There are so many life lessons in the telenovela Jane the Virgin. The importance of inclusion is one that really spoke to me. When Jane's son Mateo was struggling at school, she was overwhelmed and uncertain about how to support him. Sound familiar?

Jane tried lectures, punishment, and prizes, and nothing worked. What Mateo really needed was understanding of his unique development and support to build on his strengths. In time, Jane learned that lectures don't lead to learning, punishment destroys trust, and connection and acceptance are the greatest prizes.

Jane was a true champion for Mateo! She hired a professional to work one on one with him at school, build on his strengths, and help him experience success. 

Inclusion support transformed overwhelm to order, bad reports to building rapport, and almost needing to leave the school to finding a sense of belonging!

Every child deserves a place in the circle, a friend for playtime, and the opportunity to learn how they learn best. Inclusion support makes this possible by helping children build meaningful relationships with teachers and peers, understand and follow directions, participate in group and individual activities, and be part of a learning community. 

I support inclusion by providing young children with diverse abilities specialized one on one support and small group enrichment in the classroom and beyond. My unique approach to inclusion helps not only the child, but also the whole class experience success! I build on children's strengths to support learning and build relationships with peers to support social skills. I tailor a variety of strategies including visuals, sensory input, movement, creative adaptations of learning activities, modeling of language and play in real social situations, and more to support children's belonging and success. 

Inclusion support is transformational! Here's how one family described their inclusion support experience: Rebecca has made a tremendous impact on our son’s life, as well as ours. Our son was struggling in preschool, and it was clear to us he needed extra guidance. Rebecca stepped in as his one-on-one classroom support, and he immediately became more comfortable at school. Rebecca also worked seamlessly with his other therapist to develop and implement strategies.”

Learn how inclusion support can help your little learner, family, and class transform overwhelm to order and uncertainty to hope at www.learnplaygrowconsulting.com/services. Join the Learn Play Grow newsletter to receive your FREE Power of Play Guide, and follow Learn Play Grow on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube.

Rebecca A. Weiner, M.Ed. Is a dynamic educator who is passionate about helping young children with diverse abilities, their families, and their teachers connect, communicate, and learn with confidence. She specializes in play-based enrichment, parent coaching, developmental and inclusion support, and consulting in schools.