by Amber Lesovoy

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2009

To mainstream, or not to mainstream... To even add some semblance of inclusion... It's all one big, confusing mystery.

When I made the decision to have my son, Jaymes in a self contained classroom (they don't even eat lunch in the cafeteria, they stay in their rooms), I wasn't thinking of anything except that it would be an easier environment for Jaymes to focus in.

The Pros:
Smaller class size TEACCH trained teacher

Lower expectations, and a higher level of understanding than I felt he would get in a regular ed classroom

Quiet, easy place to concentrate More one-on-one instruction

The Cons:
No "typical" peers to learn from

No time outside that classroom

Lower expectations

He wouldn't need to learn to function in a "real" environment, he'd be in his own quiet little "fishbowl" completely segregated from "regular ed" kids

When I started thinking to the future, not just this school year, I realized something. I realized that for Elementary school, I'd be ok with a self contained class, because he would still be in a regular school. But if we kept him to that path, it seems like it would become harder and harder to mainstream him later on. I do NOT want him going to a school like Carter Vocational, which is basically a life skills type high school setting for kids who are deemed unable to learn. Unacceptable to me. Unacceptable for Jaymes. But if we keep him only in self contained, disability oriented classrooms, doesn't it seem that we're setting the stage for a lifetime of special classrooms? At what point, in this scenario, does Jaymes transition into normal classes? I don't know if he ever could.

My concern, however, is that the other option (regular ed classroom) is ONLY workable with a one-on-one aide. Everything would depend upon whether the school would agree to this, and I don't know that they would. I'm afraid to gamble on it, this is my child's education. I don't want to mess it up.

My thoughts are... An ideal situation would be letting Jaymes go into a regular Kindergarten classroom, with a constant 1-1 aide who could keep him on task, help him with work, etc as needed. He would need someone with him 100% of the time, or he'd just drift off and wander the classroom. Maybe let him go out of the classroom for speech and OT.

I don't want him to be separated from his peers. As it is, their differences are obvious. But in his current class, he is loved and appreciated by his "typical" peers. They help him, they watch out for him, and they don't

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