Active and passive task related behavior, direction following and the inclusion of children with disabilities

The relationship between specific classroom skills and long-term inclusion of children with primarily intellectual disabilities in regular classrooms was examined. Measures of on-task behaviour and direction following behaviour were collected for 19 children with disabilities who had been integrated for 1.5 to 5.5 years in general education classrooms. Data were collected concurrently on teacher nominated average peers in each clasroom of children with disabilities. These data were compared with similar data collected on children with disabilities in their first year of school (kindergarten) to see whether the classroom skills of these children changed in relation to their peers. On-task behaviour during whole class instruction and direction following behaviour was problematic for children with disabilities. There was also no evidence of an increasing discrepancy between children with intellectual disabilities and peers in relation to classroom skills. Implications of these findings for including children with disabilities in general education classrooms are discussed.14 page(s