A wrap-around approach emphasizes solving the child's problems within his natural environment. Levy and Washington (in Lombardi's book) emphasize that collaboration is essential. They describe a school in Brooklyn that has made true collaboration between special education staff and general education staff a priority, blocking out time for staff to communicate with each other. They have also broadened their definition of communication, realizing that sometimes people will not be able to meet face-to-face, using phones and email to augment communication.

Fred West, in the same book, looks at the issue of the instructional decisions that must be made for successful inclusion. Full inclusion means the same education other children get to the fullest extent possible. This means that children with emotional or behavioral problems are students with diagnoses. Their needs are exceptional and will require that their instruction be carefully considered. West suggests systematic analysis regarding the academic support needed by an included student. One of those systems is called the "ACID" test, for "Analysis of Classroom and Instructional Demands" (p. 35). He also recommends talking about specific student needs using questions rather than statements, because open-ended questions facilitate discussion while statements may sound final, permanent and correct. Thus a team might ask "Why did Joshua lose his temper during math?" rather than stating "Joshua lost his temper in math because it got...

So, his "Level 1" looks at what the child can learn just as well as anyone else in the room; the next levels reflect growing levels of modification; and it ends with Level 7, where instruction in the regular classroom is inappropriate for that child and alternate ways to instruct must be considered. By taking these approaches, West provides a framework school staff and parents can use when deciding how to best help an included child.
West also notes that it can be difficult for a team to remain consistent in its approach to a child over time, and provides a list of possible causes for such inconsistency. Approaches such as West's can be of great benefit to staff working in an inclusive setting. He provides clear frameworks for decision-making.

Inclusion can present problems for any child, but for the child with emotional problems, the solutions may require careful analysis. A school with systematic approaches to problem-solving may be more successful when including such students in regular education.

Bibliography

Lombardi, Thomas P., Ed. Inclusion: Policy and Practice. Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1999.

Stahl, Joe. "Inclusion: What Can Teachers Do?" Academic Exchange Quarterly; September.

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