Momx3mjn
10-07-2005, 11:01 AM
First, I would like to say hello to everyone since I am a new member.
I have a 5 year old son, Jack, who was diagnosed a year ago with high-functioning Autism /possible Aspergers. After diagnosis, I placed him in the public school Spec. Ed. Pre K program. Prior to this, his speech was very limited. He spoke only one word requests and responses. His understanding of what was being said to him and around him was very limited as well. I was very pleased to see him doing well in the PreK program, and he is now speaking and understanding much much better! His aggressive behaviors had also gotten better.
At the end of last school year I was informed that Jack would be placed in a regular K classroom this year. Although a bit weary, we decided ...lets give him a chance, maybe he will do well.
When I requested Extended School Year services for him at that IEP meeting I was told "sorry, we don't offer ESY". After looking into it I found that if there is a need for it, the school was required to provide ESY. To make a long story short here...I ended up getting ESY for him, but, for only 45 min 1 x a week. At that point I took what I could get for him since we were already 2 &1/2 weeks into summer vacation. I know now to start fighting for this before the end of school year.
Now.....he is in regular K class. His IEP states he is to have Speech Language Therapy 2 x week -30 min each session. This is not individual, but in a group which I am not happy about, but again took what they would give him. He is also supposed to have Spec. Ed. Resource 5x a week 90 min a day. I recieved a letter from school the other day calling an IEP meeting for this Tuesday. Confused as to why a meeting would be called when his current IEP doesnt end until 6/07/06, I called and asked why. They said they feel Jacks IEP needs to be changed. I requested a draft IEP, which I recieved yesterday. They have not changed his speech but want to make a change to his resource time. This is what is stated:
New frequency of Spec Ed and related services per day/week/mo:
30 min per day,inclusion in gen. ed. classroom and/or resource.
General Educator or Special Educator
New Annual Goals and short term Objectives:
Jack will improve (to age appropiate level) social skills by
participating and interacting in classroom.
Evaluation procedures will include consult with gen. ed. teacher weekly.
I told them on the phone that I will not agree to this. She argued that they wanted what was best for Jack ,and they feel he should'nt be taken out of the regular class as much as the origional IEP calls for (which they havent even begun to do yet BTW, and he has been in school a month)and they think by taking him out this much it makes him seem so different to the other children and to himself.
He is supposed to be taken out for resource during language arts, since this is his weakness and worked with individually on what the class would be working on each day. This is what they told me at the end of last year when the original IEP was done for this year. So far in the regular classroom they have covered 5 letters of the alpabet and worked on writing thier names. He has not been worked with individually. No resource at all yet. He does'nt even know one of the letters they have covered so far....can't tell me what they are, can't write them, or tell me what sound they make. He can copy his name if it is there for him to look at. The teacher who worked with him over the summer taught him this. She also gave him a K entry test this summer and said he was not ready according to this test.
Now they want to cut back the extra help he is SUPPOSED to get!!
Jack is a bright child, I tell them. He just learns differently. He does'nt dowell in large groups, and gets distracted. His speech and understanding of language is still limited. His IEP doesnt state that he is Autistic. It says Developmentally Delayed- Speech/Lang Impaired. Whenever I even mention Autism to them they say "Ma'am , we do not have him down as Autistic, and the fact that a doctor has labeled him as such does not entitle him to specific treatment or teaching methods. Even if we did have him labeled as Autistic , that doesnt mean he would be taught any differently"
How can they argue that he will feel different or be seen as different if he is taken out of the classroom for extra , more individualized help? It seems to me that being in a classroom of other children who understand "get' what he isnt will make him feel different and seem different to the other children.
What would you all do in my shoes? Am I wrong for feeling this cut back in resource is a bad thing and will have a bad outcome? And maybe I am wrong but doent the way they worded the IEP revisal seem to say they dont even have to work with him individually or out of the classroom?
I apologize for such a long post !!
I have a 5 year old son, Jack, who was diagnosed a year ago with high-functioning Autism /possible Aspergers. After diagnosis, I placed him in the public school Spec. Ed. Pre K program. Prior to this, his speech was very limited. He spoke only one word requests and responses. His understanding of what was being said to him and around him was very limited as well. I was very pleased to see him doing well in the PreK program, and he is now speaking and understanding much much better! His aggressive behaviors had also gotten better.
At the end of last school year I was informed that Jack would be placed in a regular K classroom this year. Although a bit weary, we decided ...lets give him a chance, maybe he will do well.
When I requested Extended School Year services for him at that IEP meeting I was told "sorry, we don't offer ESY". After looking into it I found that if there is a need for it, the school was required to provide ESY. To make a long story short here...I ended up getting ESY for him, but, for only 45 min 1 x a week. At that point I took what I could get for him since we were already 2 &1/2 weeks into summer vacation. I know now to start fighting for this before the end of school year.
Now.....he is in regular K class. His IEP states he is to have Speech Language Therapy 2 x week -30 min each session. This is not individual, but in a group which I am not happy about, but again took what they would give him. He is also supposed to have Spec. Ed. Resource 5x a week 90 min a day. I recieved a letter from school the other day calling an IEP meeting for this Tuesday. Confused as to why a meeting would be called when his current IEP doesnt end until 6/07/06, I called and asked why. They said they feel Jacks IEP needs to be changed. I requested a draft IEP, which I recieved yesterday. They have not changed his speech but want to make a change to his resource time. This is what is stated:
New frequency of Spec Ed and related services per day/week/mo:
30 min per day,inclusion in gen. ed. classroom and/or resource.
General Educator or Special Educator
New Annual Goals and short term Objectives:
Jack will improve (to age appropiate level) social skills by
participating and interacting in classroom.
Evaluation procedures will include consult with gen. ed. teacher weekly.
I told them on the phone that I will not agree to this. She argued that they wanted what was best for Jack ,and they feel he should'nt be taken out of the regular class as much as the origional IEP calls for (which they havent even begun to do yet BTW, and he has been in school a month)and they think by taking him out this much it makes him seem so different to the other children and to himself.
He is supposed to be taken out for resource during language arts, since this is his weakness and worked with individually on what the class would be working on each day. This is what they told me at the end of last year when the original IEP was done for this year. So far in the regular classroom they have covered 5 letters of the alpabet and worked on writing thier names. He has not been worked with individually. No resource at all yet. He does'nt even know one of the letters they have covered so far....can't tell me what they are, can't write them, or tell me what sound they make. He can copy his name if it is there for him to look at. The teacher who worked with him over the summer taught him this. She also gave him a K entry test this summer and said he was not ready according to this test.
Now they want to cut back the extra help he is SUPPOSED to get!!
Jack is a bright child, I tell them. He just learns differently. He does'nt dowell in large groups, and gets distracted. His speech and understanding of language is still limited. His IEP doesnt state that he is Autistic. It says Developmentally Delayed- Speech/Lang Impaired. Whenever I even mention Autism to them they say "Ma'am , we do not have him down as Autistic, and the fact that a doctor has labeled him as such does not entitle him to specific treatment or teaching methods. Even if we did have him labeled as Autistic , that doesnt mean he would be taught any differently"
How can they argue that he will feel different or be seen as different if he is taken out of the classroom for extra , more individualized help? It seems to me that being in a classroom of other children who understand "get' what he isnt will make him feel different and seem different to the other children.
What would you all do in my shoes? Am I wrong for feeling this cut back in resource is a bad thing and will have a bad outcome? And maybe I am wrong but doent the way they worded the IEP revisal seem to say they dont even have to work with him individually or out of the classroom?
I apologize for such a long post !!