Autistic Child voted out of Class

[lady_zana]

Yes, every child is guaranteed an education, but I think that the parent(s) inability to see that their child was a special needs student from the start as the biggest problem. The second is their and the school's inaction once the child was diagnosed.

Everyone has to take blame in this case.

It's a wash-get your child into a specialized teaching situation if he is deemed that disruptive to the general class population. It's not fair to the student, teacher or rest of the class to have a situation that stresses the learning enviroment.

Many schools, especially because of No Child Left Behind, use the inclusion method to teach. That means everyone is in the same class room - special needs, slow learners, high learners, average kids ect. The idea is that everyone deserves the same education...which is a great ideal but having everyone in the classroom together will not work. The high learners will quickly get bored, the slow learners will struggle to keep up, and the kids will be distracted by the special needs kids.

A few years ago, it was my sister's job to be an assistant to a special needs girl. This girl was in the same class as all the other students her age but she had severe problems. She couldn't walk, speak, and needed help with what we all consider typical, everyday things. Though the other students were not unkind to the girl, it was a distraction for them to have her in the same classroom. Did she deserve the same education as the other students? Yes, of course she did. But it would have been better to have her in a special education setting, not in a regular classroom.

I don't blame the parents; I don't think this is their fault at all from what was posted in article. I think it was the teacher's fault. What happened to that child was horrible and should never happen to anyone. Also, what happened to the other children in the classroom was horrible - they learned the lesson that it is okay to be cruel to another student who may not have the advantages you have.

[cyber-sibes]

The teacher did a huge disservice to this boy & his family, her other students, and to society. What kind of lesson is that? I hope she receives appropriate consequences.

(Don't forget, the "professionals" we deal with just might be from the bottom of their class - Just cause they have a job doesn't mean they are smarter, wiser, or have better social skills or more education, than anyone else walking around.)

[Medusa]

(Don't forget, the "professionals" we deal with just might be from the bottom of their class - Just cause they have a job doesn't mean they are smarter, wiser, or have better social skills or more education, than anyone else walking around.)

True but you really have to be behind the times now if you don't know the power of words. Words can heal and words can harm and those words definitely did harm. We all say things we wish we hadn't but usually we know exactly what we're saying, especially if our words are meant for harm. But your point is well taken.