Toward a Responsible Reintegration of Behaviorally Disordered Students

Abstract

Few special education teachers, administrators, teacher-trainers, or researchers are satisfied with the frequency with which students with disabilities are transitioned into less restrictive educational settings. For many professionals the question is not whether these children should be prepared for reintegration, but how to do it in a responsible manner. Although recently some have suggested that large numbers of handicapped pupils, including those with behavioral disorders, may be moved en masse into less restrictive environments, such an idea currently lacks empirical validation. In this article an alternative strategy is described. Referred to as case-by-case reintegration, it was implemented as part of an investigation involving 20 children with behavioral disorders enrolled in a special school. Evaluative data tend to support its effectiveness. However, the authors were not permitted to randomly assign students to project and nonproject groups. This and other considerations render the findings suggestive at best, and compel the description of the investigation as “heuristic” rather than representing evidence of a tried and true technology for the integration of students with disabilities.