transitioning to mainstream question

[MOM23ANGELS]

hi all,

looking for some advice on mainstreaming my son. he is currently in a special ed kinder-2 class. (he is in kinder.) I had a meeting with his teacher today who mentioned to me how surprised she was that he wasn't mainstreamed. she said he would do well with some support (part-time). told me i could get it if i pushed a little, but i'm nervous about it. i heard a few stories about kids on the spectrum in mainstream being the "wierd kid" in class. one of my sons current classmates was in a typical nursery school last year and his mom said it broke her heart. any opinions?

[BetsyAnn]

My son is in a mainstream kindergarten class. It has been great for him. He is still behind is some areas, but I think he is making more progress than he would have if he had been place in the alternative kindergarten. He is speaking and interacting much more. I felt he needed to be around the "typical" children for the modeling benefits. I think if you are going to mainstream a child, it is better to do it in the very early grades. The younger children are very accepting. When they reach the older grades they will already be used to your son and won't give much thought to his disability.

However, I think that the mother instinct is very powerful. Every child is different. So listen to your inner voice.

[MOM23ANGELS]

betsyann,

i feel the same way for modeling benefits. he has a few classmates with less than desireable bahaviors (although the teacher has assured me it hasn't affected my son) and being around typical kids would benefit him greatly. the other issue i have is that he does better in a smaller group setting. mainstream in my area is 19-24 kids per class. i don't want him to get lost. there is so much stress with making these decisions.

[Liamsmom]

Mom2 in NYC they have integrated classes I don't know if that's the same as mainstream but my son 4.5yrs old is in one at a public school. They have 4 teachers, one a Special Ed teacher, and his therapies are incorporated into his day. There are approx 19 kids in his class and he does just fine. Mind you his problems thought to be autism turned out to be emotional. But he isn't lost at all as a matter of fact he is one of the star pupils in class and yes he's a little weird compared to the others but he's trying to relate, and has actually referred to some of the kids as his friends. It's been a wonderful experience so far and he feels very grown up because he eats the school food(UGH), rides a school bus, has various classes such as music, library, gym. He comes off the bus with a smile on his face everyday. I know it's frightening to let go a little and not be there to protect them always from the mean kids etc. but you'd be suprised how they manage, and learn to stand up for themselves.

[MOM23ANGELS]

i've decided that mainstream is the best route to take for my son. has anyone gone thru this and any advice on how to approach the board. from what i here, i have the final say (as far as placement) but the board kept telling me no last year. i want to go into my meeting confident in what i'm entitled to. i know for a fact that there are no postive models in my sons group (they group the kids according to grade). can i bring that up without mentioning specific students. thanks for any advice.