Why do the public schools will placed a high functioning autistic student in a class with mentally handicapped students?

[dude1964]

there are two types of special ed settings. firstly, there is a special ed classes for those who higher functioning and secondly, there is also a special ed classes for those who are moderate and severe students with mental hanicapped. in middle school i was with the higher functioning classes. now in since I went to High School they placed me into a small class for those who don't know any better. is it wrong in all levels to placed someone who has High functioning autism to put into a lower functioning class. I felt i was robbed from getting a better education.

[ShiftingMonke]

Perhaps; my wife worked as an aide in a special needs class, they called it 'life skills' and she would often tell me about the situations that she experienced. I also previously worked with mentally disabled youth in a juvenile detention center, so I could understand what she was talking about.

Anyway, the state provides 'x' amount of funding per youth in a school district, but provides a little more funding for youths with special needs. The way school boards and directors see it, the more special needs youths they get, and the more IEP's that can be made, the more money they can wring from the state. So there's almost a drive to find general education youths with a degree of autism and place them in these rooms just to fill out a population sheet.

It's incredibly messed up, but we both experienced it.

[FunkyMonkee]

They kinda did the same to me, too but, I'm not autistic. I just had a little trouble in math and history classes. They put me in the core learning class with people like Doug Dow, who, SOMEHOW, made it to high school without being able to read past 1st grade level!! I'm not stupid, I'm almost a borderline genius! I just had a little trouble concentrating, sometimes. Mostly because the classes were boring! I always wanted to just jump into shit and get going rather than to sit and read all about it and learn this and that for weeks on end before I got to do the actual work being taught! When I get things I need to build, I almost NEVER read the directions!! I just take it out of the box and use logic to put it all together!! Well, it was the same in school! I just wanna jump in and get on with it!!

[douride2]

It's what the people wanted for their kids. It's called inclusion.

[ArrowheadSW]

My friend has a sister who is a special ed teacher. I am under the impression that she only has high functioning autistic students. Perhaps the local school district here has a way of separating them, which is good.

[Randalama]

When I was in high school I recorded a 96% in grade 10 English literature. The following year they placed me in a remedial reading course because I did not have the requisite French language immersion in our bilingual school system. All the smart kids made fun of me for being in the remedial class. But they knowed I could talk good!

[Anonymous]

They only have one special education class so everyone goes together