Should metally disabled students be mixed into regular classes?

Question

Throughout my education I have had challenged kids in my classes, French, P.E, Art, Science, etc.

I am not being rude, but all they do is slow down my learning by interrupting class in various ways.

Do you think handicapped kids should be mixed with normal kids?

Answer 1

Yes, they should be allowed in mainstream classes.  Learn the lesson now kid...it isn't always going to be about you and your needs.  Your not rude, just misinformed.  You really should go and help with a study hall for students whom have disabilities or volunteer somewhere.  Broaden your scope, colleges will love  (working with people who have disabilities) more than an A on your transcript in PE and Art.  Or, get wiser and take Advanced Placement classes then you may not have to worry about the interruptions as much, unless your the one interrupting.

Answer 2

I have been begging my son's IEP team to put him in a self-contained setting but because the government believes that children should be in the same setting, it holds back the individual needs that my child has. He is borderline bipolar, has nocturnal enuresis, ad/hd, OCD, ODD, and all that goes along with it.

I constantly get emails from his teachers about him disrupting class, walking out of class, not going to class, or stealing and being disrespectful. Before this school dropped his BIP, he had a good year but only because we allocated 300 minutes a week to individual instruction and 150 minutes of special ed in the general education setting. They took his BIP out, they changes his minutes to 450 every two weeks and my son doesnt know how to react except to act out. I believe being in a class with all the general ed students intimidates him and the only way he can take away from the fact that he doesnt know the information is to act out.

I think that some children do well in this enviornment but I also believe that this all should be determined on an individual basis instead of assuming that all children are the same because they are not. In addition, as i fight to reimplement his BIP and setting,in emails from his Social Studies teacher, I have learned that he is not even qualified to teach my child and says "I dont know what to do with them". If the children are going to be in this general education classes than they should atleast have some training about the abilities of these children so they are not overwhelming them.

Answer 3

No.  Classes fare better if they are composed of students with similar learning aptitudes.

You're right; slower students will bog down more advanced students.  Or they will be 'left behind' if the teacher focuses on the advanced students.

Answer 4

Yes, absolutely. Your life my be inconvenienced somewhat by having them in your classes, but you need to realize that they will be inconvenienced for their whole lives by their disability. If you didn't have them in your class, you would never have realized how hard it is to be handicapped.

Instead of worrying about your own learning so much, perhaps you can learn something else by helping them out. You may find that you have compassion and empathy hidden somewhere inside yourself.

Disabled kids are part of the texture and complexity of your school. They have the legal right to be placed in the least restrictive environment and to enjoy some of the freedoms that you currently enjoy.  Try to remember the life these kids will have compared to yours. They probably will never drive a car, live independently or go to college and have economic stability. Please give them this one little thing without resentment.

Answer 5

I think that all children should be homeschooled. The public education system is not concerned with the quality of education being given to our children.

Answer 6

Let me say as a parent of three children with autism, I hope, with your attitude, you don't teach at our school.

Answer 7

YES! YES! YES!! Believe it or not these kids are learning things from you and your peers. And in turn you are learning from them. You are learning how to accept others with differences and disabilities. Just because someone has a disability does not mean that they should be segregated from society. They have the same right that all of us do, to be treated with respect and fairly.

Answer 8

Having handicapped children in a class is an education in and of itself. It is a learning process for students that reveals the real people and the phony people of the class. Those who attend and assist gain an intangible  understanding that bestows upon them an ability to move ahead and comprehend lessons more readily.

Proverbs 11:25 in an abstract way summarizes:

Be generous and you will be prosperous. Help others and you will be helped. If in doubt, work as a summer-camp counselor for the physically and mentally challenged. It will afford a new World's view [Weltanschauung].

What do they think of your interruptions? Speaking of the disabled, I think you meant, "mentally." Your lack of spelling slowed me down a bit. I had to go back and re-read your question for coherence.  8o) But I am not complaining as I have helped your spelling. You're welcome.

Answer 9

no.. they shudn't ..

firstly they might get teased..

second..they might slow down others

they might not pass

they might be a hinderence and so on

so its better to have a seperate thing for them.. (skool)

Answer 10

Kids that are disruptive over a long period of time... absolutely not.  For classes like PE and art, perhaps we should be a little more accepting than say science.   Classes with special needs children, the classes should be significantly smaller.  Reducing a class by student or two isn't enough!

Answer 11

They absolutely should. Mainstreaming mentally handicapped kids has shown in multiple studies to be beneficial to both the handicapped as well as the neurotypical children. The handicapped children are given the opportunity to actually be challenged and introduced to a situation much like one they will face as adults in society- living among neurotypical people and functioning. If you had a child that was disabled, I bet you'd feel differently about them being discriminated against. They deserve the same education as any other child, and they should not ever be segregated because they are different. I don't buy the argument that they should be separated from the non-handicapped kids and given a different education. You know what that's called? "Separate but equal."

As for the neurotypical kids- they learn valuable lessons about acceptance, tolerance, and that some people are different from them, but not lesser human beings. Once they have a chance to interact with mentally handicapped children they often come away with positive views, able to understand how they are kids just like them who think differently than they do. It is so unbelievable important to introduce them to these concepts young before they grow up only knowing prejudices and stereotypes- not just about the handicapped, but about all people who aren't exactly the same as them.

As for slowing your teaching down, well, think about it. Not to imply in any way that P.E., French, etc. aren't important things for the kids to be learning, but it's not like they won't have plenty of opportunity to learn those things. Occasional interruptions may happen and that's just a necessity of the mainstreaming process, but at worst it will just slow the daily lesson down a few minutes. This may be an annoyance at the time, but the lesson of acceptance that the children learn from interacting with the mentally handicapped kids is priceless and will last lifelong.

It undoubtedly takes patience, but I believe that it is worth it and even necessary.

Answer 12

It definately depends. If they are the ones who are intellectually disabled (mentally retarded) or have oppositional behavior then they do not belong in a normal ed setting. The MR usually hinder the teacher from getting on with the lesson bu constantly stopping to help them. The ones with ADHD, ODD, or behavioral problems disrupt the class and make it hard for others to learn. They should all be placed in a special ed classroom where there are specially trained teachers and aides who deal with that c**p.

The kids who are of average intelligence but just have anxiety or depression usually do not interfere with regular classes. They do have mental problems, it's just theyre problems arent so bad that they actually need a special class. They are the ones who are always misunderstood because everyone thinks that just because theyre depressed they must need to be in a some special class with kids who have much more severe problems. They actually dont need it. As long as they dont act inappropriate or hold up the class they are fine in a regular ed setting.

Answer 13

It all depends on the indivdual child, what their needs are, their capablitiy, and the class they are mainstreamed in. What this is called is "Inclusion". I definately think it is benifitial when children are younger to be exposed to other children who are different than them. It becomes a big problem though during the highschool years when the mental capacity may be cause for concern. I feel that if the pros outweigh the cons, than it is good for that child. Sometimes it just is best to have specialized classrooms that can be more focused on the children's education. I think there definately needs to be more ways of socializing with mainstream children though.

Answer 14

no they need special attention and need to be catered too...i think special needs kids in a regular school is disastrious

Answer 15

mainstreaming and inclusion is wonderful if done properly. It helps both the special ed as well as the regular ed student.

It doesnt "hold back" the regular ed student, being that normally the special ed student has a teacher/aide with them, assisting them in the work and adapting the work.  Or if they are very severe then they can do their own work.

Also, for FMD children with alternative portfolios, they are required to have work done in a reg ed classroom.

The "normal" kids should be called regular ed.