Psycho Social Perspectives on Support for Children with Special Needs in Inclusive Education

Inclusion of children with special needs with normal children is the provision of least restrictive environment for the differently abled children. This approach helps the differently abled children to grow and develop like normal children. It promotes healthy social relationships between normal and differently abled children and provides equal educational opportunity. It enhances special needs children's growth and development on par with their normal peers. This study aimed at analyse the nature of support services received by children with special needs, intervention facilitated by the schools for enriching the learning environment for CWSN and positive influence of inclusive education for CWSN. The universe of the present study includes all the 191 Government primary schools in 15 blocks of Tiruchirappalli District. From this sampling frame, the researcher selected 4 schools from each block using stratified disproportionate random sampling method.689 children with special needs are studying in the selected schools. The sample taken for analysis consisted of 300 children with special needs. Out of 60 schools, the researcher selected five children with special needs from each school through stratified disproportionate random sampling method. The study emphasized that promotion of positive attitude towards the differently abled develops healthy social relationships among individuals. Integration helps to raise the differently abled children's standard of living and prepares them to live independently. It reduces psychological problems of disabled children. Basic readiness skills are required to integrate special needs children more effectively. Special and regular school teachers require multi-talents and play diversified roles to handle these children. The researcher also suggests the fact that successful promotion of integration for the children with special needs is achieved certainly if the teachers possess the aforesaid components. Integration warrants whole school approach in which teacher plays a vital role. In an effective inclusive setting, every child will be able to dream his/her own vision of the future and develop abilities to actualize it. The inclusive setting not only increases the involvement of children, but enriches their learning potential. It emphasizes that the child is a human resource in the learning process. The paradigm shift from ?child as a student? to ?child as a human resource? paves the way for a comprehensive and inclusive setting, where every child is treated as special and the teacher becomes a facilitator of learning.