Response to Prompt for 11/12

I believe it is very important for all children to encounter others of all backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, religions, and academic abilities in their school experience as a means of gaining empathy and understanding the world around them and the different types of people who inhabit it. However, putting children with severely hindering learning or autism spectrum disorders in "mainstreamed" classrooms with unsympathetic peers and without specially trained teachers may not be doing anyone a favor. The child with the disorder is likely to encounter social problems as well as academic ones.

I remember having an extremely hyperactive boy in my 3rd grade class. It was a private religious school so the teachers were quality and the class sizes were less than 20. Today, that boy may have been diagnosed with ADHD, he may have even been back then, but no one knew if he was. He was just constantly getting out of his seat, interrupting in class, speaking too loudly during break times, and playing too roughly at recess. It's not that anyone disliked him as a person, but he didn't really have friends because no one wanted to be associated with him. Everyone knew he would probably get them in trouble with the teacher too or accidentally hurt them in his sprees of manic activity. He became somewhat of an outcast in the class, which probably just contributed to his frustration. This was not bullying by any means, just the product of a child who had different needs than the rest of the class. He did not come back to the school the next year.

This boy was not even necessarily diagnosed with any sort of disorder, but I vividly remember this experience. I remember how frustrated the teacher became, how the whole class tried to avoid him, and how terrible it must have felt to believe no one liked you.

For this reason, I don't think that children with these disabilities benefit from being "mainstreamed". Although it is good for children to be exposed to all different types of people, it should not be at the expense of someone else. These children can suffer terribly in the social realm and be overlooked academically. Children with developmental disabilities SHOULD have free, public, and appropriate education, but maybe the type of education we are deeming "appropriate" for everyone else, it not at all appropriate for their needs. Perhaps a free and public school devoted exclusively to these children would be more appropriate.