How many elective periods do they have? If they have at least 2, maybe she can her intensive help for one and still have an elective?
How many elective periods do they have? If they have at least 2, maybe she can her intensive help for one and still have an elective?
Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)
I think students need the "regular" instruction in addition to the supplemental, resource room instruction because the latter does not replace the former. At the middle school level, content area classes are usually taught by content area specialists whereas the resource room class is taught by a special education generalist. The special education teacher needs to be many things to many different kids and will not provide the breadth of coverage of a subject that the content area specialist teacher will provide. If a child only received instruction for certain subjects through resource room, the child would not get the benefits of the general curriculum (including group projects, multimedia presentations, collaborative group work, etc). Additionally, resource room teachers are sometimes working with students on more than one different subject area within the same class period (i.e., there are three students in a resource room but each is there for help with a different subject area). Resource room is a wonderful thing for struggling students but it is not at all a substitute for being in the regular class for exposure to all the necessary content.
DD '06
DD '14
DS is in the 4th grade, so he has another year of elementary school, but DH and I are already feeling stress about what will happen in middle school. We have an IEP meeting this week and preparing for middle school is one of the things we plan to discuss.
The "pre-teaching" classes OP describes do not sound like the resource room, at least not as it's done in my district. the pre-teaching classes sound more like a regular classroom setup where all the students are instructed in the same material, just at a slower pace. It is unclear to me if this class is taught by an intervention specialist or a content area specialist, or a teacher who is certified in both content and intervention. In my experience, a resource room has several different students working on different things either individually or in very small groups.
If I were in the OP's shoes, I would want more information about the pre-teaching classes. Are they in fact separate classes or are they resource room activities? How are these classes structured? Who teaches the? How many students are in the classes? What types of educational classifications are included in the classes? Can these classes be used in place of the regular instruction classroom? What are the other options?
Personally, I'm not a fan of the idea that "LRE" means that everyone belongs in the regular instruction classroom. For one thing, that is not what LRE means. LRE is supposed to involve a continuum of placement options. We've had bad experiences when the school clung to their ideas that "LRE means the regular classroom" and forced DS into the regular classroom without our consent. DS lost nearly a year of academic, social, and emotional development from this experience and it shattered his sense of security at school. The regular classroom is not the "end all and be all" of education. Things like groups projects, multimedia presentations, collaborative work, etc take place in special education classrooms and remedial classrooms too. Content is addressed at a pace and level that is more appropriate for the individual students involved.
Working with the school to identify or create an education program that best meets your child's needs is more important than putting a child in the regular classroom just to fit some bureaucratic interpretation of LRE.
Gena
DS, age 11 and always amazing
“Autistics are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you're destroying the peg." - Paul Collins, Not Even Wrong
Thank you, Gena. Very good points. You are right its not a resource room. I had asked the principal how instruction in there works, and he said it depends upon the kids' needs. I know they could not be used in place of regular instruction--right now the core classes are in the morning, and nothing other than core classes are offered. The "remedial" classes and electives are both in the pm. I had asked how many kids and he was not sure. I am going to e-mail him and ask him all of your questions and see what he says.
Dd has an IEP tomorrow--I am very nervous about it, as I have not really found that they have been helpful in meeting dd's needs. This has nothing to do with this middle school ,as it is her current school only, but I wish I could have a discussion with them about what would be helpful.
lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes
I think I mentioned this in another thread, but does your district have a special education advocacy office? I found them very helpful in letting me know what types of services were available for older DD in the middle school environment. I was able to make an appointment to go in and talk to a counselor 1-1. She had older DD's records available, so knew what her needs were (at least superficially) and was able to give me an idea of what were and were not possible expectations.
Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)
Gena
DS, age 11 and always amazing
“Autistics are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you're destroying the peg." - Paul Collins, Not Even Wrong
Thanks for all of your suggestions. No, they don't have a spec ed advocacy office. Our district is not very helpful at all. I do have a spec ed admin. coming to dd's IEPs due to the terrible history we have had, but I don't think she would advise me about something like this.
I don't know if they plan on discussing middle school tomorrow, so it will be interesting. It is not an annual IEP, but one I had originally called for a check-in/to see how dd was doing...so, not sure what their plans will be. I know I can bring it up, but as I said, that is a double-edged sword as I have yet to see the team as a whole do anything helpful (there are some helpful individuals). I requested to start the meeting with a brief overview of what dd's dx means to her, as members of the team had frequently made ignorant comments about dd choosing not to do well, and will probably say something about middle school being critical to her--and we'll see how it goes from there.
lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes
It's so hard when you have to educate the school personnel about your child's diagnosis. I've had to do it too. Not for his autism, but for other aspects like the auditory processing disorder and for his albinism.
Since your district does not helpful resources, have you checked to see if there are any available through the state or regional center? What about local parent groups? I tried for years to get accommodations specific to DS's albinism written into his IEP and had no luck, even when I gave the team the doctors' reports and informational handouts from a national albinism group. A couple of years ago I contacted the regional center and they sent a specialist to the IEP meeting. This person explained to the team how albinism affects DS's vision and what accommodations are necessary to increase his functional vision and to reduce his eye strain/pain. She told the the exact same things I had requested for years, but since it came from the regional specialist the team finally agreed.
Gena
DS, age 11 and always amazing
“Autistics are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you're destroying the peg." - Paul Collins, Not Even Wrong
Hmmn, there are not really any state or local parent advocacy groups for dd's dx. We do have an education service district, and they do not really cover dd's dx.. We dont' have a regional center that I know of. There is a pay for service group that covers dd's dx, but they are 2 hr away.
lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes