I don't have a child in "special education" but firmly believe that they are "regular kids" too. It's not like a child has a choice in the matter.
I am not demeaning kids who have special needs at all. My wife is a teacher and we have several friends who teach special education classes. Everyone of them will tell you that many of the children in these classes are there because they can’t behave and receive no discipline/guidance at home. Everyone of them will tell you that there are many kids in these classes who are quite normal, but the parent(s) have them declared special needs so they get SSI Disability payments each month.
These students cost many times the average expense of regular students with added pension costs to the school district because they require more teachers/assistants than regular classes. There are many students who need these programs. There are many who don’t, but in order to get that SSI Disability check your kid is supposed to be in these classes. There are plenty of people scamming the system and it’s not just a monthly check for “disability” that we pay. We pay far more in the education costs associated with that child.
The child does not have a choice, but we should not encourage kids to be diagnosed as ADD by granting a monthly check in perpetuity for the diagnosis. Many of these kids end up in very expensive classroom settings. I would be willing to bet an obese kid drinking a 20 ounce caffeinated sugar bomb at dinnertime might not be in the best health by the time he reaches 18. We pay for that too when they are putting the Mt. Dew on the EBT card.