My son, Chance, just started kindergarden. Last year, he was in a class for children with Autism. He did really well last year so the school decided to advance him to a Special Day Class at a different school. He just learned to use the toilet. My problem is that when we went to "Back to School Night" I was told what was expected of my child. The other children in Chance's class are ADHD and are not Autistic. Chance brought home his homework tonight and it seems very hard for him. He has been acting out at school and running out of class. ( My son is a runner.) He is not able to hold a pencil well and his motor skills are quite delayed. I am already feeling frustration from my son as well as my own frustration. I don't want to just give up on him in his new class room but I can't help but think that this class will not meet his needs. Any advice will be quite helpful.
Thanks!!!!
When my son was that age, the first thing we would consider in deciding on a placement for him was his physical safety. Other questions about the classroom came only after we decided he would be physically safe. When you said that your son is running out of class, I am wondering if he is actually getting out the door of the classroom, or if he just trying to run out. If he is actually able to get out of the classroom, that would be a major red flag to me. Questions would be, what is the teacher student ratio, who runs after him, how far does he get before he is caught, could he get out of the school before he was caught, those sorts of things. If you think he is not physically safe, I would raise the issue immediately and seek to get a major change. That said, I think that talking to the teacher is a good plan. Sometimes teachers do like to get a feel for the child’s needs. I would suggest observing in the classroom too. That will help you get a better feel for the teacher, and help you see if your son “fits” in with the rest of the class.
The placement may be the wrong one for him. How well does his teacher understand autism? He may need more supports or a different placement all together. I would call an IEP meeting asap.Thank you for the advice. His teacher wrote me a note telling me that he was running out of class..biting himself...and hitting other children. He was not able to have speech therapy due to his behavior. I will take your advice and talk to his teacher.
Thanks
I would bring these things up to the teacher and see what she has to say...express your concerns, maybe there is more they can offer ds but didn't do it immediately because they wanted to see how well he would adapt. Maybe he is still getting used to the new school and just needs a little more time to adjust.
Just some thoughts...Good luck and hope things get better.
Are all of the kids getting the same homework? I would be shocked if they were, especially if it's a SpEd class where everyone has an IEP.
My son is in a SpEd class of 7 kids. It's a class for kids that function pretty highly, and my son is mainstreamed for gym, art, music, computers, library, lunch and recess. All of the academics are taught in the SpEd classroom setting. I know one other kids is ASD for sure, another is severe apraxia and 3 others ADHD. (Not sure about the 7th kid, he just joined the group). The kids follow the same classroom routine, but the work is varied. For example, they will all do 20 minutes of writing, but what they write is geared toward their abilities (some kids tracing letters, other kids writing sentences). The homework is different also. Each kid gets one workbook sheet to do each night (both sides). Another mom was over for a playdate and saw C's homework sheet and was shocked at how advanced it (he was doing sentences) compared to the homework her son got. Her son was still working on letters. However, we both felt that the homework was well tailored to the different places that our kids are academically.
I would definitely ask about the homework, maybe talk to some of the other moms. All SpEd kids are unique and to expect them to do the exact same work at the same pace would be suprising to me.
I don't have runner so I don't have any good advice on that issue.
Here we have resource teachers in place for doing the homework at school when it is too frustrating to do at home...some kids do better at school than than at home anyway. I havent used this option but will if it gets to be too much. Contact the school and you will should get some resolution in this area.
Good luck:)
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I'd definitely talk to the teacher. It may not be necessary to find another placement, but it's clear that changes need to be made if this placement is going to work.
I can definitely sympathize with you. My youngest son just started elementary school, too, and is having a tough transition (he doesn't have a diagnosis, although he might end up with one due to his social delays).
Good luck with everything, and welcome to the forum.