article on Intellectual Disabilities Review

The article "Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Intervention Program to Influence Attitudes of Students Towards Peers with Disabilities" reports the results of intervention program provided to kindergarteners and elementary students.  This study was created because how much the idea of inclusive education has been encouraged in the past decade. It says, "In this study[they]explored the possibilities of promoting more positive attitudes of kindergarten and elementary school students towards children with physical, intellectual and severe physical and intellectual disabilities through an intervention based on acquired knowledge" (de Boer, Sip, Minneaert, & Post, 2014). The study focused on what are attitudes like for students with no disabilities towards students with a mental and/or physical disability. It was a 3 weeks education project comprising six lessons about disabilities.  The students in the study were 4-12 years olds.  Students were surveyed about their attitudes before the intervention program, after the intervention program and a year later.  The study focused on three types of disabilities: autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

The article mentions the benefits of having an inclusive classroom.  Students without disabilities benefit from this experience academically and socially.  They show much greater progress in reading and mathematics.  Socially, they are more aware and understand people that may have a disability.  Socially students with a disability in an inclusive classroom setting improve their communication and interaction skills.  Still, the problem remained that students with disabilities had a hard time being accepted by their classmates.  And this where this study came about.  If students were prepared and became more knowledgeable about disabilities would their attitudes change?

The results were as follows:  students were found to have the least positive attitudes towards students with ADHD.  Students with autism and other disabilities received more positive attitudes from their classmates with no disabilities.  It was also found that girls have better attitudes towards classmates with disabilities than boys. Also, the study reports that there is a least positive attitude towards an intellectual disability than to a physical disability.  At the bottom of the article, you can find a sample of vignettes read to the students to introduce the discussion about a certain disability.

Although, there were some attitude changed at the end of the study, some questions remained.  One question, asking if this attitude change has been long term or forgotten as time passed.  I liked the study, because it sets up a predictor for future attitudes of students with no disabilities.  It gives an idea how a teacher or an entire school can be better prepare themselves and provide information to their students and provide a better academic and social experience for students with the disabilities.  They deserve the chance for everyone around them to be informed about their disability and this way, I think, can see past that and get to know who they are, even beyond that disability.

I also liked the study because it was very well planned out.  I like that it had a before and after survey and that it followed students after one year. Wouldn't it be cool to have educational programs come out to schools and provide knowledge to students regardless if they are inclusive or not.  I remember one of my first teaching years there was this girl, Amy, who had some sort of facial deformation and intellectual disability.  She was in a self-contained class but she was still had contact with her peers in the building, in the hallway, in the unified arts classes, in gym, and lunch.  It broke my heart one afternoon a group of 6th graders running down the hallway and hearing one of them say, "run, here comes the monster".  I didn't know who they were talking about until I saw Amy turn the corner saying, "wait, wait for me."  I brought it up to my team and I'm not sure what was done about the situation I don't remember.  But what I do remember is talking to my students that year and telling them, I can't control what the others in this school do or react to her, but I expect at least my students, not to be rude and respect her, be kind to her.  Various occasions I witness them doing that and felt proud of them.  But yeah, I still think school as a whole should prepare, inform students with no disabilities and TEACHERS it takes a village after all, right?

de Boer, A., Sip Pijl, S.J.,  Minnaert, A., & Post W. (2014, March 1) Evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention program to influence attitudes of students towards peers with disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 44 (3), 572-583.
http://ezproxy.trnty.edu:3062/ehost/detail/detail?sid=85cef7c2-50dd-4a86-9b0f-5a18180c8dc2%40sessionmgr4005&vid=19&hid=4109&bdata=#AN=EJ1038290&db=eric