It’s not surprising that teachers are reported to be more apprehensive about students with severe disabilities than those with mild or moderate disabilities. The development of positive attitudes toward all students, irrespective of disability, should be a universal goal.
Methods and resource teachers are convinced that teachers need direct experience with integation in order for attitudes to change. They need to get to know the student and directly experience the benefits the student gets from integrated education:
One teacher who has a special needs student was really nervous and very uptight. Since it was his first year [with a student with challenging needs in his class] he depended on me almost one hundred per cent during the months of September and into October. But now he’is enjoying this student. He comes to me probably two or three times a week to ask a question, but he’s taken the student as one of his own and has done a lot more than I had even hoped. Experience does make a difference. They have to have a year under their belts before some of the fear is alleviated.
The acceptance of integration grows with experience, but it doesn’t eliminate teachers’ concerns about a number of very practical matters. One M&R teacher pointed out that teachers become more anxious and concerned about integration as classes increase in size. Teachers are also concerned about having students with severe behaviour problems in their classes. This includes students who are physically aggressive towards other students or the teacher and those who are selfabusive.
