Tips For Including All Children
When you plan activities, think of how well you know your students:
- Noah and Kendall have fine motor problems and need fat pencils, crayons, and paint brushes.
- Malik and Kate have very short attention spans, so you constantly monitor them to keep them on task. You also provide clear limits and expectations so that they understand what is expected of them every minute of the day. You know you have to stay ahead of those two.
- William is slow and meticulous. He can’t stand to get dirty or have his materials out of order. It’s difficult to get him to shift from one activity to another. He doesn’t like changes in the daily routine.
When you understand the individual learning abilities, physical and sensory abilities, and behavior styles of your students, it’s easier to teach them, whether they have disabilities or not.
These ideas for including all students will make instruction more effective for your children with disabilities. Many of your students without disabilities will benefit as well.
- Forget the labels and think children-first. The labels that come with the children are sometimes intimidating. It’s more comfortable to use people-first language. Instead of thinking, “Oh, I have an autistic child to include in this activity, ” think, “A child with autism will be in this activity.” A “child with autism” or a “student with emotional handicaps” or a “child with cognitive disabilities” puts the child first and the disability second.
- Maybe you’re a teacher with depression or diabetes. Would you rather be called a “depressed teacher” or a “diabetic teacher?” Aren’t you, as a whole person, more important than one aspect of yourself? The problem is not the person. When we put the person first, the disability becomes a characteristic, not the definition, of the person.
- Think of all your students as smart and creative. Even children with limited abilities have talents. We are all smart in something. Find it and celebrate it. Expect them to excel and they will. The boy who is so loud in class might become your best actor. The girl with learning disabilities may be your best singer.
- Differentiate your instruction. Have the same expectations for all children, then higher expectations for some of your children, and even higher expectations for a few. Expect your students with disabilities to do what you expect all your students to do. You may be surprised to find a child with a disability turns out to be your best dancer or artist.
- Accept children where they are. Don’t compare them to others. They are what they are. Take them where you find them and move them on.
- Make the adaptive strategies and materials you prepare for your students with disabilities available to all your children. Many of these strategies are just “good teaching” and are fine for all children, including your students who are learning English as a second language.
- Use the buddy system for all your children. Teach every person in the room to be a teacher. You cannot be expected to do it all. When children have buddies to help them stay on task, they learn more and the buddies learn more. You don’t always have to pair high-achieving and low-achieving children. Equal partners in learning often will both do better when they have each other’s support.
- Use eye contact when you speak to your students. Call them by name. Give them time to respond. Allow 3-5 seconds of “wait time” before asking another child to respond. Coach them to correct responses when necessary.
- Catch ’em being good! The most outrageously misbehaving children need to know when they are good. Directly teach them what good behavior is. Don’t assume they know. Give them sincere, specific praise, using I-messages:
“I like the way you found your personal space without touching anyone.”
"I appreciated how patient you were when you had to wait for the drum.”
"I like the yellow you painted in the corner of your picture.”
- Focus on the process, not the product. The joy will be in the creation of the art form that empowers us all to feel creative and competent.
Please click on one of the following links for tips on teaching children with different disabilities:
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