The days when children with disabilities could legally be prevented from attending public schools are long past. A series of federal laws has guaranteed children with disabilities an education in the public school system. The facility must make an effort to accommodate the child, if it can do so at a reasonable cost. Most educators advocate mainstreaming of children with disabilities beginning in the preschool years. Mainstreaming, now more often called inclusion, means that disabled children are placed with nondisabled students as much as possible, rather than being segregated in special classes.
Inclusion helps most children adjust socially and learn to their full capacities.
Inclusion is the philosophy behind the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Public schools must provide an educational program suited to your son's specific needs, in a setting as inclusive as possible. By junior high, if not sooner, you'll also want your son to attend and have input. The law says children must be invited at age 16 and older. At the IEP meeting, the team members work out your son's educational goals and objectives for the upcoming school year.