Inclusion and Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Summary This article presents a point/counterpoint approach to the issue of full inclusion of all students with emotional/behavioral disorders. To set the stage for the discussion that follows, the academic, social, and behavioral characteristics of these students pertinent to classroom performance are reviewed. The pros and cons of these four issues are then presented: (a) appropriateness of the general education curriculum for students with EBD; (b) social acceptance and other social competence issues; (c) mental health interventions and supports in general education settings; and (d) legality of full inclusion. Under the legality issue, case law on full inclusion pertaining to students with EBD is briefly reviewed. The basic premise of the authors who are full inclusion opponents is that a continuum of placements, including full-time placement in general education classrooms, should be preserved so that decisions about appropriate settings can be made on an individual basis. The basic premise of the author who is a full inclusion proponent is that, rather than maintaining two separate systems, we should direct our energies toward correcting the inadequacies of the general education classroom for the benefit of all students, including those with EBD.