I need help-Long-sorry!

[Guest guest]

Hi, I'm Sue, mom to Alyssa 8 yrs with DS. Alyssa has been fully included since

kindergarten with a 1:1 aide. In the beginning the 1:1 aide was requested

because while she was fully toilet trained, high anxiety situations caused her

to need to go to the bathroom quickly. Her aide was there to help with the

bathroom. Thru the years Lyssa would also bolt from the classroom and sometimes

made it outside before her aide caught up with her. This has not been a problem

this year. Her aide helped modify work for her and helps her with doing her work

in class. Alyssa saw the resource room teacher in her classroom. At our IEP on

Thurs, I was totally blindsided as I was informed that Alyssa does not need a

1:1 aide anymore from the principle. There will be a classroom aide to be shared

with Alyssa and the other spec ed kids. I told him that it was a team decision,

not just his. But as it turns out, I was the only one there for my side, and

they had 8 against me. He said the reason she was

granted an aide was due to the bathroom situation, which is not a problem now.

Also they want her to go to the resource room 1-2 hours a day. I asked why was

it just his decision and that I felt she wasn't getting adequate support now.He

said he agrees that she is not getting adequate support to be in a regular

classroom full time. She needs more concentrated instruction at her level in the

resource room What they are doing with her now is inappropriate currently. " We

have shown with other kids that are here, that have less ability than she does,

that given the structure of the resource room they can advance academically.”

-a quote from him. I totally disagree. I feel she hadn't gotten the proper

support to succeed. The RR teacher said she hadn't made one goal yet for the

year. She is getting good grades in the classroom. She has been sick for 8 weeks

with recurrent strep and has missed 10 days in 2 months. So I feel that is part

of the problem. Also the resource room teacher has

not keeping up with her times to see her either. Now I have other issues noted

on the IEP. 1- is that she has had a chronic constipation problem since August.

I brought in a note from the Dr. for the IEP. This involves encouraging her to

drink and that she needs set times to go to the bathroom. Now I didn't put this

part in, but it is an issue-she tends to have liquid stool leak out when she is

really constipated. She does not have the coordination yet to clean herself

totally after this happens. 2- I don't feel that they are giving her the amout

of support she needs to be successful in the class. I asked about an inclusion

specialist being brought in and I was told that I'd have to sign that I disagree

with the IEP and they would set up a meeting with the Spec Ed Director. In

discussing this situtation at the IEP meeting one 3rd grade teacher said that

she meets with the RR teacher bi-weekly if not more to modify the curriculum for

the spec ed kids in her class. Which led me to

ask Lyssa's aide how often she meets with the RR teacher. She said she's met

with her once since Dec. So I was told I had 2 weeks from the date of the IEP to

sign the paper saying I agreed or disagreed. Today I was told I have to let them

know by tomorrow and have a dissenting report from me by then too. 3-Also there

is the fact that Alyssa cannot always explain her feelings, or what happened in

a situation. She had a big vocabulary but cannot put it into words. I feel this

is a big part of having an aide also. Next year she'll be in a different wing.

Transitions have always been hard for her. I'm concerned about her going out of

class and getting lost or forgetting where she is supposed to go. Can anyone

offer some words of advice? I really need some now. Sue & Alyssa-MI

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