Provide some opportunities for the student with intellectual disabilities to spend time with you doing what everyone else in the class is doing. At other times, the student may need to be pursuing his/her own goals. It takes time to work this out and to make sure that everyone in the class understands the need for flexibility.

• Look for opportunities to adapt class assignments so the student can fit in.
• Remember that all students have a need to fit in with their peers
• Give projects or assignments that allow the whole class to participate to the best of their abilities (e.g., open-ended science projects).
• Keep social goals for the student with special needs as a high priority and schedule many opportunities for the student to work along with the rest of the class in order to work toward these goals.
• Provide time for a variety of small group activities, with changing membership in the groups.

Look for every opportunity to increase independence:

• Teach the student how to organize work.
• Teach the other students in the class how to be supporters, not caregivers.
• Teach the student how to indicate when help is needed.
• Gradually reduce the extent of adult supervision.

Use the support systems available to you:

• Recognize that the student with special needs is only one member of your classroom. When you are spending too much extra time with the student, then you need to call on other people.
• Remember this child is not just your responsibility; use the team of professionals available to you.
• Use parents as powerful allies. They know their children well, and can provide some good ideas.
• Use the support staff in the school to help you with materials and programming.
• Call on school and district support teachers to help you turn the objectives into practice.
• Make efficient use of teacher assistants and peer helpers.