DO YOU THINK SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN SHOULD BE MAINSTREAMED

I also wanted to say bless you for being concerned with your childs education and being a good parent :)

Hello, :) How do your child's terachers and special education/resource teachers feel about this? My daughter had an amazing Kindergarten teacher. She had discovered that my daughter had some learning issues and we together compared notes and were able to get her the help she needed. She was in a small classroom setting for first grade and second grade and was able to get the extra help she needed. The reccomended her to be mainstreamed with resources such as speech, Occupational Therapy and a resource/special ed teacher for help in math and reading. She is in 4th grade now and still has these extra resources. It all depends on how you feel and the reccomendations of her teachers. Being social is very important but I think not so much until she is a little older. The smaller class may be better for her for now, because in a regular classroom setting, the teacher has many children and may not be able to tend to your childs sepcial needs unless she can be put in the mainstream for part of the time. That might be a good idea. :)

I think it depend on the teacher, parents and the child. If your child loves kindergarden, let her go. You just need to talk to the teacher of her class and the principle, I think most of the places will work with you if you put your child where they got special need children classroom. I also think when in regular classroom, if they have special need chilren in their class, it will teach them not to make fun of the special need but to be nice and treat them like any other friends they got.

I think part of the reason special needs kids are kept separate is parents and teachers feel the other kids will pick on them. I think they are underestimating the kids.

I am a teacher who has faced this situation many times with children, and I'm still not sure what the best answer is. I think it's too soon to put a special needs label on your daughter unless she's been tested and found to have major learning disabilities. If not, and she enjoys her class, let it ride for now. I had a little boy in my kindergarten class last year who, unbeknownst to me, had had problems in preschool. Prior to the beginning of the school year, the principal and veteran Kindergarten teacher had discussed testing him for special needs with the parent. When he was put into my classroom, no one told me anything. At first this boy struggled, but I just kept pushing him to try harder, telling him he could do it, and praising little steps he made. By mid year he just blossomed academically. He became interested in everything, meticulous in his written work, and anxious to participate in all class activities. When we gave the final test we give all the children to determine readiness for 1st grade, he scored 124/126, the highest score in both classes. It was only on the last day that his mother told me the story of about thinking he needed to go in special ed.

I really think it just depends on the child. Every child is unique and responds differently. I think the success of any child, whether they are handicapped or not, really depends on the teacher.

I think that your daughter certainly deserves to be a regular member of society if you see that situation fit for her. You are her mother and you know best.

I think that depending on how you feel about it is what the decision is to be. You are the one that knows your child and if you feel comfortable with it.