I know some will be offended by my use of the word "normal" but my best friend's son has autism and like she says, he isn't "normal" and no amount of political correctness is going to change that. She is upset because he starts kindergarten next year and he will be put in a mainstream classroom and she doesn't want him to be. She would like him to be in a more specialized class, with teachers who have specialized training and she is afraid that he will be made fun of and won't get the kind of education he needs. On the flip side, my son has a little girl in his class with something on the autism spectrum. I observed the class one day (I was staying to help with a party) and his teacher couldn't even finish reading a book to the class because she was constantly having to stop and refocus this little girl. Is it fair to the other children or the teachers to have this kind of constant disruption? What are some solutions? It is on the rise, something has to be figured out.
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