In the Book Review, Somebody's Else Kids, by Tory Hayden, How were children with exceptionalities treated by the school system?

The public school system is generally not set up for children with special needs. They are frequently an afterthought in the system. Torey notes that a federal mandate requires that children be mainstreamed or placed in the "least restrictive" atmosphere available. For Torey, this means that she has children only on a "resource" basis, a few hours each day. Torey doesn't believe this to be an acceptable idea and notes that it's less fulfilling for Torey than when she'd had her own classroom. When necessity puts four students in Torey's class for a half day, she is soon caught up in the joys of teaching and in trying to find ways that will reach each of the students, but she notes that she isn't equipped to handle a child like Boo who needs intensive interaction and specialized care.