Do you feel that mainstreaming special education students helps or hinders the special education students?

Question

The trend for special education is to mainstream the special education students in with the regular students.

Do you feel this has been the right or wrong decision?

Answer 1

My response comes from two different places..

My response as the mother of a child with autism who has been both mainstreamed and in specialized placement is that, in my son's case, mainstreaming in a total disaster. My son is 10 years old. He works at the educational level of about a second grader. To put him into the appropraite class by his chronological age would be setting him up to fail educationally. To place him in with second graders would cause problems because of his sheer physical side. Add in the behvior and social issues that accompany his autism and he simply can not function, even with a dedicated aide, in a setting with so many other students and with a teacher who is not trained to work specifically with autistic children.

Speaking as a parent advocate, mainstreaming in a personal choice. Every child has the right to be in the least restrictive learning enviroment. However, many parents feel that their child should be mainstreamed with same aged children no matter what thier child's abilities or disabiities. When asked, my response is this....if your child can work in a setting with a large group of children, actively and appropriately participate (and by this I mean, take part in class projects and class work), can have the proper support in place to help accomodate the disabilities (dedicated aide, assistive technology, additional support for the classroom teacher) and do so without negatively impacting the ability for the other students to learn, than I fully support mainstreaming. I have seen children flourish in traditional classrooms when the correct support services are in place and the teacher is given the help she needs. However, I have also seen children with severe learning, developmental,emotional , behavioral and health issues mainstreamed into a class of 26 with disastorous results. The special education child exhibited behaviors that made it impossible for the teacher to contnue working with the other students when certain behaviors arose (seizures and behavioral outbursts are two examples). The end result of this was a classroom full of students who were hostile towards thier classmate, a teacher who was stressed from not being able to maintain the pace needed to meet her curriculum goals and a school administrator who is frustrated bynot being able to do what is in the best interest of all the children and the staff.

Generally, I encourage parents to attempt mainstreaming if they feel it is the best option. I also encourage them to keep an open mind about what may be the end results and being open to finding other options for educating thier special needs child. Often times, spending some of the day mainstreamed and some of the day in specialized classes is the best of both worlds!

Answer 2

It's a 50/50 thing for me. I worked with special ed students(in a separate class made solely for them) and i can definitely say that they need special attention and a lot of one on one time to be able attain the same education as other students. But on the other hand, if you throw them in with the other classmates, they get the social interaction that they wouldn't get in a special classroom which is just as important nowadays(to know how to socially interract).

Answer 3

I think that this was a very good decision. Special education students are still people too and I think they like the socialization. No matter what they cant be completely sheltered from everyday people so if you send them to school they will be used to it and probably be an active, contributing part of society.

Answer 4

omg special ed students get hell spoiled it soo unfair for us in mainstream we r the ones that deserve the extra schhol excursions/field trips not them they should be learning more nd us mainstream should be putting our pens down for a days break nd goin 2 excursions/field trips instead.