A Comprehensive Analysis of Inclusive Education in Early Childhood

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of inclusive education, focusing on its significance in early childhood settings. It defines inclusive education as a practice that embraces diversity and promotes a collaborative learning environment for children of all backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles. The paper emphasizes the importance of key features such as educator acceptance, classroom design, and individualized planning to ensure successful implementation. It explores strategies like universal design principles, varied instructional formats, and the establishment of anti-bullying policies. The essay highlights the advantages of inclusive education, including increased cultural diversity, improved social-emotional development, and enhanced teamwork. The role of the school and teachers is also discussed, along with strategies like peer support and the buddy system. The paper concludes by underscoring the long-term benefits of inclusive education in fostering a more accepting and equitable society, stressing the need for continued support and commitment from schools and educators to create inclusive learning environments. The provided references support the arguments made throughout the essay, offering a wide range of research on the topic.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD
Early childhood
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1EARLY CHILDHOOD
Inclusive education is the way of education that does not discriminate in the process
of imparting education. It encourages children to come together to acquire knowledge and
education in the same classroom. Inclusive education does not discriminate based on caste,
creed, sex or race. It encourages diversity in education and promotes a friendly environment
(Mitchell, 2015). Children from different backgrounds, physical abilities, mental capacity,
and different learning styles, come together, developing the environment of the classroom.
Inclusive education helps in the community to come together. It has various importance in the
life of the children especially if incorporated in early childhood. Inclusive education ensures
quality education for the entire student. It provides an effective way of education and ensures
diverse needs such as responsive, accepting, and respectful support is provided. Students
participate in the education program that helps in the diminishing of the barriers and obstacles
that may lead to exclusion (Vickerman & Maher, 2018). This paper has an elaborate
description of inclusive education, its impact on the children and its importance in the
curriculum.
Inclusive education can be successful with the inclusion of key features that helps in
the development of education. It is important that the educator, as well as the institution, must
accept all types of children, and there should not be any discrimination against any child. The
teacher, children, and classroom should be provided with the requirement to increase
participation. Both the parents and teacher must keep a high expectation from the children. In
inclusive education, the needs of the children vary. Hence, there must a plan developed for
every individual child. The educator must find ways in which every child can learn instead of
the reason why the child is unable to learn (Moriña, 2017). The classroom and school must be
designed in a way that encourages inclusive education. There must be a time table developed
that will enhance the quality of the education provided. A strong leader that can develop
inclusion in the school, thus it is important that the administrator must be a strong leader.

2EARLY CHILDHOOD
The goals help in the development of inclusive education and ensure that the
organization has opportunities to achieve the objectives with potential. There must be goals,
beliefs, and values incorporated for better delivering of education (Mangunsong et al., 2016).
Hence, inclusive education has the goals and beliefs that improve the quality of learning. It
ensures that every child learns and achieves opportunities with effective learning and
appropriate resources. There will be programs arranged to identify the needs of an individual
and ensure to meet their needs within the school community. The program must address the
learning, communication, intellectual, social, emotional and physical aspects of child
development. The parents are a key factor in the life of the children in providing information
to the child (Black-Hawkins, Florian & Rouse, 2016). Every child must be provided with
equal opportunities for exploring their future. They must be provided with opportunities to
participate in every aspect of the school. The program that will be held in the school must be
based on teamwork. This helps in the development of teamwork encouraging sharing and
friendship among the children. There must be a balance between individual and group in the
classroom for better decision-making and programming. In inclusion, there must be
awareness and support on behalf of the school. The school must encourage diverse learning
that will help in the binding of the community together.
Inclusive education ensures an effective common learning environment with enabling
full participation of students in the learning environment with their peers in a chosen
educational area and ensuring a positive climate for the promotion of a sense of belonging for
progress in personal, social and emotional goals (Tzivinikou, 2015). It also ensures that the
child is provided with adequate study materials for better learning. Inclusive education is very
effective as it diminishes the community gap among people encouraging development in the
environment and progress learning. It increases community culture and ethics. Moreover, it
helps in learning to respect every culture and religion.

3EARLY CHILDHOOD
In inclusive education, the school and the educator plays a vital role in making it
successful. The school must have an infrastructure depending on the accommodation and the
types of learners. The issue of indiscipline can be brought down by planning large rooms and
attached playgrounds as the pent up emotion of the children can be easily released in the large
classrooms and playgrounds (Thorius, 2016). The teachers must be well qualified and trained
in various teaching strategies to meet the needs of the variety of children present in the
classroom. For instance, there will be children who will be a slow learner or physically
disable, hence, the teacher must have the knowledge as well as training that will help in
providing equal importance to every child. The teacher must be compassion towards the
children and must know the techniques and ways of handling different children in different
ways. The school must also try to provide the children with their basic needs to improve the
way of learning and communication in the same community. Moreover, the teachers and
school can encourage “Peer strategy” and “Buddy system” this will help the children help
each other developing learning transactions.
Quality education is an important part of the passage of time. The parents in the 21st
century are very busy in their works and duties; hence, providing quality education to the
children is only possible from the schools. Introduction of inclusive education in school
require various knowledge of the institution and many policies helps in the establishment of
inclusive education. Inclusive education in a significant way differs from the following
approaches and practices (Tiwari, Das & Sharma, 2015). Firstly, Integration: Children are
placed in the same class of the same age yet there are differences in the learning and the
process of understanding. Hence, there must be trained teachers and facilities to provide the
child with their requirements. Secondly, to meet their needs, the students are segregated for
providing better needs to the children. Thirdly is the exclusion where the children are unable
to access any form of education.

4EARLY CHILDHOOD
To establish a successful inclusive education, several strategies help the educator to meet the
goals of inclusive education. Use of universal design principles for creating an accessible
classroom. The Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles that have been developed
for providing students with equal opportunities to learn in a unique way (Hornby, 2015).
There are three main principles developed by the Universal Design for Learning for
providing better education to the children in inclusive education. Firstly, representation
secondly, action and expression and finally engagement. These are the three principles that
help in the strategizing of inclusive education. The inclusive education can also be improved
with the use of varieties of instructional formats as in an inclusive classroom there are
students of various learning abilities, use of verities of instructional formats will help in better
learning (Hardy & Woodcock, 2015). For developing the learning process of the children, it
is important to know the student's IEP or 504 plan. The educator can also create a
management plan for better managing the classroom and providing the children with all their
needs for enhanced learning. The teacher can also use resources that help in better
deliverance and understanding of the chapter.
In inclusive education, there has been a crucial step taken by the legislation wherein the child
will not be allowed to punish at any situation. This policy has been implemented and taken
very seriously in institutions encouraging inclusive education as it has been found from the
survey that children are badly affected with punishment (Ware, 2018). This decreases the
confidence level of the children shaking the growth and the ability to speak up. There is also
an anti-ragging or anti-bullying policy established wherein no child could bully or rag
another child for fun. The institution must ensure that there is no hampering or distortion of
the policies inside the premises. The department looking after the aspect of inclusive
education has clearly stated that any negligible act found that has been promoting bullying

5EARLY CHILDHOOD
will be penalized. Inclusive education, in other words, can also be said in the process of
learning while playing.
Inclusive education has numerous advantages in the life of a person. It teaches the
child to respect every individual in the community as well as respect their thoughts and
decisions (Slee, 2018). There will be an increase in patience, compassion, as well as
tolerance, increasing the emotional quotient. The child learns about the strengths and
weaknesses of themselves and their peers. It also helps in accepting the strengths and
weaknesses. It encourages helping their peer increasing bond and friendship for a lifetime
(Armstrong, Armstrong & Barton, 2016). It increases the cultural diversity in the classroom
and society. This helps in the development of playing, growing, learning and being together
in a diverse community. Inclusive education also encourages teamwork and collaboration in
the school (O'Hanlon, 2017). It provides a better opportunity to learn and motivate learning.
Successful inclusion helps in developing individual strengths. Parents’ involvement is being
encouraged in inclusive education.
The concept of inclusive education is not confined to the classroom and school. It has
brought various changes in the life of the children and helped in the growth as an adult. It
helps in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each other. It included the ability to
adjust and respect the decision of others in a community. In help in developing a better
community. The paper has been provided with adequate information that helps in developing
inclusion in the curriculum. With inclusion, the children learn sharing and relationship
development that is beneficial in life to be a better person. It also makes the child aware of
the problems that he or she may face and the solution as well to the problem. There is a
growth in the emotional intelligence of the child with inclusion education. Inclusion
education should be prioritized as it helps in cultural diversity in the community increasing
the values and beliefs. However, inclusion can be successfully carried only with the help of

6EARLY CHILDHOOD
the school and teachers. They must establish a school with no discrimination and must ensure
equal learning regardless of race, caste, creed, and religion.

7EARLY CHILDHOOD
Reference list
Armstrong, F., Armstrong, D., & Barton, L. (2016). Inclusive education: Policy, contexts and
comparative perspectives. Routledge.
Black-Hawkins, K., Florian, L., & Rouse, M. (2016). Achievement and inclusion in schools.
Hardy, I., & Woodcock, S. (2015). Inclusive education policies: Discourses of difference,
diversity and deficit. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(2), 141-164.
Hornby, G. (2015). Inclusive special education: development of a new theory for the
education of children with special educational needs and disabilities. British Journal
of Special Education, 42(3), 234-256.
Kurniawati, F., De Boer, A. A., Minnaert, A. E. M. G., & Mangunsong, F. (2016). Teachers’
attitudes and their teaching strategies in inclusive classrooms. Teachers’ attitudes,
knowledge, and teaching strategies towards students with special educational needs
in primary inclusive education in Indonesia, 23, 1-18.
Mitchell, D. (2015). Inclusive education is a multi-faceted concept. CEPS Journal, 5(1), 9-
30.
Moriña, A. (2017). Inclusive education in higher education: challenges and opportunities.
European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(1), 3-17.
O'Hanlon, C. (2017). Inclusive education in Europe. Routledge.
Slee, R. (2018). Inclusive education: From policy to school implementation. In Towards
inclusive schools? (pp. 30-41). Routledge.
Thorius, K. A. (2016). Stimulating tensions in special education teachers' figured world: An
approach toward inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education,
20(12), 1326-1343.
Tiwari, A., Das, A., & Sharma, M. (2015). Inclusive education a “rhetoric” or “reality”?
Teachers' perspectives and beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 128-136.

8EARLY CHILDHOOD
Tzivinikou, S. (2015). Collaboration between general and special education teachers:
Developing co-teaching skills in heterogeneous classes. Problems of Education in the
21st Century, 64, 108-119.
Vickerman, P., & Maher, A. (2018). Teaching physical education to children with special
educational needs and disabilities. Routledge.
Ware, L. (2018). The aftermath of the articulate debate: the invention of inclusive education.
In Towards inclusive schools? (pp. 127-146). Routledge.