Fighting for the integrated class

[mistymouse5001]

EB you are so wonderful and smart.I love you

 

[Nik's Mom]

So true about the effectiveness of a resource room! We just moved from California to Kansas because our school district in California refused to mainstream our sons. They are both high functioning autistic.

Here in Kansas, my 9 year old is mainstreamed for most of the day. He is in the resource room for reading and math, where he can get one on one attention. During the time when he is in the mainstreamed class, he is assisted by a Para-professional, if he needs help. It is wonderful and I have already seen progress in him.

My younger son ( 6 years old) is struggling in the mainstreamed class, but that has to do with our move from California. I have noticed that his classmates have been so great with him. I am truly amazed at the sensitivity that those children have showed.

I'm sure that Kayla will thrive in her new environment. I'm glad to here that Kayla will have the opportunity to mainstream! Way to go!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm teaching summer school as part of my Master's program and I'm sort of facing a similar situation. There are three students in my classes who appear to have some sort of special needs that are affecting their performance in the classroom. I have been talking with the others to find out if it is across the classes, and it's sad that we can't get any support at the moment to help these students. There is one who needs constant one on one attention, which is only possible because all master's students are in the room with mentor teachers.

Due to my sped background I was able to pick up on some of these problems right away and we are trying to remediate them, but we have no resources since it is summer school. I don't even know if these kids have been identified and qualified for or received services when they were in elementary school. It is frustrating because I really feel that they are not understanding the curriculum but our resources for modifications are very limited and they would be served better by a different curriculum in a smaller class setting for reading instruction.

 

[ecki]

For the summer, Kayla will have a 1:1 aide plus the class is co-taught by one regular teacher and one special education teacher. I'm really wondering how this experiment will work.

We've put paperwork in to a highly regarded private special needs school for Kindergarten in 2009-2010. This school has an actual program for kids who have a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. If she gets accepted and put on the waiting list, I'm going to have to move her back into the self-contained class in the fall otherwise I can't make a good argument for the school district to pay for the private school. Argh, I hate having to play these silly games to get what Kayla needs.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Good luck ecki! I hope your daugther can get into the private school.