Guest guest Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Sigh..... I have mixed feelings about putting our children into special needs programs. This was my experience..... the biggest issue for Mark with regards to regular programming was that he was the recipient of a LOT of bullying. It was aweful and completely persistent. I finally consented for him to go to a special education class for kids with normal IQ levels which he attended from grades 4 to 6. The problem is that in special needs classes, the education is slowed down and your child's education becomes deficient over time. Mark was 'ready' to go back to regular school this year (as soon as we addressed his auditory processing skills and his typing speed) BUT he was horribly behind! I have had to work night and day with him for the past year to catch him up in maths. I anticipate that we will continue to work every night at home in maths for some time to come before his confidence level returns to normal. The funny thing is...... before he went to special education class, he was very, very good at math. So..... you really do have to evaluate the situation and keep on evaluating it. While I am glad that Mark had the 'break' from regular programming, I almost lost his education! Had I not woken up to the fact that he was getting severely behind, his future options would be decidedly limited! That is my warning..... careful how long your kids stay in special education. Our kids are very smart and don't really belong there! Janice Mother of Mark, 13 [sPAM][ ] PAC Class My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and money there). She seems to think that without this change he will continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's better/worse about it than non-cat for your child (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious to see if he'll make a similar recommendation. Thanks for any guidance, , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost non-verbal, severe ADHD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 " The problem is that in special needs classes, the education is slowed down and your child's education becomes deficient over time. " Janice - I wonder if this varies from school to school? My experience with DD and our district is that she is learning a tremendous amount in the special education class - more so than she's learned in any other environment. She has the structure she needs, and the teacher is much more open to presenting knowledge in a way that meets her personality and needs. Granted, DD is only in pre- school, so we don't have experience with fourth through sixth grade. My DD is incredibly intelligent, and we're just delighted to have found a program that has allowed that intelligence to shine through. > > Sigh..... > > I have mixed feelings about putting our children into special needs programs. This was my experience..... the biggest issue for Mark with regards to regular programming was that he was the recipient of a LOT of bullying. It was aweful and completely persistent. I finally consented for him to go to a special education class for kids with normal IQ levels which he attended from grades 4 to 6. The problem is that in special needs classes, the education is slowed down and your child's education becomes deficient over time. > > Mark was 'ready' to go back to regular school this year (as soon as we addressed his auditory processing skills and his typing speed) BUT he was horribly behind! I have had to work night and day with him for the past year to catch him up in maths. I anticipate that we will continue to work every night at home in maths for some time to come before his confidence level returns to normal. The funny thing is...... before he went to special education class, he was very, very good at math. > > So..... you really do have to evaluate the situation and keep on evaluating it. While I am glad that Mark had the 'break' from regular programming, I almost lost his education! Had I not woken up to the fact that he was getting severely behind, his future options would be decidedly limited! > > That is my warning..... careful how long your kids stay in special education. Our kids are very smart and don't really belong there! > > Janice > Mother of Mark, 13 > > > > [sPAM][ ] PAC Class > > > My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and money there). She seems to think that without this change he will continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's better/worse about it than non-cat for your child > (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious to see if he'll make a similar recommendation. > > Thanks for any guidance, > , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost non-verbal, severe ADHD > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 I agree. I have three kids in the special education preschool in our district and it is an awesome program. My son is in the ABA based autistic classroom and they are wonderful. I was really amazed at how much they do with the kids. There is plenty of one on one attention so they can individualize their program more. My daughters are in two separate special needs classes and they are learning more than my nephew who is in a regular preschool. Actually they are learning more than I know I learned in kindergarten. Plus, the classes are small so they get great attention from the teachers and aides who can make sure they are understanding the lessons. They will be more than ready for kindergarten in two years. I have heard people say they weren't happy with their districts preschool. I am sure like the previous poster said, it varies district to district. I know we are lucky but there are plenty of wonderful school programs out there. --------- [sPAM][ ] PAC Class > > > My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and money there). She seems to think that without this change he will continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's better/worse about it than non-cat for your child > (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious to see if he'll make a similar recommendation. > > Thanks for any guidance, > , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost non-verbal, severe ADHD > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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