Is home an LRE? | Autism PDD

Okay--our meeting is in recess (see other post), so I have all summer to
research. There was some dispute amongst the evaluation team as to
whether our daughter had a need for special ed. She does qualify for it,
they are determining if she has a need (that high cognitive score sending
some of them to shout NO!). We feel that her MR range of adaptive,
social-emotional skills and low communication skills show a defenite
need. I think we can win that debate.

The next issue is that the team agrees the district does not have the LRE
for dd. This too is something we are disputing & working with them on.
BUT, one of the therapists in the meeting suggested our house may be
the LRE for dd (btw--she homeschooled her child through kindergarten).
I have nothing against homeschooling, and have considered it. However,
the big things dd needs help with are social skills & behavior. I want her
to be around other kids. As I read it, LRE is the environment w/ the most
typically-developing children (so in our house, with older dd at school
from 8-3, would mean no other children at all!!). Can a district ever state
that the LRE is at home?

I'm having a hard time finding this answer on my usual online sources.
Any guidance or links, greatly appreciated. Thanks!!School is a bad place to learn social skills anyway.  Homeschooled children tend to have better social skills because they socialize with a wider variety of people (age-wise and otherwise) in a variety of far more natural and less institutional settings. Wow--I never really thought of it in that light. I'm constantly feeling a
pull between what I think is best, what the doctors/therapists/books/
others say is best, and then just wondering what the point of everything
is. Everyone's goal is to have dd functioning like...well, them. My
thought is I'm nothing near 'normal' myself, nor is dh or our other dd.
So, where is the happy medium? I want dd to be comfortable & not feel
so overwhelmed when she is out in public, but I don't want to force
anything on her that would be un-natural to her. Sorry to ramble on &
on...

gtto--would you have any suggestions of good ways to get dd out
there--to socialize with (or at least tolerate) others? She's in a parent &
me gymnastics class, and we visit w/ family/neighbors. I respect your
opinion (I visited your website a while back, before finding this forum in
fact). Do we just not push any of this peer-to-peer social stuff (at least
not yet)? Let it come at a later time, when dd is more ready for it?
Thanks for your input.Wow! This is the first time I ever heard a school suggest home schooling?  I told myself that if Sarah suffered at all in kindergarten this year that I was going to home school her asap.  So far so good.  I just happen to have one of those kids that does brillantly for others and not me though so not sure how it would of worked out but I still would do before she felt tortured at school or bullies it is actually one of my biggest fears for her and being outcasted and picked on..she has no social skills to help herself and wont fight back...I know some parents have done it sucessfully with networking with other homeschooled kids and do group field trips and stuff.. I have found that some that do very little with their kids at home..maybe a few hours a day and they are done..the kids are socially behind and immature compared to public school kids but I am talking about nt kids that probably would of socially done better in public school...I thought the school has to find a LRE and not pass it on the parents to do this??? I am curious what everyone will post on this one? That is my understanding too, Shelley. I honestly think this OT was off
her rocker...lol...they didn't even know that the law covers kids from age
3 (they thought it was kindergarten). I've yet to read anything where the
home setting is the LRE. I would like dd in either the PPCD or some type
of program like that--it is only 3 hours a day. That would give her some
time away from me (& I often wonder if she would do better, like your
experience w/ Sarah), but she'd still have the bulk of her day basically
homeschooled. Where we are (Keller), there are no inclusion-type
programs. The MDO programs don't want to deal w/ her feeding tube
and/or would feel better with the school offering some supports (staff
training, a 1:1 if need be, etc.). I'm starting to be real thankful we have
this whole summer to devise some plans/suggestions & get a better
grasp of everything.

Just going to pick your brain while I'm at it...when you were
contemplating homeschooling, did you come across any good websites,
or even local (DFW) groups? I'd like to have that in my backpocket if the
time came...I know she'll be in kindergarten before I know it. Time flies--
my older dd has her Kindergarten graduation tomorrow.   

Legally under Part B of IDEA, home instruction is the MOST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. However, every possible placement is the Least Restrictive Environment for someone.  EVERY child HAS to be in the environment that has been determined to be Least Restrictive one in which he or she can make adequate educational progress. Also , it is now possible to keep a child under Part C of IDEA, otherwise known as EI, until the child is of kindergarten age. Under EI rules, home IS the "natural environment," which is the EI equivalent of Least Restrictive Environment.  You must see if your District is proposing and IEP or an IFSP. There are pros and cons of each.  However, if they are proposing an IEP, HOME is the MOST restrictive environment and there is plenty of research that shows that ASD kids do best when exposed to the same demands made of typical kids, but are also given the services and supports to help them MEET those demands.  If the school is refusing to place your child in District, insist that they give you Prior Written Notice.  Search this on www.wrightslaw.com

 

Our school district would only give us home visits. they said the home was the least restrictive environment as well.  And , of course, for home visits, we only get 2 hrs a week instead of 7 or 8 if he were attending the actual preschool. At first, they said was too delayed, which they later recanted. One of the teachers told me on the side that they are just too crowded and don't want to hire more staff. Great   Unfortunately the state DPI thinks this is o.k. Sure wish I had $ for a lawyer.  Oh they said today they may let him come to an hr of playgroup once a week in the fall. Wow!  I don't mind the actual home visits at this young age, but I don't like the hrs. He has 2 older sibling who always have tons of friends over and they all adore him, so he does get a lot of interaction with other kids   when he's in the mood
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