Inclusion in the Classroom

The class I am currently working in, there is mild inclusion taking place with two students.  My mentor teacher does a wonderful job including the student in the classroom, but places him in the back of the classroom with only one other student, while the other students are arranged with five or six student clusters.  There is a teacher aid that comes into the classroom to work with the students and verbally read out questions and help clarify any misunderstandings.  I asked the teacher if she had ever been in a "eligibility committee for the responsibly for a student before and after they were classified in special education."  This particular student does not like to stray from the school schedule and tends to act out when the day does not occur in the same manner.  The other students are not distracted by the one student and are actually encouraging of the one student.  I personally believe that the student with mild autism benefits from being in an inclusion room because of the interaction with other students.  The classroom as a whole also benefits from having the student with mild autism, because they are learning life skills of how to work together and become aware of being considerate of those around you.  The teachers in the fourth grade also benefit from having the student included in the classroom because they are forced to think of their traditional teaching in a different way and how to approach teaching with different learning strategies.