First off Se has to levels all day and as needed services. A score must have a 15 pt. difference to get SE. but us govt. is makeing it harder to qualify in the future. Un fortunately I was unable to get the people to get recess removal/pe removal is not good for anyone with a disability or not. A bip I would go for as well. I don't let anyone hear me go unlistened to. I complain until I get what I want. I go above school staff when necessary. Put in writing if necessary. We let our principal know in writing we would report the school to the state if necessary. We now get what we want no problem anymore.
Schools are required to test even if they don't want to! I told them you will do it cause it's our sons right as well as us parent's right to ask. Beware they don't want to expectially with young ones. I demand when necessary!
Well you do want the hitting and kicking to stop but being put in isolation is not the answer...he needs some type of counseling when this happens...
good luck with getting the eval
Jon,
Why don't you want your child in a special ed classroom?
I'll tell you a story about my son, Dylan. He is 9. He was in a regular education, mainstream classroom until March of this year.
In the regular education classroom there are 23 children and one teacher. The teacher, obviously and without complaints on my behalf, cannot deal with a child that is aggressive, resistant and defiant. The teacher cannot deal with meltdowns, rages and temper tantrums on a day to day basis when she has 22 other children to watch. My son's behaviors were causing him to be removed from the classroom constantly, hence causing him to miss alot of the cirriculum. With that being said, had he remained in that particular classroom he would have been held back in 3rd grade, because he was not progressing.
I don't know anything about 504 plans, but I haven't heard anything fantastic about them that would lead me to want one. Dylan has an I.E.P., which FORCES the school to do what is in there. I don't think you get that with a 504 (but I could be wrong).
The school did all the testing - the I.Q. (Weschlers), where he was given a full scale of 73. This places him borderline average. I'm sure he's a little higher than that, but it doesn't really matter to me. Because of his EMOTIONAL instability, he qualified for Emotional Support. Let me tell you a little about this classroom:
There is an emotional support teacher PLUS an aide. There are a total of only 6 children in there, including my son. I get a notebook home, every day, with target behaviors he is to work on (i.e. staying in seat, keeping hands to self, being polite) that is changed as needed with his own behaviors. He is given points, every hour, for his behaviors and staying within his target area. For each task (i.e. hanging up your coat and sitting at your desk) he is given points. 1-4, 4 being the best. Then the points are tallied up. 28 points maximum in the A.M., 28 points maximum in the P.M. for a total max of 56 points per day. At the end of the week, the points are again tallied up. For each day of points, you are allotted dollars. For example, 52-56 points earns you .00 for the day. At the end of the week, Dylan can take that money and spend it in the classroom store. So, if he has a good week, he gets more money. If he has a bad week, he gets less money. Additionally, at the end of the week, if you earn 250 points or more, the teacher has a movie, popcorn and drink. Furthermore, at the end of the month, if you earn so many points, you get a Happy Meal (I never got that in school LOL). The classroom is structured. The children know the rewards and consequences ahead of time. There is no sending Dylan to the principals office because the teacher can't deal with him. There are no detentions - his consequences are given to him in class (haven't reached that level with him though). The smaller setting, along with the structure, has made Dylan THRIVE. He is doing superb - and working at grade level. He has had almost all A days since he's been in the classroom.
He still goes mainstream with the regular 3rd grade class now that his behaviors have improved. Gym, art, library, lunch - he is still able to be there. Once his behaviors improve with that, and the behaviors get better in the emotional support classroom, he will eventually mainstream back into regular education full time. It's a process - it doesn't happen overnight - however, the E.S. room is teaching him the appropriate behaviors in school and with peers. Once he's doing well enough there is nothing else to work on, he's out of there.
Just thought I'd share that with you. Just because your child goes into an emotional support or learning support classroom doesn't mean they are there forever. And many, many children actually do much better in that type of smaller, structured environment. I don't think you should totally rule that out just yet.
Janna
If a child hit my kid, I'd want that kid punished, regardless of the disability (and I have an autistic spectrum kid). Maybe your child WOULD do better in a smaller setting. I'm a big hater of BD/ED and I don't mean that kind of setting, but maybe one where he can work quietly without all the stimuli around him. I disagree, ADHD, bipolar, or anything, that a child who strikes other kids should have less consequences. I don't think they should be punished, per se, but perhaps not with the other kids unless here is an aide with him to stop that at all times. You may also want to consider that more may be going on if he's hitting other kids, since I know several ADHD kids who never hit anybody. The safety of the other kids has to be taken into account. Although I think accomodations are a good idea, I wouldn't want my kid to be attacked by another. In our school we have an autistic child whose parents choose to mainstream him with an aide. The kids pick on him at times, but he is still not allowed to hurt anyone or he gets sent home. I think he'd do better in a smaller setting like my own son, but since they chose to have him in the regular classroom, the entire class can't revolve around his disability and, imo, other kids can't be hurt. At times he attacks for no apparent reason at all. Fortunately, he likes my daughter and she is kind to him (maybe because she understands). If he hurt her, or if any child hurt her, there would be hell to pay. I think for other things, like homework, there should be accomodations, but not any sort of violence. When he's an adult, he won't be able to hit somebody and say, "But I have ADHD." Nor will my autistic son be able to use his disability as an excuse..nor people with bipolar or schizophrenia, etc....jmho. I'm strict about school being safe for all. OlderMom38854.2292476852I've finally done it... formally requested an evaluation be done by the school my 1st grader attends to determine if he qualifies for special ed services.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't want him in a special ed classroom but I would like the school to make reasonable accomodations.
For example, his main problem is being physically aggresive with other children. A simple hit or kick results in ALL DAY solitary treatment in the the school 'timeout' including lunch/recess. I feel this is too severe for a 1st grader with ADHD but so far my requests for any alternative have been ignored. I'm hoping having section 504 on my side will help the school be more receptive to ADHD children being different from non-ADHD kids. Any tips/words of wisdom?
MY SEVEN YEAR OLD SON IS IN A RESOURCE ROOM FOR CHILDREN WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEARNING DISABILITIES,MY SON HAS NEITHER BUT HE DOES HAVE ADHD AND SINCE HE WAS MOVED TO THIS CLASS FOR 2 OF THE 6 HOURS OUT OF THE SCHOOL DAY HE HAS BEGAN TO READ AND WRITE IN SENTENCES ACTUALLY DO THE SPELLING TESTS IN HIS REGULAR EDUCATION CLASSROOM, THIS OPTION WAS VERY HELPFUL TO US!Just be mindful that te 504 is not a guarantee of services. my 7 yr old 1st grader has a 504 but the school still does not want to provide any extra services.
I have had to go out in the private sector and pay for tests and evals. It has taken so long that this year is blown, but trust that I will be armed with test results and reports and will continue the fight all summer!
Because of our litigious (sp?) society, schools have to deal extremely with issues of safety. Whereas when we were kids, hitting someone meant you'd get your butt kicked after school, now it means mom and dad will call the police, principal, CPS, everyone. Don't get me wrong, I agree that school should be safe for all children. I just also feel that a lot of the time we adults get involved too soon and should let the kids work it out.Jon,
I agree with Janna. My 9 yr. old daughter has always been mainstreamed until we moved last summer and she started a new school. She had major problems adjusting!!! She is ADHD, along with ocd and anxiety. The teacher could not deal with her meltdowns and inability to cope (having 23 other kids to teach), so the school (and reluctantly, her father and I) decided to put her in special ed which is in a self contained classroom with 9 other kids--all boys!!! There is one teacher and two asst. teachers. Also, some kids have their own tech. She says she likes it there, but does get teased by the boys alot. She is also on a point system and if she gets 90-100 pt. 3 out of 5 days, she can participate in Fun Friday-which could include pizza, ice cream, etc. She will be in this classroom next year(5th grade) also. Once she is in middle school, she will be mainstreamed and possibly pulled out for certain classes if necessary. I should also add that she is very intelligent. She made the honor roll all year!! Also, on her EOG testing for reading she scored a 960 and the average 4 th grader scores between 680-840. So I am very proud of her!!! With all of her issues, I don't know how she makes such good grades. Best of luck to you, Jon!!
You have to punish a child regauarless of disabilities. My son who is 8 goes to a great school. He has an iep. He is pulled out of the class room for certain subjects. My child has been on meds since he was 3. But if he misbehaves i expect him to pay the consaquencys. They have to learn as well. That this behavior is unacceptable. He hit a girl at school and he lost his recess the next day. I am fine with that. He shouldn't hit anybody. Expecially girls. Good luck