Guest guest Posted May 17, 1972 Report Share Posted May 17, 1972 Kara, Smouse and River Hills in Cedar Falls are the last segregated schools in the state. We used to have one in Davenport which closed(converted to a regular school) in about '91. My daughter spent her first semester of preschool at Smouse in 1983. They were on the third floor and had a spiral ramp that went down to the first floor. Rose could be out of that room and down the ramp in a flash in those days. I guess the ramp was 1926 style accessibility! This story is even stranger-In about '96 I went to the big inclusion conference that the PEAK Center runs in Denver. A woman from Colorado came up to me and wanted to know all about Smouse/VanMeter School because she had heard that they were the best in the country and she had had it with inclusion in Colorado. I believe that her daughter had DS and that they moved to DesMoines so that she could go to Smouse/VenMeter. I couldn't believe that she was at an inclusion conference looking for segregation. To each their own! Mardi-mom to Rose DS 20 ---------- >From: kawetzel@... >onelist >Subject: IA maianstreaming >Date: Wed, Feb 16, 2000, 1:57 PM > >From: kawetzel@... > >I could not believe it when we moved to DesMoines. They have an entire >school for special needs kids. I guess parents of regular kids were tired >of seeing special needs kids at their own schools or something. Both my >sister-in-law who teaches teachers and runs the university daycare, and >Jen's old preschool teacher in ND think this is illegal. Least restrictive >environmenmt ya know. There are kids in there I saw last summer that >should have been mainstreamed. One has the option of special needs in the >regular school, or mainstreaming, but they push the Smouse School. > >I wrote to the govenor about the state not giving services to kids with >special needs unless they have MR. One family I met had 2 autistic boys >with no MR; another had a child with early skitzophrenia (sp) and no state >help. None qualified for services. The gov. did not offer to solve this, >but sent me an ap to be on the diabilities council. In my spare time > >Kara > >--------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 In a message dated 2/16/0 7:59:37 AM, kawetzel@... writes: << They have an entire school for special needs kids. I guess parents of regular kids were tired of seeing special needs kids at their own schools or something. Both my sister-in-law who teaches teachers and runs the university daycare, and Jen's old preschool teacher in ND think this is illegal. Least restrictive environmenmt ya know. >> Kara, I have 5 children, 4 with special needs. 2 of those children attend schools for special needs kids with no regular ed at all. For some of our children those ARE the least restricitive environments. I could go on and on and list the reasons but I don't know if you would agree still. I feel it is best to fight for your OWN children and what is right for them. What you see as a child that does not need a special needs only school, the parents may see completely different and there may be things you don't see at all. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 Special needs schools are the norm in the UK for the kids with greater needs,I never used to like them but do now ,they have a higher staff ratio,better funding and especially trained staff,also the kids are nt always the worst at everything,all uk schools have the same core curriculum,but special schools obviously adapt to the childs individual needs,the boys school integrates with the local schools for many activities mostly social,sport and drama Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 Sara, It was a hard pill to swallow but we too find that Sam is succeeding in a small class[6 students] and the pressure is not on him to do the water down curriculum, which he refused anyway. He is now staying in gym class and art for more than 10 minutes & really enjoys going to school each day. We longed for full inclusion and found this was not in Sam's best interest. I can relate with you completely. B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 cindy and sara, ashton is the same way.......we full inclusioned her in preschool and for much of k and 1st grade.......but found that as she got older and more bolder in her life that she needed the more smaller structured activities in the smaller class...... she seems to be more focused and has the attention to do her seat work much more vigorously than previously..... she can sit for up to an hour without break IF its something she enjoys.....she hates music and bolts to the door daily...........heheheh takes after me......... yet she gets the social skills she needs from the reg classmates and in her before and after care program....... i will agree with all, that full inclusion aka mainstreaming is not always best for all kids......it must be an indivual decision based on teh kids needs ......... okay off soapbozx..........take careallleah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 I think for many of us, mainstreaming or inclusion was the dream of our youth!! That is our child's early days. I never thought that I would be insisting that segregation was in my child's best interest. But after age 10 and third grade, as curriculum became more complex and as Elie's " strange behaviors " became more noticeable because they varied more extremely from the norm, retreating to smaller class sizes with increased ratio of staff became a better learning experience. Frustration levels are decreased and learning can actually take place. I believe that my son will better function in the typical world because he has learned the skills necessary to survive rather than being " tolerated " (not a favorite word of mine) in regular classrooms with dumbed down curriculum that does not meet his needs. He does go to social studies class where he learns a very modified part of the classes regular curriculum more so that the children learn to socialize with him and he can practice learned skill across a broader domain. He needs extensive time to work on word recognition and number sequences and to do seat work that helps to learn the sequences of ideas. Noisy classrooms are far too distracting. He also needs to learn the pre-vocational skills of a working world. (Which he is greatly improved in this year). My dream for him was never that he would do a minimum wage repetitive job. But he is very happy with learning the skills of a factory line or following repetitive verbal instructions. And it is his life we are talking about. He does not have the current ability to learn to write a resume (what school to work classes in 7th grade are learning at our school). Sara >>> " Mardi Deluhery " <mdeluhery@...> - 05/17/72 1:36 PM >>> From: " Mardi Deluhery " <mdeluhery@...> Kara, Smouse and River Hills in Cedar Falls are the last segregated schools in the state. We used to have one in Davenport which closed(converted to a regular school) in about '91. My daughter spent her first semester of preschool at Smouse in 1983. They were on the third floor and had a spiral ramp that went down to the first floor. Rose could be out of that room and down the ramp in a flash in those days. I guess the ramp was 1926 style accessibility! This story is even stranger-In about '96 I went to the big inclusion conference that the PEAK Center runs in Denver. A woman from Colorado came up to me and wanted to know all about Smouse/VanMeter School because she had heard that they were the best in the country and she had had it with inclusion in Colorado. I believe that her daughter had DS and that they moved to DesMoines so that she could go to Smouse/VenMeter. I couldn't believe that she was at an inclusion conference looking for segregation. To each their own! Mardi-mom to Rose DS 20 ---------- >From: kawetzel@... >onelist >Subject: IA maianstreaming >Date: Wed, Feb 16, 2000, 1:57 PM > >From: kawetzel@... > >I could not believe it when we moved to DesMoines. They have an entire >school for special needs kids. I guess parents of regular kids were tired >of seeing special needs kids at their own schools or something. Both my >sister-in-law who teaches teachers and runs the university daycare, and >Jen's old preschool teacher in ND think this is illegal. Least restrictive >environmenmt ya know. There are kids in there I saw last summer that >should have been mainstreamed. One has the option of special needs in the >regular school, or mainstreaming, but they push the Smouse School. > >I wrote to the govenor about the state not giving services to kids with >special needs unless they have MR. One family I met had 2 autistic boys >with no MR; another had a child with early skitzophrenia (sp) and no state >help. None qualified for services. The gov. did not offer to solve this, >but sent me an ap to be on the diabilities council. In my spare time > >Kara > >--------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2000 Report Share Posted February 16, 2000 Rose: Where the heck are you??? Kara At 05:36 PM 5/17/1972 +0000, you wrote: >From: " Mardi Deluhery " <mdeluhery@...> > >Kara, >Smouse and River Hills in Cedar Falls are the last segregated schools in the >state. We used to have one in Davenport which closed(converted to a regular >school) in about '91. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2000 Report Share Posted February 17, 2000 Sara, After fighting for inclusion for 7 years through 6th grade and really struggling the last year with all the changes and rediagnosis, I too have given up on this dream. With all the problems we have had with this school district, I believe I will go back to a special day class with a small group of kids and hope can succeed. The overstimulation of a large class has been so obvious lately and lack of support we've received has really hurt our child. I've given up, I'm giving in and will look for an appropriate class after our big IEP tomorrow. 18 people in attendance. That has got to be some kind of a record. I'm stressed to the max, has been out of school since Christmas and need a life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2000 Report Share Posted February 17, 2000 michelle and billy too........ sounds like you have had a roller coaster ride the past few months......... hang in there and please video cam this 18 people in attendance iep meeting......this i gotta see........ it will go in the g book of world records....... ahhahah good luck leah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2000 Report Share Posted February 17, 2000 Who of the 18 people coming is just there for YOU??? My friend takes her aphasic father dressed in a suit and tie and a legal portfolio. He doodles in the back of the room! Sara >>> <MBrayley@...> - 02/17/0 8:45 PM >>> From: MBrayley@... Sara, After fighting for inclusion for 7 years through 6th grade and really struggling the last year with all the changes and rediagnosis, I too have given up on this dream. With all the problems we have had with this school district, I believe I will go back to a special day class with a small group of kids and hope can succeed. The overstimulation of a large class has been so obvious lately and lack of support we've received has really hurt our child. I've given up, I'm giving in and will look for an appropriate class after our big IEP tomorrow. 18 people in attendance. That has got to be some kind of a record. I'm stressed to the max, has been out of school since Christmas and need a life. --------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2000 Report Share Posted February 22, 2000 Thanks Leah, The IEP was a circus. Our lawyers, theirs, district people teachers, principal, therapists etc. etc.. The bomb was dropped, is severely autistic, and this is what you have been punishing him and abusing him and suspending him for. 16 or the 18 in attendence dropped their mouths open. I really wish I did have a camcord. The teacher that abused him had the nerve of laughing at the lawyers suggesting my becoming 's aide. My instinct was to turn to her and ask if she thought my son's education was a joke, but I decided to be more professional then her and go after her legally which I am doing. I have appointments to look at 5 schools over the next two days, to get him through the next 4 months left of elementary school, only to repeat the process in junior high this summer. Yech...........I need a vacation...........'s got used to his life of being home, watching tv and stimming since he's been out of school since Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2000 Report Share Posted February 22, 2000 Hi Sara, Of the 18 people I had my husband, our attorney, my Regional Center case worker who's pretty knowledgeable about autism and new with us in the last few months. That's it. Everyone else would like to see us disappear since I've made so many waves and accused so many people of not knowing how to do their jobs and proving their ignorance. I've cited so many laws they're in violation of and so many non compliance issues of promises made in his IEP. As my lawyers says, we have them with THEIR pants down and they are not happy. Add abuse and descrimination to that and an on going workers comp claim for descrimination of the parent who is an employee of the same district at the same school and the stress they have caused me through all of this and you can understand the tension in that room. The next meeting should be a blood bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2000 Report Share Posted February 22, 2000 With regard to mainstreaming and I know I am very behind in reading messages but we have a segregated school in Green Bay Wi also. This is not illegal because parents are given the choice in the area as to mainstreaming or sending them to this segregated setting. So in this area it is a " by choice " decision on the part of the parents. My understanding is that they do have a wonderful program. I talked with one mom several years ago who sent their child to that school. She fully believed in it and felt that her daughter benefitted much more from that program than the mainstreaming in regular public school. I asked her how her daughter was than able to socialize with regular kids, mind you this is a small community they live in south of Green Bay. She said she has more than she knows what to do with as she was in 4H Club and had brothers and sisters who took her every where and everyone in town knew her and included her. It works for her and she did what she felt best for her child. I give her credit for that. As for the inclusion conference in Colorado, I use to live in Colorado and it is where my son Zach was born. The inclusion conference started back in the eighties and when I lived there I went thru training with PEAK (Parent Education Assistance for Kids) to become a parent trainer. I use to work on the inclusion conference but moved away soon after I was trained. I am surprised about what that one lady did with moving to Iowa. However as with any state, even a state like Colorado, there are areas and pockets within the state and depending on the resources they have may depend on services delivered. Perhaps she was just not in a good area. It's too bad. R. Mardi Deluhery wrote: > From: " Mardi Deluhery " <mdeluhery@...> > > Kara, > Smouse and River Hills in Cedar Falls are the last segregated schools in the > state. We used to have one in Davenport which closed(converted to a regular > school) in about '91. My daughter spent her first semester of preschool at > Smouse in 1983. They were on the third floor and had a spiral ramp that > went down to the first floor. Rose could be out of that room and down the > ramp in a flash in those days. I guess the ramp was 1926 style > accessibility! > This story is even stranger-In about '96 I went to the big inclusion > conference that the PEAK Center runs in Denver. A woman from Colorado came > up to me and wanted to know all about Smouse/VanMeter School because she had > heard that they were the best in the country and she had had it with > inclusion in Colorado. I believe that her daughter had DS and that they > moved to DesMoines so that she could go to Smouse/VenMeter. I couldn't > believe that she was at an inclusion conference looking for segregation. To > each their own! > Mardi-mom to Rose DS 20 > ---------- > >From: kawetzel@... > >onelist > >Subject: IA maianstreaming > >Date: Wed, Feb 16, 2000, 1:57 PM > > > > >From: kawetzel@... > > > >I could not believe it when we moved to DesMoines. They have an entire > >school for special needs kids. I guess parents of regular kids were tired > >of seeing special needs kids at their own schools or something. Both my > >sister-in-law who teaches teachers and runs the university daycare, and > >Jen's old preschool teacher in ND think this is illegal. Least restrictive > >environmenmt ya know. There are kids in there I saw last summer that > >should have been mainstreamed. One has the option of special needs in the > >regular school, or mainstreaming, but they push the Smouse School. > > > >I wrote to the govenor about the state not giving services to kids with > >special needs unless they have MR. One family I met had 2 autistic boys > >with no MR; another had a child with early skitzophrenia (sp) and no state > >help. None qualified for services. The gov. did not offer to solve this, > >but sent me an ap to be on the diabilities council. In my spare time > > > >Kara > > > >--------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Or they will roll-over and play dead. Get those schools lined up - where did you say you are located??? Now is the time to request (read demand) that they fulfill their obligations. They DO NOT want a law suit. on grounds of discrimination!! Sara >>> <MBrayley@...> - 02/23/0 1:03 AM >>> From: MBrayley@... Hi Sara, Of the 18 people I had my husband, our attorney, my Regional Center case worker who's pretty knowledgeable about autism and new with us in the last few months. That's it. Everyone else would like to see us disappear since I've made so many waves and accused so many people of not knowing how to do their jobs and proving their ignorance. I've cited so many laws they're in violation of and so many non compliance issues of promises made in his IEP. As my lawyers says, we have them with THEIR pants down and they are not happy. Add abuse and descrimination to that and an on going workers comp claim for descrimination of the parent who is an employee of the same district at the same school and the stress they have caused me through all of this and you can understand the tension in that room. The next meeting should be a blood bath. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees. Apply NOW! 1/915/5/_/_/_/951285817/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 : Did you ask them to evaluate him for autism? What did they do (or not do?)? Who'd you get the label from? Did they do an autism eval and say he did not have autism but SMR instead? I " m just being snoopy...not at all confrontational. But I see this as being something we can all learn from and remember for others. I hope you all take good notes so either your attys or you (but we'll help!!) can write it up as a case study. I know a group that is starting to gather this type of documentation for hte purpose of helping other parents (and only parents) in simil,ar situations. Are you hoping for an inclusive placement? You might want to purchase the book, Inclusive Education for childrn with autism (or something like that) by S.Wagner at the Future Horizon's web site. BUT. and I want you to listen closely to this cautionary note. DO NOT GIVE THIS BOOK TO THE STAFF. Just copy the ideas (illegal I know) and share that. Why? It has this HUGE nasty section about how parents may be well-meaning but they just get in the way. If I were the publisher I would have never allowed that section to be published without severely re-writing it. Says something, doesn't it. The IDEAS, however, are pretty good. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hi Sara, We're in Corona, California which is suppose to be in the top 10 in growth in the country. They're just not growing in the right areas. We looked at 2 schools and programs today. It's hard to tell what a teacher is really like from a visit to the class when she's knowing she's being observed. I guess the question to ask is what experience they have with Autistic kids. The classes I've seen are just learning disabled. Tomorrow I'll look at their Pals program which is set up for Autistic kids. I'm a little apprehensive, but I told myself I would keep an open mind. This is tougafter being fully included for 6 years. Will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Joan, I've had included for 6 years and now I'm so confused I don't know what's best anymore. I know he does much better in a smaller group but loved his old friends he went through the years with. All the changes they made started all his problems and made me change schools. Now I can't even get him back in there since they're full, whether in a regular class or a special day class. I could keep him in his current school in the regular class, but the principal is being a bi--h and intends to suspend him for every action and is giving everyone a hard time over it. My attorney wants to get him placed before coming down on them, since he needs to be in school. He's been out since Christmas. They are bringing in a professional to assess the program from a diagnostic center, to see what they are not doing correctly. We won't beable to have another meeting until all this takes place after he's back in school. Another change is going to be awful for him and will come with it's own set of problems again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Joan, I've had included for 6 years and now I'm so confused I don't know what's best anymore. I know he does much better in a smaller group but loved his old friends he went through the years with. All the changes they made started all his problems and made me change schools. Now I can't even get him back in there since they're full, whether in a regular class or a special day class. I could keep him in his current school in the regular class, but the principal is being a bi--h and intends to suspend him for every action and is giving everyone a hard time over it. My attorney wants to get him placed before coming down on them, since he needs to be in school. He's been out since Christmas. They are bringing in a professional to assess the program from a diagnostic center, to see what they are not doing correctly. We won't beable to have another meeting until all this takes place after he's back in school. Another change is going to be awful for him and will come with it's own set of problems again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Joan, I've had included for 6 years and now I'm so confused I don't know what's best anymore. I know he does much better in a smaller group but loved his old friends he went through the years with. All the changes they made started all his problems and made me change schools. Now I can't even get him back in there since they're full, whether in a regular class or a special day class. I could keep him in his current school in the regular class, but the principal is being a bi--h and intends to suspend him for every action and is giving everyone a hard time over it. My attorney wants to get him placed before coming down on them, since he needs to be in school. He's been out since Christmas. They are bringing in a professional to assess the program from a diagnostic center, to see what they are not doing correctly. We won't beable to have another meeting until all this takes place after he's back in school. Another change is going to be awful for him and will come with it's own set of problems again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Joan, I've had included for 6 years and now I'm so confused I don't know what's best anymore. I know he does much better in a smaller group but loved his old friends he went through the years with. All the changes they made started all his problems and made me change schools. Now I can't even get him back in there since they're full, whether in a regular class or a special day class. I could keep him in his current school in the regular class, but the principal is being a bi--h and intends to suspend him for every action and is giving everyone a hard time over it. My attorney wants to get him placed before coming down on them, since he needs to be in school. He's been out since Christmas. They are bringing in a professional to assess the program from a diagnostic center, to see what they are not doing correctly. We won't beable to have another meeting until all this takes place after he's back in school. Another change is going to be awful for him and will come with it's own set of problems again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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