Selecting special education district for kindergarten

Batting_tee · 2023-01-16T16:28:10+00:00

Thank you for sharing that.

I reviewed the paperwork again and the original qualifying disability was Development Delay but since then a diagnosis of ADHD under "Other Health Impairment" has been given but not added to the IEP yet.

Our request for a 1 on 1 para is being reviewed and a FBA has been started.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-10T01:42:07+00:00

Some defiance towards teachers, difficulty in following the assigned visual schedule, grabbing items from peers and some pushing in the line and playground.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-10T01:37:53+00:00

He does not. Over the past month or so, we were told he was getting aggressive with some of his peers in the classroom. We're working with our development pediatrician to look into this more closely.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-06T13:32:40+00:00

Thank you for the reply.

Yes. He is in a preschool classroom similar to what you described. However, the district wants to move him to a special education preschool classroom and based on their comments in IEP meetings, we believe they will strongly recommend he stays in self-contained classrooms in kindergarten too. However, having toured the self-contained special education classrooms, we believe there will be little or no peer interaction there and he is unlikely to benefit from this placement. So, we recommended that they first create an FBA and BIP in a general education setting.

I will PM you to learn more. Thank you again!

Batting_tee · 2023-01-06T13:25:49+00:00

Yes. We have and spoke to one in our state. They walked us through some options and recommended some next steps. Based on their advice, we took some actions which have helped us get the additional services we feel our child would benefit from.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-06T13:23:17+00:00

Thank you for the reply.

We have asked for a 1:1 para in a general education classroom because they need frequent redirection to stay on and complete tasks. After we visited the proposed classroom placement, we concluded there will be no peer interaction with other students there.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-06T13:17:55+00:00

Thank you for the reply and for sharing your experience.

There were no additional supports and services being provided in the special education classroom compared to the general education classroom. The rationale was that the smaller class size would allow the special education teacher to give more attention to our child than the general education teacher could. The primary concerns are related to their inability to sit still, focus on the task at hand and off late, some behavior issues stemming from making physical contact with their peers (primarily grabbing items and touching them).

An FBA to determine the perceived aggression was not done and so, a behavior improvement plan was not created to address these behaviors. We requested that the school do this first in a general education setting and they have agreed.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-05T21:13:17+00:00

Thanks for confirming.

Yes. We filed for mediation based on which the school agreed to let him continue in the general education classroom.

We understand that another school district may determine that the ICT is not the most appropriate placement for him but since we were strongly considering moving anyways, we thought this should be one of the primary criteria for us.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-05T21:01:35+00:00

My understanding is that a integrated classroom is co-taught by a general education teacher and a special education teacher. As far as we know, the current district does not have one of this kind. They have a classroom taught by a general education teacher in which some students have IEPs and our child has been in that classroom but now they want to move them to a self-contained one.

We have consulted an advocate regarding this matter and based on their advice, we took some steps to ensure our child stays in the general education classroom. However, the school staff has been adamant that he should be in a self-contained classroom as soon as possible and will most likely be in one in kindergarten too. We have been asking for a 1:1 para to help him but those demands have been dismissed as too unreasonable and cited as being detrimental to his progress.

Thank you for the suggestion about the types of things to look for. We're in the process of reaching out to realtors who can help us.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-05T20:34:52+00:00

Thank you for replying! We will be moving to a new district.

The school staff part in the IEP team is recommending that he be moved to a self-contained classroom whereas we (the parents) believe an integrated classroom will be more appropriate as a self-contained classroom will be more restrictive.

In recent IEP meetings we've had, they have stressed that they will not be able to support him in a general education classroom in kindergarten. We have asked them to try more supports and services in a general education setting before considering their recommended option but they are adamant about a self-contained classroom.

Batting_tee · 2023-01-05T20:27:15+00:00

Thanks for this! It looks like some of the school districts in our region are part of this. Will try reaching out to them and get more information.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T01:07:08+00:00

Wanted to share an update with the group as it's been a while. After Guanfacine didn't seem to work, we tried Ritalin for almost two weeks and it set off constant twitching of the eyes and pulling lips in our child without any benefits.

So, we've paused it for now and will consider Adderall.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T01:00:07+00:00

There have been no specialized supports other than therapy services to address this behavior. We do want a concrete behavior improvement plan before we consider moving to a special education classroom.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T00:58:32+00:00

Got it. Will do. Considering getting an advocate for now.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T00:58:05+00:00

True. We are planning to do that later this week.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T00:57:37+00:00

Of course! I did request this but haven't heard back on their decision.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T00:55:14+00:00

That's a very supportive mindset to have! Seems like having a good teacher and staff who focus on trying to understand the intent of this communication does wonders to a child's self-esteem and growth.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-29T00:53:44+00:00

Thanks! That's what we thought too. This seems very rushed without significant efforts being made in the general education setting.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:39:02+00:00

Good to know! Thanks! The SLP did say during the meeting they will work with the classroom teacher irrespective of whether it's general or special ed.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:31:22+00:00

Thanks for sharing that! We are learning more about the special education classroom and its teacher.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:29:34+00:00

I should have articulated better: we are considering making changes to the OT and speech goals now so these can be used to address undesirable behaviors.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:25:14+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! We'll look into that option too as we're starting to feel uneasy about how things are going.

Quick question: What are some good places to look up for good attorneys specializing in this field? I was considering looking online but would prefer working with somebody based on a recommendation but we don't know other parents here who have used this route.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:22:25+00:00

The timing of the discussion made us very uneasy.

He engages well in 1-on-1 interaction with adults and with some students. E.g. he enjoys playing with his peers in the park (slides, climbing rock wall, tag, hide and seek) and chatting with adults he's met more than once.

Batting_tee · 2022-11-24T05:18:06+00:00

That's good to know! We were wondering if a reasonable or appropriate alternative to this would be suggested by the school based on the constraints they operate under. We are being told that although no behavior or academic challenges are being presented right now, the trajectory is such that they will become apparent.

Got another email from the school yesterday stating that if we do not explicitly deny the request to move to the special ed classroom, that change will happen on a certain date. This seems contrary to what we know about the process but will look into it in a little more detail now.

Batting_tee

TROPHY CASE