#sped

[vivianseda]

Thank you to Our Sensory Life

“I spent to many years thinking it was normal to be trapped like this and I was just 'lazy'.

If you relate to this, please hear me, you're not lazy. I know how bad it feels.”

Photo credit: Dani Donovan

[spooksforsammy]

The topics of special education, sped students etc are complex. Especially when get into what should be called.

Yes. Call me what Am. Am disabled am autistic. But also no problem called special needs or sped. Because am that.

So many say drop sped and special needs all together. Because the students don’t like. But what about the one do like? Me and some people personally knew liked and were okay with sped + special needs. Sometimes prefer that term.

Don’t be afraid say disabled. Or autistic. Or whatever. But the goal should be call students what they prefer, which could be special needs or sped.

Sometimes to get what need. Have call self sped or special needs. So naturally have no problem. The problem is forcing lable onto others. Especially if have shown discomfort or dislike to that term. Similar to low/ high functioning.

[foursthemagicknumber]

Billy: fun fact: there’s a mushroom that will liquify your liver if you eat it

Teddy: it will WHAT my WHAT

Billy: this is why we don’t lick mushrooms we find in the forest

Tommy:Sounds like chicken talk if you ask me

[yiffjerker]

Ill read ranfren one day

[paperboy-pb]

Preview for an animation... 👀 let's pray it'll be done before the end of the year!

[insanelyadd]

Shout out to everyone who had to go to the Quiet Room in school because you were being "disruptive"

[justawholedumpster]

Currently dealing with a mom who doesn't want to allow the school to do special testing on her child because she doesn't want a SPED kid. I always knew hypothetically that these kinds of people were out there, but I'm shocked to actually have met and be handling one.

I just cannot understand claiming to love your child and yet denying them important resources they need to succeed because a label might embrace YOU. This child is not going to stop being autistic. it's not a question if they are or aren't. It's a question of if they're an autistic child with horrible grades, no understanding of why they aren't fitting in with those around them, and a mother who is ashamed of them for something they were born with, or if they're someone with autism who gets to figure out how to function in this world in a healthy, loving, and supportive environment while getting the help they need to succeed further on in their education.

I can't imagine how much this child will resent their mother someday when they have to unpack all this crap on their own instead of getting the help they need and being successful from the outset. Imagine failing all your classes because it'd ruin your mother's self image if you needed a para.

[warringwarrioridiot]

@cheezestick Have a pic of my land otter Tux

The skrunkly

[clownrecess]

Can you share your experiences with being in special ed? What are some pros and cons of switching to a special ed school from mainstream education?

Yes, I'd be happy to share some of my experiences and perspectives. ^^

Until the age of 11, I was in general education. Being in general education without adequate support was a challenge. I often felt isolated, scared and misunderstood. I struggled to keep up with the pace of the classroom and found it difficult to form relationships. When I finally did make a friend, I became so incredibly attached to and obsessed with them to the point it was "suffocating" for both of us, and majorly impacted my mental health in a negative way. I already struggled in class, and couldn't keep up, so it definitely didn't help that all I could think about was this friend (who was already toxic in the first place). I also had teachers who weren't understanding at all. My fourth grade teacher literally made me throw away my project once because I folded it wrong, and then wouldn't let me start over.

Point is, general education was really difficult for me, and it felt really unsafe.

It wasn't until I entered special education that I began to receive the support I needed to communicate and learn effectively. One of the biggest advantages of attending a special education school as an autistic individual is the access to specialized support and resources. In my experience, special education schools often have a team of professionals who are well-versed in working with autistics. They understand the unique challenges and strengths of autism and can tailor their support to meet my specific needs.

I am allowed to take breaks, there are multiple ESA's on campus, bringing comfort objects is normalized, stimming is normalized, my classes cover topics slower, my classes teach one grade lower than the one you are in, etc.

Those things are all very helpful for me.

Unfortunately, there are of course some cons to being in SPED, too.

A challenge that I have experienced in SPED schools is infantilization. Sometimes, teachers and other staff members may treat us as if we are young children rather than teenagers. This makes me deeply upset. It happened to me today and I texted my mom to pick me up early because of how anxious it made me feel.

Another one is a bit more difficult for me to explain, because I dont know if anyone else feels upset about it. Since my school is smaller, I dont see as many students with interests similar to mine, or different fashions, or social media things. This made me feel like I was missing out on a lot of the typical school experiences that my peers were having, or like I see on television.

Finally, there is a stigma attached to special education that can be difficult to overcome. While special education can provide necessary support and resources, it can also be viewed as a place for "problem" students or as a "lesser" form of education. This stigma can lead to feelings of shame and inadequacy and can negatively impact an individual's sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Personally, when out and about around other people my age who arent disabled, I hear people use "SPED kid" as an insult a lot. I know that this is no different than any other ableist insult, but it makes me feel very upset.

This was based purely on my feelings and experiences.

[whinyvents]

As someone who spent the entirety of my secondary school years in special ed, I am tired of not being able to relate to others on the topic of "universal" british secondary school experiences.

So in attempt to combat feeling left out, I have come up with my own list of quintessential secondary school experiences.

2009-2014 british special ed secondary school culture is:

Weekly spelling tests. Every year.

Teachers assuming we would all be too clueless to figure out that every staff computer password was literally set to "password".

Sex education not technically being abstinence only, but still lowkey encouraging it by primarily focusing on the negative consequences of engaging in sexual activity, such as STIs and unwanted pregnancy.

Strict dress codes being easy to enforce when the total number of students was small enough for everyone to be noticed individually.

Feeling nervous (due to stigma) whenever someone you perceived as normal would ask you what school you went to.

Every student in the entire school having to appear on stage at least once for the Christmas production each year.

Missing out on the classic "you can achieve anything if you just work hard" speech. Some kids were even told that they would never achieve their dream jobs.

That one teacher (or teaching assistant) who openly disliked you.

Due to it being a male dominant environment, the most popular girls were usually "one of the guys".

Academic performance levels that would be considered failing grades in mainstream education actually being praised as high achievements when only slightly below average. (A personal example would be me getting a D in maths)

Those pencil packs with "100% Attendance" written on them being given as a reward at the end of each term to those who showed up every day. I would like to thank my strict mum for helping me win those pencils almost every term.

No PDA between couples allowed, not even hugging. (Although in my case they did eventually update this rule to allow holding hands as the exception)

A noticeable lack of sympathy from many teachers whenever someone had an emotional outburst in a situation that was actually distressing for them.

Years 7 and 8 still feeling like an extension of primary school.

The representation you lacked in fiction being made up for in documentaries your parents watched.

Everyone knowing everyone like they do in small villages.

Social skills classes taught with the implication that the objectively correct way to communicate is the neurotypical way.

Either getting pathologised for finding something difficult or told to stop making excuses. No in-between.

Those who were considered "high functioning" often trying to distance themselves from those who were more severely disabled. Despite not actually being very high functioning myself, I was still guilty of doing this multiple times and for that I am sorry.

[zethry]

Also, if you wouldn’t do this job, how much would you say the position “deserves” or “should” be compensated for what the position requires of the employee?

My union just brought a tentative agreement to us and we vote on it today. The wage increase is less than satisfactory, it isn’t terrible. However, there is virtually no longevity incentive. After the raise, I will be making less than $2/hour more than a new hire in my position and this is my 8th year. A coworker who is on her 29th year only makes $7/hour more than I do.

[vivianseda]

Thank you Em @ NeuroWild

“The illustrations that started it all.

I would draw these slightly differently now.

The main difference would be highlighting the value of coregulation. Independent regulation is all well and good but it doesn't work for me. I usually need someone to help.

And that's ok.

You know?

Em 🌈”

[theyuniversity]

💁🏻 FACT: The past tense of “speed” is SPED or SPEEDED:

Yuji, Nobara, and Gojo sped / speeded past everything on their way to fight Curses. 🏃‍♂️💨

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest | Ko-fi | eBook

[ree-duh]

[wut-igay]

ok,serious discussion, is sped a slur?

And no I don’t mean sped as in the thing special education.I mean sped as in some 13 year old kid in Iowa calling an autistic student sped.

According to Merrian-Webster dictionary (link) a slur is: “an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo”

The first paragraph on the Wikipedia page pejorative (link) (pejorative is a word for slur) says: “A pejorative word or phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something.[1] It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or vice versa) in some or all contexts.”

so,let’s talk about it

[justreblogginfics]

I’ve missed being in a SPED room so much (even if it is as a substitute) 🩷