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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling
Why are there so many special needs kids?
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amother
OP


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:36 pm
I'm not trying to offend anyone, but I have a genuine question: why does it seem like there are so many frum kids with "special needs" for school?

I'm a BT and went to public school, and I dont remember there being anything as far as special needs -- other than kids with really severe developmental disabilities. we don't have school-age kids yet, but many frum kids in our community that seem reasonably intelligent for their age seem to have "special needs."

I'm genuinely curious what's going on. is stuff being diagnosed more than it was when I was a kid? are frum parents expecting more individualized treatment for their kids than public school parents because they're paying $15k/yr for tuition? are jewish parents more concerned with this stuff and paying more attention whereas non-jewish parents don't treat their kids with the same special snow flake mentality what we yids do? really not trying to offend anyone, but just curious why it seems like there's so much special needs among frum kids...
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:37 pm
I work in three public schools where more than 1/3 of each school receives services and is special needs. Many of my friends have the same experiences.
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amother
Canary


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:38 pm
It's possible that mainstreaming is more popular.
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tigerwife




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:39 pm
There is definitely more awareness and acceptance today than when I was growing up.
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#BestBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:39 pm
Frum families have many more children.

So more likely to have special needs kids.
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amother
Sunflower


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:41 pm
#BestBubby wrote:
Frum families have many more children.

So more likely to have special needs kids.


Intermarriage within tight circles also tends to circulate problematic genes more than the standard society.
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lamplighter




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:42 pm
In my Facebook groups I notice lots and lots of non Jews speaking about their special needs children.
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amother
Snapdragon


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:43 pm
I don't think ADHD, OCD and the like are considered special needs in the non Jewish world. They are integrated into regular schools and are helped by the school and not turned away for being damaged goods.
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:43 pm
I think it depends on the diagnosis and the state and district/county. Some special needs diagnoses seem to be highly diagnosed in areas which provide funding for services. I know two people in my city who have "autistic" children, and the moms told me (both of them on separate occasions) that they got the dx just to qualify for specific free services.

Of course, there are different categories of special needs, and some are more obvious than others. But I think this OP is not referring to the obvious ones.

Diagnostic criteria has also changed and evolved over time, so the spectrums for certain things are wider, and more and more issues are now considered. Not a bad thing. The more teachers understand differential instruction, the better.


Last edited by watergirl on Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:49 pm; edited 1 time in total
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amother
NeonYellow


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:44 pm
Did you grow up in New York?
In blue states there’s a lot more services. In red states many mild special needs will not get services
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amother
Calendula


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:45 pm
My personal opinion- look at the vaccine schedule now as compared to when we grew up. Look at the rates of childhood issues as well. Both correlated. Plenty of studies show there is possible causation between the two in kids who may be genetically vulnerable.
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amother
Clematis


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:52 pm
I don’t know about more frum special needs kids compared to the general population except that we have more kids in total, but environmental toxins. We are living a lifestyle that’s very out of sync with the way nature intended for us and our genes are used to. Most bodies simply aren’t keeping up. Vaccines may be a piece, but there’s so much more.
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LovesHashem




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:53 pm
amother [ Calendula ] wrote:
My personal opinion- look at the vaccine schedule now as compared to when we grew up. Look at the rates of childhood issues as well. Both correlated. Plenty of studies show there is possible causation between the two in kids who may be genetically vulnerable.


Look at how our diets have changed, how our screen time and technology has changed us.

How much chemjcs are entering our bodies through junk food, makeup, hair and skin products, etc.

There's a lot more going on than just vaccines.
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:53 pm
I am almost 38 I went to public school and I got a lot of special ed support from K-12 for ADHD and I was not the only one I just think its not something that people broadcast. There are a lot of issues kids deal with that they dont want the world to know about. I knew lots of kids with learning disabilities, ADHD, prob asd but it was not well understood. But there were resource rooms full of students getting extra help.

I am in non jewish facebook groups and I see no difference between frum and non frum parents. We all want our kids to succeed. OP I am sorry but your last line about special snowflakes was kind of not nice.
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amother
Lemon


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:57 pm
1- big families have more chances to have special needs kids.
2. I think it’s also because a lot of frum people wouldn’t have an abortion even if they discover a problem in utero, vs a lot of non Jews would more easily?
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amother
Sunflower


 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:57 pm
amother [ Calendula ] wrote:
My personal opinion- look at the vaccine schedule now as compared to when we grew up. Look at the rates of childhood issues as well. Both correlated. Plenty of studies show there is possible causation between the two in kids who may be genetically vulnerable.


This wouldn't explain the disparity (if it exists) between SN in our community and the outside community.

We also have a healthy amount of non-vaxxers (not referring to CV) in our midst. Do they have less SN kids? If your point is a valid one, then there would be less SN in the non-vaxxed group.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 2:01 pm
amother [ Calendula ] wrote:
My personal opinion- look at the vaccine schedule now as compared to when we grew up. Look at the rates of childhood issues as well. Both correlated. Plenty of studies show there is possible causation between the two in kids who may be genetically vulnerable.


I have a SN brother on the autism spectrum. He got his first vaccine at age 2. At that point my mother believed in delaying/spacing.
I'm one of 12 children B"AH. My mother spaced out vaccines with some children, but not all. My younger siblings who got their vaccines on schedule are not SN.

I guess I don't agree with your opinion. I don't see the correlation at all.
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Lychee




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 2:20 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
is stuff being diagnosed more than it was when I was a kid?


Yes. There is more education and awareness currently regarding special needs, and less stigma associated with getting needed services than there was 10+ years ago.

I don't think there is a disparity between frum kids and non frum kids, but if there is I would attribute it to frum mothers being more likely to work or have friends who work in the special education/ related services field (OT, PT, speech, SEIT, P3, ABA, etc.). So they know what signs to look for, what services are available to their children, and what the process of qualifying for services are.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 2:28 pm
I think as a society today, we are much more focused on helping each individual child reach his/her fullest potential. I've often heard that my parents' generation was a sink-or-swim one. If you were capable enough, you went to school. You were either a top student, a mediocre student, or a poor student. No one got evaluated to try to determine if they had any deficits, learning disabilities, etc...to see if a different learning method would help, if they needed a different educational model, etc....And if you weren't capable enough to go to school, there was no expectation to educate you.

I have a brother who is on the spectrum, as mentioned above. He happens to be brilliant, but has behavioral, social, and emotional deficits. He's in his mid 30's. For the entire elementary school, he was in a regular mainstream classroom with no intervention whatsover. So he may have learned on an academic level, but his emotional, behavioral, and social needs were never addressed. He suffered tremendously (bullying, etc..). He also was not diagnosed until he was well into his teens, though my parents really tried. Neuorologists insisted there was none.....His diagnosis is fairly new in the US.
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#BestBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 11 2022, 2:32 pm
amother [ Sunflower ] wrote:
This wouldn't explain the disparity (if it exists) between SN in our community and the outside community.

We also have a healthy amount of non-vaxxers (not referring to CV) in our midst. Do they have less SN kids? If your point is a valid one, then there would be less SN in the non-vaxxed group.


Anecdotal evidence supports that unvaxxed kids MUCH lower risk of Autism and other
developmental delays, allergies, ADHD.

CDC refuses to do a Vax vs UnVax Study, hmmmm......
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