What is the matter with these stupid people?

[Barmymummy]

We have a paed at our local hospital who seems to be the bead honcho for ASD dx's etc. We have a wonderful childrens centre near us who take kids with ASD/Downs etc and are wonderful. The staff ratios are wonderful and no one can say a bad word about it.

Head honcho has now decided that kids with ASD are better off at mainstream...end of story. She has been telling people to avoid the centre altogether and as a result the centre is being forced to reduce staff (costs) or open it up to NT kids too.

What the hell is the matter with these so called bloody experts?? It makes my blood boil it really does. How can a child who can't walk or talk be 'fine and better off' at mainstream school????

Am off to chill.......

I suppose it depends on the individual child. Riven's dd, for example, can not walk or talk and is very happy in mainstream. My ds1 can both walk and talk and is very happy in his special school.
But it's a shame about your centre. Would some proactive advertising extolling its virtues help?

It seems that this is happening more and more - maybe us SEN mums should be piggybacking this onto the political debate and getting David Cameron to go at Labour govt for closing down more and more special schools and cramming all kids into mainstream, regardless of suitability. Reckon us SEN mums here on mumsnet could be quite a force if we wanted....! My DS is doing ok at mainstream, but it's different as he has a statement and therefore a full time 1-to-1 supporter - we're talking here and on the Nottinghamshire thread of Misscutandstick about kids being given no choice, and no support. How can they be expected to cope, how can the teachers be expected to cope, and how long before the other parents get up in arms at the disruption to their kids' education by teachers having to spend time on SEN kids who can't cope and have no support. Accident waiting to happen, and all in the name of Local councils saving money which they have lost in the credit crunch on ridiculous investments. I wish I had the energy to do more with this.

I think ASD kids (generalisation alert) in the main do better in SNU's.

Children like Riven's seem to thrive because they benefit from the hubbub of the group, learn from other children and thrive on teh energy that other children create together. DS2 (probable dyspraxia) is the same. Most kids are. ASD kids though benefit from peace, small groups, a rigid structure that isn't broken roputinely for the sort of wonderful curriculum enhancing stuff the MS kids get so much from- they need staqbility, to know whewre they are. Space.

Clearly many asd kids do cope in MS< and from what I eprsonally have obswreved that seems more likely in girls (not sure why, could just be the way our school works as very female orientated imvho) but I strongly believe every asd child should be given the option of a SNU

I hate this forcing dc's into mainstream. and would be very angry if I heard it said by an adult, dd cannot walk or talk and she thrives in an sn school, mainstream would be crap for her, she would be the one to loose out imo.
so I can understand your anger.

PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot have you seen rivens thread in AIBU? doesn't seem imo like ms is doing as well as you think.

down to money/politics isn't it? all too often it seems that parents don't get a genuine choice.

Inclusion is always a cheaper option and that is the only reason it is so widely advocated by the 'experts' in education.

it is strange though, if you say that, they deny it.
inclusion = exclusion in a lot of cases