RE: Thanks for all the info

[Guest guest]

Hi Kalle,

I asked you what his OT goals were on his IEP? The goals drive the services. If

it isn't written it doesn't happen. I would agree that the program does not meet

his needs not even knowing him or seeing the IEP. Firstly, he does not belong

with preschoolers and I told you that the district does not want to be

accountable to teach him. Yes he should have 1-1 OT services but what you and I

think serves no purpose. You should have asked for an OT evaluation sometime

ago. You have to give the district the first dibs on doing an eval. After the OT

eval is completed then you say that you do not agree and request and independent

comprehensive eval. It is just a small piece of the bigger picture. If you would

like me to give you a crash course on IDEA etc and what your rights are, what to

do, what you need etc. Email me privately and I will give you my phone number. I

am a parent trainer. You are in a mess. I will need to know what his IEP says

and can give you

direction. Yes, I agree that your school district is not very good. Even in a

private placement the school district is responsible for the IEP. You just don't

leave the district and have no attachment to them. Wouldn't that be nice, excuse

the sarcasm. I will be available all day as soon as I make my store run before

the impended snowstorm begins. Let me know if you want to talk.

Charlyne

Subject: Thanks for all the info

To:

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 1:24 PM

I thank all of you who responded. I'm at work all day today

and

have a lot of information to look at and sort through. At least I

have a direction now. I am going to take him to get more

professional testing and find out for sure. I have ordered books

too, one just arrived. The shock is lessening and my anger is

increasing. My six year old deserves better than a preschool and

this school district is poor at best. I am so disgusted with them, I

really feel they just can't do any better. My initial reaction is to

get him out of there as soon as possible. I do feel they are dying

to ship him off, but isn't that better than him staying with

them? Camelot school in Hoffman

Estates called me and has set up a meeting with to see if

they can met his needs. The director said they have music therapy,

swiming once a month, etc. Does anybody know of someone who has

attended?

Everytime I have visited my son in his present school, he has

been sitting around a table with other children (all verbal) and a

teacher's helper sits right behind him and guides his every move.

They're usually making a craft project. He gets frustrated and might

throw a crayon and the helper just picks it up and does all the work

for him. This is his OT therapy. Yesterday, I emailed this OT

therapist and asked her if she always works with in a group

setting or is there ever any one on one. Also what specific

activities is she working on. Her response, " Yes I see Mikey in

group settings. That is how the program here is-I am part of the

program integrated in the classroom. We work on many activities such

as: cutting, drawing, coloring,manipulati ng small objects and hand

strengthening tasks. I hope that answered your questions. " Well I

guess she really got specific! Is this normal? They have never been

able to move beyond Mikey conforming to their simple schedule. It's

obvious that he is not on the other children's level and he has made

zero progress. He doesn't sit well for storytime, tabletime, etc.

Should a child be expected to cut out and color a bear before he

knows how to hold a crayon properly?

Sorry for going on and on. You all have helped the light bulb go

off in my head. I will have to fix this mess without this school's

help. THANK YOU....

[Guest guest]

Just a quick response about crafts - very hard for my boys. The school

would not begin to teach my son to read until he had mastered cutting with

scissors. He learned to read 3 years before he mastered cutting with

scissors! It sounds like they are focusing on pre-kindergarten skills as a

group. They can't do that, they have to go through each skill individually.

It will add balance to the day. Maybe because I have boys and coloring is

not something they ever wanted to learn but one of them learned to write

before he learned to color. Learning to color improved his handwriting but

it wasn't the precursor to writing. They have to break down his skills -

can't lump them all together into pre-kindergarten readiness.

Good luck,

Lori

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

Of annmarie62197

Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:25 PM

To:

Subject: Thanks for all the info

I thank all of you who responded. I'm at work all day today and

have a lot of information to look at and sort through. At least I

have a direction now. I am going to take him to get more

professional testing and find out for sure. I have ordered books

too, one just arrived. The shock is lessening and my anger is

increasing. My six year old deserves better than a preschool and

this school district is poor at best. I am so disgusted with them, I

really feel they just can't do any better. My initial reaction is to

get him out of there as soon as possible. I do feel they are dying

to ship him off, but isn't that better than him staying with

them? Camelot school in Hoffman

Estates called me and has set up a meeting with to see if

they can met his needs. The director said they have music therapy,

swiming once a month, etc. Does anybody know of someone who has

attended?

Everytime I have visited my son in his present school, he has

been sitting around a table with other children (all verbal) and a

teacher's helper sits right behind him and guides his every move.

They're usually making a craft project. He gets frustrated and might

throw a crayon and the helper just picks it up and does all the work

for him. This is his OT therapy. Yesterday, I emailed this OT

therapist and asked her if she always works with in a group

setting or is there ever any one on one. Also what specific

activities is she working on. Her response, " Yes I see Mikey in

group settings. That is how the program here is-I am part of the

program integrated in the classroom. We work on many activities such

as: cutting, drawing, coloring,manipulating small objects and hand

strengthening tasks. I hope that answered your questions. " Well I

guess she really got specific! Is this normal? They have never been

able to move beyond Mikey conforming to their simple schedule. It's

obvious that he is not on the other children's level and he has made

zero progress. He doesn't sit well for storytime, tabletime, etc.

Should a child be expected to cut out and color a bear before he

knows how to hold a crayon properly?

Sorry for going on and on. You all have helped the light bulb go

off in my head. I will have to fix this mess without this school's

help. THANK YOU....

[Guest guest]

Addition: We took scissor cutting and shoe lace tying out of Elie's IEp at

age 6 or 7. Velcro was our friend. We did leave buttoning in the IEp until

we gave up at 22! HE still can only button BIG buttons! But he only wears

t-shirts 99% of the time!

And he wears tie shoes now - but someone else has to tie them - velcro

doesn't support his foot good enough.

> Just a quick response about crafts - very hard for my boys. The school

> would not begin to teach my son to read until he had mastered cutting with

> scissors. He learned to read 3 years before he mastered cutting with

> scissors! It sounds like they are focusing on pre-kindergarten skills as a

> group. They can't do that, they have to go through each skill individually.

> It will add balance to the day. Maybe because I have boys and coloring is

> not something they ever wanted to learn but one of them learned to write

> before he learned to color. Learning to color improved his handwriting but

> it wasn't the precursor to writing. They have to break down his skills -

> can't lump them all together into pre-kindergarten readiness.

>

> Good luck,

>

> Lori

>

> _____

>

> From: [mailto:

> ] On Behalf

> Of annmarie62197

> Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:25 PM

> To:

> Subject: Thanks for all the info

>

> I thank all of you who responded. I'm at work all day today and

> have a lot of information to look at and sort through. At least I

> have a direction now. I am going to take him to get more

> professional testing and find out for sure. I have ordered books

> too, one just arrived. The shock is lessening and my anger is

> increasing. My six year old deserves better than a preschool and

> this school district is poor at best. I am so disgusted with them, I

> really feel they just can't do any better. My initial reaction is to

> get him out of there as soon as possible. I do feel they are dying

> to ship him off, but isn't that better than him staying with

> them? Camelot school in Hoffman

> Estates called me and has set up a meeting with to see if

> they can met his needs. The director said they have music therapy,

> swiming once a month, etc. Does anybody know of someone who has

> attended?

>

> Everytime I have visited my son in his present school, he has

> been sitting around a table with other children (all verbal) and a

> teacher's helper sits right behind him and guides his every move.

> They're usually making a craft project. He gets frustrated and might

> throw a crayon and the helper just picks it up and does all the work

> for him. This is his OT therapy. Yesterday, I emailed this OT

> therapist and asked her if she always works with in a group

> setting or is there ever any one on one. Also what specific

> activities is she working on. Her response, " Yes I see Mikey in

> group settings. That is how the program here is-I am part of the

> program integrated in the classroom. We work on many activities such

> as: cutting, drawing, coloring,manipulating small objects and hand

> strengthening tasks. I hope that answered your questions. " Well I

> guess she really got specific! Is this normal? They have never been

> able to move beyond Mikey conforming to their simple schedule. It's

> obvious that he is not on the other children's level and he has made

> zero progress. He doesn't sit well for storytime, tabletime, etc.

> Should a child be expected to cut out and color a bear before he

> knows how to hold a crayon properly?

>

> Sorry for going on and on. You all have helped the light bulb go

> off in my head. I will have to fix this mess without this school's

> help. THANK YOU....

>

>