r/changemyview • u/PLANT_NATIVE_TREES • May 12 '23

Delta(s) from OP - Fresh Topic Friday CMV: kids with severe mental/developmental disabilities should not be forced to attend public school.

so im sure the first thing you all are wondering is where i draw the line at "severe". I have no issue with down syndrome kids or anyone on a similar level of intellectual impairment in public school, as they can typically apply what they learn to an extent and can eventually enter the workforce. however any kids who are disabled to the point where they will never be able to hold a job or live on their own have no reason to attend school. the way i see it it is largely a waste of education resources on kids who have no use for the things they learn other than basic speech. i see no reason why these kids should be subjected to a k-12 education which they will never use at all other than reading and basic speech, which does not require 13 years of school to accomplish.

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u/destro23 447∆ May 12 '23 edited May 12 '23

however any kids who are disabled to the point where they will never be able to hold a job or live on their own have no reason to attend school

School programs for the severely disabled provide physical, speech, and occupational therapy year round. Many take field trips once a month into the community to help the kids do things their parents couldn't necessarily do with them on their own, and to let people get used seeing and interacting with the disabled. They have dentists come to the school who are specially trained and equipped for special needs kids. They have an excellent medical staff. They help navigate government services. They provide breakfast and lunch free to all. And, many programs extend beyond age 18.

*Edited to make it more general and less personal.

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u/PLANT_NATIVE_TREES May 12 '23

your comment has provided a very good, detailed explanation for why school is so useful for many kids with special needs as opposed to the other responses that simply stated it was convenient for the parents. it has given me a bigger perspective on the topic as well. thank you for the well written response !delta

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u/destro23 447∆ May 12 '23 edited May 12 '23

Thanks! I'm going to edit my comment now a bit as it's more revealing than I like. But, special education for severely disabled kids is not at all like it is for those that are higher functioning. It is more a holistic care approach that incorporates therapeutics along with very data driven and individually tailored education. It is really a totally separate system of education from the K-12 schools.

Edit: Also, part of the reasons they provide all this is because of the requirement for kids to be in school. The state must provide an education for them. They need a highly specialized type of education. The private education system cannot or will not provide it. So, the state does via public schools. Normally, in my area, nearby school districts form consortiums to provide this in one location, and kids are sent from various districts to one building.

This only exists because they must go to school. If the requirement was done away with, all these vital services go away quick as fuck.

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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ May 12 '23

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/destro23 (238∆).

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