Inclusion

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Hi,

I haven't posted here for literally years. I'm back because I'm writing an assignment for uni on autism and inclusion in education. One of the main points I'm making is that despite all the politics and research around inclusion, almost nobody has actually tried getting the views of autistic people, let alone autistic children, on the topic, so I thought I'd have a bit of a go.

What are people's thoughts on mainstream, integration and special education?

Could you let me know in your replies whether you are still in school or not and what your experiences of inclusion are?

The MAIN question I'd like people to answer is: Do you think there are any autistic children for whom it would be impossible to ever be fully included in mainstream? Why? Alternatively: What would need to be different about mainstream education for ALL autistic children to be able to be educated there?

Thanks!

I was being prepared for mainstreaming from 1974 to 1977. I was mainstreamed in 1977 and I experienced what psychiatrists call post traumatic stress disorder as a result and spent from September 1977 to 2003 without any true friends just useless burdens. The qualifications I left school with wern't fit to be used as kitchen roll. Unfair expectations heaped on me from the year 1974 and epilepsy which is fortunately in remission. This was before debates like this come about. Mainstreaming me was not for my benefit but my mum and dads selfish egos. In some special needs schools could use a proper mainstream curriculum. Mainstreaming may maake you more independent but will in the end make you very unhappy or even depressed if it is not done correctly. About 90% of autistic people who have been mainstreamed now have post traumatic stress disorder

Really? It didn't do it to me. I wouldn't do well in a special school. The special schools in my area (which are few and far between) give the kids work that is below the grade level, like for example, if they are in grade 11, they might give them grade 3 work. They don't really support kids who are on par with their peers in terms of academics. Also, it is really expensive to send your kid to a special school where I live so parents don't typically send their children unless they are rich or really need to. They just have good services in the schools here instead.

About special ed classes; not sure about other schools in my area, but in my school, you have to be mentally handicapped to go to special ed classes. Students with other issues attend the learning centre instead, which provides help with schoolwork, time to do homework and education assistants.

I really don't want to go to special ed classes or a special school.