I think I can see how my comments might have the interpretation that Matt puts
on them, because to an extent, he is correct about them. I don't actually care
what the reason is behind a child is exhibiting "challenging behaviour", or
whatever we are calling it this week. I do care that where the child's ability
to understand or communicate their horror as a result of whatever the
underlying reason is, the situation can only be made worse. The answer is NEVER
"Sit on them until they stop shouting/responding/breathing/whatever".
There is no doubt that teacher training is significantly flawed, and one reason
why I think that specialised facilities for specialised needs is not a bad
concept. However, that does not, Matt, mean that "problems" should be hidden
away, and I never said that. There are, however, some situations that are
caused by inclusion - on the few occasions I needed to "act out" at school (and
since), it was because of the sheer uncontrollable, noisy, thoughtless mass of
humanity around me. Fortunately I went to a school (ordinary UK secondary as
people were not segregated for being "odd" at that time) where the
pupil/teacher ratio was sufficiently small that I could be dealt with
individually. Usually, all it took was being told to go and stand in the -
blessedly quiet - corridor for a while.
Diversity needs to be recognised as important, and the current situation in
which all are expected to behave in a stereotypical/neurotypical manner is
degrading to all. It is just totally unacceptable to me that anyone can say
that one type of school is sufficient for all needs - it is not, and can never
be. Until people like Matt, who seems to be a well-meaning, intelligent person,
come to see that, we are stuck with the idea that all can be neurotypical if we
are exposed to it enough.
Jeremy
--
Jeremy Wickins,
PhD Researcher,
School of Law,
University of Sheffield,
Bartolome House,
Sheffield. S3 7ND
UK.
Quoting Dawna Lee Rumball <[log in to unmask]>:
> I think my comments were taken way out of context by Matt Wappett. In
> no way was I suggesting segregated schools, and there are a lot of
> cases where autism and ADD are behavioural disorders when the students
> "act out," otherwise they would not be in those situations where
> teachers are taking restraints to the extreme.
>
> Like the article said, "...It's damned if you do, damned if you don't..."
>
>
> --
>
********************************************************************************
> Dawna Lee Rumball, PhD Student
> Department of Educational Studies
> Faculty of Education
> University of British Columbia
> 2125 Main Mall
> Vancouver, BC, Canada
> V6T 1Z4
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> Canadian Disability Studies Association, President-Elect (2008-2009)
> Web-site: http://www.cdsa-acei.ca/
>
********************************************************************************
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