by Shilo Dawn Goodson

Created on: June 18, 2008   Last Updated: February 16, 2011

For me, this really depends upon the child's level of maturity and understanding of what is right and what is wrong behavior. A child who has some learning abilities and may in some senses be considered "special education," but who completely understands how to properly act should not be allowed to use the disability as an excuse to act out in class or to be mean to other children. I have been substituting for the last year and a half, and at both of the high schools where I have substituted, children in a resource classroom, where all they do is get extra help with classes, are considered "special education" students even though most of them only spend one class a day in this classroom. Should these kids be held to the same code of discipline as their peers? I definitely think they should.

In a classroom at one of the elementary schools, there is a class full of kids from third to sixth grade. The students in this class have a large range of mental capacity and understanding of their actions. The students range from being on about a pre-school level mentally to only being behind about a year. A lot of those behind by only a year are in that classroom basically because the teachers in the regular classroom don't want to deal with them. Sad? Yes, but true. These kids should be held to the same code of discipline as those in a regular classroom. Yet, the kid who doesn't understand that their actions are harming others shouldn't be held to the same standard. The level of discipline should meet the child's understanding of their actions.

As I have been substituting, I am sometimes in a regular classroom where there may or may not be children with special needs. Sometimes I am in a classroom with only special education children, though. Having experienced both, I have gained an understanding of how different children are treated differently when it comes to discipline. Sometimes this does not seem fair.

One child in particular comes to my mind when I think about if kids in a special education classroom should have the same code of discipline as the mainstream children. This child is autistic and is in a classroom with mostly other children who are also autistic. This kid is about nine and pretty big and strong for his age. Every day he throws at least one tantrum. During these tantrums, he will hit, bite, and attempt to pull people's hair. He can get a good grip on people's hair, too. Most of the teachers and aides in the classroom have scars from the child biting

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