RE: Inclusion--Suze

[Guest guest]

I guess I am on the opposite side of the discussion. I am still not satisfied with Davey's program for next year, but I also have to worry about 's too. Our family lives in a rural area of Northern Nevada near Reno. Reno and all of Nevada has seen such growth that the school are still trying to deal with it. We also have quite a few children in the schools that do not speak English, so the schools create bilingual classrooms. They have also gone to some of the schools going year round school years (3 months on 1 month off, which is a great idea). We are zoned for the year round school, but they do not offer any programs for Davey. At first, I was told the only school that did was where Davey had been to pre and D-K. It is a very full school in town with lots of special education and non English speaking students. I was going to have Will attend this school for 1st grade, since I did not want him on a different schedule than Davey. He had been at a small traditional schedule school for Kindergarten, but I was under the impression that they did not offer services for Davey (naive me for not asking!). I went to turn in next years paper work at Davey's current school for both boys with a variance for Will, and I was told that the new principal might not approve Will going to this school and I should find another option......

I feel Davey is best in the special ed class 80% of the time with 20% inclusion. We really need to work on his reading, math, etc on a more one to one situation which he would not get in the traditional setting. I am at a loss for what to do.

I went back to Will's current school, which he is on a variance too. While talking to the secretaries up front, I found out that they offer the same program at this school (still not offered at the year round school we are supposed to be at). It is a very full program that Davey would be in 11 students with one teacher and two aides.

To make a long enough story short, we have a meeting with the principal tomorrow to discuss putting both schools in the school that Will is at this year. If we can't get them in together at this school, I am going to have to start making lots and LOTS of noise. Maybe I will mainstream and require an aide???

Any thoughts?

mom to Amy 18 (made it through the first year old college, sort of!) Kelsey 16, Davey and Will

-----Original Message-----From: Multiples-DS [mailto:Multiples-DS ]On Behalf Of Casey TraverSent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:12 PMTo: Multiples-DS Subject: Inclusion--Suze

Suze,

I too am a little afraid I got what I asked for, and it will be up to ME to make it work, not the school. While isn't the only child with DS to ever attend her school, she will be the only one they've had in several years. The principal seems supportive (and has a 32 year old sister with DS who was in full inclusion until 6th grade). I've offered to purchase (but they are doing it themselves) Teaching Reading to children with DS and Teaching Math to People with DS. I've also been on the Gaffney site, and saw that she/they offer some good suggestions, including accessing "Everyone Counts: Teaching Acceptance & Inclusion", the new NDSS disability awareness curriculum for grades K-6. I printed an article called "Positive Steps for Social Inclusion" that I plan to take to the principal.

's new teacher and SLP are going to go visit her current classroom next week and "see her in action" (my phrase, not theirs!) After that, we will have a meeting to discuss things. The current IEP states that she will be in the general ed class the entire day, except for 30 minutes each of reading, writing, math, where she will go to the resource room in and work in a with no more than a 3:1 ratio. In her K class, there are 13 general ed kids and 10 who receive special ed services. Of those 10, only will be going into general ed. None of the other parents pushed for it/asked for it, to my knowledge. The 2 other kids with DS will be going into the self-contained gr. 1-3 one school over from us. I just couldn't see it for , so. . .I got my wish. . .what I think is best. . .now I'm nervous.

If you'd like to chat by phone sometime, let me know, and I'll send you my number off-list. Good luck!!

Casey, mom to (DS) and , 6

[Guest guest]

Hi & Everyone,

Our girls are in a class with 1 teacher, 1 aide and 10 kids. It took half the year, but they added another aide just for the girls, although it isn't in their IEPs, as of yet anyway. It will be in the next IEPs, I will make sure it is. The only aide they had for the whole class was in the bathroom all day changing diapers. How was the teacher able to keep up with all the oral motor stuffola, etc., that is needed to accommodate our girls, plus the other kids with oral motor issues, plus all the other stuff?

There are magic words you can find specific for your child to drive the services that your kids need in the school setting. Keep talking it up to everyone until you find them. Everytime I attend a workshop or coldcall a group, like ARC, and start asking questions, I learn so much, especially from the parents with older kids. "Yes, I understand it is covered in the educational setting, but it needs to be guided 1:1 for SAFETY reasons..." That's one of my favorite lines, especially when it is recorded. It is also my policy to record every IEP meeting. I'm not a secretary and I need to focus on the questions and answers and direction of the meeting, not note-taking. This has been a great advantage to keeping everyone focused on the needs of the children and keeping the junk out of the meeting. People are more apt to be open to the girls' needs.

By law, a child with special needs must have available to them a "free and appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their UNIQUE NEEDS and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living." This doesn't mean they can only offer a few cookie cutter options for placement, etc. This means that they must customize an special education specific to the unique needs of the child. Just keep focussing on their needs, not what "is best" for the kid, because what's best is 1:1 private education from a professor specializing in all the issues your kid may have. The school can use this terminology against you later if it ever gets to court, per Pete .

I've also quoted the part about independent living with reference to oral motor development, when the supervisor of all therapists for Loudoun County told me that the school doesn't have to teach the girls to chew in order for them to access their educations. So if that is the case, why has "will chew all foods appropriately before swallowing" been in their IEPs for the last two years, and what is your definition of 'independent living', and how will the girls be able to access the same cafeteria foods that their typical peers are allowed to access, will you be the one to tell them they aren't allowed, and how will you handle the girls stealing food from their peers because they want to eat those hot dogs, because they are known to steal food from peers already, and so on..."

Another thought I had was for you to look up the site for National Organization of Multiples/Twins Group. They have lots of info on placing twins/multiples together/apart. Their ultimate focus is that it should really be the parent's decision. I have learned alot from them in developing an approach for advocacy on what I feel is best for our twins at this time re placement. Your children have a right to attend school together through the years, just like siblings that don't have special needs would. Special education is supposed to be set up so that a child with special needs will receive services, modifications, and accommodations that are necessary to level the playing field as far as a typical child automatically receives. They should have the same opportunities in this way to develop friendships with other families' children at school and create all kinds of life-lasting bonds. This is a critical decision and shouldn't be taken lightly by the school.

Keep following your gut instinct, asking lots of questions (so we all can learn and share), and keep fighting the good fight!

Regards,

Granata

Haley, Nikki, & (3 1/2, 3 1/2, & 2 yrs.)

-----Original Message-----From: Multiples-DS [mailto:Multiples-DS ]On Behalf Of VerissimoSent: Monday, May 29, 2006 11:02 AMTo: Multiples-DS Subject: RE: Inclusion--Suze

I guess I am on the opposite side of the discussion. I am still not satisfied with Davey's program for next year, but I also have to worry about 's too. Our family lives in a rural area of Northern Nevada near Reno. Reno and all of Nevada has seen such growth that the school are still trying to deal with it. We also have quite a few children in the schools that do not speak English, so the schools create bilingual classrooms. They have also gone to some of the schools going year round school years (3 months on 1 month off, which is a great idea). We are zoned for the year round school, but they do not offer any programs for Davey. At first, I was told the only school that did was where Davey had been to pre and D-K. It is a very full school in town with lots of special education and non English speaking students. I was going to have Will attend this school for 1st grade, since I did not want him on a different schedule than Davey. He had been at a small traditional schedule school for Kindergarten, but I was under the impression that they did not offer services for Davey (naive me for not asking!). I went to turn in next years paper work at Davey's current school for both boys with a variance for Will, and I was told that the new principal might not approve Will going to this school and I should find another option......

I feel Davey is best in the special ed class 80% of the time with 20% inclusion. We really need to work on his reading, math, etc on a more one to one situation which he would not get in the traditional setting. I am at a loss for what to do.

I went back to Will's current school, which he is on a variance too. While talking to the secretaries up front, I found out that they offer the same program at this school (still not offered at the year round school we are supposed to be at). It is a very full program that Davey would be in 11 students with one teacher and two aides.

To make a long enough story short, we have a meeting with the principal tomorrow to discuss putting both schools in the school that Will is at this year. If we can't get them in together at this school, I am going to have to start making lots and LOTS of noise. Maybe I will mainstream and require an aide???

Any thoughts?

mom to Amy 18 (made it through the first year old college, sort of!) Kelsey 16, Davey and Will

-----Original Message-----From: Multiples-DS [mailto:Multiples-DS ]On Behalf Of Casey TraverSent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:12 PMTo: Multiples-DS Subject: Inclusion--Suze

Suze,

I too am a little afraid I got what I asked for, and it will be up to ME to make it work, not the school. While isn't the only child with DS to ever attend her school, she will be the only one they've had in several years. The principal seems supportive (and has a 32 year old sister with DS who was in full inclusion until 6th grade). I've offered to purchase (but they are doing it themselves) Teaching Reading to children with DS and Teaching Math to People with DS. I've also been on the Gaffney site, and saw that she/they offer some good suggestions, including accessing "Everyone Counts: Teaching Acceptance & Inclusion", the new NDSS disability awareness curriculum for grades K-6. I printed an article called "Positive Steps for Social Inclusion" that I plan to take to the principal.

's new teacher and SLP are going to go visit her current classroom next week and "see her in action" (my phrase, not theirs!) After that, we will have a meeting to discuss things. The current IEP states that she will be in the general ed class the entire day, except for 30 minutes each of reading, writing, math, where she will go to the resource room in and work in a with no more than a 3:1 ratio. In her K class, there are 13 general ed kids and 10 who receive special ed services. Of those 10, only will be going into general ed. None of the other parents pushed for it/asked for it, to my knowledge. The 2 other kids with DS will be going into the self-contained gr. 1-3 one school over from us. I just couldn't see it for , so. . .I got my wish. . .what I think is best. . .now I'm nervous.

If you'd like to chat by phone sometime, let me know, and I'll send you my number off-list. Good luck!!

Casey, mom to (DS) and , 6