Special Needs Students: The Impact on Other Students

Out of nearly 55 million students enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in America, over 6 million are registered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 1, 2 That means that more than one out of every ten students in American classrooms has a disability, ranging in severity from speech impediments to autism. With a ratio that high, the chances of a student never sharing a classroom with at least one student with a disability are next to nil. These two groups of students have various impacts on each other, both direct and indirect. The first time they meet a classmate with a disability must be somewhat strange for most students who do not have a disability. Most likely, this meeting will come at a young age. Perhaps the student will notice that there is something different about this new person, but not know what. Perhaps the student with the disability will sense the wariness and even disdain from the other student. At young ages children can tend to be both very accepting of others or very judgmental and cruel. The result of this initial meeting is up to the students in question. On the other hand, maybe the disability is not so obvious. Maybe the other students would never know except that the student suffering from the disability cannot join certain activities or consume certain foods. In these cases, teasing and isolation could become a big issue. Most of the effects students with disabilities have on students without them would appear to be indirect. An example of a direct effect would be a student with a condition like ADD or ADHD who releases his or her excess energy in a way that is distracting or even harmful to other children. Other less obvious effects may be felt as well. In some situations, a student with a disability may require increased contact or aid from a teacher, resulting in jealousy from other

students. Another example could be in a disability perceived as a weakness and keyed in on by other students as an outlet for feelings of unworthiness or low self-esteem, resulting in the disabled student being bullied.3 The students most affected by students with disabilities are the disabled students themselves. They must deal with lectures, textbooks, and homework as well as friendships and other social issues, and all in spite of a handicap that they did not ask for and do not understand. Whether in the sneers of classmates or in the exasperation of a frustrated teacher, almost all of these students will face feelings of rejection, isolation, and, ultimately, unworthiness. There is absolutely no reason for a student with a disability to ever feel like this. Most of them will go on to lead successful, normal lives. What they need in a school is a nurturing atmosphere that helps them understand that physical disability can affect their intrinsic value as a person, a human being. It is truly a shame that so few of these special students get the atmosphere that they deserve.

Works Cited
3

Flynt, Samuel W. Journal of Instructional Psychology. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCG/is_4_31/ai_n8590245

National Center for Education Statistics. Fast Facts. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=65

National Center for Education Statistics. Tables and Figures. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/minoritytrends/tables/table_8_1b.asp?referrer=report