The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of Chapter 5 of the following book:
Friend, M. & Bursuck, W. (2005). Including students with special needs: A practical guide for classroom teachers. (4th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
The presented summary covers the essential topics that were discussed in the chapter as well as the primary points that were made concerning these topics.
This chapter of the text examined instructional classroom adaptations and accommodations required for students with special needs in order to meet IDEA requirements and improve these studentsÆ learning experience. The focus at the beginning of the chapter was on delineating and discussing the INCLUDE strategy which holds that careful examination and analysis of studentsÆ learning needs and classroom environment demands leads to reasonable accommodations and adaptations. These accommodations and adaptations, in turn, were said to result in the facilitation of learning via an enhancement of the interaction between special needs students and the instructional environment.
After a brief description and discussion of the major assumptions of the INCLUDE strategy, the chapter went on to list and discuss each of the seven steps that comprise the strategy. These seven steps are:
1. Identify environmental, curricular, and instructional classroom demands.
2. Note student learning strengths and needs.
3. Check for potential areas of student success.
4. Look for potential problem areas.
5. Use information gathered to brainstorm instructional adaptations.
6. Decide which adaptations to implement.
Each of these steps is thoroughly explicated in the chapter. Also, the information is made more understandable by the use of examples.
Following the discussion of the seven basic steps that comprise the INCLUDE strategy, the chapter presented a discussion of how teachers can proceed to organize the inclusive clas
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