Ricki wasn't rejecting anyone, she just didn't understand it!
The rejection I was talking about is that I have heard about on occasion, of special ed teens/adults with NO contact with special ed kids, saying they want to marry someone "normal" and the like.
Sometimes it is hard for the higher-functioning kids to find their niche. Here in Israel, the authorities discourage high-functioning kids with DS from mixing acedemically with kids with learning disabilities (even if the child with DS is doing better scholastically). And in order for a class/club/ etc. to have enough kids to get funding or manage otherwise financially, the "retarded" group will have a range of abilities. So many times the higher functioning kids lose out socially, feeling "too good" for where they are.
For example, high school inclusion is unheard of here. We were from the ground-breakers for grade school inclusion. In one year, when Ricky will finish eighth grade, I may be forced to put her in special ed, and I know the girls in that class. She is way above their level.
However, at club, Ricki bonded to the girls despite their lower level, as they were having fun together. And going to the club has helped Ricki come to terms with the fact that she yes has something called Down syndrome, and that it is not necessarily a bad thing.
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