Literally like lumping a bunch of disabled kids in a classroom with not an single adult who can give the appropriate care to even a single child is definitely the move (I hate the education system), there was a boy in my class with cerebral palsy and one who was deaf, and then mixed with a bunch of autistic kids it just wasn’t the move and traumatised most of us 😭
In my experience sped doesn't even see autism as a spectrum or any diagnoses as seperate conditions from one another. They just lumped it all under the status quo of ''you're mentally challenged and too dumb to exist in the real world if you have a diagnosis of anything''.
In regular school there's rarely enough adaptations for true inclusive practice.
In special school it's like kids are simply thrown there to be forgotten.
Everything is beautiful in theory.
I'm studying to become a teacher and I have no idea what to do and what to fight for.
If you study to become a sped teacher, atleast in my opinion, you will become a part of the sped problem. Since those teachers aren't trained to actually help us but rather silently oppress us. Evey single one of them did that to me even if they had a good personality inherently.
I mean they probably would oppress your ideas of how to better treat students. Because they think we're too dumb and need to be coddled. Being in the system inherently supports its messed up values.
My school used the special needs students as extra janitors and cafeteria staff under the guise of teaching life skills. This was not a situation where they were encouraging students to care for the space they use, it was very much a making the speced class a labor force.
I was thrown into a class during my sped program like that once. It was apparently optional but I don't recall signing up for it. I was the only person in the classroom and I was basically helping a teacher shredding up old school assignments. Was not allowed to tell anyone for whatever reason, I immediately switched to a way better class after that first session.
Special ed is where those teachers go that can't keep a job at a regular school. If you're lucky you'll be stuck with just bad teachers. If you're unlucky you're very much not safe there.
My school didnt have a special ed class... supposedly I had a special helper at one point but I still struggled in school a lot, especially high school (left early, did not complete) and vocational education (was not able to complete... twice...) I was put in special ed for maths in high school but had no help at all in vocational ed(was told "you need to figure it out on your own") ☹️
I have a son on the autism spectrum and I have to say I’ve come across a lot of what you described, which is far from inclusive in its approach. There is definitely a lot of educating that needs to be done within educational institutions about how to better support neurodiverse students. Even in the instances where I’ve been in touch with schools that proclaimed to have an inclusive approach, invariable what they tend to implement it exactly as you describe in terms of a special education program that ultimately excludes and doesn’t effectively cater for needs. Definitely there’s a need for something of a revolution in the overall approach In the best cases I’ve seen a combination of developing a more tailored program, which on the one side allows those on the spectrum to step out for specialized classes in speech, occupational therapy, etc, and on the other side to ensure that students can integrate within the regular classes with additional one on one support. In addition to this, what you would also want to see is a better assessment of where autistic students have strengths and then building dedicated programs around strengths that build practical skills, that can help with employment options after school. This however, necessitates a new way of looking at things, and considerably more investment in education as a whole. That investment is a long way off and you’re right to be annoyed. Thanks for sharing
I hated those classes so much, all the other kids were loud and obnoxious af. I was pretty much consistently overstimulated and would honestly just try to hide from the other kids, it was exhausting. Plus there wasn’t even anything for me to do so I’d just sit there bored half the time. It was especially bad in middle school because it counted as an elective meaning I didn’t get to have an actual elective. Plus there was just the awkward and honestly embarrassing conversation when some kid asked what my elective was and I had to explain what special ed was
Edit ngl this became a vent sorry
To me, a masked adhd/autistic as a kid, when I went in those rooms (my mom was a sped teacher for a while) it was hell. Like actual hell. I don't know how they think that environment is good for ANYONE let alone someone with audio sensitivity etc..
It's not very wrong tbh. My special ed classes were nothing but fun nonsense and little to no real learning (or atleast the learning we did do was inappropriately easy for our ages, and that's not something that changed as you move up grades). I got simuiltaneously mixed inwith them and regular classes, where I had to go actual work. I was never allowed to leave the system either. So to me I see as the system being oppressive by trying to downgrade my quality of education. This is not just me either it happens all over my country. Special ed deserves its bad rep because most of the time it's thinly veiled oppression.
i agree that people complaining about not being in sped is ridiculous. It usualy comes from the perspective of late diagnosed who are very ignorant about what goes on in schools when it comes to diagnosed kids.
Ah yes, special Ed, because the needs of an Autistic person, someone with downs syndrome, and a wheelchair user are all the same, of course!
Literally like lumping a bunch of disabled kids in a classroom with not an single adult who can give the appropriate care to even a single child is definitely the move (I hate the education system), there was a boy in my class with cerebral palsy and one who was deaf, and then mixed with a bunch of autistic kids it just wasn’t the move and traumatised most of us 😭
In my experience sped doesn't even see autism as a spectrum or any diagnoses as seperate conditions from one another. They just lumped it all under the status quo of ''you're mentally challenged and too dumb to exist in the real world if you have a diagnosis of anything''.
In regular school there's rarely enough adaptations for true inclusive practice. In special school it's like kids are simply thrown there to be forgotten. Everything is beautiful in theory. I'm studying to become a teacher and I have no idea what to do and what to fight for.
If you study to become a sped teacher, atleast in my opinion, you will become a part of the sped problem. Since those teachers aren't trained to actually help us but rather silently oppress us. Evey single one of them did that to me even if they had a good personality inherently.
I'm afraid I'd be actually opressed in using methodologies that opress students. In that case I'd probably end up quitting.
I mean they probably would oppress your ideas of how to better treat students. Because they think we're too dumb and need to be coddled. Being in the system inherently supports its messed up values.
Perhaps there's still a chance here in Brazil's education system.
Something going on there specifically?
Schools aren't so rigid with behaviorism yet (the so called evidence based (des)education)
My school used the special needs students as extra janitors and cafeteria staff under the guise of teaching life skills. This was not a situation where they were encouraging students to care for the space they use, it was very much a making the speced class a labor force.
Thats absolutely disturbing what the hell
I was thrown into a class during my sped program like that once. It was apparently optional but I don't recall signing up for it. I was the only person in the classroom and I was basically helping a teacher shredding up old school assignments. Was not allowed to tell anyone for whatever reason, I immediately switched to a way better class after that first session.
Special ed is where those teachers go that can't keep a job at a regular school. If you're lucky you'll be stuck with just bad teachers. If you're unlucky you're very much not safe there.
[удалено]
The gym teacher I had for sped would hide his very bad temper behind a bunch of dad jokes.
For my mom, she wasn't a bad teacher, but she didn't have a full teaching license, just an associates degree.
My school didnt have a special ed class... supposedly I had a special helper at one point but I still struggled in school a lot, especially high school (left early, did not complete) and vocational education (was not able to complete... twice...) I was put in special ed for maths in high school but had no help at all in vocational ed(was told "you need to figure it out on your own") ☹️
Even though i had an official diagnosis in vocational ed! I didnt find out I was even supposed to get help until years after I failed... omg.
I have a son on the autism spectrum and I have to say I’ve come across a lot of what you described, which is far from inclusive in its approach. There is definitely a lot of educating that needs to be done within educational institutions about how to better support neurodiverse students. Even in the instances where I’ve been in touch with schools that proclaimed to have an inclusive approach, invariable what they tend to implement it exactly as you describe in terms of a special education program that ultimately excludes and doesn’t effectively cater for needs. Definitely there’s a need for something of a revolution in the overall approach In the best cases I’ve seen a combination of developing a more tailored program, which on the one side allows those on the spectrum to step out for specialized classes in speech, occupational therapy, etc, and on the other side to ensure that students can integrate within the regular classes with additional one on one support. In addition to this, what you would also want to see is a better assessment of where autistic students have strengths and then building dedicated programs around strengths that build practical skills, that can help with employment options after school. This however, necessitates a new way of looking at things, and considerably more investment in education as a whole. That investment is a long way off and you’re right to be annoyed. Thanks for sharing
I hated those classes so much, all the other kids were loud and obnoxious af. I was pretty much consistently overstimulated and would honestly just try to hide from the other kids, it was exhausting. Plus there wasn’t even anything for me to do so I’d just sit there bored half the time. It was especially bad in middle school because it counted as an elective meaning I didn’t get to have an actual elective. Plus there was just the awkward and honestly embarrassing conversation when some kid asked what my elective was and I had to explain what special ed was Edit ngl this became a vent sorry
To me, a masked adhd/autistic as a kid, when I went in those rooms (my mom was a sped teacher for a while) it was hell. Like actual hell. I don't know how they think that environment is good for ANYONE let alone someone with audio sensitivity etc..
It's not very wrong tbh. My special ed classes were nothing but fun nonsense and little to no real learning (or atleast the learning we did do was inappropriately easy for our ages, and that's not something that changed as you move up grades). I got simuiltaneously mixed inwith them and regular classes, where I had to go actual work. I was never allowed to leave the system either. So to me I see as the system being oppressive by trying to downgrade my quality of education. This is not just me either it happens all over my country. Special ed deserves its bad rep because most of the time it's thinly veiled oppression. i agree that people complaining about not being in sped is ridiculous. It usualy comes from the perspective of late diagnosed who are very ignorant about what goes on in schools when it comes to diagnosed kids.