Correspondence: Professor Karola Dillenburger, School of Education, Queen’ s University Belfast, 69 University Street, Belfast BT7 1HL, Northern Ireland. E-mail: k.dillenburger@qub.ac.uk Introduction Parents and educationalists across the globe have been worried for a very long time that education systems fail many pupils, particularly those with intellectual or developmental disability (Farber, 1991; Lamb, 2009; Severinsk, 1992; Skinner, 1984;). These chil- dren are more likely to be absent or excluded from school, commonly achieve less well academically, and progress more slowly than their typically developing peers. Once they leave school they are more likely to be excluded from further education, employment, or training (Salt, 2010). It has been said that most of these children simply need better teaching (Office for Standards in Education, Children’ s Services and Skills [Ofsted], 2010) and consequently, it could be argued, that the main problem lies in the disability of teachers to teach rather than a disability of pupils to learn. Watkins (1997) pointed out Our ability to improve schools depends on our com- mitment to identifying, analyzing, and disseminating effective instructional methods and our determination to create the schools our children deserve. (p. iv) Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) provides the scientific and theoretical basis for child-centred ped- agogy ( Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis [JABA], 1988; Larsson, 2005). Yet despite some notable exceptions, for example, Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading (DISTAR; Englemann, 1968; Kim & Axelrod, 2005), or positive behaviour support models (Johnston, Foxx, Jacobson, Green, & Mulick, 2006), ABA has not been utilised comprehensively across the education system. One exception is the education for children diag- nosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over the past four decades, behaviour analysis-based pedagogy has been applied systematically and successfully with these students (Dawson, 2008; Dillenburger & Keenan, 2009; Maurice, Green, & Luce, 1996). Despite the ever-expanding evidence base of the utility of ABA-based pedagogy for chil- dren with ASD (Kuppens & Onghena, 2012), there are obstacles preventing the uptake for neurotypical children and children with intellectual and develop- mental disability. These obstacles are discussed in this paper and it is argued that in order to tackle the Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, June 2012; 37(2): 169–180 ISSN 1366-8250 print/ISSN 1469-9532 online © 2012 Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability, Inc. DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2012.685705 CONCEPTUAL PAPER Why reinvent the wheel? A behaviour analyst’ s reflections on pedagogy for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disability KAROLA DILLENBURGER Queen’ s University Belfast, Northern Ireland Abstract The number of children identified as having intellectual or developmental disability is rising worldwide and their education has been found wanting. It has been said that “they simply need better teaching. ” At the same time, there is an increasing evidence base that pedagogy that is based on the discipline of behaviour analysis offers the best prospect for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. On the basis of this evidence, it is proposed that behaviour analysis should be applied more broadly to improve teaching for all children with intellectual or developmental disability. Keywords: pedagogy, behaviour analysis, autism, inclusion, developmental disability, intellectual disability, applied behaviour analysis J Intellect Dev Dis Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 90.207.46.26 on 05/08/12 For personal use only.