Hi

I'm new to the forum, but it looks like most people have small children or babes in arms, hey maybe I'm wrong.

12 months ago my wife and I took the steps to move our son "David" who has D/S and is now seven (well yesterday as it happens) to a new school. The school in question is a special needs school.

This was a really hard thing for me to agree to, but after much soul searching and many sleepless nights I realised that keeping David in main-stream school was what I wanted and not what David needed.

Has anyone else had a similar dilemma?

OH! David is doing really well, his speach and social skills have improved no-end.

Happy Birhday, David!
My daughter turns 3 in a couple of weeks, and is supposed to start state-run preschool soon. I am also interested in any info on this subject.
Jeff

I am mom to a one year old with DS but also a son of age 16 who has other special needs. We did find that he did better in specialized classrooms (or even a special school for awhile during forth through seventh grades). He now has just finished a year of high school and went to two classes per day mainstream. The rest were specialized. Those two mainstream classes he flunked. That is really sad because I think that no matter how much support they give, teachers grade the same if someone is mainstreamed. Uggh! So, next year maybe just one mainstream. I don't know if this example helped at all, but it is just my perspective. Obviously all kids are different, but I think that specialized schools or classes are sooo much better and healthier for our kids. That way they feel they are able to make friends, and fit in better. And one thing I learned while raising my 16 year old:
Never feel sorry for him. It's ok that he rides the yellow bus and has only a few friends. That is his world. He can be happy in it no matter what. Don't think of the what if's or what could have beens...think of the WOW's and see things from his perspective. Anyway that is a thought that I taught myself cynthia