Does Special Ed Help?

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My counsellor says that having a normal EQ is like an artistic ability; nobody can describe it in logical fashion. Is that just her limitation? Can some teachers help with that, or are the schools just trying to make us look normal, shorn of all our special talents?

Like any intervention the people make the difference. I was placed in special ed in the end of third grade and mainstreamed half way though fourth grade. Fifth grade was a disaster, and it was decided that I was to repeat. I was back in a special ed class for grades 6-7, and mainstreamed 50% by grade 8. At this point I was caught up enough to advance to grade 9 early. My experience is that there are several faculty who are in it for the right reasons, and a few who have no business being there. The smaller class size and controlled environment allowed me to be calm enough to not shut down or run. The teachers are not held to the same ridged schedule which allows them to take the time to understand how the student processes information and present the lesson accordingly. There was a lot of pressure to fit in, and I recall having to leave a mainstream class to the segregated class when I became upset. I also remember that my best years of school were those where I was more or less allowed to be me, I could take a break under the willow tree if I got frustrated instead of being sent to the office for non-cooperation. In my case, I can say that special ed helped, but I was fortunate to have had some very good teachers and support staff.

From my observation, there is a lot of training that can be done regarding manners and standard social interaction, like you would teach any child. That said, I think cramming children in concrete boxes, inside, all day is not good for any kids. And the emphasis on conformity is suffocating. Probably all children could do with being able to sit under the willow tree when upset and express and learn in different ways.

People among the NTs vary in their ability to socialize smoothly. So probably there is an element of innate talent as there are with so many skills.

With a lifetime of caring professions, I have learned how to be empathic, loving and attentive to people even if I don't know them well, and I know from cards, letters, and in some cases years of relationship that these people felt/feel cared for. But it is not something I do naturally. It is something I taught myself. Inside, I DO care. But I had to learn how to demonstrate it to others so they would feel cared for.

That said, I can only do this within the role of the professional. It is a limited scope, so to speak. Not something I can do outside of that.

I'm not sure that addressed your question or not. I know that as I learn more and gain more experience, I get more frustrated at the sheer torture parents and teachers and behavior analysts put autistic kids through in order to make them "better."

I was placed in a special education resource room for kids with autism/ADHD in 8th grade, shortly after my diagnosis. I remember thinking even then that it wasn't helpful at all for me, but it was clearly helpful for the students who had difficulties that impacted their academic work (e.g., executive function problems, reading comprehension, etc.). I remember being kind of jealous of those kids, since at least special ed offered some tangible help with their issues.

For me, though, I never had any problems academically. My issues were social skills, which the school wasn't really equipped to help with. So ultimately my special education experience just consisted of me surfing the internet on the resource room computer for one or two periods every day. I guess it didn't hurt, but it didn't help, either.