Mainstream vs. Special Ed

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I've read it's best to mainstream as much as possible, but I can also see the benefits of a smaller special ed class if too many people at once is overstimulating. What are the thoughts of others here?

I did special Ed after four years of mainstream primary school (eight years of primary in total in my country)

It worked for me to be in a class of fifteen instead of thirty plus. More attention, better grades.

In my experience it works for some, but not for all.

Depends TOTALLY on the situation.

I would not have benefited from special education - although I may have benefited from specialist support of some kind, or at least for teachers to understand my needs. If you haven't already I love reading stark. raving. mad. mommy. and her take on such things - http://www.starkravingmadmommy.com

I agree with Bloodheart, it really DOES depend on the situation. If you're considering on special ed, ask them:

* what their student/staff ratio is
* where the majority of their students are at, developmentally
* how inclusive/exclusive their program is
* school's reputation with regards to special needs children and how issues around that are dealt
* what experience the special ed teacher has had and how long they've been working in the program and how long their thinking of working in it (it DOES make a difference)
* ages/grades of the students in the class

I've worked in special ed and these questions are really important to know, even though each child will be on an individual plan.

Thank you for your responses. I am also considering simply keeping my child home and only taking her in for the therapies she needs. This is all so, so hard....trying to decide what is best.

It's also important to find out what options the school can provide. If it's SpED or nothing, er.... We lucked out. The school my son goes to keeps him in mainstream classes, and pulls him out for SpED counseling and classes as-needed. This has been a really good mix for him. (FOR HIM... I agree that it depends entirely on the individual, the situation, the school's offerings, etc.) We lucked out big time. My son's school is willing to throw all kinds of resources his way. The results so far have been fantastic.

Most schools offer resources.. you just have to know what they are and ask for them. Keeping your child at home might hinder his social development. Just throwing it out there..

I have chosen a small local school and my son will get a one on one support worker given by the government because it is cheeper then special ed. He will only go to school 3 days and i will home school the rest.

The rules depend upon where you live but I have always homeschooled my daughter and now that we are both working outside of the home she goes to another homeschool family and does her school there. She is in a small group with 3 other children. Some benefits here other than the small group and the more relaxed environment is that I have more say. I can say.. this assignment or deadline is a problem.. or what ever I want done differently if I see a need for some changes. Of course it is a give and take but I know you do not have this kind of input within the school system. Of course.. it's not free either though I feel it's worth it.

We just had our first meeting and are currently leaning towards the special ed classroom. It's preschool, so we're hoping the small boost at the beginning will help her when she goes to kindergarten.

Asked the major questions....will she be forced to make eye contact (no), will ABA be used (to a degree, such as stickers) and if so, would adversives be used (no), and would stimulatory behavior be discouraged. They said they do try to redirect some stims which could interfere with other students, such as if she's flapping she could hit other kids. That seemed a little odd to me since her flapping no where near endangers anybody else. They said they would try to redirect instead of just simply telling them to stop, they can't flap.

There were a lot of good things. The special ed classroom has magnetic covers for the florescent lights and each classroom has a safe spot the kiddies can go to relax. The speech therapy seems like it would help my baby with some of her frustrations as most of her language is echolalia and scripting.

The special ed class seems much smaller and less stimulating. 3 to 4 kids in the classroom vs 15 seems like a better fit for my baby girl since she doesn't do well with kids running and screaming.

So much to think about....

Special ED worked better for me than mainstream. I hated being around 30 kids.

My daughter has her challenging subjects in the spec ed room as well as test taking. She needs the quiet and control to remain focused. She also needs assistance because of a writing disability. With the assistance she is doing very well. But 80% of her school week is spent in mainstream. My daughter does not have alot of sensory issues - her greatest challenges are social skills - so this works for her.

From my experience I'd suggest you let your IEP intervention team help guide you to the appropriate level of main stream inclusion. Their goal is to lessen the need for intervention services. Stay in close contact with them and be plain about your concerns. Whichever environment allows for the greatest level of learning should be the only goal and that is going to be different for every child.

If you are talking about pre-school, I started my son in the special ed pre-school program at 3 yrs old, and it was the best thing I could have done for him. Of course every situation is different, and it depends on the school and the teachers. I know it is hard to send your baby off to school at such an early age, but if it is the right environment, I think it will benefit her.

My son is now almost 6, and has been in special ed for 3 yrs now. He has come so far. He is speaking in full sentences, he is reading, and spelling some words. He still has trouble interacting with his peers, but they are working on it.

I am approaching it one year at a time. Although my son seems to be doing well academically, he still has challenges sitting still and he likes to talk a lot out of context, and he does flap his hands. He seems smart, but I am just not sure how he is going to handle being in a mainstream class. But I also don't want to hold him back by keeping him in special ed. So, we may have to look at homeschooling or a private school that has smaller classrooms.

Good luck on your decision and trust your instincts.