Special Ed- Would it have made a difference?

[Superphonic]

We're facing a choice between integrating our 4 year old Asperger in a regular class or sending him to a special ed class (in a regular school). He's a pretty light case as he's in a day care organized like a little school (15 kids in a group) and functions well. He has pretty good theory of mind... He lies, for example, Ha! If he goes to special ed, it's in a class with 7 to 10 ADS kids in which they use the TEACCH method: pictos, visuals, precise plans, relaxation corner, etc. I think my son should go to regular class because he is able to interact and follow. It's just that he takes longer to adapt. He doesn't have big sensory issues, save for a difficulty in identifying what's relevant when many people are talking. He does need help understanding rules and modulating interactions. He doesn't follow just because the authority said so, he needs to understand the relevance of a task. In his evaluation, the neuropsychologists recommended that he goes to regular class with a shadow for many hours a week. But the local school is scared and they say they don't have the ressources. My worry with special ed is that they don't cover all the regular academic curriculum. They can't get a high school diploma at the end of high school unless they stay in high school for much longer to recuperate (this is Quebec). I'm worried about what this might mean for his capacity to adapt to higher education and or the work place in the future.

I'd like to hear people with Asperger on the subject. Have any of you been to special classes when you were at school? If you were at regular school, do you wish you had been in a special class like the one I've described above? Do you think you could have gained the same social skills in such an environment? In hindsight, would it have been worth it to trade off academic standards if it had meant you had been in a more adapted environment?

 

[Caspar]

Me and a few autistic friends of mine were all enrolled in the regular class. The was a stigma about the special ed class since the special ed folks drool, hand flap. yell in class, and other inappropriate behavior. The high functioning autistic folks were nearly normal except the inability to read facial/body language, having routines, and other quirks but being 'integrated' definitely allowed us to adapt more easily. After all, in real life, you have to interact with all sorts of people. So depending on how well adjusted your son is, it may be better to put him in the regular class.

 

[Arashi222]

I went to private school as a kid small classes and while for me I have trouble reading body language or tones of voice but I was able to follow most directions only needing help at home with homework usually. So I think it depends I still have trouble adjusting to knew things and personally I agree with Casper. I think being in a regular class if he can handle it is a great thing. I think it will help him adapt to the real world and the real world is one where you have to make adjustments. I think he'll be fine I mean he is already in a setting that is like school and doing well. There is no reason to think he won't succeed in a regular room. I think that you can always try to get him in later or see what your options are in terms of can you pull him and put him in Special Ed if it becomes necessary? I would just find out as much as possible.

Good Luck!!! We're here for support if you need us.

 

[Gomendosi]

I only ever went to regular schools and was in regular classes, but as we moved around regularly also, I was only ever classed as that shy new kid and most of the time I just wouldn?t have anything to do with the other children, so when they tried I would freak out and then they would start to bully me.
I got bullied a lot for being different but nobody ever knew the real cause of why I was so unique, we would simply move on before too many questions needed answering, I also never got to know too many girls because it was a stigmata to like the weird new kid ; ]
In high school I was even singled out and later, actually physically bullied by teachers because I refused to join in and interact.

I think a ?normal? school life can teach ?normal? life skills/ lessons and interactions as well as harsh reality, but in a ?special? school there wouldn?t be the need to conform or fit in and my feeling is that the isolation would remain.

There wasn?t really too much of a special needs section, class or even area, there were usually just a couple kids who were different, but there were after class activities for troubled kids and ones with ?issues?, through that enterprise I got to go to school camp for free and taken to see a couple of plays as well, but that again was for different reasons not Aspergers (the diagnosis of which happened in later life), of course I realize this isn?t answering your question specifically.
I guess I can say that both options have pro?s and con?s but maybe also think about extracurricular tutoring and activities to teach coping and interaction.

Hopefully in something I have said, you find some ideas to help your decision ; ]

 

[shinyedge]

I don't have much personal experience with special education. When I was in third grade my teacher arranged for me to go to a "special class" that I believe was intended for gifted kids. We learned mostly about new math--this was in the 60s--which emphasized understanding more than doing. All I remember was that their way of doing long division was more complex than what I learned in the regular class. I don't think I learned a lot.

When I was in seventh grade a kid always saved a seat for me on the school bus. When I learned that he was in special education I wondered if maybe I was like him, and also why I didn't get to go to a special class any more. I think he liked that I wasn't mean to him like the other kids, and the other kids were kind of mean to me also. But he was really slow. He did most of the talking, and I tried to be nice, but I was bored to tears with him. As I began to realize what special education was, I was glad I wasn't in it.

So all of that is intended to say that the thought of sending a kid to special education just because he is socially slow really scares me. Academically, I was way ahead of the other kids. I was bored with my regular classes, and bored with the regular kids. It wasn't until I was in 12th grade and took advanced math and physics courses that I began to find school rewarding. I think putting a kid with normal intelligence in special education would be torture, and it could turn him off to learning entirely. If he functions well with 15 kids in day care, then I wouldn't think he would need that much help functioning in school. A tutor or shadow ought to be enough.

 

[FishyEnthusiest]

I was in special education classes from 3rd to 5th grade. What I am about to say is just my opinion but unless your son is really low functioning I would not put him in special ed. first off, he can learn those skills other ways (family, computer programs, apps etc...) plus, I was picked on and harrassed by the "normal" kids. Because I am higher functioning I was and still am completely aware when someone is mocking me or making fun of me and it made going to school really difficult. The only thing I found helpful was being in a smaller class because I did have pretty serious sensory issues and I was also a very anxious kid

 

[WildCat]

Depends on the student, if the regular class setting doesn't interfere with his ability to learn then I wouldn't recommend it at all. I was fortunate in that, even though I was diagnosed with autism at 3, I was able to somewhat adapt to and do well, sometimes very well, in a mainstream setting. Placing a capable student with autism or Asperger's in a limited special education setting that undermines their abilities is only going to do them more harm than good in the long run; even if it's not apparent in the early years, it's the experiences that you go through in school that will shape your long term outcome, even if you're on the spectrum and don't understand what's going on around you half the time like myself.

Speaking for myself, even though I handled public education well there are times when extra help could have been beneficial for my grades and social skills, especially in middle and high school. My grades had fluctuated throughout my 6th to 12th years because of the difficulty I had with certain school work (essays, research, algebra, etc.), so in that respect I could have done much better had I received some tutoring to address those issues. Otherwise I managed just fine without any special assistance.

 

[Superphonic]

Hello again,

Thanks to everyone who answered this thread. I found your replies VERY helpful. It turns out that a school board committee evaluated my son's report (I put a report together with many documents to draw a global picture of his capabilities) and they decided that regular class at our local school with a ten hour a week help ressource person was the best fit. I,m happy about this conclusion.

I'll be invited to discuss how the ressource person can help. I figure, the facilitator could be in the classroom, as though she is there for everyone one, but pay particualr attention to my son's needs and guide him when necessary. This way, his difference is not highlighted by her presence. I've seen this done at his daycare with a little boy who had a pervasive developmental disorder. I found out innocuously at some point that one of the staff member I had mistaken for a whole-purpose educator was in fact a shadow hired especially to guide the boy.

 

[Arashi222]

Hello again,

Thanks to everyone who answered this thread. I found your replies VERY helpful. It turns out that a school board committee evaluated my son's report (I put a report together with many documents to draw a global picture of his capabilities) and they decided that regular class at our local school with a ten hour a week help ressource person was the best fit. I,m happy about this conclusion.

I'll be invited to discuss how the ressource person can help. I figure, the facilitator could be in the classroom, as though she is there for everyone one, but pay particualr attention to my son's needs and guide him when necessary. This way, his difference is not highlighted by her presence. I've seen this done at his daycare with a little boy who had a pervasive developmental disorder. I found out innocuously at some point that one of the staff member I had mistaken for a whole-purpose educator was in fact a shadow hired especially to guide the boy.

Good. I am very glad that you got a good outcome and one that will work best for you and your son. Its probably good to have that kind of response from the school and it shows that they were actually listening to you. Well at least you have actually seen how this works in real life too so you know kinda what to expect. Congrats on the outcome.

 

[Lee Timmer]

I attended public school long before AS became "official." I did fairly well until seventh grade, when my lack of social skills really became a problem - not to mention the anxiety that followed. I was labeled the classic "underachiever." I've always been intelligent and had my obsessions (of course), but from junior high until graduation I was a mess. I tried college but it was too much.

 

[ospie1322]

It has been very nice to me, for the most part. If I didn't like something, I could have it changed. I also met alot of good people the special ed study hall. But there was ONE thing that happned to me because of it that was very bad.

You see, in my school, they had " houses",or groups of 70-80 kids,who each had 3-4 core teachers and 1 rescource teacher. My 6th grade year was the first year that the houses were "looping", or being in the same house for 2 years in a row. I loved my house, so I was looking forward to it. One day near the end of the year, my rescource teacher told me I would be moving houses because of my IEP. Why would they do this to an Aspie who HATED any sort of change because of it?!? Anyway, I didn' t like the house they moved me to. The kids were mean, one teacher had this " my way or the highway" additude that I hate, and the other would spend half the class yelling at us on how "irresponsible" and "disrespectful" we were almost every day.

Phew- sorry about that little rant. Anyway, It's a good idea to look into Special Ed, just be cautious about what the school would do with it.

 

[Spinning Compass]

It's been several decades since I was in special ed, but the thing I remember the most is the STIGMA behind it. To this day I do not like to talk much about my school years and my biggest fear is that someone from my past will come back to haunt me. Although with the passing of decades this has become less and less of an issue.

It is a sad thing when children are stigmatized for being different. It undoes all the good that separate and remedial education is seeking to do. It only reinforces the child's notion of inferiority. And I don't think that too many neurotypical people who are in charge of things are really concerned with changing attitudes. Face it, we're in the way and a nuisance.

 

[Soup]

Hi Superphonic!

I'm an Aspie woman, a Mom of 2 & a teacher. From the way you describe your son, he would likely benefit most from a regular class. Please find a school with small classes & interview his future teachers & the principal & find out what they know about Asperger's, what their school policies are re discipline & compromise. For instance, I have a 3 sided 'privacy screen' (Aspie box, wink!) that can sit on an Aspie kid's desk blocking out the kids peripheral distractions & greatly reducing over-stimulation & distraction. It's a cool thing, because the kids themselves make it. It had a way to change the coloured filters in the front so it can reduce eye-strain from neon classroom lighting too. I also allow the kids to have a healthy drink or light healthy snack during class. This can make a big difference for Aspies who (like me) begin to stim & become agitated when hungry or thirsty: any sensitivities can be minimized by a teacher & staff willing to be flexible.

Is the teacher rigid or 'anal' or too pedantic? Is her classroom a chaotic mess (works very well for many NT kids) with word charts everywhere & too much happening? Not the est thing for your Aspie. Will she allow your child to put up the hood on his hoodie? I'm a devotee of the hoodie (as are a great many Aspies). It can lessen the impact of chatter & noise. Can he remain inside during recess sometimes or eat lunch in a quiet space possibly with a few other Aspies? <---THIS can make a big difference. Many Aspie kids crave the sense of community & friendship that NTs take for granted. We Aspies know how different we are & not feeling like we've got to spend 7 hrs/day in NT 'drag' or feeling like Nosferatu is devastating.

Flexibility, knowledge & understanding of Asperger's (& an enthusiastic willingness to learn more) & an INCLUSIVE classroom. The teacher must be willing to work with you & any other important people in your son's life. Ask, too about other special needs kids in mainstream classes & what assistance they can access despite not being in the special ed group.

Special ed classes ought to be reserved for kids who are quite severely impaired. Children in these classes are stigmatized (not just by the other kids either!). Kids with Asperger's don't belong in these classes: too many of us are academically gifted for them. The teachers are so busy managing the more challenged kids (the ones in the hockey helmets, the ones who are barely verbal or have severe ADHD or Down's Syndrome) that they really cannot properly nurture the spark of interest & giftedness in their Aspies.

 

[brn2tch2u]

As a grandmother of a 9 year old aspie child, and a teacher, I would say it definately depends upon the needs of the child. We tried regular education in public schools, but found they really didn't have the adequate professional staff to deal with her and/or her outbursts when they occured. She is very high functioning, but very immature and socially hindered. We found the public setting expected her to function by all of the same rules irreguardless of her disability. She would get suspended for days/weeks at a time. Now mind you, they assured us they had people who ccould deal with any situation...but as she became an endangerment to herself as well as others...the suspensions resulted.
Presently she is attending a special school for persons with like disabilities, and several persons within the small classroom size (10 max). A psychologist, mentor, therapist and 2 teachers per classroom. It has only been a month since school started, but she is doing very well.
We have also gotten her a mentor for home, respite care twice a month, and have other social skills programs in place.

 

[Benevolent Fiend]

For me, it wouldn't have made a good difference, i tried having a teacher helper in my last yr of school and then again in tafe, but i ended up losing them after a few days because i found they were treating me as stupid and they followed me around everywhere (except to the loo) and I didn't like it because i value my own personal space and privacy... but like brn2tch2u said it depends on the needs of the children...

 

[King_Oni]

I haven't been to a special ed school that was stated as such. In hindsight, it was different from the norm.

As a kid I had a lot of troubles fitting in and functioning in school. At some point my mom changed me to a different school and I did reasonably well. The difference; I went from 25 to 30 kids a class to 7 kids a class. There was way more special attention for me, less crowded classes (the school had less than 100 kids attending even) add in that my mom was a voluntary crafts teacher there and could barge in for talk with the teachers at hand any time if I had issues going on (and addressed it to her), it does make a bit of sense for me to function somewhat.

I performed rather poor even there, but at least I did well enough to get average grades (I was a bit of C student in elementary). Socially; Because of the nature of only a few people, I learned more 1 on 1 skills, something I'm not terrible in. I'm just not good in groups.

So "officially" it wasn't special ed, but there were a few things going on that clearly aren't the norm for education.

 

[imagesbyholly]

Hi Superphonic!

For instance, I have a 3 sided 'privacy screen' (Aspie box, wink!) that can sit on an Aspie kid's desk blocking out the kids peripheral distractions & greatly reducing over-stimulation & distraction. It's a cool thing, because the kids themselves make it. It had a way to change the coloured filters in the front so it can reduce eye-strain from neon classroom lighting too. I also allow the kids to have a healthy drink or light healthy snack during class. This can make a big difference for Aspies who (like me) begin to stim & become agitated when hungry or thirsty: any sensitivities can be minimized by a teacher & staff willing to be flexible.

Will she allow your child to put up the hood on his hoodie? I'm a devotee of the hoodie (as are a great many Aspies). It can lessen the impact of chatter & noise. Can he remain inside during recess sometimes or eat lunch in a quiet space possibly with a few other Aspies? <---THIS can make a big difference. Many Aspie kids crave the sense of community & friendship that NTs take for granted. We Aspies know how different we are & not feeling like we've got to spend 7 hrs/day in NT 'drag' or feeling like Nosferatu is devastating.

Soup, I wish you had been my teacher. I don't know how many times I dragged myself to the nurses office dizzy, out of breath, and stomache in pain, she checked my pulse, and ran to the cafeteria for an extra tray for me!

 

[girl_incognito]

I highly recommend trying mainstream classes first. Especially if the child does not have a load of behavioral issues. Make sure the child has a teacher who is open to making modifications as needed and has a good understanding of what the child's unique needs are. We do not have our child mainstreamed right now, but only because we did try mainstream and it was not a good fit for him. My son goes to a private special education school at the moment, and will be mainstreamed as soon as he meets his goals. While my child is extremely smart, he also has some learning disabilities that were not being addressed, couple that with behavior problems and a school that is not understanding or willing to help, you get lack of progress. My son's self esteem was highly impacted and he ended up being suicidal at the age of 13 due to the amount of stress he was under. Since switching to the private program his self esteem has gotten a lot better, his behaviors have greatly improved, and he is no longer suicidal.
Basically what I am saying is what everyone else has said, it depends on the child.
Personally I did well in school.I was in advanced classes and the gifted and talented program.

 

[Soup]

@ImagesByHolly: Thanks! It always helps to have another Aspie's seal of approval. I too spent a lot of time in the nurse's office due to hyperventilating, stomach pains & other symptoms I recognize, in retrospect, as panic attacks. From grades 9-12, I was in a secondary 'Polyvalente' with close to 2,000 kids (!!!) it was an absolute nut-house in there. To make matters worse, there was a central open atrium-type area where some idiot got the idea that we kids would just love it if they blared loud pop & rap music during lunch AND both recess times. Rap was just coming into existence at that time with 'Rapper's Delight'. I was into LedZeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull et al -so you can imagine the sort or gut-wrenching torture this was for me. The bldg was constructed using the then modern style: very few windows-all sealed, canned recycled 'air', low ceilings with cinder block & brick walls. It was like some kind of prison or booby hatch!

2 of the teachers were known to us students for sleeping with the teen girls. One actually married one of them when she turned 18: ditched his wife & kids & ran off with her. He had to be up in his 40s & she was only 15 when they began sleeping together. In those days, everyone including the staff turned a blind eye. Needless to say, I skipped as much school as I could possibly get away with & even then, I passed all my classes well & graduated on time.

Schools are not Aspie friendly places & truthfully, many NT kids are failing due to the school environment itself & that's before we even factor in education quality!

 

[Butterfly_Lady]

I was in special education classes starting from 3rd grade all the way up to 12th. I graduated with a special diploma and then went back for my GED so i could take regular college classes. I had trouble catching on to things in school as well as having a seizure disorder until i was like 13 which ment that i may have been looking at the teacher but i would have gaps where i had no idea what was going on and what the teacher was talking about. the first elementary school I went to after being pestered constantly by my mom would NOT test me to see what was going on. When i changed schools they tested me and decided i was better off in special ed classes. It helped me a lot but even there i still got bulled by fellow classmates. Atleast i was learning and was making A's and B's instead of what i was doing before i was put in those classes. I was always much slower then every else and even to this day i can't do math to save my life. I always use a calculator or sometimes even count on my fingers even to this day and i turn 30 in November........I no longer have a seizure disorder but i think i must have some life long affects from it that i will never get rid of.

I do agree that it largely depends on the student and if your son functions that well i am glad that your school came to the decision that it would be best for him to be in regular classes. For me, that never would have worked out and i am sure i would have gotten frustrated enough to drop out long before i graduated and i didn't want to do that because my father did that.