Should children with schizophrenia be in the public schools ?

Canada
September 19, 2008 8:38am CST
Do you believe it is safe to have children with schizophrenia in the same class or same school as your child ? Should there be another school for children with schizophrenia ? What if your child was harmed in some way becasue of another child with schizophrenia , would you be understanding because of their problem or would you be upset and what would you do ?
4 people like this
11 responses
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I have worked with young adults suffering from schizophrenia and you'd be surprized if you don't already know that there is a real stigma that goes along with mental illness. There is medication for schizophrenia and when taken properly ther risk of someone causing harm to another child is very unlikely. Persons with schizophrenia are more apt to hurt themselves in most cases. Idealily I think yes these people should be allowed in regular schools, most times they are very inteligient, they do need to take their medication as needed. I thank God I never had this problem with my daughter but I think it's a good idea to talk to our children about these issues and tell them some ways they may avoid or distract a person with schizophrenia who is having a difficult time so everyone stays safe. A example would be in a lot of cases a person with schizophrenia sees bugs or may be hearing voices, so when our children are aware of this they are less frightened and most times all it takes is to say, "I'll be right back I'm going to get something to take the bugs away." at which time the student has time to report to the teacher. Just an example and only my opinion. Thank You.
• Canada
19 Sep 08
Well said , I really don't know much about it but would agree that there is a stigma that is attached to any mental disease . Thank you for your response .
• Canada
21 Sep 08
I'm very honored to receive BR Thank You
@rainmark (4302)
19 Sep 08
Schizophrenia describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction. You asked if these kid of children should be in the public schools? My answer is "NO", they are not safe, they are dangerous and harmful to the normal kids coz they don't have a normal state of mind. They must be go to school for a special children with a special classes.
1 person likes this
• Canada
19 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
20 Sep 08
I don't think that children with schizophrenia should be mixed with other children. Those children with schizophrenia have more special needs and those needs should be taken care of properly. They should be educated in an environment more suited to them and their needs. Separating them with other children for security reasons is just one of the things that is being considered but not entirely the reason. What must be utmost in the parents' and teachers' minds is the wholistic welfare of the children and not just because we are afraid of getting our children hurt.
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
• Canada
20 Sep 08
I would not want my kid to be in a school with a kid that could hurt my kid even if they had a problem . They should have a school set up for kids like this and if they were not bad then it would be ok but if they were goign to be dangerous then they should be with kids more liek themselves because they would be happier too with kids that understand them better .
1 person likes this
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
20 Sep 08
Hi sam.. I believe all children, no matter what they have or don't have, are entitled to the same as every other child.. If it is an issue of this child harming another then I would be concerned for all the children.. I've never had to deal with anything like this and I feel for those that either have it or deal with it daily with a family member.. I don't know alot about schizophrenia...
1 person likes this
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
20 Sep 08
Why stop with just schizophrenic kids? I'm sure there are a lot more we could kick out of school because of a disability or because of something we don't like about them. Let's not even take into consideration that most of the violence in schools comes from those who have no label and aren't considered disabled. Kick one disabled child out of public school and expect to see people insist on other children like them to be put out. Let something like that happen and we put education back fifty years.
1 person likes this
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
• Canada
19 Sep 08
No i would not like this . I feel bad for these kids but I don't want them to hurt one of my kids and I would be at the school if one of my kids was hurt by any kid and it would not matter the reason . I send my kids to school and I expect them to come home to me the same way I sent them to school . I don't want them to be home crying that any kid hurt them . I teach my kids to be nice and want to know that they are safe from harm .
1 person likes this
• Canada
20 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
• United States
19 Sep 08
I really think it depends. Schizophrenia is treatable with medication and most schizophrenics can live a normal life, functioning well in the world. In my experience, children with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are some of the more intelligent ones. They just have abnormalities that make it more difficult for them. I have bipolar disorder and schizo affective disorder, that's not quite schizophrenia, but close. I went to public school from k-12 and graduated and never had any problems. I think they tend to go more by the child's IQ and learning capacity than worry about any mental disorders. I also think it's important for those children to know that they can live a normal life and not be 'outsiders' for life. I trust that the school teachers and staff will keep my children safe. Luckily, my children were blessed and did not inherit my abnormalities.
1 person likes this
• Canada
19 Sep 08
To be honest I don't know much about the disease but feel that if a child is violent and this would be any child that there should be another school available for them . It is important for all children to realize this is a disease and is not the childs fault but at the same time if the child is violent ( which it sounds like you were not ) then there is a danger of another child being hurt . Thank you for your response .
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I would not liek this and would want them to go to another school . I would be scared they would hurt my kid when i have one and I would not be happy with the school for doing this . They can get real strong when tehy are mad casue we had kids in our school who had problems and they would always hit and kick us when they would go by us and they were allowed to do this cause they had a problem but we would get hurt .
1 person likes this
• Canada
19 Sep 08
Thank you for your response .
@jnjlmt (19)
• United States
19 Sep 08
Are there many children with schizophrenia? I thought the usual onset was early adulthood.
• United States
16 Feb 09
It is not common but it can occur early, there are several members of my husbands family that were diagnosed before they were 12.
• India
17 Jul 09
i go with your answer.