"Some teachers and other staff members who work with young children bring to the early childhood classroom a 'fix-it' paradigm. When viewing a child with special needs, teachers see the child as being in need of fixing or making normal. The focus is on the problem or special need of the child that makes that child different from the majority of children in the classroom. Thus, the child who speaks a language other than English is seen as having a deficit in understanding the majority language. The child with a developmental delay is seen as requiring drill and practice to be caught up. The child with an attention deficit is seen as needing medication to correct the attention span. The child who is culturally different from the majority is seen as needing to be taught the mainstream culture.

In the past, this paradigm was strengthened when children with special needs were separated from other children and when the care and teaching of special-needs children was provided entirely by individuals with specialized training. Now that research has shown the benefits of acceptance of diversity in the school and inclusion of special-needs children in regular education classrooms, teachers and other staff sometimes have difficulty adjusting to the paradigm shift. When teachers who believe in the 'fix-it' paradigm are met with an increase in diversity in their classrooms, they sometimes express concern that they are unable to meet the child's needs or that having the child in a classroom designed for typically developing children denies the child the opportunity to get the problem fixed. They sometimes react with frustration or inappropriate teaching strategies.

Teachers and other staff members who are having difficulty understanding the change in their role are in need of support and training. Opportunities to learn about culture (beginning with their own culture) and then about the specific culture of the children in their classroom will assist them in responding to cultural differences. Learning about specific teaching strategies and understanding how to adapt and modify the curriculum for children with learning disabilities and developmental delays will help teachers build confidence in working with children with these needs. Learning behavior-management methods will enable teachers to better handle children with challenging behavior problems. Learning about community services and agencies accessible for children and families in poverty will reduce the frustration that teachers may feel when trying to support a child and family in crisis. The development of an interdisciplinary team can provide teachers with access to expert advice on special needs.

As teachers develop confidence in their ability to meet the needs of the children in the classroom, a paradigm shift may occur. The teacher's focus will shift away from fixing something that does not need fixing (such as speaking a language other than English in the home) or fixing something that cannot be fixed (such as a disability). The new focus will be on appreciating the similarities in children and seeing their growth and development on a continuum. Adaptation and movement of the child's learning along that continuum will become the appropriate response."