I hate special ed

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Why are people with Aspergers syndrome automatically placed in a class with students with "less potential"?
for some reason I was automatically sent to special ed as soon as I got diagnosed with Aspergers. I hate it and I think that being in special ed does more harm then good.
this is why:
.It is embarrassing
. It gives people a reason to bully me
.It is annoying when me and my friends at school are "Roasting" or rap battling eachother and there comebacks have
. something to do with special ed (they dont bully me about it,We just Joke around for fun, but its still annoying)
. It lowers my confidence and self esteem even more
.It makes it pretty much impossible to get a girlfriend in highschool (no girl wants to date a special ed kid)
. I was In a class with kids that are intellectually disabled/low functioning,most of these kids cant even spell basic words, they cant figure out simple math problems such as counting change, and they lack common sense.
. The teachers talk to me like Im an idiot
. the special ed class teaches material that can be up to 8 years below grade level. this year the teacher gave me year . worksheets and she thought that I wouldn't be able to do them.
. the teachers make me teach the other kids things (eg.basic math, basic spelling) when it is their job.
. I dont learn anything from social skills class (they only teach obvious social skills like the difference between happy and sad).
.It limits the subjects that you can choose in year 12 (It makes it harder to get into the more difficult subjects that are required to get into university)
. being in special ed makes it harder to get into university (I assume)

can any of you relate to this?
do you think that people with aspergers should be forced to be in special ed?
does special ed have any benefits for people with aspergers/HFA?

I agree with you.

You should try to get back to regular classes. Your parents should really try to advocate for you.

You're probably in a big city. This sounds like NYC special Ed.

How far are you away from graduating?

I was in special ed because work was too abstract for me and I sometimes needed a different environment when it came to my aide helping a bunch of students with school work so she needed us all in one class to do it with us than in mainstream class.

The class you described sounds horrible and was nothing like mine. Pretty much all of us were normal and very few actually had a severe impairment such as intellectual. Sounds like you are in the UK based on the words you were using like year 12 or university. But here in the states things are different and we don't shuffle kids in special ed anymore unless they absolutely need it. We have a thing called inclusion which means special needs students are allowed to attend regular classes and get a normal education like the other kids than have things being dumbed down for them and being segregated. We also have such thing called mainstream where the student goes to special ed for some classes but they still attend regular classes.

When I was real little, six and seven years old, I was in a self contained classroom and my work was dumbed down so I was treated like I wasn't smart, kids in there were all over the place from mild to severe. We even had a boy with a behavior issue where he liked to get kids into in trouble and hurt us and the rules were inconsistent because each kid had their own set of rules. It was okay for one boy to shout number 9's during counting but no one else, it was okay for one boy to run in class with his pants down exposing his penis and no one else could do it but him. I got behind in education and it was hard to get me out of that class and luckily a new law had came out for inclusion but I was able to catch up. I even mimicked negative behaviors because I didn't know any better, I thought it was all normal and school behavior. I would even test rules sometimes to see what special rule I had and I discovered I was allowed to scream so I did that. I thought the teacher had assigned special rules to some students so I was trying to find my own and did. But did I hate it in that class, no because I didn't know any different and I thought that was what school was about. So I didn't really learn much except reading and addiction and subtraction and my name and address and phone number and then I was made to do it over and over after I knew how to do it. They never gave me anything new like they do with normal students. See I was treated like I wasn't smart but I didn't know any different. I was placed in that class because of my language delay.

My son is in a regular classroom, with breaks in a special autism room several times a day. He would be far too restricted to be in the autism room all the time. But a regular classroom with no accommodations would be overwhelming for him.

We have yearly meetings for my son's IEP (individualized education plan). Any changes that need to be made are written into it at that time. But if other issues come up in between times, i communicate with teachers and/or social worker to resolve it.

Do you have the option of meeting with teachers or do you have a parent or guardian who can advocate for you? Sounds like your education plan needs updated to accommodate your changing needs. Kids grow and mature and what worked for a time may no longer be needed, or may need to be adjusted.

Hope you can get things worked out. My son loves his regular classroom, but has also made friends in the autism room. I am glad he has the opportunity for both. His school is very autism friendly and the teachers and other kids are pretty understanding of the students in the autism room. They tend to look out for them and help them rather than pick on them, as a rule. That is very valuable.

You are right, OP.
Special ed is where academics die.
It limits students placed there.
Can you get out of special ed?
If not, don't give up on your education and future prospects.
See what are your chances for university, what are other options like community college in US but I don't know if you have these in Australia, online learning, etc.

Research "Least Restrictive Environment," and show the results to your parents.

There is only one teacher in this life that matters a damn.

That teacher is You.

I never learned a damn thing in school. I couldn't spell and I couldn't add two numbers together by the time I left. Not one of those worthless human beings in that school building gave a damn. They never did and they never will. The more you expect of anyone but yourself the less you'll ever achieve because none of them give a damn about you. If they see a spark of something bright in you then the only thing they'll try and do is put it out to make themselves look brighter in the darkness that they inhabit.

They get paid to sit on their ass and watch a bunch of scumbag kids beat the crap out of you in a corner and then blame you for it and tell you to write a "I am wonderful" letter to yourself as punishment. Forget them. They're a symptom of the state. The state is an abortion.

Luckily I was always fascinated with Science Fiction so I read books and acquired a vocabulary and a desire to learn from that.

Where math is concerned...get into programming. Game logic is always a good start because the fantasy element on top spurs the desire to get the logic done under the hood. The computer will do the donkey work, you just need to explain to the computer HOW to donkey. School just teaches you to be the donkey so the government (Corporate state) can alternately kick you along and hold carrots in front of you.

TIP: DON'T START PROGRAMMING WITH BASIC - IT IS AN ABORTION. It was years before I used Pascal and...CLICK...Ahhh, Real Programming. Now it all makes sense.

You like video games? Video game music? There's a job right there. You need something called a Tracker. Practice with that. Trackers are simple, all you need to do is develop a beat in your mind and transcribe it, overlay the transcription with audio samples. Just going for a walk and I usually can get something going if I first imagine the fantasy setting to go with it. There's always people looking for musicians and artists and with a skill like that...you set the score.

You won't believe how many decent people are out there with tons of money and nobody they feel safe to give it too. Find them.

Make school life as stress free as possible so you can focus on being what you want to be and learning what you want to learn. Keep at it. Don't stop. Develop enthusiasm for it. With luck you'll figure out your own gig on the money front later on, but if you don't it will be your enthusiasm that will get you employed. You can infect people's darkness with your light and they'll throw money at you just for the privilege of having known you.

You don't acquire enthusiasm by going to school. You don't acquire inner light by going to school.

You acquire enthusiasm by learning to do things. Enthusiasm is goals and a desire to achieve them. Projects. Research. Conclusions. Making things better.

You acquire light by being better and living better and learning how to do that and most especially if you find a way to share it. You have to make your own light because there ain't nobody going to make it for you.

This is becouse there is no real alternative.

In the minds of so-called 'professionals': ASD->can't function in a normal classroom->into special ed.

This goes wrong on two points:
1) the assumption that noone with ASD can function in regular classrooms (a lot of us can, with minor adjustments)
2) the lack of a 'low-stimulating' regular education classroom, only regular and 'special' are offered unless you are lucky.

Unfortunately, sending someone to special ed is a self-fulfilling prophecy, so it isn't easy to break this chain of events.

Yeah, but you may not have gotten a girlfriend anyway, even if you were in normal classes. Losts of aspies have a hard time getting a girlfriend. Just take a look at the Love and Dating board (much of which is about no love and no dating).

However, it is still possible for an aspie to get a girlfriend in highschool (so long as he's attending normal classes). This special ed will make it impossible, rather than improbable. The trouble is, when you date in your 20s, girls will expect you to be an experienced dater. So if special ed is making it difficult for you to date now, that will make it harder for you later in life. You may suffer due to lack of experience. The time to get experience is now.Then you can safely assume that she's an idiot. She probably took some disability education course and she was probably fool enough to not only believe the nonsense she was taught but also to generalize all people with disabilities of any sort. If she met Stephen Hawking, she would probably talk to him like an idiot and give him a basic maths sheet to do.That's terrible. If you go to normal class in a public school, the material will only be 2 years below grade level (as compared with private school).How can you expect the teacher to teach you social skills, when she herself doesn't understand them?It most certainly does. Even if you take normal year 12 subjects, if they're the basic ones (basic maths, basic English, etc), you will not be able to go to university. That would require advanced maths (algebra and calculus) and advanced English. Those are absolute necessities to go to university. It is thought (wrongly), that if you didn't take those two subjects, you don't have the right stuff to attend university.

Even if you could take advanced maths in year 12, you may find it very difficult without having taken advanced maths in previous years (like this year). I don't mean to imply that you're unintelligent but I took advanced maths in year 11 without having taken it in previous years and I found myself totally lost and without frame of reference. You may find yourself in the same boat.

Because your year 12 will not qualify you to attend university, you will have to get a high school equivalency diploma, after school, before university. I believe they offer those at TAFE. For a year you will be redoing year 12 in TAFE. This means that the year you spent doing year 12 in school, will have been a big waste of time, as is your current schooling.

In TAFE, you will do advanced year 12 maths (among other year 12 subjects), but as I said before, you may find yourself lost in algebra and calculus if you haven't taken advanced year 11 maths, and advanced year 10 maths, and so on. For schooling in general each year exists in part to prepare you for the following year. What you're now doing is not preparing you for anything.

I am at a public school and I only go to special ed for 1 hour, 3 times a week (I,m in normal classes most of the time). the teacher gave me year 2 work even though she isnt allowed to. in year 11 I,m doing advanced English and maths A (not advanced math, but its enough to get into most universities in QLD) .

Not only was I not diagnosed with Asperger's as a kid in junior high, but I was never put in special ed class. I'm not even sure my school even had such a class since the place was still stuck in the 1960's.

Also the teachers did not believe I was "special", even though my grades were plummeting, I had bad anxiety and was withdrawn most of the time, was constantly bullied, and drawing cartoons was all I ever seemed to care about. Everything was my fault.

Well than it looks like you'll get into university after all.

Remember to take into account that public schools are already two years behind for the normal students. I know a guy who went to private school and he did HTML when he was still in primary school. That was a subject choice for me in any year of primary school or high school. I didn't take HTML until I reached Certificate IV in TAFE.

Hi! I am new to the Wrong Planet site. I have been reading your messages and would like to add to the thread.

While I hate it too, I hate being in an EBD (emotionally behaviorally disturbed) school even more. By the way, I got sent to that kind of school when I was in the 4th grade thanks to my misinformed special ed teacher at the mainstream school that I was sent from. This is also because she questioned my ability to succeed in regular classes.

The EBD school that I went to had very limited courses. Those particular courses would not prepare you for college. The reason that those courses are limited is that their behavior keeps them from learning. As a result, I was forced to take lower level courses than my level of capability. That school was not allowed to teach algebra during the time I was there (My strongest subject at that time was Math). I am also a very decent speller. It is easier to challenge an elementary or middle school student on his or her stronger subjects than a high school student because it still has middle and high school materials. But once you get to high school, you start to get dummied down. Most of their class are in the bottom set (very basic level - noncollege prep). If I were in a regular middle school, I could have easily had an opportunity to take advanced classes - especially spelling and math, maybe even pre-algebra or algebra 1.

When I was in high school, I entered the transition program at the EBD school I went to. It is a program where you take classes at a regular school part-time and the EBD school part-time. There, I started taking regular classes. This is when I started to get more challenging high school work. When I was a sophomore, I took pre-algebra and average level world history at my neighborhood mainstream school. When I was ready to attend my neighborhoood mainstream school full time, I talked to the teacher of the transition program about the possibility of moving my classes from bottom set to the middle set (classes for typical students) at the end of my sophomore year. Because I carry around a 3.5 GPA at that time, she granted my request to try the classes in the middle set. In my junior year, I started taking the classes in the middle set. I did quite well in those classes as well (3.4 GPA). In that period, because I was finally being challenged enough, that gave me more of a sense of responsibility and self-discipline than the limited courses at the EBD school ever gave me. At the time I went to school, there are seven class periods in a school day. Six out of my seven classes were mainstream classes.

While I was at the EBD school, I was bullied very badly. Starting in 5th grade (my first full year at the EBD school), I got called names such as "ret*d" and "ugly". By the end of that year, it become the new norm for me. Some of the bullying became physical. One time, when I was talking to another student on the bus, somebody from the background told me to shut up. I tried to ignore her - continuing to socialize with same student on the bus. But, unfortunately, the person who told me to shut up pinched me on my left tricep so hard that it left a black and blue mark on it. Another time, during P.E. class, we had to run around the field. While we were running around the field, a student told me not to pass him. I tried to ignore him - running at steady pace - when I got dangerously close to passing him, he tripped me around my right ankle, causing me to fall on the ground. Whenever I would pass a particular student in the hallway, he would kick me every chance he got for no apparent reason. One time I got punched in the upper back by another student because I sat in a chair that I did not realize she wanted to sit in. I told the teacher about the incident. While I was explaining my side of the story, the student who punched me told me to shut my whining ass in an angry tone. I was also bullied by other students there over something I am not so good at (singing, drawing, and sports).

Fortunately, at the mainstream school I went to, I have seen none of those behaviors that are done against me at the EBD school described on the previous paragraph. During my sophomore year, while still at the regular school part-time, I have tried out for the cheerleading squad. After my turn at the the final try-out, the girls have applauded me for a job well-done. Despite not making the squad, some of the signatures in my yearbook contains praise regarding the cheerleading try-outs. I also started to try out for softball in my junior year, but quit because I decided I am no good at it. Thank God the girls did not bully me because of it. In fact, one of the girls complimented my swing even though I missed the ball. I assumed it was sarcasm and I told her so too. That was because of what happened at the EBD school. To make matters worse, during the tail end of the practice, my mom witnessed it in the front row of the bleachers were the practice took place. My mom took me aside, and on the way to the car, she told me not to assume it is sarcasm just because I missed the ball. During my sophomore year, I also took Personal Clothing - a basic in depth clothes sewing class. During a final exam review of that class, the teacher of that class was asking the questions. I was not afraid to blurt out the answers that I memorized during class, which happens to be a lot. One of the student in that class called out "Man, that girl is going pass that final exam!" The girl that student is referring to is of course, me.

Of course, the mainstream environment is not perfect either. But overall, in my opinion, it is a better environment to learn and socialize in than the one in the EBD school I went to. It bugs me when my mainstream teachers yell at and/or insult an entire class of 30-40 students. One of the reasons is that it makes me worry about whether I am doing enough to overcome adversity from my fourth grade teacher. The other reason is that I put up with and witnessed worse, if not, more dangerous situations for a grand total of six years in the EBD school than the typical classroom noise.

Also, I felt a little bit of pressure to have a boyfriend so I can have an opportunity to go to a prom before I graduate from high school. To be honest with you, I found myself at a disadvantage under my NT peers because they had more time to get to know the members of the opposite sex as friends for a real long time while I spent my middle school years stuck at the EBD school. This is because some of their teachers spend all day dwelling on the students' past mistakes. This took my time away from really getting to know the members of the opposite sex as friends. As a result, I was not sure if I would be able to attend a prom. When I was a junior, I liked this guy from one of my classes who is an underclassman. During our after-school conversation, he gave me an ultimatum to invite him to go to the prom with me. I understand why he did this. That is because the rule is that when it comes to the prom, underclassmen would have to be invited by upperclassmen. When I was a freshman in high school, I really liked this guy from the EBD school I went to. One day he lashed out at me and said "Get your ret*d ass ....." When I told my mom about this incident, she said the guys at the EBD school were not made to be my boyfriends. She also said the guy who called me "ugly" are not regular guys.

My mom was way more than happy to be my advocate to get my butt out of the EBD school and back to regular school where the kids, in both her and my opinion, are better and more rule-oriented.

This take discusses why I dislike the EBD school environment and prefer the mainstream school environment.

Hopefully things are better now all around. And also hopefully they are placing students better. I've been in two special ed schools nearly my entire education. In my case I need the simpler less demanding curriculum. I did try regular middle school the first semester of 8th grade, but I just couldn't keep up with the workload. I'll be completing high school (such as it is) pretty soon now. I don't think kids like me are really expected to go to college. And I doubt I will be able to cut it. But I will give it the ol college try har har.

I went to a mainstream secondary school which had a special needs unit just for people who were Autistic.

It was in the late 90’s so information about High Functioning or Asperger’s was limited compared to now. My year was the first year that class was in operation. Although at the time the teachers in the Autistic unit did there best with the lack of resources they had I think a lot of time it was the case of ‘let’s see what happens’ and I think we were more case studies. Especially that the teachers were being trained up.

As for the mainstream outside of Special Education we were very much known throughout the school. Because not many people knew about Autism or Asperger’s people were very curious. I was never really a victim of bullying and if any case if I was someone was always on the look-out to put a stop to it.

As for experience it I would say it was mixed. Some good some bad.

I'm sorry that you don't like being in special ed. I've been a teacher for 29 years. As a special ed student you and your parents should be invited to one IEP (Individual Educational Plan) meeting per year. This meeting typically involves the student, a parent or legal guardian, at least one teacher, a building administrator, your special education teacher, and the school counselor. The purpose of the meeting is to review your progress to date and to formulate a new plan moving forward into the next year.

If you don't like your current placement, please talk to your parents and SPEAK UP during your next IEP meeting. If you don't know when your next IEP meeting will be, contact the special ed department and ask. You and your parents also have the legal right to request a meeting.

In terms of not wanting to be a special ed student, I wouldn't be so quick to try and get out of special ed.

It sounds as though you should be mainstreamed into regular education classes BUT I think you would still benefit from having accommodations written into your IEP.

Each IEP is different and each IEP is supposed to be tailored to the student in question. Accommodations could include extra time to do your work ... preferential seating to reduce your stress ... permission to wear headphones and to listen to music if you're feeling stressed out ... you might even be allowed to leave class to go to a prearranged safe place if you feel you're on the verge of a melt down.

With this being said, since we have 50 different states, we have 50 different state departments of education and each state has a slightly different take on how to handle autistic students.

I teach in Nevada and we actually have special ed teachers who are designated autistic teachers. I THINK (but do not know for certain) that our autistic teachers only work with autistic students. I don't think that the autistic students at my school are in classes with students who are emotionally disturbed or learning disabled. If this has been the case with you, I'm terribly sorry. I would agree that high performing autistic students SHOULD NOT be in a class with students who have serious learning disability issues.

Hang in there and talk to your parents about addressing your IEP as soon as possible. It sounds like you need a change but nothing will happen unless you and your parents speak up.