The importance of communication and confidence

I believe we should be teaching students with the most severe disabilities and/or multiple disabilities the importance of communication and confidence. According to Anthony Fredericks, author of " The complete idiot’s guide to: success as a teacher", students with disabilities often have low self-esteem and should be given clear and concise feedback (Fredericks, 2005).

I’ve noticed that when students with disabilities are placed in classrooms with students that don’t have disabilities that they [disabled students] often compare themselves to the other students and feel as if they’re lagging behind. Because of this reason, I think it’s important for them to be taught in a different class from regular students so that their specific needs can be addressed, and they won’t feel compelled to compare themselves.

However, I also believe students without disabilities should definitely be involved in their own way and taught awareness/empathy so that they know how to interact with students with disabilities. In this situation, I believe inclusion is appropriate from a social perspective, not an educational perspective. By this, I mean that students with disabilities should be in separate classrooms, but I also believe that they should be encouraged to interact socially with students without disabilities in extracurricular activities or out-of-school events. As I mentioned previously, if students with disabilities are placed in different classrooms, they won’t feel as much of a desire to compare themselves to non- disabIed students. They can also receive one-on-one attention and guidance without the rest of the class feeling left out. In extracurricular activities and out-of-school events, socialization should be encouraged that way every student’s communication and social skills can be practiced and improved.

Show less