Inclusion of students with intellectual disability

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Feb 7, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/jret.22794
Keywords:
Intellectual disability Inclusion Inclusive education Primary education Secondary education
Marilena Koukouvetsou
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9526-4556
Abstract

The present paper concerns the inclusion of pupils with Intellectual Disability (ID) in primary and secondary education. The aim of the paper is to highlight the positive effects of the inclusion of pupils with ID and to propose ways of its effective implementation. In addition, reference is made to the difficulties and inhibiting factors that impede the effective implementation of inclusive education in the particular student population. A review of the international literature was carried out to investigate this issue. The review was done in databases (Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct) and the most relevant and recent articles were selected based on the date and more specifically from 2005 onwards. The majority of articles, however, are within the last decade. The results of the literature search revealed 20 articles from international scientific journals. Based on the literature, it appears that students with mild / moderate ID can be included more easily in general education classes and their inclusion has no negative effect on the same and the rest of the students. More specifically, in the context of the general classroom, the independence of students with ID, social maturity and the imitation of appropriate behaviors are enhanced. Inclusion also contributes to positive changes in the attitudes of typically developing students, in recognizing the potential of people with disabilities and increasing the social interactions of students with ID with their classmates, in the social acceptance of students with ID and in their integration.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Marilena Koukouvetsou

Εκπαιδευτικός ΠΕ70, MSc

References
Alnahdi, G. H. (2019). The positive impact of including students with intellectual disabilities in schools: Children’s attitudes towards peers with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Research in developmental disabilities, 85, 1-7.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Pub.
Chen, L. J. (2016). Critical components for inclusion of students with moderate intellectual disabilities into general junior high school. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 63(1), 8-16.
Cornelius, D. J. K., & Balakrishnan, J. (2012). Inclusive education for students with intellectual disability. Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, 23(2), 81-93.
Dessemontet, R. S., & Bless, G. (2013). The impact of including children with intellectual disability in general education classrooms on the academic achievement of their low-, average-, and high-achieving peers. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 38(1), 23-30.
Dessemontet, R. S., Bless, G., & Morin, D. (2012). Effects of inclusion on the academic achievement and adaptive behaviour of children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 56(6), 579-587.
Dianingtyas, C., Supena, A., & Bintoro, T. (2018). The evaluation of inclusive education implementation for students with intellectual disability in Victory Plus Primary School. European Journal of Education Studies, 4(12), 231-244.
Downing, J. E. (2005). Inclusive education for high school students with severe intellectual disabilities: Supporting communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 21(2), 132-148.
Georgiadi, M., Kalyva, E., Kourkoutas, E., & Tsakiris, V. (2012). Young children's attitudes toward peers with intellectual disabilities: Effect of the type of school. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(6), 531-541.
Hardiman, S., Guerin, S., & Fitzsimons, E. (2009). A comparison of the social competence of children with moderate intellectual disability in inclusive versus segregated school settings. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30(2), 397-407.
Hornby, G., & Blackwell, I. (2018). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An update. Educational review, 70(1), 109-119.
Mahapatra, B., Nanda, G. C., & Mohanty, S. P. (2017). Inclusion of Students with Intellectual Disability at Elementary Schools: Policy Developments and Activities Undertaken. Pedagogy of Learning, 3(2), 1-13.
Memisevic, H., & Hodzic, S. (2011). Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with intellectual disability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(7), 699-710.
Nowicki, E. A., & Brown, J. D. (2013). “A kid way”: Strategies for including classmates with learning or intellectual disabilities. Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 51(4), 253-262.
Shalev, R. A., Asmus, J. M., Carter, E. W., & Moss, C. K. (2016). Attitudes of high school students toward their classmates with severe disabilities: A pilot study. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 28(4), 523-538.
Sharma, N. (2015). Parental Attitude towards the Special and Inclusive Education and Other Perspectives of Children with Visual Impairment. Journal of Disability Management and Rehabilitation, 1(1), 25-27.
Siperstein, G. N., Parker, R. C., Bardon, J. N., & Widaman, K. F. (2007). A national study of youth attitudes toward the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities. Exceptional children, 73(4), 435-455.
Siperstein, G. N., Parker, R. C., Norins, J., & Widaman, K. F. (2011). A national study of Chinese youths' attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(4), 370-384.
Soulis, S. G., Georgiou, A., Dimoula, K., & Rapti, D. (2016). Surveying inclusion in Greece: empirical research in 2683 primary school students. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 20(7), 770-783.
Szumski, G., & Karwowski, M. (2014). Psychosocial functioning and school achievement of children with mild intellectual disability in Polish special, integrative, and mainstream schools. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(2), 99-108.
Vasileiadis, I., & Doikou‐Avlidou, M. (2018). Enhancing social interaction of pupils with intellectual disabilities with their general education peers: the outcomes of an intervention programme. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 18(4), 267-277.