scholarly journals Experience-based factors influencing perceptions and attitudes of pre-service early childhood education teachers toward inclusive education for young children with disabilities

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-99
Author(s):  
한희경
2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Underwood ◽  
Angela Valeo ◽  
Rebecca Wood

This article explores the application of current discourse in inclusive education, particularly the capability approach and its utility in early childhood education. The article highlights the tensions between a rights-based discourse that informs inclusive education practice and the right for children to have early intervention. Structural approaches to supporting children with disabilities are examined. These structural approaches are evaluated using the framework developed using the capability approach. The article aims to ease some of the tensions that arise from differing philosophical approaches to education for young children, and to provide a framework for addressing the developmental and social needs of young children with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Annabella Cant

Inclusive education is the focus of many thinkers, researchers, teachers, early-childhood educators, and policymakers. It is a current concern of most Western societies. The concept of inclusive education was introduced only in the 1990s, when it replaced the previous concepts of integration and mainstreaming; however, the expressed need and advocacy for inclusion go further back in history. The enormous shift is still felt by many educational institutions. The shift means that it is not the job of the child to adapt to the typical environment, but it is the complex educational ecosystem that needs to be ready for caring, educating, and ensuring success to all children, with or without diversabilities. The necessary progression is one from considering diverse groups of children in an equalizing way, to considering them in an equitable way. Inclusive early-childhood education proposes an environment catered around the unique needs of each child within the classroom. As in many other areas of education, change needs to start early, and, yet, research about the inclusion of young and very young children is not overwhelmingly prevalent. In the 2020s, inclusive practice refers to all differences, not only the ones affecting children’s physical and mental health, including race, gender, culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, age, etc. If young children grow up in homes and educational environments infused with inclusion, they may become more comfortable engaging in discourses of inequality and exclusion. If their learning environment models positive and genuine relationship building with anyone around them, regardless of their difference, children will grow up being advocates for and allies of the people whom society keeps on silencing. Early inclusion is paramount. So, what hinders the universal adoption of inclusive practices in early-childhood education? Among factors that constitute barriers of inclusion, we find politics, resources, support, teacher education, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and needs, different philosophical interpretations of the concept of early inclusion, and many others. The current studies in the field of early-childhood inclusion show that there is an acute need for knowledge, collaboration, and support. Parents, policymakers, teachers, and other decision-making adults should start giving children agency and invite them to contribute to decisions that concern their well-being. Being inclusive in early-childhood education means to have trust in the competency of all young children, to cherish difference, to cultivate a respectful learning environment, to work with heart, to welcome and build strong relationships with families of all children, to be in touch with current research in the field of inclusive education, and to see inclusion as a feeling of belonging, being valued, and being respected. Inclusion is fluid as a river, but these are the stones that should always guide its course and flow.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Siller ◽  
Lindee Morgan ◽  
Quentin Wedderburn ◽  
Sally Fuhrmeister ◽  
Asha Rudrabhatla

University-affiliated lab and model schools play an important role in creating educational innovations in inclusive early childhood education (ECE) for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the United States, access to inclusive high-quality ECE programs for young children with disabilities has been required by law for over 40 years, has been recommended by leading professional organizations, and has been emphasized in federal public policy initiatives. Yet, improvement in the rates of young children with disabilities experiencing inclusion has been limited. This review article consists of three parts. First, we identify and describe four barriers to wide-scale implementation of inclusive ECE programs for children with ASD in the US. These barriers include (1) the fragmented nature of the ECE system in the United States, (2) the age at which ASD is typically first diagnosed in the community, (3) the diverse presentation/support needs of children with ASD, and (4) the thoughts and feelings of parents of children without disability about inclusion. Second, we used a snowball sampling approach to identify nine leading university-affiliated, inclusive lab and model schools for young children with ASD. By describing these programs, we highlight similarities and differences between programs, and capture the unique ways in which these programs adapt to local conditions, resources, and barriers (e.g., federal and state regulations, funding sources, community resources, institutional structures and priorities, professional orientation and training, access to families and staff). Finally, we propose a roadmap for researchers focused on the development, evaluation, and implementation of community-viable inclusive ECE programs in ASD. This roadmap leverages synergies between inclusive university-affiliated lab and model preschools in ASD, and proposes the formation of a research network that creates an infrastructure for cross-program collaboration.


2019 ◽  
pp. 54-67
Author(s):  
Toby Long

This paper discusses the evolution of the early childhood education system from excluding children with disabilities to fully including them in a manner emphasizing full participation.  Evidence indicates meaningful participation in everyday activities is necessary for development to occur. The essential elements needed to bring about participation will be presented as well as specific evidence-based strategies used to promote inclusion and participation.


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