A major tent of IDEA was for educators to provide a range of services for students with disabilities that included a variety of options tailored to the specific needs of the students. This service delivery model could include full time placement in the general education classroom to specialized residential programs. The key point of IDEA was that the full range of services had to be considered with a focus on including the student in the general education classroom to the maximum extent possible.

The focus on the general education classroom is often referred to as inclusion. In the instance of “full inclusion” the student is receiving 100% of their education support in the general education classroom. The idea of “full inclusion” as led to a great deal of disagreement in and outside of the field of special education. There are valid points from both perspectives. This section will focus on the continuum of services and the potential advantages and disadvantages.

In Chapter 1 of your e-text, watch the video on examples of the types of services offered in special education. Select one of the types of student services and discuss your thoughts or ideas about how you provide those services to students with disabilities and the challenges that may exist. Make sure you are logged in with your Disqus user ID and post below.