Guest guest Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi Carmen, My daughter Grace turned 5 in April the year was to go to kindergarten. At that time, she was also attending the inclusive pre-program at our school. Her teachers felt she was not quite ready for all day kindergarten so she attended inclusive kindgarten in the morning and went back to her ore-k class in the afternoon. Then after Christmas break of that year, she would attend all day kindergarten on tuesday and Thursday and keep the regular schedule on the other days. The following year she went to full kindgarten, all inclusive with a classroom aide. For her, this worked out fantastic!!!!!! Since she was speech delayed and socially delayed, easing into it was great. Just wanted to let you know that this could maybe be an option for your little girl. It worked for ours. Good luck! Sharon. Sent from my iPad > Hi everyone, > > I was wondering if anyone would care to share any more specific experience in terms of the obstacles you may have faced with the IEP process or with finding the right placement for your child in the public school setting. My daughter just turned 5. We live in North Carolina and she will be starting kindergarten next school year. She has been through the public school early intervention program and she is currently in an inclusive preK class that the public school offers. > > We just attended her IEP meeting yesterday. Although we did not determine her kindergarten placement yet. My husband and I asked about our options. I must say we left the meeting a bit frustrated and discouraged because they only options that were discussed were the typical mainstream classroom and the self-contained EC classroom. Her current teacher and the LEA both seemed as thought they were leaning towards a recommendation for a self-contained classroom for her because she is still delayed in speech and she also has some cognitive delays as well. Now my husband and I do not want her to start off in a self-contained classroom. We do not deny that she has a developmental delay but we do feel she does pretty well in the mainstream. I feel as though they are labeling her based on her disability and they are just putting all the kids with delays in a box. I also know that there are resource classes and aids available but they did not mention those as an option. > > Does anyone here have experience as a special ed teacher? Can anyone tell me more about our rights with the IEP and placement process? Do we have to accept the placement that the teacher and the other folks in the meeting recommend or can we sort of demand that she be mainstreamed? We will probably be having her placement meeting in April or May. But I am just trying to get prepared by knowing our rights and our limits. Any advice is appreciated. If you would like to contacgt me directly please email me at carmenihinds@... > > Thanks > Carmen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi Carmen, First thing I always tell anyone who has a child on an IEP is know your rights! s Law is a great place to start. I think you want " Least Restrictive Environment " for your daughter. Here is the link to wrights law page for LRE...http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/lre.index.htm ...And yes you can request for your daughter to have an aide. Just remember when you request anything... NEVER accept an answer from the school that says.... We are short staff, we don't have the funds/budget, don't have time, or room. None of that is your problem. You just smile and say nicely please put that in written of why your denying my requests. Believe me they won't put it in writing.    Below is a Q & A that I copied and pasted from s Law website...  Feel free to contact me if you have anymore questions. 1 . A. What does the federal law require and not require with respect to inclusion? ANSWER: IDEA does not use the term " inclusion. " However, IDEA does require school districts to place students in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE means that, to the maximum extent appropriate, school districts must educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate aids and supports, referred to as " supplementary aids and services, " along with their nondisabled peers in the school they would attend if not disabled, unless a student's individualized education program (IEP) requires some other arrangement. This requires an individualized inquiry into the unique educational needs of each disabled student in determining the possible range of aids and supports that are needed. Some supplementary aids and services that educators have used successfully include modifications to the regular class curriculum, assistance of an itinerant teacher with special education training, special education training for the regular teacher, use of computer-assisted devices, provision of notetakers, and use of a resource room, to mention a few. In implementing IDEA's LRE provisions, the regular classroom in the school the student would attend if not disabled is the first placement option considered for each disabled student before a more restrictive placement is considered. If a student with a disability can be educated satisfactorily with appropriate aids and supports in the regular classroom in the school the student would attend if not disabled, that placement is the LRE placement for that student. However, if the placement team determines that a student cannot be educated satisfactorily in that environment, even with the provision of appropriate aids and supports, the regular classroom in the school the student would attend if not disabled is not the LRE placement for that student. Any alternative placement selected for the student outside of the regular educational environment must maximize opportunities for the student to interact with nondisabled peers, to the extent appropriate to the needs of the student. IDEA does not require that every student with a disability be placed in the regular classroom regardless of individual abilities and needs. This recognition that regular class placement may not be appropriate for every disabled student is reflected in the requirement that school districts make available a range of placement options, known as a continuum of alternative placements, to meet the unique educational needs of students with disabilities. This requirement for the continuum reinforces the importance of the individualized inquiry, not a " one size fits all " approach, in determining what placement is the LRE for each student with a disability. The options on this continuum must include the alternative placements listed in the definition of special education under 300.17 (instruction in regular classes, special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions).  Hellard President International Mosaic Down syndrome Association (IMDSA) P.0. Box 354~ Trenton ~ OH ~ 45067 1-888-MDS-LINK ~ 1- ~ (FAX) 1- http://imdsa.org >________________________________ > >To: MosaicDS >Sent: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 7:46 PM >Subject: Education > > > >Hi everyone, > >I was wondering if anyone would care to share any more specific experience in terms of the obstacles you may have faced with the IEP process or with finding the right placement for your child in the public school setting. My daughter just turned 5. We live in North Carolina and she will be starting kindergarten next school year. She has been through the public school early intervention program and she is currently in an inclusive preK class that the public school offers. > >We just attended her IEP meeting yesterday. Although we did not determine her kindergarten placement yet. My husband and I asked about our options. I must say we left the meeting a bit frustrated and discouraged because they only options that were discussed were the typical mainstream classroom and the self-contained EC classroom. Her current teacher and the LEA both seemed as thought they were leaning towards a recommendation for a self-contained classroom for her because she is still delayed in speech and she also has some cognitive delays as well. Now my husband and I do not want her to start off in a self-contained classroom. We do not deny that she has a developmental delay but we do feel she does pretty well in the mainstream. I feel as though they are labeling her based on her disability and they are just putting all the kids with delays in a box. I also know that there are resource classes and aids available but they did not mention those as an option. > >Does anyone here have experience as a special ed teacher? Can anyone tell me more about our rights with the IEP and placement process? Do we have to accept the placement that the teacher and the other folks in the meeting recommend or can we sort of demand that she be mainstreamed? We will probably be having her placement meeting in April or May. But I am just trying to get prepared by knowing our rights and our limits. Any advice is appreciated. If you would like to contacgt me directly please email me at carmenihinds@... > >Thanks >Carmen > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi Carmen, I live near you in Northeast Georgia. Unfortunately, you are either mainstreamed or in a self-contained classroom in this area, which I call the land of no services. I was told that because my son has apraxia (unintelligible speech) that if he was able to come to public school, he would be placed in a severely mentally retarded class. Come to find out, my son has aphasia. he is not mentally retarded at all. His delays stem from improper diagnosis and treatment for most of his life (being treated like he was dumb from school personnel, doctors, etc...) He is far from stupid. As a result of the school failing to provide homebound services as prescribed by a doctor (and we had legal aid attorneys) and me filing a due process complaint, we still did not get the legally mandated services. We decided, in this area, it is best to homeschool. He is doing very well now. The speech therapist is raving about his improvements in the last three months alone. He is 8 years old, learning about money, learning to add/subtract single digit numbers, learning to read, and learning about social studies and various things in science. He is really doing better than expected. > > Hi everyone, > > I was wondering if anyone would care to share any more specific experience in terms of the obstacles you may have faced with the IEP process or with finding the right placement for your child in the public school setting. My daughter just turned 5. We live in North Carolina and she will be starting kindergarten next school year. She has been through the public school early intervention program and she is currently in an inclusive preK class that the public school offers. > > We just attended her IEP meeting yesterday. Although we did not determine her kindergarten placement yet. My husband and I asked about our options. I must say we left the meeting a bit frustrated and discouraged because they only options that were discussed were the typical mainstream classroom and the self-contained EC classroom. Her current teacher and the LEA both seemed as thought they were leaning towards a recommendation for a self-contained classroom for her because she is still delayed in speech and she also has some cognitive delays as well. Now my husband and I do not want her to start off in a self-contained classroom. We do not deny that she has a developmental delay but we do feel she does pretty well in the mainstream. I feel as though they are labeling her based on her disability and they are just putting all the kids with delays in a box. I also know that there are resource classes and aids available but they did not mention those as an option. > > Does anyone here have experience as a special ed teacher? Can anyone tell me more about our rights with the IEP and placement process? Do we have to accept the placement that the teacher and the other folks in the meeting recommend or can we sort of demand that she be mainstreamed? We will probably be having her placement meeting in April or May. But I am just trying to get prepared by knowing our rights and our limits. Any advice is appreciated. If you would like to contacgt me directly please email me at carmenihinds@... > > Thanks > Carmen > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 In our district in California there are 3 options. 1 is in the a regular classroom setting, 2 is a Special Day Class (SDC), this class is for mild to moderate disabilities. And 3 is the County Program, for moderate to severe disabilities. You can ask for an aide in all three settings. And you could probably have a combination of these settings. In the SDC class you could request specific amounts of inclusion in the regular classroom during their day. My experience is that they absolutely do pre-profile children with Down Syndrome, regardless of being Mosaic! And you can absolutely disagree and get your child in the setting that you feel is best for her. You go girl J! (mom to Aiden-7 MDS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 I hope you were not equating mentally retarded with stupid. These two things are not at all the same. And as much as people feel we need to educate what MDS is I feel we need to not equate these two terms. My daughter is cognitively delayed, the old term would be mentally retarded which is simply meaning slower to learn. She is in no way shape or form stupid. I understand what you are saying in that your son did not have the same issues as these other children, and the placement with them would not have been appropriate, But these other children are not " stupid "  They are children with other needs who also need respect and not to be labled as stupid. Luanne Subject: Re: Education To: MosaicDS Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011, 10:24 AM  Hi Carmen, I live near you in Northeast Georgia. Unfortunately, you are either mainstreamed or in a self-contained classroom in this area, which I call the land of no services. I was told that because my son has apraxia (unintelligible speech) that if he was able to come to public school, he would be placed in a severely mentally retarded class. Come to find out, my son has aphasia. he is not mentally retarded at all. His delays stem from improper diagnosis and treatment for most of his life (being treated like he was dumb from school personnel, doctors, etc...) He is far from stupid. As a result of the school failing to provide homebound services as prescribed by a doctor (and we had legal aid attorneys) and me filing a due process complaint, we still did not get the legally mandated services. We decided, in this area, it is best to homeschool. He is doing very well now. The speech therapist is raving about his improvements in the last three months alone. He is 8 years old, learning about money, learning to add/subtract single digit numbers, learning to read, and learning about social studies and various things in science. He is really doing better than expected. > > Hi everyone, > > I was wondering if anyone would care to share any more specific experience in terms of the obstacles you may have faced with the IEP process or with finding the right placement for your child in the public school setting. My daughter just turned 5. We live in North Carolina and she will be starting kindergarten next school year. She has been through the public school early intervention program and she is currently in an inclusive preK class that the public school offers. > > We just attended her IEP meeting yesterday. Although we did not determine her kindergarten placement yet. My husband and I asked about our options. I must say we left the meeting a bit frustrated and discouraged because they only options that were discussed were the typical mainstream classroom and the self-contained EC classroom. Her current teacher and the LEA both seemed as thought they were leaning towards a recommendation for a self-contained classroom for her because she is still delayed in speech and she also has some cognitive delays as well. Now my husband and I do not want her to start off in a self-contained classroom. We do not deny that she has a developmental delay but we do feel she does pretty well in the mainstream. I feel as though they are labeling her based on her disability and they are just putting all the kids with delays in a box. I also know that there are resource classes and aids available but they did not mention those as an option. > > Does anyone here have experience as a special ed teacher? Can anyone tell me more about our rights with the IEP and placement process? Do we have to accept the placement that the teacher and the other folks in the meeting recommend or can we sort of demand that she be mainstreamed? We will probably be having her placement meeting in April or May. But I am just trying to get prepared by knowing our rights and our limits. Any advice is appreciated. If you would like to contacgt me directly please email me at carmenihinds@... > > Thanks > Carmen > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thanks for all of the responses to my post. They have been very helpful. I do understand that the topic of education and children with special needs can be a very sensitive one. My daughter is cognitively delayed and she has delays in speech and fine motor skills. However, she has many strengths and she is very smart in many areas. I do not have a problem with her being around other children with special needs or delays in any area. My problem is that I don't like the fact that in many school districts here in the US it seems as though children are " labeled " and they are all clumped into the same category if they do have special needs. I think I just have a lot of issues with the public school education sometimes. I don't like labels. Although I know that some children require extra assistance and they are slower to learn. I just feel like because of the " label " many times the educators and other school personnel assume that they cannot learn or they will never reach a certain level and become more independent and or more social and therefore they treat the children based on these ideas and don't really challenge them to succeed. I don't know if I like the idea of " self-containment " or seclusion for chldren with special needs because I believe that children with delays can often reach milestones quicker when they are exposed to other children who are more advanced. My daughter is a perfect example. She imitates a lot of things every day. She often imitates her peers and that is how she learns how to do different things. I just hate the fact that children get singled out of mainstream just because they are delayed. And what I am noticing is that if you have Down Syndrome or Autism they don't seem to care how far along you are they just automatically save you a slot in the self-contained program. In a " perfect world " I would love to see all of our children educated in the same classroom with both a regular ed and special ed teacher in that same classroom and aides to help those students who need them. I don't know if or how that would work I don't even know if it's possible. I just think that we put too many labels on folks and there are too many stereotypes out there. I think that some of the folks in the public school system need to think more " outside of the box " But I also know that there is a bigger issue facing us and that is funding so I really don't know how things will ever change. That's just my two cents. I just hope that everyone gets the best placement and the best education they can for their child regardless of what their child's needs may be. I wish us all luck. Carmen > > Hi everyone, > > I was wondering if anyone would care to share any more specific experience in terms of the obstacles you may have faced with the IEP process or with finding the right placement for your child in the public school setting. My daughter just turned 5. We live in North Carolina and she will be starting kindergarten next school year. She has been through the public school early intervention program and she is currently in an inclusive preK class that the public school offers. > > We just attended her IEP meeting yesterday. Although we did not determine her kindergarten placement yet. My husband and I asked about our options. I must say we left the meeting a bit frustrated and discouraged because they only options that were discussed were the typical mainstream classroom and the self-contained EC classroom. Her current teacher and the LEA both seemed as thought they were leaning towards a recommendation for a self-contained classroom for her because she is still delayed in speech and she also has some cognitive delays as well. Now my husband and I do not want her to start off in a self-contained classroom. We do not deny that she has a developmental delay but we do feel she does pretty well in the mainstream. I feel as though they are labeling her based on her disability and they are just putting all the kids with delays in a box. I also know that there are resource classes and aids available but they did not mention those as an option. > > Does anyone here have experience as a special ed teacher? Can anyone tell me more about our rights with the IEP and placement process? Do we have to accept the placement that the teacher and the other folks in the meeting recommend or can we sort of demand that she be mainstreamed? We will probably be having her placement meeting in April or May. But I am just trying to get prepared by knowing our rights and our limits. Any advice is appreciated. If you would like to contacgt me directly please email me at carmenihinds@... > > Thanks > Carmen > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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