Mainstreaming versus Self-Contained Classrooms

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing can usually be placed into regular classrooms with support services. The degree of extra attention and special services a child needs varies from slight to a full time interpreter. The Individual's with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives every child the right to be educated in the least restrictive environment. This has led to a larger number of children being mainstreamed into regular classrooms. For hearing impaired children who are being taught oral communication, mainstreaming is absolutely the best placement for their education as soon as they are able to understand and be understood. Children with hearing impairments who are only being taught manual communication methods might be better placed in an auditorily handicapped classroom where manual communication is the primary mode of communication for learning and social activity.

The child's parents and the school district must together make the best decision for each child individually (Goldstein 12). A child who is already mainstreamed in preschool can be expected to continue in a mainstream environment. The professionals who worked with the child and the child's parents are usually able to give a recommendation about the best placement for the child. The advantages of mainstreaming are that the child will be able to interact with his regular peer group. This is often the same group of children which live in the nei

. . .
ke adjustments to their teaching style to accommodate the learning styles of the student. With a hearing impaired student in the classroom, the teacher needs to be aware that she does not talk with her back to the class, should not cover her mouth area, she should use the board to illustrate, speak naturally, give preferential seating, keep the noise level as low as possible, include the hearing disabled children in class discussions, write down important vocabulary, and work effectively with any other professional support personnel that the child has especially including an interpreter (Fann 80). These needs of the deaf child are more difficult for some teachers to incorporate into their teaching style than for others. The willingness of the regular teacher to make the necessary changes and when necessary to have an interpreter in the class can mean the difference between success and failure in the class for the child. The use of an interpreter in the class can help the normal hearing children to accept the deaf student as just another child who speaks a different language (Bouvet 193). The deaf children were well received and accepted into the classroom. The hearing children were anxious to communicate with the hearing i
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hardin-Jones Davis, Total Communication, Act IDEA, Education Act, Sign Language, Classrooms Children, hearing impaired, deaf children, Teaching K-8, University Press, Hearing Research, hearing impaired children, impaired children, Mimi WheiPing, hearing disabled, language skills, english language, children hearing, deaf students, total communication, residential schools, language learning deafness, educated restrictive environment, children hearing impairments, hearing disabled student,
Approximate Word count = 1665
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Mainstreaming versus Self-Contained Classrooms