A mainstreamed child requires special attention. The rest of the class should be made aware that the extra tutor or aide is a responsible adult teacher and should be given the same respect that the main teacher deserves.
Mainstream children need to be dealt with patiently. They may not be as quick with an answer or a project as the other children. The children in the classroom may resent that the mainstreamed child is not expected to do everything the other children are required to do. The other children should be briefed ahead of time to understand what is happening.
Mainstreaming a child can slow down the rest of the class. A teacher will have to be very organized to manage activities at a rate the mainstreamed child can handle and yet not hold back the rest of the children.
Activities are designed to encourage children to accept and befriend the mainstreamed child. Read books such as A Kid Just Like Me or How One Little Dolphin Learned To Swim Again. These books make children aware that there are differences in all of us. Let children help the mainstream child when it is appropriate.
Mainstreaming has positive effects on the classroom. In all of life we are surrounded by people who have mental, physical, visual or hearing disabilities. Learning to deal with the limitations of others as a child in a classroom will be beneficial in later life experiences.
Mainstreaming a blind or deaf child will give the rest of the classroom children a chance to be helpful without being demeaning. The teacher and aide for the mainstream child will be able to guide the rest of the classroom in what is helpful behavior and what is not.