Is it just my community or....?

Question

does it seem that children in special ed tend to have more family/personal issues than children in regular classes?

I work in a low income community as a sped teacher. Even though my whole school is affected by certain negatives, it seems that the special ed population has more baggage than the other kids. It seems like there is even less parental involvement, instability, and drama among my group of special ed kids than I see in the regular population. And I'm speaking of a school in a very urban area. Is this the case in other places?

I am under the impression that a lot of well-heeled parents tend to be more active in the educational processes of their special ed kids.

Answer 1

I used to be in special ed, & on top of that, I was a foster child. My former foster mom hardly had any interaction with me. & if any interaction, it was BRUTALLY negative!

I had to deal with mental, physical, & emotional abuse in the home, & then when I got to school, I used to act out those behaviors to other students when I was in kindergarten & early elementary. I sought psychiatry all my life.

We special ed kids DO have it hard. Now, I'm 24, but as a kid, you know, they thought we were just being "bad" because we had behavioral problems.

Answer 2

I am a parent of special needs children. Most of the parents are involved even more than typical children's parents, at our school. I check in with my childrens' spec ed teachers daily. The typical teachers weekly.

I don't think they are not as involved, it is just noticed more because these children are normally in smaller classes. I know many typical parents that don't come to anything, but the classes are much bigger so nobody notices if a parent is missing from a large group.

Answer 3

its true

my opinion is that the "special" kids cause the family to go out of normality

do you know how much it costs to try to help those kids

( therapy, vitamins, drugs, schools, etc.)

Answer 4

Try reading, "The Language of Poverty," it will give you some insight into how poverty affects people.

Also, you are not looking at yourself when it comes to behavior control and discipline. Have you taught routines? Do you teach at the child's level? Do you do all whole group instruction (This causes many behavior problems). Do you give incentives for good behavior and do you teach behavior?

Kids who are not successful and and can't do the work will become very upset and resentful. They will act out. Before you start looking elsewhere, make sure you are doing everything you can do.

Answer 5

I am the mother of 2 special ed students. I have been there for them since they started school and I have fought  tooth and nail to get them the  proper teaching. My daughters have been bullied not only by their peers but their teachers as well. In a well to do upper class well known School District in the Bay Area

Whether it is a parent of a general or special ed student the decline in parental involvement is 10 fold. It is sad that parents now a days would rather party with their kids or pay them off to stay out of their hair, rather than actually be there for them.

Obviously the fact that these kids disabilities are related to drug usage says a lot in regards to the parents

In my case my daughters disabilities are due to being mildly autistic and legally blind in one eye and the other is due to the lack of oxygen she had at birth because the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck

NOT all disabilities are related to drug usage.

Answer 6

Many Special  Ed students have disabilities which affects the marriage. The divorce rate for parents of children with disabilities is quite high. Also there is the possibility that the disability was caused from drug or alcohol use which is baggage all in itself.

Answer 7

They are not able to hide the family issues as well...and you are more involved with them than a non special needs student...

Answer 8

Unfortunately, what I have seen is the special education abused in some sense in that non-disabled peers are referred for special education because they are slower- or different-learners.  With the testing requirements of No Child Left Behind, teachers often don't have time to teach using different methods according to the students needs as they have been able to do in the past.  Instead of developing programs to help the underlying problems of poverty, gangs, etc (which costs $$), students are often placed in Special Day Classrooms.

Minority and low-income students are referred at a much great rate, statistics show.  Students referred to special education regardless of socioeconomic status have parents that run the gamut of being completely hands-off to being fully involved in the child's education.  Parental involvement is imperative to the success of a student...especially when it comes to behavior issues.  

Kudos to you for having the heart and soul of doing such a demanding and often thankless job.  Sometimes it can be painful not to be able to help all kids.  You can be a catalyst for change by doing simple things....create a monthly support group meeting for all your parents so they get to know one another.  Having a special needs child is difficult and just being able to talk to someone that understands can mean so much.  Develop and build trust between you and the parents.  Say positive things about their child when the opportunity rises.  Especially at IEP meetings, parents hear all the negative things about their children.  

For all the little ones you cannot help due to family strife, research different programs in your community that might be of help.  This site may help:  www.yellowpagesforkids.com .  Invite a professional from these programs to your support group meetings.  Awareness is half the battle.  You cannot save every child even no matter how hard you try.  But you will save most.  Again, thank you for giving of yourself to make these childrens lives better.

Answer 9

i'm no special ed teacher or i do not have kids with special needs, but i'm guessing it just might be harder for them to be involved and they might be stressed and have a harder time helping their kids growing up if they have special needs.

Answer 10

You are showing a clear prejudicial judgment against those of less ability than yourself... Shame on you! You are the front line educator, if you don't see beyond the surface who will? It is MOST common for educators to assume that spec needs arise from poor parenting. Try to avoid stereotyping, please. Each case should be approached on an individual basis. It probably is a condition of your local area. Don't forget that the problems of the children also affect the parents, not only the other way around. Stress leads to many lessening conditions, don't add to theirs.

Answer 11

I am the director of a school for sped student who bring guns, weapons, or assult teachers/students.  I have found that many of my special education students also have parent with problems. If your parent was unsuccessful in school, there is no value in education.  Without education, there is no hope and poverty excells. Urban and rural areas of Louisiana have the same problems.  I don't know what the answer is. I just have to keep trying to get my students to reach their dreams.

Answer 12

When I taught at an inner city school, one thing I noticed right off was that many many of the sped kids were special because their parents were drug/alcohol abusers while pregnant.  That kind of predisposes them to having parents who aren't terribly concerned.  It just goes with the territory.

Answer 13

honey i think its you bring us all down man.