, I feel there could have been better opportunities for the disabled individuals if they were living somewhere else. Also, I also had the opportunity to go to a larger group home for people with disabilities. It was for individuals over 50 and the people who lived there also had many different disabilities. I went there a couple of times to visit and the workers had different activities and things going on for the residents to do. In this case, the group home was run and operated in an efficient manner and I feel the residents benefitted from that. The next option would be for the individual with a disability to stay with their family. I have always thought that it would be hard as a parent to let your child go. In a way it could be like giving them up. However, I also understand that taking care of your child for the rest of their or your life could be very emotionally hard. Just last week I had a guest speaker in one of my classes that talked about her son who is 19 years old and how he lives in a group home. At first she was completely against it, but she now realizes that it is for the best. He is happy there and gets to come home on the weekends to spend time with his family. My question for all of you is to just discuss what you think the best living situation is for individuals with disabilities in their adult years. You can discuss a specific disability, like autism, or just disabilities in general. What’s your stance on group homes?

Do Kids With Disabilities Strain or Strengthen Our Schools?

For this week’s blog, I chose an article that opened my eyes a bit to the reality of people in this world. http://www.businessweek.com/careers/workingparents/blog/archives/2009/09/kids_with_disab.html

It discusses how some people view children with disabilities in schools as a waste of effort and tax money. Why would we waste our time trying to help someone with little to no potential? Why wouldn’t we give all of our attention to those children who are gifted, who are intelligent, and who will make a difference in the world one day? I mean they are going to be the ones becoming doctors and lawyers, and who are going to eventually run this country… right? Hmm… don’t think so. I know that everyone responding to this blog is in the same boat, and I know that we all have personally experienced the importance of special education. Like the article says, people are not limited by their disability, they are limited by a lack of opportunity.

And so that is not necessarily what I am asking your opinion on. In reading this article, I was very much taken back by Lilly’s bitterness and anger towards those with disabilities in the schools. Are people really that heartless? Are they really so concerned with their tax dollars that they’d go after handicapped children? Apparently some are. I have an older sister with profound disabilities, and she was able to attend a special school for the disabled for 18 years. My family was never encountered with issues of acceptance by other parents at the school. We were welcomed with open arms and taken in as family. Although there have certainly been other situations where people have judged and rejected us because of these disabilities, I never felt anything of the sort from her school setting. That place was a safe-haven. I am finding that the public school systems are not all sugar and spice though. The harsh reality is that many people do not appreciate those with disabilities and many people do not value the efforts of educators that want to maximize these students’ potentials. And so this is what I want to know from you… what do you think it will take from a school community to create a common appreciation for these students? Parent meetings.. Information pamphlets… More peer tutoring opportunities… Awareness assemblies? The article talks about Dan’s efforts in the form of a film, which reached millions by airing on television and receiving tons of press. And although I thought this was wonderful, I wonder what practical things we can apply in the schools that will also make a difference. Many of you have already worked in a school setting. How have you seen teachers try and break down these barriers? What ideas can we as future teachers bring into the schools to create a community of awareness and appreciation, so that all the "Lillys" out there will understand the real objectives of special education… Do you think that is even possible? Or do you think it’s not really worth trying because people won’t change?

Learning to teach, teaching to learn

The last few weeks I like many of you have been working on my application to get into the special education program. Something that I found very interesting was the autobiographical essays that we had to do. The one I found most interesting was the one about how we would respond when we don't agree with what a teacher does. As I worked on that essay I was not quite sure why this was a topic that we had to write on. As I thought more and more about it I came to the realization that maybe one reason they had us write it was to see what kind of attitude we have as teachers. I think they were trying to see if we are the kind of people that think we know it all and don't need help from anyone else or if we are the kind of people that try our best to learn and grow. I think in order to be a good teacher we have to always be a student. I am sure that throughout our careers we are going to experience differences in opinion with other teachers but I think how we react is a reflection on what kind of teacher we are. I think it is critical to avoid the attitude that we are better than everyone else or that we know more than everyone else. Many of you know that my mother is a special education teacher. Throughout the years she has had many student teachers. She has told me that many of them are good but also that many of them come right out of college thinking they know it all and they act like my mother is a horrible teacher just becuase they may have a difference in opinion. We are all in the stage now of learning how to become good teachers and someday we will have to be either a student teacher or a intern. I think that we always need to remember that even though we may have gone through the classes and gotten credit to be a teacher that does not mean that the learning stops. This article is about a young teacher that just started out on her first job. I think that this is something all of us are going to be going through and I think that her story is a good model for us to follow. After you read this article I would like to hear your opinion about the question that was asked in the autobiographical essay. As a brand new teacher that is always trying to learn from others and get better what is an appropriate way to solve a disagreement with another teacher? Do we act like know it alls and completely disregard the other teacher or do we try our best to learn from the teacher despite our differences? I think that there is always something positive to be learned from others. Life is a process and not an event and we always need to try to learn from others. Here is the link http://teachers.net/wong/MAR10/

Inclusive P.E. for Children with Special Needs

The article I chose is all about inclusion in physical education classes, called “Inclusive P.E. for Children with Special Needs.” (Found at http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46155.asp ) The article basically lists the positive benefits of an inclusive classroom. First off, she discusses some of the immediate thoughts of a parent when they have a child who has special needs. Then she discusses some of the benefits of having a child who has special needs in sports and in an inclusive classroom. Children who have special needs can indeed have some great influences in attitude and the positive fun atmosphere in games. There are so many positive reasons for teachers as well because they can learn strategies and new ways of teaching from those that have special needs.

In my own experience and research, there are so many reasons to have children included in the mainstream physical education class. It can first of all simply help with the happiness of the child, because no one wants to be left out. Also, what a child with special needs can learn from those children in the mainstream class is enormous. That’s why peer tutors are so great, because what a child can learn from their peers as opposed to their teachers can be huge. To go along with this, I received a link to a video that I loved called The Butterfly Circus. It really shows how people can have a great influence on those that have disabilities, and the huge worth of people with disabilities. I encourage you to watch it, because it’s wonderful and very inspiring, but I will warn you it’s 20 minutes long. http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68

However on the flip side, a lot of us are in an Adaptive P.E. Class here at BYU where we work with students who are not included in their school’s P.E. Class but in an Adapted P.E. Class. With all these advantages to inclusion, why do we not include these children? I know we’ve learned about Least Restrictive Environment, and for some children perhaps they can’t be in a mainstream P.E. Class, but with all these benefits of inclusion, shouldn’t we try our hardest to include them? We read an article in our Adaptive P.E. Class that talks about how simply training our P.E. teachers with certain skills, we could include children with special needs in our mainstream P.E. classes.

In my volunteering for Adaptive P.E., there are a lot of kids in the class who if they were in the regular P.E. class, they would fall quickly behind the other students and eventually, the teacher would probably have to begin teaching two different skills. They honestly would not be able to keep up with the other children, and it could cause a great difficulty in the class. Also, some of the games children play in the mainstream class, the children in the Adaptive P.E. class just can’t understand the rules or the purpose of the game, and having them in the mainstream class could cause a lot of problems and could potentially take too much of the teacher’s time away from the rest of the class.

So after all this, my question to you is this: Should we try harder to include those that are in an adaptive P.E. class into the mainstream? The benefits are obvious. Or should we try harder to have more adaptive P.E. classes, because there are many reasons that having children in the mainstream class could have its downfalls?