question regarding LRE Least Restrictive Environment, in laymens terms, is simply the least restrictive environment in which the child can make progress. Without considering the child, just in general, enviornments from least to most restrictive would be: -  Mainstream (no supports) -  Mainstream (with in class support / pullouts) -  Self-Contained (with mainstream for some classes/actvities) -  Self-Contained (no interaction with mainstream at all) So what the team has to ask themselves, would this particular child make expected progress in mainstream with no supports?  If the answer is no, than would this child make expected progress in mainstream with in class support / pullouts?  If no, go on down the list.  Wherever spot you land in when you say YES is the LRE for YOUR child. Forcing schools to consider LRE like this prevents schools from simply sticking all SpEd kids in self-contained classes as a 1st choice because it's easier for the school. The LRE requirement forces schools to find the best environment for the child.  If your child is not making expected progress against goals, then the placement needs to be considered. In my case, my son was in Mainstream Kindy with in class support and pullouts.  At the annual review, we determined that he was not making expected progress, so this year he is in a Self-Contained class with mainstream for art, music, pe, library, computers, lunch & recess.  His progress has been phenominal.  Right now, this placement is the LRE for my son.  Hope this helps somewhat. My ds is having evaluations and I was told that there is a 50/50 chance that they will decide that his current mainstreamschool with support through the resource room is not sufficient and will recommend an asd program. At the mainstream school he is curently being pulled out 33% of the time. He is in the resource room with a group of MR and EBD kids (my son is not cognitively delayed) and I don't think the support he is getting from the lovely but overworked resource room teacher is appropriate. At the asd program he would have a program manager who has asd training as well as aides in the classroom and he could be mainstreamed in general ed up to a 100% while getting background support from the asd program. Is least restrictive defined by the type of program - which would mean the mainstream school would be less restrictive even though he gets pulled out more. Or is least restrictive defined by how much time he'd spent in the mainstream classroom - which woud ironically be a placement in the asd program? Least Restrictive Environment means the placement that is closest in make-up to a typical placement AND closest, geographically, to the child's home AND "in which the child, given appropriate supports and interventions, can MAKE PROGRESS."  That is the ONLY definition of LRE. It DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN A MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM.  If a child is being removed a lot of the time, is not really a functioning, participating member of the class and, essentially, has his own program inside the mainstream class, there is a high likelihood that he will not make progress. Sometimes it's still worth keeping a child in such a placement because he is benefiting from the role models in that placement and is making behavioral, social and/or language progress BECAUSE of those good role models.  However, if he's not, it might be better to have him in a more specialized environment where he can be a functioning, welcomed member of the class and might not have to depend on an aide (which is VERY restricting) and can develop more independence. Each case is individual and you know your child well enough to see if the placement "works" for him or doesn't.  That counts for a lot.
	Copyright Autism-PDD.net