PDA

View Full Version : UPDATE IN OP They want to move my 2nd-grader to a self-contained classroom



VClute
12-15-2012, 11:46 AM
UPDATE: After an occasionally ... ahem ... spirited marathon IEP meeting (2 1/2 hours!) on Monday, the school has agreed to let him stay a little longer at his current resourced level. His teachers and the administrator are (understandably) concerned about his academic progress (or lack thereof) and I'm more concerned about the potential for him to lose the small amount of independence and social opportunity he currently enjoys. At the meeting, I learned that, much to my dismay, there have been no consequences for Dixon for NOT doing his work. They have assumed that NOT doing it means he CAN'T do it. ABA has taught me that Dixon needs more rewards for doing the right thing and defined consequences for doing the wrong thing than a typical kid does. So we set up a reward system for him (I'm still shaking my head that there wasn't one in place already. I have been so complacent!) and the past couple of days have shown some improvement. Our next IEP is already scheduled for March 11. My fingers are crossed that he has shown some progress by then.

Hi, all. I hope I can get some guidance or BTDT advice. Dixon was diagnosed with autism before age 3. He went to an early intervention preschool program for two years and then they wanted to send him to a self-contained classroom. I fought it, and he attended our district's primary school (K-1) for two largely uneventful years. He is certainly behind his peers and that isn't anything I didn't/don't expect.

This year, he's at a new school (2-5) and many accompanying changes are really throwing him for a loop. He has gone from the first report card showing he is on grade level for math and below grade level for reading and writing to "well below" grade level in all three areas. His classroom is somewhat chaotic because there are lots of IEP kids in there (I'm told they cluster the IEP kids in one or two of the six classes there) and so (per the teacher) kids are coming and going all the time. Dixon has NEVER had behavior problems (no kicking, hitting, yelling or tantruming, regardless of his discomfort with noise or transitions, etc) but I learned that he is simply not doing or turning in his work. To me, that *is* poor behavior, but all I've ever gotten from his teacher is smiley faces.

He's been in "resourced" status (where he's pulled from class a couple of hours every day) for six weeks but now they want to move him to self-contained (a classroom located at a different school).

I'm no educator, and I trust that these people want only good things for Dixon (the alternative is to NOT trust them - and I just can't wrap my head around getting into a fight with these people) so I went to observe the self-contained classroom and didn't care for what I saw. I want him to remain at his district school, but I don't know how best to advocate for that.

I'm looking for sources that state that a FAPE can be accomplished in a typical classroom rather than a self-contained classroom. Especially when there are no behavior problems.

Conversely, I'm looking for opinions from other moms of children with autism. Am I denying my child an important opportunity by NOT wanting to send him to the smaller self-contained classroom environment? Or is keeping him with typical peers also an important educational opportunity? Any research showing one or the other?

crl
12-15-2012, 04:19 PM
I wish I had more to offer, but all I can think of at the moment is to suggest that you look at the Wrightslaw website if you haven't already. I don't think they can change his educational setting without your concurrence or a whole bunch of process.

Catherine

inmypjs
12-15-2012, 04:39 PM
Could you say more about what you didn't like about the self-contained classroom? I agree that they can't make a change like that without your consent. They'd have to schedule an IEP meeting, notify you of it and you would have to sign the new IEP before it could be implemented. Are there any special education advocates in your area? I don't know of any in mine, but have heard some people talk about organizations that provide support to parents.

ett
12-15-2012, 04:47 PM
How many kids are in his current classroom? Are there any aides? What did you not like about the self contained classroom? I'm not sure what a self contained classroom entails. Does that mean there are no typical kids?

DS1 has high functioning PDD-NOS and is in a typical classroom with a teacher and full time aid. There are several other kids on IEPs. (I know of 2 others for sure; not sure if there are others.) In your shoes, I would not be happy that they want to move your DS out of his current classroom. I think it is important for spectrum kids to interact with typical kids in a regular classroom. (unless they have very severe needs that can't be accommodated in a regular classroom.) DS1's therapists have continually told me to sign him up for activities with typical kids.

If the class has a lot of IEP kids, there should be more aides to accommodate them. It sounds like your DS needs more help in getting his work done and turned in; the school should be providing that help and they're not. Do you have a developmental pediatrician that can write a letter to the school stating that he needs this support?

VClute
12-15-2012, 05:23 PM
How many kids are in his current classroom? Are there any aides? What did you not like about the self contained classroom? I'm not sure what a self contained classroom entails. Does that mean there are no typical kids?

DS1 has high functioning PDD-NOS and is in a typical classroom with a teacher and full time aid. There are several other kids on IEPs. (I know of 2 others for sure; not sure if there are others.) In your shoes, I would not be happy that they want to move your DS out of his current classroom. I think it is important for spectrum kids to interact with typical kids in a regular classroom. (unless they have very severe needs that can't be accommodated in a regular classroom.) DS1's therapists have continually told me to sign him up for activities with typical kids.

If the class has a lot of IEP kids, there should be more aides to accommodate them. It sounds like your DS needs more help in getting his work done and turned in; the school should be providing that help and they're not. Do you have a developmental pediatrician that can write a letter to the school stating that he needs this support?

I counted 19 in his current class the one time I visited. But there may have been kids missing because of being pulled out for services. As I understand it, she has a part-time aide. And at the beginning of the year, the EC teacher also came in for a couple of hours a day to assist. Six weeks ago, they told me he wasn't doing well, and we changed the IEP from 100% typical classroom to resourced, meaning he spends more than 25% of his time outside his classroom, in a small group in the EC classroom. But now they say that's not enough, either, so they want to move him. I tabled the discussion for the time-being, but I need to present our case on Monday. Or agree. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching to try to decide if I'm against the idea because it wouldn't be the best for Dixon, or because I just don't like the fact that he's not doing well.

In the self-contained classroom, there are no typical kids. They currently have a roster of 9 kids, but will have 10 in January, 11 if Dixon goes. The kids are in grades K-2nd. The kids I saw were all at least somewhat verbal, but one has some pretty difficult-to-manage behavior. I saw him tantrum 3 separate times in the 2 hours I was there, which is not a problem in itself, but it is disruptive. I asked the teacher if she used any ABA strategies or anything else that would make her classroom ideal for a child with autism. No. In fact, besides the smaller class size and the ability to manage behaviors (The teacher expects to be interrupted several times a day to deal with this particular kid's tantrums) the teacher could tell me no advantage to Dixon being in her class as opposed to his typical classroom, especially since HE doesn't have behaviors that need to be addressed.

I asked if she encourages kids to become independent and learn better organization skills and no. She zipped up a lot of coats while I was there, and she told me that she and the aide gather up their items for them at the end of the day, and clean out their desks for them once a week. My concern is that Dixon would never learn how to function in a classroom independently. Not that he's learning that now. In fact, I'll be adding more to the IEP regardless of what direction we go in. I'm kicking myself for having been so complacent before... sigh...

VClute
12-15-2012, 05:25 PM
Could you say more about what you didn't like about the self-contained classroom? I agree that they can't make a change like that without your consent. They'd have to schedule an IEP meeting, notify you of it and you would have to sign the new IEP before it could be implemented. Are there any special education advocates in your area? I don't know of any in mine, but have heard some people talk about organizations that provide support to parents.

Oh, don't worry. They're going through all the appropriate channels. I'm so blessed to have never really needed to go into an IEP meeting with guns blazing. I did work hard to get him into his typical K class, but that teacher was a GEM, and he had a great year. So I felt vindicated, and got a little lazy, I guess. I was absolutely blindsided in both our meetings this year. But now I have a little more time to prepare.

ett
12-15-2012, 05:32 PM
I counted 19 in his current class the one time I visited. But there may have been kids missing because of being pulled out for services. As I understand it, she has a part-time aide. And at the beginning of the year, the EC teacher also came in for a couple of hours a day to assist. Six weeks ago, they told me he wasn't doing well, and we changed the IEP from 100% typical classroom to resourced, meaning he spends more than 25% of his time outside his classroom, in a small group in the EC classroom. But now they say that's not enough, either, so they want to move him. I tabled the discussion for the time-being, but I need to present our case on Monday. Or agree. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching to try to decide if I'm against the idea because it wouldn't be the best for Dixon, or because I just don't like the fact that he's not doing well.

In the self-contained classroom, there are no typical kids. They currently have a roster of 9 kids, but will have 10 in January, 11 if Dixon goes. The kids are in grades K-2nd. The kids I saw were all at least somewhat verbal, but one has some pretty difficult-to-manage behavior. I saw him tantrum 3 separate times in the 2 hours I was there, which is not a problem in itself, but it is disruptive. I asked the teacher if she used any ABA strategies or anything else that would make her classroom ideal for a child with autism. No. In fact, besides the smaller class size and the ability to manage behaviors (The teacher expects to be interrupted several times a day to deal with this particular kid's tantrums) the teacher could tell me no advantage to Dixon being in her class as opposed to his typical classroom, especially since HE doesn't have behaviors that need to be addressed.

I asked if she encourages kids to become independent and learn better organization skills and no. She zipped up a lot of coats while I was there, and she told me that she and the aide gather up their items for them at the end of the day, and clean out their desks for them once a week. My concern is that Dixon would never learn how to function in a classroom independently. Not that he's learning that now. In fact, I'll be adding more to the IEP regardless of what direction we go in. I'm kicking myself for having been so complacent before... sigh...

I'm not liking the feel of the self contained classroom from your description either. I would not agree to the move and fight to keep him in the current classroom with more support. Perhaps other posters have suggestions for legal help available for this? :hug: I understand how hard this is.

karstmama
12-15-2012, 05:47 PM
my ds is in the contained classroom. we started out (new school for him, we moved) with him just in that class, then doing some stuff unofficially in a regular kindy, and now after an iep meeting doing more integration. their point is that he needs to interact with neurotypical kids so he'll pick up on neurotypical behaviors. his ec teacher really wants him on a path to mainstream (at least largely) by middle school, when she says the ec classes become much more about poor behaviors.

so my opinion would be to try to keep him in the class he's in & ask for more accommodations. '19 kids to one teacher' sounds like a good place to start - work to see if the other iep's can be combined to provide another aide.

we're behind you in 'the worries', though. total btdt. keep working & keep your chin up.

o_mom
12-15-2012, 06:20 PM
I'm looking for sources that state that a FAPE can be accomplished in a typical classroom rather than a self-contained classroom. Especially when there are no behavior problems.



Don't forget the other half of FAPE - the least restrictive environment. Since they have not tried anything in between, such as a 1:1 aide, I think they can't say that the self-contained class is the LRE. I would ask for a trial of more supports in the regular classroom before moving to the self-contained.

mytwosons
12-15-2012, 06:52 PM
They are skipping steps. Before moving him to resource room for any amount of time, they need to increase the 1:1 aide to FT. This means the aide is only assigned to your child, not the class. If that isn't sufficient THEN try some pullouts. SC is the last step, and from what you described, is not appropriate for Dixon.

Moving him to resource or SC is cheaper than a FT 1:1 aide.

Clarity
12-15-2012, 07:00 PM
Don't forget the other half of FAPE - the least restrictive environment. Since they have not tried anything in between, such as a 1:1 aide, I think they can't say that the self-contained class is the LRE. I would ask for a trial of more supports in the regular classroom before moving to the self-contained.

:yeahthat: You tell them this, exactly.

Gena
12-16-2012, 01:32 AM
My DS is 8 and in the third grade. He received his diagnosis of Autism with Hyperlexia and Dyspraxia just after he turned 3.

We've done a bunch of different placements over the years:

Kindy - DS was in the K-2 Autism classroom fulltime (well, half-day kindy). DS was the only Kindergartener in his class and did a lot of group work with the first graders in the room.

1st grade - DS did Partial Mainstreaming. He spent mornings in the regular 1st grade classroom with a 1:1 aide. He spent the afternoons in the Autism K-2 classroom. He did "specials" with the regular first grade. DS enjoyed being in the regular classroom, but it was clear that he spent a lot of emotional energy holding himself together there. As much as he enjoyed the regular classroom, he liked going back to the Autism classroom every afternoon, so that he could "relax and just be me" (his words).

2nd grade - This was the year the school decided to fully mainstream DS. He started the year in the regular classroom all day (with a FT 1:1 aide), which was NOT what we had agreed to in the IEP. At first DS was able to hold it together during the school day, but his behavior deteriorated in all other settings, including aftercare and home. Soon he started having behavior issues in the classroom, including refusing to participate and crying. The school started doing pull-outs to the resource room and sensory breaks. The resource room teacher wasn't really trained in working with kids with autism, she was better equiped to help students with learning disabilities and other academic needs. DS started refusing to return to the regular classroom after being in the resource room. He repeated asked to go back to the Autism classroom. When I talked to DS about the regular classroom, he would tell me, "I just can't do it in there" and "I don't know what is going on in there".

It took nearly 4 months, but the school finally agreed to return DS to the Autism K-2 classroom. The teacher there (who had known him since Kindy) was shocked by how his self-esteem and his sense of security had been shattered by the experiment in mainstreaming. It took her several months to help him rebuild these things.

We had a lot of questions about why DS had been successful in the regular classroom in 1st grade but not in 2nd grade. A big part of it was that in 1st grade, DS was academically ahead of his peers. This meant that he really didn't have to concentrate on the work, just on his controlling his emotions, his sensory responses, ans his behavior. In 2nd grade, many of his peers had caught up with him. The academic work was more complex and became more abstract. DS is a concrete thinker and struggles with the abstract. He couldn't concentrate on the work AND on holding himself together at the same time. Also, the teacher in that classroom was really verbal. She talked a lot and she talked fast. DS could not process the verbal language well enough to keep up, causing him to not know what was happening and giving him a lot of anxiety. He simply could not function in the regular classroom environment.

3rd grade - This year DS has "moved up" to the 3-5 Autism classroom. He is the only 3rd grader in the class. For some subjects he does some small group work with the 4th graders and gets individual instruction for other subjects. There are 8 students, 1 teacher, and 3 aides in the classroom. Some of the students do partial mainstreaming, so some of the kids and aides are in and out of the classroom. DS goes to "specials" with a regular 3rd grade class and also has lunch and recess with the regular 3rd grade. He is making wonderful progress this year, both academically and socially.

We love the Autism classrooms in our school. They use the TEACCH methodology. This program uses structured teaching methods, such as visual supports, schedules, defined spaces, and a predictable environment. TEACCH respects the culture of autism and focuses on building on a student's strengths.

(This is getting really long, so I'll continue in another post.)

Gena
12-16-2012, 02:11 AM
(Continued from previous post)

Here are a few things I have personally learned from our experience so far:

- The IEP is a living document. It's not set in stone for the academic year, calendar year, or whatever cycle your school district uses. If something on the IEP isn't working - call a meeting and make a case to get it changed. Also, the school can propose changes at any time. We've already had 3 change to DS's IEP this year (2 to add testing accommodations and 1 to adjust his APE services).

- Going along with that, Placements are not permanent. If the classroom setting your child is in needs adjustments, modifications, additional supports, or is just the wrong setting, you can get it changed. You may have a battle on your hands, but it can be done. If you try a new placement and it doesn't work, you can keep calling IEP meetings and making changes until it's right.

- Placements are not all or nothing. Partial mainstreaming, where the student spends part of the day in the regular classroom and part in the self-contained classroom, works for lot of kids. Done correctly, it can be the best of both worlds.

- You need to know if your school/district practices "mainstreaming" or "inclusion". Many schools say "inclusion", but really practice "mainstreaming." Mainstreaming means putting a child with special needs into a "regular" classroom and expecting the child to perform like a typical student in a typical environment. In a way, it is an attempt to "normalize" the child. Part of mainstreaming mindset is often the idea that the student ought to earn his/her place in the regular classroom by demonstrating typical academic and behavioral performance. In mainstreaming, a student who needs extra therapies gets this in "pull-out" sessions away from the regular classroom. This is a traditional model of special education.

Inclusion is based on the idea that special needs students should be educated along side typical peers to the maximum extend possible. Instead of trying to change the child's basic nature to fit the mold of the traditional classroom, the classroom environment is adapted to be appropriate for all students. Students who need support services or therapies get them in "push-in" sessions, where the services are offered in the classroom as much as possible. This is a newer model of special education.

In the real world, what happens is often somewhere between these two ideas and schools may use partial mainstreaming, partial inclusion, and other variations. And sadly there are many, many situations where these models are poorly executed. You can't just throw a few special education students and an aide or two into a regular classroom and call it "inclusion". Real inclusion means changing the whole educational approach and mindset of the classroom.

Knowing if you are dealing with an "inclusion" mindset or a "mainstreaming" mindset can make a huge difference in how you approach the staff. It might also effect your feelings about what classroom best serves your child.

- It was a hard thing to realize, but eventually DH and I came to discover that the mainstream classroom is not the end-all and be-all of education. That's a really un-PC thing to say. There is a huge push in education for LRE (least restrictive environment). And it's often assumed that LRE means that the placement goal of every student should be the mainstreaming classroom. But really that's not true. LRE means the district is supposed to offer a continuum of services, and that some children are better served in setting outside of the regular classroom or settings that are in addition to the regular classroom.

- The Wrightslaw people ROCK! I attend Pete Wright's one-day Special Education Advocacy conference last year and it was amazing. I learned a ton and it totally changed the way I advocate for my son in IEP meetings as well as in between meetings. Read their books and website. Subscribe to the newsletter. Attend a conference if you can, or get the DVD version of it.

- If your district/county has a parent mentor or education advocate, make friends with this person. My district has a parent mentor and she has been a great help to me these past several years. (She works for the school district, but is paid by the state to minimize conflict of interest issues.) The IEP team knows that when I say, "Let's invite Ms. X to the meeting" that there is going to be serious discussion and disagreement. It's good to have another someone in my corner. Ms. X also lets me know when I'm on the right track in fighting for/against something and when I'm starting to go off the rails.

I hope some of that helps you, or at least gives you some things to think about. Every situation is unique and you know your child best. So of everything I've said, take whatever helps and disregard the rest.

(And yes, I overuse quotation marks. I admit it - I love them. It's a character flaw.)
(Also I don't proofread.)

VClute
12-16-2012, 04:28 PM
Oh, WOW, Gena. Thanks so much for your input. In K and 1st, he was in a typical classroom, but had "push-in" services. In 2nd, he started as the same, but now gets pulled out and for more hours.

I don't want DS's self-esteem to suffer. But he's not even able to talk about such an intangible subject. All I know is that he dearly loves riding the bus, and prefers that I don't even come to his school. Well, he never wanted me to come in the past - maybe only because he thought I'd drive him home, and that would mean not being able to ride the bus.

This is so hard. I don't envision DS going on to college or even living entirely independently. I imagine my husband and I will have to handle his finances at the very least. He's absolutely trusting of others and doesn't stick up for himself so I worry he'll be taken advantage of as an adult. One reason I want him in the regular classroom is I have a fond hope that some typical child will take a liking to him and he can have a friend to help him in the world. As of now, he has no friends.

So, on the one hand, I could care less about his "academic" progress - functional goals are more important, IMO, in the grand scheme of things (I *did* read on Wrightslaw about developing a "master plan" for your child.) On the other hand, I don't want him to feel entirely left behind and outclassed. He is such a dear when it comes to behavior, I don't want him to feel punished by going to the au class, where he won't be able to ride the bus.

Gah! This is SOOOO HARD!