Although it is possible that children with Cerebral Palsy will be kept in a separate special education classroom with a special teacher, it is increasingly common to “mainstream” children with disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy into regular classrooms. Ideally, this means that these children would be included in the classroom with children their age who are not disabled. The exception would be that their daily work might be modified to accommodate their disability (Cerebral Palsy and Special Needs Children’s Organization).
Due to this, teachers must work with other team members in order to develop meaningful educational programs that emphasize independence in the least restrictive educational environment. It is important that they stress realistic goals for the children with disabilities that are in their classes, as reflected in the child’s individualized education plan (Griffin, Fitch, Griffin, 2002).
It is very difficult to create a comfortable classroom climate that emphasizes respect for all students. According to a national survey of educators done in 2001, 96% of general education teachers currently taught or had previously taught students with disabilities of some kind; yet, less than one third of these teachers felt adequately prepared or that they had the adequate resources to teach students with various disabilities.
A very interesting approach that some teachers have taken to solve this problem and assist children with Cerebral Palsy, as well as other disabilities with inclusion in general education classrooms, is the inclusion of literature where individuals with disabilities, conditions, and/or illnesses are portrayed as functional, independent, and proactive role models in realistic settings in the class curriculum. The idea behind this is that it promotes awareness, sensitivity, and tolerance of individual differences among students in the class, while combating many issues that are related to peer and social rejection. This literature has proven to be a powerful tool for integrating students with disabilities like Cerebral Palsy into the classroom while also affecting general education students’ attitudes and feelings about their classmates.
Some examples of titles that have been used in order to promote awareness and acceptance of students with disabilities are listed below:
- The Joey Pigza series (Jack Gantos): a series about a boy who has ADHD and attempts to handle it without medication
- Tending to Grace (Kimberly New- ton Fusco 2004): a book that tells the story of teenager Cor-nelia, a stutterer who is abandoned by her mother.
- Stuck in Neutral (Terry Trueman 2000): a story about a extraordinary and intelligent boy with severe Cerebral Palsy that has eradicated his muscle control.
- Invisible (Pete Hautman 2005): a story about a boy who has a mental illness that leaves him with no social skills so he interprets everything literally, and is essentially a loner.
- Helicopter Man (Elizabeth Fensham 2005): this story tackles a younger teen's difficulties in dealing with a schizophrenic parent.
- Trigger (Susan Vaught 2006): a story of a young man dealing with brain damage as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound (Hayn, Hazlett, & Sweeney, 2009).
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