Word of warning

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For you parents out there who recently had your child placed in a special needs classroom:
Don't think for a second that the parents of these kids aren't just as competitive as the parents of the NT's. For the last five years, I've put up with people's racial prejudice, cruel comments, and "excessive" envy when my boy was mainstreamed. I entered the situation thinking that there would be understanding and maturity on the part of the parents - DEAD WRONG!! ! Even when my son attempted to talk to a fellow student who was mainstreamed before him, he was "shunned" upon direction of this other boy's mother & father. This boy has been to my home, has eaten dinner with my family, and this is what I get in return! A kick in the A. Another mother told my son's teacher that "she" didn't think that my son was ready for mainstreaming! ... because her son wasn't ready for mainstreaming. My son had to give a presentation on Honeybees where he did quiet well. One of the Dads made this comment, "Man, they sure trained your son well." He had this smirk on his face as though he was referring to an animal and its trainer. I could've killed him. I wish someone would. Luckily, my son didn't pick up on it. This is real "sickness".
I asked the principal of the school to give a public talk on this kind of behavior. She happily did it but it didn't make a dent. They all do this! People, humankind in general, are like this,
I was a darned fool to think that the special ed atmosphere would be different. Actually, it was a degree worse. I hope your experiences are better than mine were.

Congratulations to you and your son. Sounds like you both have worked hard and should enjoy your achievements. Try not to let other parents ruin your party! I think they are just jealous. Couple years from now, it won't make a difference.

But I agree, the special ed domain can get competitive, especially when the child does achieve great milestones.

At support groups, I was made to either (1) feel bad for not trying the latest therapy (even if I don't believe in it) or (2) a person to go to learn about resources in the area for the newly diagnosed. It's too bad that these support groups were not a good fit for me.

I am really sorry you have had such a horrible experience, but I need to say that I know the above statement is not true. There are parents out there who are not like that. Find them.

Well...not entirely true...people in general, are indeed like that - but not all. That's what makes the exceptions so special. Hopefully you'll encounter a few exceptions soon!

Human nature...you gotta love it. Sometimes it makes me hate all people, and want to just live somewhere by myself as a hermit. But I agree with DW and Willard, there are nice people out there and they, in part, make life worth living. Good luck finding them!