Effects of inclusion on the academic achievement and adaptive behaviour of children with intellectual disabilities.
Inclusive classrooms give kids with ID a small reading boost but no extra math or life-skills growth.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dessemontet et al. (2012) followed kids with intellectual disability for two years.
Some kids learned in regular classrooms. Others stayed in special schools.
The team checked reading, math, and daily-living skills each year.
What they found
Kids in inclusive rooms read a little better.
Math scores stayed the same in both groups.
Daily-living skills did not change either way.
How this fits with other research
Oh-Young et al. (2015) looked at 24 studies and found bigger academic and social gains in integrated rooms. Their wider lens shows stronger benefits than the small literacy edge seen here.
Miltenberger et al. (2013) studied Dutch kids with Down syndrome and also found better reading in regular schools, but the gain was larger. Same pattern, bigger effect.
Rattaz et al. (2026) tracked French kids with autism in inclusive rooms and saw clear gains in communication and daily-living skills. Sermier saw no adaptive boost for kids with ID, so diagnosis may change what inclusion can deliver.
Why it matters
For a child with ID, inclusion gives a light literacy lift and no harm. If reading is the top goal, push for the regular classroom. If daily-living skills are the priority, pick the setting that offers the best teaching, not the label on the door.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: While an extensive body of research has examined the outcomes of inclusion for pupils with special needs, in particular learning disabilities, its effects on the development of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been less explored. As inclusive practices tend to be more common for this group of children, it is important to acquire more knowledge on this issue. METHODS: A comparative study with an experimental group of 34 children with ID fully included in general education classrooms with support, and a control group of 34 comparable children in special schools has been conducted. The progress accomplished by these two groups in their academic achievement and adaptive behaviour has been compared over two school years. RESULTS: Included children made slightly more progress in literacy skills than children attending special schools. No differences were found between the progress of the two groups in mathematics and adaptive behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusive education is an appropriate educational option for primary pupils with ID who require extensive support in school.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2012 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01497.x