Special Ed –Vs- Mainstream? | ADHD Information

I was also floored when last year SPED was recommended for both my kids (well they said the oldest was borderline and since I already had him in mainstream I decided to keep him there for a while).  If he doesn't cope I will move him.

The littlest was totally flunking his Grade R year. So I enrolled him to begin this year and whipped him out of the school that was doing him no good. We had a meet with the SPED teacher last weekend and guess what ... he is top of his class.

We're hoping that he will only be there for a year or two and then can mainstream.

Also now that we've done it it's not this whole big gray area of fear any more.

Lots of parents get a little freaked by the special education idea.  Every single one of my students is in special education.  I'm a speech therapist!  Even if I just work with them a short time once or twice a week for a problem saying R or L, it's something different than the general, run-of-the-mill classroom teaching, so it's called "special education".  No big deal, really.  It really is so different then the image we're used to from when we are kids.  My room is right next to the special education teacher.  Almost all of the kids she sees are for a learning disability, which is where their IQ is average but they are having problems learning the material anyway.  (they're not the "slow" kids as some people percieve, they just need different ways of teaching, maybe more visual examples or more clear directions).  Other kids may have some sort of health problem causing them trouble in school (including ADHD), some may be hearing impaired, some have autism and some truly have the low IQ that makes people think "special ed."  But it's much more than that. 

If you child is in special education, that means he'll have an IEP - an Individualized Education Plan.  They figure out what your child needs to succeed in school, and the best way to give it to him.  Sometimes it's teachers modifying things in the classroom - help organizing, maybe change some assignments or give more individual attention.  Maybe if he has a specific class that he really struggles in, he may go to the special education teacher for that class.  The teacher would typically have fewer students for that class, and can teach him more at his pace, explaining things better if needed.  I work in pretty small schools, but it seems that there isn't that "stigma" about the kids that go to the special ed room that there used to be.  In fact, for my preschool and kindergarteners, when I go to get them for my time with them, their classmates all beg to go too.  (Doesn't help that my students always come back with cool stickers on their shirts or prizes from the prize box.) 

Knowing about special education from the inside, I sure wouldn't be afraid of it for my child.  Basically, it's putting in writing that they're going to do what they need to to make sure your child succeeds, and it's not all on your plate anymore.

Oh.  One more thing.  Not knowing your kid, I couldn't say what all they would modify, but it could even be as simple as helping him organize his school work etc., and letting him take all his tests in a quiet room that's not as distracting, and let him take longer if he needs to on the test.  They can make those adaptations for the required state testing too.  Maybe just the extra organizing help and having the time pressure off of tests would be the boost he needs.

My dds school is starting to give the extra organizing help she needs, and does give extra time on her math tests.  (although I still occasional "timed tests" for math facts coming home with a big F on them.....)  It's not a perfect situation.  We'll see if they can do what they need without an IEP.

Ham2006, hello!  Nice to see a SPED teacher on this board . 

KelzBelz, my son is SPED and in all general education classes.  He is dyslexic and has an IEP for a Disorder of Written Expression.  It has been a godsend for him!  He just finished his first semester of seventh grade with an 88 overall average.  His IQ is slightly above average, but his writing is two-to-three grade levels below level, which is somewhat common for dyslexics.  Writing can be really tough for them. 

When you say the school suggested SPED, were they saying for him to get services at the private school?  I know Catholic schools vary greatly on this subject.  Some offer SPED services and some do not.