Why does society catagorize special education children as being retarded?

Question

Why does society catagorize special education children as being retarded?

Answer 1

"specially educated" is really the fluffy nice way of saying it anyways. Mentally Challenged is truely the more correct term. Retarded means held back, so retarded is only offensive because we have made it so

Answer 2

Retarded is the term that was commonly used,before reform for the developmentally disabled started to take place,in the early 70's.The word is now used out of ignorance,or as a derogatory remark.It belongs in the same category as any other offensive remarks or words used to describe a race or group of people.



The corect term for people of an IQ of 75 or less is developmentally disabled.

Answer 3

IMHO most kids in S.E. classes these days do not belong there. One book in particular opened my eyes to that possibility, and I look at some of my nieces, nephews, and neighbors kids--and I see the possibilities.



Indigo Children by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober



FROM THE PUBLISHER

What is an Indigo Child? The Indigo Child is a child who displays a new and unusual set of psychological attributes that reveal a pattern of behavior generally undocumented before. This pattern has common yet unique factors that demand that parents and teachers change their treatment and upbringing of them in order to achieve balance. To ignore these new patterns is to potentially create great frustration in the minds of these precious new lives. Can we really be seeing human evolution in the kids today? Are they smarter? Why do so many of our children today seem to be "system busters"? Why are they committing suicide and killing each other? Why are so many of our best children being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder( ADD)? Are all of them really ADD kids...in need of being drugged, or is there more to this story?

Answer 4

I don't believe that society categorizes special education children as being retarded. I think that perhaps you are confused. Perhaps you are thinking of people who have borderline intelligence, and then they are not thought of as retarded, they are thought of as mentally challenged or "special". Special Education children are merely children who need a little extra help . . . many are far from being unintelligent, and actually, many have special abilities that far exceed the average person.

Answer 5

Usually just ignorance and lack of tact, and respect for those with mental, (and sometimes physical) difficulties.

Answer 6

Because they usually are.