My DD has been both used as a teacher's aide and been in a full inclusion classroom with kids who had more serious issues. She loved it and got something out of it. A child who never spoke started speaking with DD, and both girls benefited from the relationship.
My complaint is that this went at the expense of my child having some time during the school day to be taught to her own level. Academically advanced kids also need to be challenged to their level academically to develop appropriately. Little children also shouldn't be used as a teacher's aide for a child with impulsive physical issues, such as the more severely autistic boy in her class that lunged at his classmates...as it is the job of the adult aide to keep all the children safe and protected.
The problem of this model, like many things, is that it strays from the theory and when not implemented properly, some team members benefit while others lose.
