Explain the difference between mainstreaming and inclusion. How do both terms relate to the least restrictive environment requirement?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer:
The principle of mainstreaming is that placement in an environment with people who do not have disabilities is a desirable practice and that individuals should not be restricted from settings or activities in which their participation is not impaired by their disability. It is also assumed that any accommodations will be minimal.
Inclusion holds that the general education setting is an appropriate learning environment for all learners and that accommodations and services required by individuals with disabilities can and should be provided in the general education environment.
Both terms relate to the LRE requirement found in IDEA. Mainstreaming asks the team to identify activities in general education environments that the learner can participate in with minimal accommodations, thereby ending the practice of keeping such learners in restrictive settings for the entire day. Inclusion takes this further and suggests that the general education setting can be made appropriate for all or most students by provision of additional supports in that setting. The abilities affected by the disability are of consequence only insofar as they require environmental accommodations. It is also important to remember that accommodations are likely to improve the general environment for other learners as well.
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a. A clinical audiologist b. A school counselor c. A special education teacher d. A speech therapist
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Schools in which the curriculum emphasizes a particular subject or field such as performing arts or mathematics and science are
a. Charter schools. b. Private schools. c. Magnet schools. d. Vocational schools.
How much more likely than students from families with incomes in the bottom 20% are students from families with incomes in the top 20% to have intellectual disabilities?
A. 10 times more likely B. 4 times more likely C. Twice as likely D. 8 times more likely