We have the IEP on June 7. . .My district does not offer a full inclusion program. . .They want to put my son in special ed preschool. The nuerologist who diagnosed him said full inclusion is the best. . .Since my son is speech delayed and probably has mild autism. . .
I am thinking of asking for Least Restrictive Enviornment and I have found the perfect place the nuero said is the best. . .they are willing to take my son. . .
Any advice from people who have been through it full inclusion or special ed day class?
He has not had a class activity yet. . .I would like to give him the chance to suceed. . .There are not many behavior problems. . .He did great when we took a mommy and me gymnastics program
My son also is a kid who goes with the flow. . .transitions seem to be easy for him for the most part. . .
He does not seem to resist change he actually does great with change. I am not sure what a highly structured program versus a more montessori pre school would do. I think he would fit in more in a montessori style
The school district wants him in something immeadiately. . .I do not disagree with that. . .He has been raised at home. . .Has even one had to deal with that transition? I have a feeling it will be harder for me then him.
your school is obligated to offer your child what he/she needs. So... as long as you have documentation that your child needs to be included in the regular classroom, it's not about what they offer/don't offer. This is especially true for those who are mildly affected. If necessary, your child can be in the regular classroom with a teacher's aid to help out as needed.
Hi andysmama,
welcome to the board! full inclusion and sped ed class can be a doudle edge sword, both having many pros and cons. many school distrcits push for inclusion right off the bat due to the fact that our kids reference a great deal and learn many positive behaviors from NT children. Some school districts favor starting off in spec needs classroom setting so they can see what the child's strength and weaknesses are and go from there. I think at this point, i would say, be honest with theschool regarding your son's needs, keep an open line of communication with them ( remember the things you see at home maybe different that what they see at school) and ask what they feel would benefit your son best.
If your child pays attention to other children, is able to imitate, and learn from other children, then I would opt for inclusion. He would also need to be able to follow group instructions. If your child needs one-on-one teaching to learn most new skills then I would opt for the special ed. room.My ds is integrated in school and daycare. I find it great *but* some of the staff at both places are not educated enough to pick up on the small stuff or do not give him as much assistance as he needs. For instance, as long as he is sitting, they leave him alone at school. They do not assistance him with writing skills and it was just recently added to his IEP. They told me of all the new areas he is lacking in at the end of the year when they would not re-adjust his IEP but have to wait till next year.
On a plus side, his social is improving. He initiated play with another student about 3 wks ago for the first time :)
If you go inclusion, be prepared. You will need a good team and to be involved at every step. I found that I got more accomplished by not working and being able to pick up/drop off my ds.
I found the structure better for learning but he needed a pic system to cope with it. He still learns at a very slow rate, but it is faster than before. Take photos of the school and classroom and teachers to help him understand the change. Photos of different activities too so he is prepared for what will happen. It will just provide some extra security to ensure the best success for the more structured system since expectations are higher to follow the routine.
I have a question about this topic... my son will be gong to a special ed class in preschool when he turns 3 in Oct. When checking out the program, the director said that there are peer role models in the class... so is that a TRUE spec ed class or is that what you all are refering to as a integrated-inclusive class? Just curious.... can get confused by all the different terminology.
Thanks for the info.
My daughter is in a pre-school class that they call "blended," where there are about 12 "regular ed" students and 3-5 "special ed" students. The speech pathologist said she needed a language rich atmosphere for all-day kindergarten next year. She was urging us to put her in a special ed school vs. a regular school with a regular kindergarten, I think because she wanted to play it safe.
However, I chose to put her in the regular kindergarten with the hope that it would challenge her to use language (since the speech pathologist said she really needs to be in situations where she's forced to use language). We'll see how it works, but the "blended" pre-school program she's been in for the last year and a half has really helped her improve her communication skills a great deal.
It all depends on each child's individual situation, but for our daughter, I think it worked to nudge her a bit by surrounding her with more "fluent" speakers.