Intellectual Disability

I chose to include The Arc Website in my resource collection. Least restrictive environment (LRE) means kids who get special education should be in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible. (understood.org) For students with intellectual disabilities, "The rate of learning new information may be very slow, and students may require repetition and concrete, meaningful examples for all learning activities." (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2018) This is why it is important to make sure that the students with intellectual disabilities are placed in their individual least restrictive environment. This will make sure that they are in the general education classroom when it is possible but also making sure they are in the environment that they learn best in when they need to be. 

The Arc website has a tab that goes over their education position statements for students with intellectual disabilities. Part of their position is Least Restrictive Environment. There are several statements on what all should be done in LRE. One example of a statement is, "To the maximum extent appropriate, every student has a right to be educated in their inclusive neighborhood school and in the general education curriculum in that school. Any exception should be rare and considered only when education in the general education classroom cannot be satisfactorily achieved. Each student has a right to the related services, supplementary aids and services, accommodations, and modifications needed to learn alongside students without disabilities." (Arc) This resource will be helpful to pass along as a parent resource for my future students with intellectual disabilities. This website uses very understandable language that is parent friendly. 

Unfortunately, least restrictive environment isn't always done the right way. The website states, "many students with intellectual remain segregated in self-contained classrooms or separate schools, with few or no opportunities for academic achievement or social engagement in inclusive settings. Students with intellectual disabilities frequently do not have appropriately ambitious and personalized goals, challenging objectives, high quality instruction, individualized transition planning, and related services and supports necessary to engage as full members of their school learning communities. Consequently, many students with intellectual disabilities leave school unprepared for further education, employment, and independent living in the community." (Arc) I will use this information to make sure that my students with intellectual disabilities or any disability are in their correct least restrictive environment and hopefully with their peers as much as possible.

Resources

For people with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities. The Arc. (2022, December 5). Retrieved December 5, 2022, from http://www.thearc.org/

Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2018). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective differentiated instruction (6th ed.). Pearson.

Morin, A. (2021, August 27). What is least restrictive environment? Understood. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/least-restrictive-environment-lre-what-you-need-to-know