Mainstream class or not?

[Guest guest]

Since this is a safe place (everyone hear is ASD or has ASD children) how do you

feel about Aspergers being in mainstream classes? What has your experince been?

What are other options if child is not behind academically?

My son is six, in the first grade. He is not behind academically at all -

reading and math are fine, maybe some fine motor issues with writing but his

biggest deficit is pragmatics - understanding social situations and he has

outbursts and sometimes when it's bad he misinterprets situations and ends up

hitting and hurting classmates. He is immediately shocked by his bad behavior

like it was totally an impulsive reaction but then goes into panic mode and

cries or runs to be alone.

I'm becoming increasinly aware that the teachers and principal do not know how

to handle him or talk to him. When I went to pick him up yesterday early from

school for an appt. he was in the office for being bad but the principal hadn't

even met with yet, he had been sitting (quite patiently I must say!) for already

20 minutes when I arrived. By the time she actally came it had been 35 mintues.

We are in the middle of IEP meetings and gor the first time in 5 years I was

starting to feel a bit of relief because it looks like there is a good team of

people that really want to help my son but I am wondering what placement they

want for him. The inexperinced principal was initially throwing around the idea

of special ed day classes but then someone must have told her a little thing

about the law and she hasn't mentioned that anymore! She wait for the IEP to

decide.

We got dealt a bad teacher card this year. Very unorganized, chaotic class that

she has zero control over. She doesn't implement the reward system at all and

just shouts at the kiddos all day. If you ask my son, he wants to stay because

he thinks he has friends in that class (which he really doesn't, but he feels

like he does).

I've spent a lot of time in the classroom to help and today I kept thinking,

even if he switched classroom teachers... would he be able to handle it? Would

the new teacher be able to handle him? No one at this school knows anything

about kids on the spectrum. So even if he qualifies for 1/2 hr. speech a week

and 1/2 hr. O.T. a week, is it enough? The 2 hours I was there he hit about 15

different rough spots that I was able to get him through it but the teacher

would not have. I'm really feeled scared and sad and I don't know what I should

do or what I should wish for in the IEP. Please help