Adjusting to School

Integration is promoted because (1) evaluation studies show no educational benefit for segregating the handicapped and significant benefits for integrating them; (2) there is a growing awareness of human rights, including the rights of the retarded to a 'normal' environment; (3) a trend-setting law in the USA requires all children with handicaps to be educated in the 'least restrictive environment'; and ( 4) early intervention programmes which alleviate the effects of progressive retardation (by providing children who have developmental delays with structured teaching in language, cognitive, physical and social skills) enable them to profit from regular school attendance. The Down's Syndrome children in the present study had taken part in an early intervention programme since birth. They possessed skills which resembled those of their non-retarded peers during infancy and preschool, therefore it seemed likely that they should derive greater benefit from placement in regular classes than in special classes.