How do you eel about children with special needs being in the regular classroom with your child?

Question

Are you for it, against it, or does it really matter to you who is in your child's classroom? What degree of developmental delay do you think is too much to be in a regular classroom? If any.

Opal, I am sorry if I offended you w/ this question. It was not my intention. I'm a para educator (special ed). I agree w/Mrs. Behavior. It's not the special ed student interfering w/ the education of the general ed. child. I worry about the lack of things being taught to the special ed child. Now I believe this is for the very low children & not just the one being pulled out for 1/2 hr or so for some extra help. I have a 5th grader still having trouble adding simple problems like 7+8=15. Still he's in the classroom w/ the general class & I'm adapting the work to fit his needs. I can't pull him out & do work w/ him because I have 3 other students I need to work w/ & they need to be in the class. It's really hard. Again, I didn't mean to offend anyone. I have a cousin who feels strongly that her child should NOT share a classroom w/ a "slobbering kid that don't need to be in school in the 1st place." I don't agree w/ this statement AT ALL, but I realize this is how some feel?!?

Answer 1

I am for inclusion if done correctly. Unfortunately, most of the time, unless they are very disabled, there will not be enough support available to assist the child with learning. To me it isn't about the impact on the regular ed child, but on the special needs child. Often they are not getting the kind of instruction they need and can become behavior problems as a result.

Children, unlike adults are very accepting of children with special needs. It is very good for them to experience this side of life because they will never see it otherwise. They learn kindness and empathy as a result of being with special kids.

We have an autistic boy at our middle school who is included in reading, math and science. He is not socially "normal" at all, but his fellow students support him completely, which you wouldn't necessarily expect from middle school kids. They may be learning more about life and acceptance than he is about reading, science and math.

I don't think there is any degree of disability that would preclude a child from being in the regular classroom. It is all about support. If there isn't the support available to take care of the learning and behavioral needs of the child, then they probably shouldn't be in the class. Regular ed teachers have enough going on that they don't need to have to deal with unsupported kids, no matter what the disability.

Answer 2

As a special ed teacher, I agree with HS Teacher above that the ratio needs to be small or the entire class is affected in a negative way.

As a graduate student reading research articles, I see that there are benefits for both the high functioning students in the class and the special needs kids. Able students greatly benefit from peer mentoring, where they engage in "teaching" their peers. They must process the information more deeply in order to explain it to a student who doesn't get it. I see this occurring in the classroom regularly. Those students have wonderful relationships with disabled students and are great role models. They are not adversely affected because they gain so much in their giving.

As a parent, I know that special needs children taught my children to develop patience and compassion. I would only be concerned if the special needs children were students who did not have any cognitive problems but were emotionally or psychologically challenged. These students need an educational setting which supports their emotional needs and helps them modify behavior. They tend to be very disruptive, fight, and waste enormous amounts of time when placed in regular classrooms.

Answer 3

My daughters both have had friends with special needs. I have absolutely no problem with special needs kids in the classroom. There are a lot of regular ed kids that have behavior problems that are more disruptive. My girls learned a lot having friends with special needs. They are more accepting of others and more aware of the needs of others. They are better human beings because of their friendships with special needs kids. I am also affected by this because when I went back to work as my kids grew, I started out as a substitute teacher and eventually was hired as a full-time para-educator in special ed. While there are many frustrations, the small victories are so huge in the lives of these kids. Keep the kids in the classrooms, at least part of every school day! Even those with severe disabilities should be included.

Answer 4

I don't see anything wrong with it. All children have a right to an education and I reckon its discrimination otherwise. On the other hand I do understand that special needs student can make other students uncomfortable, but I believe it just opens thier mind to the fact that not everyone is the same. It may also focus most of the teachers attention to the child, leaving less attention for the other children, however I don' t think that overrides the need for equality.

Answer 5

As a teacher, I find that it can help the challenged but at the same rate the classes tend to be overly filled with special needs students to the point where there are no benefits for anyone rather a problem for regular ed students. It is fine and helpful as long as the ratio is very small. like 4:1 regular ed to special needs. Class numbers need to be small as well.

Answer 6

The degree of disability a person has does not exclude them from the right to an education. It is not a decision for you or anyone else here. It is the decision of the IEP team and the parent, and is based on the "needs and abilities" of the child. I know many special children and they behave better than most of the regular ed kids.

Answer 7

First let me sayI find the question to be rude and insensitive.

Second, it wouldn't matter it is the law. Not all children who have SE have a developmental delay, say for example a child who has dyslexia, he gets some accommodation maybe, and possibly some more specified teaching method for a time out side of the Classroom. To that I also say it teaches the children to be tollerant and sensitive to differences in others.
I think it is important the children in SE to be able to learn to function in real world settings, and their social emotional well being. I think your question implies that to be general ed is better. You might want to take a look at how many successful people are what would be labeled special ed before saying that they deserve less, it would probably get your question answered better.
Everyone wants what is best for their child, and I would say to teach tolerance and raising a child that has a better understanding of the differences people have would be an attribute I want my children to have.

Answer 8

I don't think its any of anyone's business. A child with special needs has a right to be in a regular classroom. Many have the same ability to learn as other kids but cannot speak, or see, or hear, and so on. They have a better chance learning with people with normal intelligence and their teachers. I don't see any reason why a person would have a problem with this. Unless they are prejudiced against disabled people.

Answer 9

A very interesting question, sometimes silence speaks more than words! I would be very interested in the views of parents of ordinary children. Sorry I cannot help my children have all left school. I do know parents who are very concerned particularly if the child with additional needs is aggressive towards their child. Quite often if this is the case the parent can be excluded by other parents. It is unfortunate that children who are not coping for a variety of reasons are suffering this level of stress. Unfortunately this can make inclusion a negative experience for all involved.

Answer 10

I think it is great for these children to be in class together. It develops an empathy within yor child for children with special needs. However I would say the main concern would be that this would be too taxing on the teacher's time. Are there helpers for these children? Your children need adequate time with the teacher as well. I have worked with children with developmental disabilities and I find them the warmest accepting children.