What is Reverse Inclusion?
Some students who receive their education in a special education classroom setting may participate in Inclusion activities during the school day. These activities take place in the general education setting and allow students with special needs to have social interaction with typically developing peers outside of the special education classroom. While many students can participate in these activities successfully with staff support and modification to tasks, many other students become overwhelmed in this environment and act out behaviorally or shut down. All students need the opportunity to interact with typically developing peers and Reverse Inclusion provides that opportunity.
Reverse Inclusion provides the opportunity for students with special needs and typically developing peers to interact effectively. At various times during the school day, participating students from general education classrooms will be scheduled to spend time in a special education classroom setting. The activity they participate in will vary. Sometimes, the typically developing peer may assist a student with special needs with completing academic work in the classroom or he/she may read to a small group of students. At other times, the typically developing peer may play games or participate in other play-based activities which help the student with special needs improve communication and social skills. The purpose is to provide the student with special needs with an appropriate role model in a setting where he or she is comfortable enough to interact successfully.
There are several benefits of Reverse Inclusion. Most importantly, students with special needs are able to develop friendships with typically developing peers. It can also assist students with special needs with improving their communication skills, due to increased communication and modeling from their peers. Reverse Inclusion provides a setting where students are often more successful in meeting social/emotional goals on their IEP's. The typically developing peers who participate benefit as well. In addition to building friendships that will hopefully carry on outside of the classroom setting, they also improve their own social skills as they learn how to get along well with peers who are different from them. Reverse Inclusion helps to combat stereotypes about people with disabilities and encourages students to embrace diversity and respect those who have challenges outside of their experiences.