Jakes first day at school.......

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2005
Jakes first day at school.......
5
Tue, 04-25-2006 - 10:53pm
It went pretty well and he had only one meltdown at the end(we stayed and hour and a half)because he didn't want to do circle time again. I talked to the teacher and she's going to have him sit on a seat from now on. He played a little with the other kids but often went off into his own little world playing trains which were supposed to be removed from the classroom! I was happy but am very unsure about how he will be without me. The school is a typical preschool and Jakes teacher has a nephew who is going through the process of getting a diagnosis for Autism but I'm not certain she has a very good grasp of his needs, of course it's early days and the hard part is that we will be moving so he will be going to another school.I think he will need an aide but I'm not sure how to go about getting one for him, any ideas? I also have a question about the therapists that will come to the school. Who keeps track of them? What happens if they don't show up? Jakes PT called me to set up a time to start but I have yet to hear from the OT or the ST. How many of your kids are mainstreamed? I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing by putting him in a typical preschool!
Teresa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 04-25-2006 - 11:51pm

All in all not too bad?

As for OT, PT, ST, there are a few ways to make sure it is happening. You can keep a communication book in jakes backpack and ask that they write a brief note when they saw him. Another idea is that you can ask for monthly meetings to review progress and ask them about it then. You can also ask for thier emails (they likely have work ones) or work phone numbers and call in periodically to check on progress.

They have to provide the number of services agreed to on his IEP and you have the right to ask for documentation that it is being done. there are alot of ways that this can be done, but what I have put above is what I have seen as most common.

BTW, as an OT aide, one of the biggest things OTs and all those services have to do is to keep track of when they see a child. Every district I have worked in has some sort of calendar to record sessions that you have seen the child.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Wed, 04-26-2006 - 1:18pm

Teresa,

Nathan is mainstreamed and always has been. We got him dx'd while he was in preschool. The only thing that was changed for him during the time he was in preschool, was to have him attend the developmentally delayed preschool twice a week in the afternoons....so that he could get speech therapy and help with social interaction. He continued to go to his regular preschool too. It wasn't a large preschool, and there were 2 teachers who were really good with him. So I didn't worry so much about him.

Once he started kindy, he received speech at his school and was also given an aide (one that he shared with another boy). Now, in 1st grade, he's getting speech and has a social skills class. He is doing all his work now WITH his class, and not needing as much help from his aide anymore. He is also in a regular reading group and no longer in the spec ed reading group.

I wasn't sure if mainstream would work either. But we didn't have any real options where we live. Things have been working well for him. So we are glad about that. I think it depends on your child and also how helpful your school district is.

michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2005
Wed, 04-26-2006 - 2:04pm

Michelle,
Thanks!
You put my mind at ease about my descision!

Renee,
Are the therapist required to give a weekly update?

Teresa

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-26-2006 - 4:39pm

They are not required to give a weekly update unless it is specified in his IEP.

They are required to give progress reports but again, the frequency will be stated in the IEP. It is usually either quarterly, trimester or semester progress reports for all disciplines (4,3 or 2x per year). These may be very short and will just report on how he is doing per the objectives that are in his IEP.

If you want weekly updates, first I would approach the therapists and just ask if they could send you a note or contact you weekly. That since this is a different situation than Jake being in a special classroom it is hard to keep track and you just want to know what is going on. They likely won't have a problem with that.

If they give you a problem, then call and IEP meeting and one of the things you get put into the IEP is that they will give you weekly written updates on what they did with Jake that week, or conversly you write in that there will be monthly or even weekly IEP meetings to review what is going on. It is within your right to request an IEP meeting when ever you want actually.

Most likely they will not give you a problem about providing weekly updates even without a full meeting. I have had to have it put in the IEP on a few occasions and that worked well. I have also done the monthly meeting thing. Let me tell you after a few months of that they are all over keeping parents informed, lol.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Wed, 04-26-2006 - 7:20pm

Teresa,


I am glad it went pretty well!(i am also

 


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