Chelie, from Raintree replied:
It is in the "little" things that the benefits of inclusion are noticed. Children eating together at lunch, playing outside or at a center together, walking in the class line, walking to the bus by themselves. These are "little" skills that children learn, at school, yet children in special education classrooms don't always have the opportunity to learn.

It is also in the "academic" areas that children benefit. Children receiving special education services have the opportunity to experience the regular education curriculum in a way that is adapted or modified for their needs. Sometimes this is in the form of an adaptation just for the child (matching letters in an activity instead of writing them), or sometimes it is a change for the whole class (using a teaching strategy or curriculum that will benefit all students). I know a kindergartner who was receiving ECSE services and learned to write his name, because he was motivated to do what his peers were doing. His ECSE Teacher would not have picked this task as an appropriate activity at the time, yet worked with him on writing his name because of his internal motivation to learn.

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