Research Paper on Early Childhood Inclusion Practices

Disability is castigated to be socially fabricated through the societies' actions in erecting structures and barriers that limit the capability of certain individuals in the community to function normally. This kind of barriers equally limits the ability of that affected individual. He or she is unable to have full access to privileges, resources, and opportunities in the society. In our country, there is the existence of misunderstandings, myths, stigma, and prejudice that surrounds a lot of pupils with special needs (Wolery & Wilbert, 1994). These learners are hindered by others from being included in some practices. People with special needs or are disabled are usually cast as being abnormal, feeble and needy. With all these perceptions placed on them, their significance and effect are being limited due to not allowed to have full access to society resources. The situation of prejudice and stigmatization worsens and even becomes harder for kids with special needs being denied the prospects and opportunity of inclusive education. This study explores on the myths, stigma, prejudices, and misunderstanding that surrounds special needs learners and how they are hindered from the inclusion of some practices. The study will identify and explain how NAEYC standards are being executed.

Learners with special needs are deemed to be lacking the ability to perform either physical or mental task that normal people do. A lot of stakeholders in the learning facilities in our country interpret special needs or disabled students as being either impaired or being ill. They view these learners through particular perspectives. These aspects include the illness or impairment that comprises of an individual's mind or body. On the social construct, they are viewed regarding political disadvantage, cultural and socio-economic that results from the learners' exclusion (Guralnick, 2001). Learners with any form of impairment are seen to be disabled in the fact that most if not all of them are excluded from participating within the conventional of the school and community as a whole as a result of organizational, attitudinal and physical barriers. Thus, these inhibitors prevent these children from gaining an equal education, information, employment after school, housing, public transport, and recreational and social opportunities (Guralnick, 2001).

General beliefs and attitudes on those learners with special needs in our nation are over and over again based on stereotyping, misunderstanding, fear. Discrimination, being exposed to prejudice and ultimately denying them with resources and rights that every student is supposed to be accorded. In spite all that is befalling the particular needs of our nation, the Department of Education and Human Services have come big in supporting these groups of learners. The department has positioned itself in the forefront advocating for the young children who require special needs to have access to high-quality programs that are inclusive. The Department of Education has done a lot by providing appropriate support to these learners. They also designed a program that is inclusive of a policy statement that requires these young children with special needs are included in programs of early childhood. This policy statement does not only include the needs of young children with special needs, but it also contains a shared vision that encompasses all Americans to meaningfully include all the facets of people with disability in the course of their entire life. The program starts with programs linked to early childhood and proceeds to schools, working places and to the broader society (Wolery & Wilbert, 1994).

Myths, misunderstanding, stigma, and prejudice in our country that ambiances learners who require special needs are all said to be interwoven with one another. All these myths, misunderstanding, stigma and discrimination always results to a child being hindered from any inclusion practice (Guralnick, 2001).

Misunderstanding and Prejudice

The following chippings that clip up as a result of misunderstandings that most of the people including the society have the children who require special needs;

Any child or learner that has any disability or requires any special needs won't at all get the most significant support they require.

All the students with special needs require that they are taught from a different class. In this way, they usually do better than when mixed with other normal children.

Always, there exists a deleterious bearing to have an all-encompassing environment to the young children who have no impairment at all.

Part of the society has a misunderstanding that learners with special needs in most cases are too disruptive. Since they are unsettling and disorderly, they can't fit into a typical class where ordinary students take their coursework.

Stigma

Among the most difficult thing that these children with disability have to cope with in their daily lives is a stigma. Aspects of stigma always affect both the student and his or her family members. The reaction that always emanates from stigmatization emanating from school stakeholders and even the society always makes the family feel that they are publicly viewed negatively and stereotyped.

Myths

More often, all prejudices in contrast to those with dissimilarities can certainly result in discrimination that will inhibit any educational processes for the special needs children.

The NAEYC standards were established by the educational department to oversee the establishment of community relations and building family policy statement that addresses togetherness in the childhood degree programs has stated under standard 2. Equally, with standard 3, the program instills to all kids the importance of documenting, assessing and observing how to support any young families and children. From the above standard 2 and 3, the young children are taught to understand that success depends upon partnering with fellow children and families without prejudicing or stigmatizing any individual. Through their understanding of the NAEYC standards, the children will create an understanding of reciprocal, respectful relationship that empowers and support all families that have children having special needs or disability in their learning and development (Hyson, 2003).

Equally from standard 3 of NAEYC, the children through the program will be equipped with essential life skills such as documentation, observation and other assessment that will be beneficial to these kids. The young children will understand and know how to make use of documentation, systematic goals and other responsible assessment strategies that will be effective in future partnership with professionals and even the society as a whole that will influence their development positively. All these standards that were introduced to schools under the early childhood degree programs are of significance to my study. I say so because of their teachings they advocate such as; the act of living together, establishing good community relations to all and building a family policy that caters for all will be essential in tackling all the needs of the learners who require special attention.

NAEYC Position Statement on Early Childhood and inclusion is to provide a vision and recommendation to the state and any other educational bodies and stakeholders for amassing the integration of toddlers, infants and preschool children who require special needs with early childhood program that is of high quality. According to Hyson, (2003), the NAEYC's position is to foresee young learners who have disabilities to access a high inclusive quality of early childhood programs. They also advocate that these young children be delivered with the appropriate and individualized support that meets their high expectations. They equally require that a synthesizing of the public of the significance helping in the inclusivity of all children that have disabilities from their early child ages to their entire programs in childhood programs.

The mission of California Forum for Professional Development aims to be the foundation for ensuring that providers that are linked to offering professional learning are at all time being empowered with the conversance, professions, and dispositions that are needed to support the educators (California Association for the Education of Young Children collection). They do aim to collaborate on rendering a vision which is quality and comprehensive for induction, preparation, and professional learning. Finally, the prospect to build a community comprised of diverse providers who will be offering professional early childhood education, mentors, coaches, managers, technical assistance providers, consultants, specialists, college instructs and other duties that always support professional learning. Thus, California Forum for Professional Development through its elaborate mission stand a chance to help the learners who require special needs.

All in all, disability should never be castigated or be socially fabricated through the societies' actions that are erected as structures and barriers that limit the capability of certain individuals including young children in the community to function normally. NAEYC Position Statement should provide a vision and recommendation to the state for the inclusion of toddlers, infants and preschool children who require special needs with early childhood program that is of high quality.

References

California Association for the Education of Young Children. (1926). California Association for the Education of Young Children collection.

Guralnick, M. J. (2001). Early Childhood Inclusion: Focus on Change. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624.

Hyson, M. (2003). Preparing early childhood professionals: NAEYC's standards for programs (Vol. 256). Natl Assn for the Education.

Wolery, M., & Wilbert, J. S. (1994). Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Programs. Research Monograph of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Volume 6. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 (Order No. 145, $8 each; 5-49 copies, 10% discount; 50-99 copies, 20% discount; over 100 copies, 25% discount; orders under $20 must be prepaid)..