[CurlyDave]

In the 1950s, people didn't “mainstream” mentally disturbed children into their local public school environment.

I think you have hit the nail right on the head. Why this helps the "mainstreamed" child I will never know, but I do know it hurts every other child in that class.

Best of all, most times it is not permitted to concentrate all of the "mainstreamed" kids in the same class. They have to be spread out so as to disrupt the maximum number of normal kids.

[PLMerite]

“Why this helps the “mainstreamed” child I will never know, but I do know it hurts every other child in that class.”

I remember mainstreamed kids when I was in school 40 years ago. It was taxpayer funded babysitting for the parents and I’m sure there were big Federal bucks involved, too.

None of the kids I remember were violent but they were all attention-intensive and there was usually a teacher’s aide around to help, nothing we had for a class of 25+ normal kids.