01/30/98

Why should we let habitual troublemakers socialize with normal kids?

Q: Some people believe that kids who are habitual troublemakers can be rehabilitated through socialization with normal kids. I do not agree. Mainstreaming troubled students into regular classes creates a situation where everybody loses. What do you think?

A: Children do learn social skills from each other. Desire for group and personal acceptance exerts tremendous influence on young people, regardless of age.

Nevertheless, persistent disruptive behavior interferes with learning for all students, so it can not be ignored. Interventions begin with application of standard disciplinary policies established by individual teachers in classrooms and by principals schoolwide. Consistency and fairness are extremely important. The primary goal of these initial interventions is to maintain regular classroom placement.

In extreme circumstances, disruptive students are assigned to special education classes which provide a therapeutic/educational milieu. The long-term goal of these placements is also to return students to regular education classes, because children need to learn how to handle the demands of the mainstream, whenever possible.

Special educators usually accomplish this by gradual reintroduction of the special student into the least difficult academic or social mainstream settings, sometimes with added supervision provided by an instructional aide, until the student can maintain appropriate behavior independently.

In my opinion, mainstreaming or inclusion are essential goals of any effective special education program. Careful planning, which includes teachers, parents, the student and support personnel, is essential for success.

For more information and opinions about mainstreaming disruptive students, explore the following Internet sites: "Troublemakers in Public Schools"
Kids Together
Alternative educational placements for disruptive students

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.