Mainstreaming

Shawna W, I would go so far as to say mental disability=learning disability, there may be a fine line in there somewhere. Mainstreaming refers to putting a child in a regular classroom (with or without accomodations).

So learning dissiblities are everything from ADHD to Mental Disorders? Teachers don’t always recieve special help with students with ADHD but if a child with other dissibilities is placed they sometimes recieve a Aide, right? Will mainstreaming do away with Resource classes? Thanks ShawnaW

ShawnaW,

Just to clarify, i saw your post and thought i would answer it since no-one else had :(. I am not a teacher, however i do have a son who has a LD since 4th grade for all subjects except for math. LD and BD kids have always been in the same classroom (i’m still trying to figure that one out :evil: ). In 8th grade i had him mainstreamed for science, in other words, pulled out of his special class and placed with the other kids. He has always had a resource period since placement in spl. edn. Something i just found out (he’s now a freshman in HS) is he HAS TO HAVE a resource period in order to continue services (so says the school). His resource room = study hall in my day :wink: . Since there are no “spl. edn.” classes in HS, he does have an aide available for every class. For example in Biology, his tests are read to him, or the aide will make sure a tape is available with the test dictated on it.

I learn as i go such as you. In my experience… as long as there is an IEP in place, there is a resource period.

I hope this helps.

Sudiequ

There does not have to be a resource period for the child to remain eligible for special education-remember, the CHILD’S NEEDS are supposed to determine placement. My child had resource for 3 years of HS, then moved to a “monitor” status where she gets help from the resource teacher as needed. Her IEP states 30 minutes a month of services. The resource teacher keeps in contact with the regular ed. teachers to make sure she is doing ok. We still receive an IEP progress report indicating progress towards goals. In middle school she was in all “mainstream” classes (with accomodations and/or aide support) with the exception of math- because she was not learning in the regular pre-algebra class. The child with a disability is required by law to be educated in the “least restrictive environment”. For many that means in the regular classroom with accomodations or support. The term mainstreaming has been around for a long time, a newer term often used to mean the same thing (though some may argue there are differences) is inclusion. One problem with “including” LD kids is that they receive support and accomodations but not remediation- a 3rd grader for example who cannot read will have shortened assignments and texts read to him, but the only way he will learn to read is if he is pulled out of the regular classroom and given intensive reading instruction. I cringe when I hear an administrator say “we are a full inclusion school”. Full inclusion may be appropriate for many, but self-contained classes or pull-out resource instruction is required for some.

Sudiequ, you’ve gota school that’s ‘way out of step with legalities, though it’s not that uncommon in high school. Rover’s right — if the student doesn’t need resource room, they don’t have to get it to get accomodations or other services that they do need. Not sure you’d have any chance of getting services from them (but you might at least find out if anybody else has taken them to task and, say, has private placement at their expense) but legally they are supposed to provide what he needs, not tell you what they’ve got.
Now, about mainstreaming… what is it is different things to different people, and it’s not used much these days for LD — “inclusion” is more the word du jour. The difference, at least theoretically, is that mainstreaming is placing a person in the regular classroom to get what s/he can out of it while inclusion incorporates changes in the teaching, and accommodations and modifications if need be, to make sure the student is actually learning what s/he’s supposed be learning. Theory often doesn’t make it into practice; there are a lot of very good articles from teaher’s perspectives in the LD inDepth section about “Inclusion: Issues and answers.”

Sue and Rover… thanks for the information! Sounded goofy to me when he said it, but now i’ll be able to pursue it further. Would you recommend i set up an appt. with the Spl. Edn. Coord. to find out if what the casemanager stated was true?

Thanks again for the enlightenment!

Sue (sudiequ)

Yes… and worth finding a way to get it in writing if you can.