Lurker with a kindergarten question
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Lurker with a kindergarten question
| Mon, 07-25-2005 - 5:49pm |
I am so happy that you guys are here. I read your posts and think "Oh, we do that, too!" and it makes me feel 100% better.
My oldest DS is 5 and starts kindergarten tomorrow. His dx is mild Asperger's/PDD-NOS but we have not been able to really get a good confirmation on anything. He does a lot of hand flapping and has other sensory issues as well as some

Hi Laura,
welcome to the board. My DS, Peter has a similar program to the one you describe. He started K in a self-contained class. It's wasn't just for HFA types, but they had ADHD and other high-functionng kids with disablities there too. He did OK, but with 11 kids, several of whom were sweet but VERY hyper, the class was rather big and loud for him (Peter has been in special school since 3yo, and I know what 'works' for him)
He just finished 1st grade in a self-contained class in his home school. That class had ony 5.5 kids and he did great there. They have been mainstreaming him by degrees since K. starting with "secials", -music, art and gym, then they tried to mainstream him by himself for science earlier thsi school year. For us, this didn't work too well. He shut down in the large class.
Towards the end of this last school year, they started mainstreaming the three boys from his class as a unit into a regular math class (all three boys are on the spectrum, and all are good at math LOL). This is working well for us, and next year, we will try science again.
Peter is lower-functioning than your boy is, so don't be concerned that we are taking the mainstreaming thing so slowly. This works for *us*. Each child is different and each will have is/her own experience and will progres s at their own pace.
I think it is great that your district offers a HFA class. I guess for mainstreaming, you should ask how they go about it, especially if the school the class is in is not your home school? Do they mainstream within the school during the year, and if he does OK, put him into home school next year? If they move him, how do they handle transition and ongoing support in the home school? If the class happens to be in his home school, then you are laughing, IMHO.
Good luck with it and please let us know how things go.
-Paula
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Thank you so much, Paula! Your son's class sounds very similar to our situation. Zach's teacher last year predicted that he should transition quickly, as he is very borderline AS.
If he transitions, we will not be at the same school next year, which is one of my concerns. After being in small contained classes, I worry about him being tossed into a large classroom where the teacher may see him as a problem. On the other hand, I feel that he needs to be around typical peers and worry that in this classroom where he is now, he will start to pick up behaviors from the other
Laura
Laura,
>>If he transitions, we will not be at the same school next year, which is one of my concerns.<<
That was a concern of mine too, but Peter went to 4 diferent schools in 4 years and each time he handled the transition beautifully (to my surprise) They can surprise you sometimes!
>>After being in small contained classes, I worry about him being tossed into a large classroom where the teacher may see him as a problem.<<
You need to raise this as a concern and make sure a transition plan with review periods is in place in his IEP. You shoul;d probably request an an aide full or part time even if only for the transition. You will also need to discuss what the critera are for success and failure, as your notions may differ from the school's. Define what might constitute a "failure" and what needs to happen should one occur. (Now, mind you, most school districts do not set kids up for failure and wil only mainstream if they are sure it will work. It is damaging to self-esteem to have to move 'backwards")
Say he does move to his home school: You may want to schedule a review meeting with the team to see how he is doing after about 6 weeks. If all is going swimmingly; great, if not, then push for an action plan to help him to cope: Perhaps more aide time, additional OT and/or a sensory diet in the classroom.
>>On the other hand, I feel that he needs to be around typical peers and worry that in this classroom where he is now, he will start to pick up behaviors from the other HFA kids. Have you seen this happen in your experience?<<
I guess it is always a risk, but not in our experience. He tried a few things out once or twice, when he was a lot younger (3 or 4) but the teachers (and us) would knock that stuff on the head pretty quick. His sister, who is also Aspie, tried a few times to scream and tanrum like Peter used to at the time, and we would just shake our heads and smile "*That's* not a tantrum". LOL that phase lasted about a week before she gave up!
The worst things Peter learned from other kids were some *choice* words and phrases, which he picked up from typical kids in the private afterschool program he attends.
-Paula
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
I'm envious of your school's program.
This would have been perfect for my DS last year. Last year he was fully mainstreamed in a reg ed kindergarten (20 kids) with a special para. The noise level was a little tough for him sometimes. I remember on the last day of school 1/2 the kids in his class went home after their special end of year program. His teachers commented on how much more DS interacted with the other kids when there were only 10 students in the room. Unfortunately, our only choices were self-contained or reg ed, nothing in between. We definitely didn't want him to be in self-contained because academically he was already at the top of his reg ed peers. Being in a self-contained classroom would have been all playtime for him, not enough challenges.
As far as mainstreaming vs self-contained ... I think success depends on the level of functioning of the child, the TEACHERS and STAFF, and the other students. My DS is quite outgoing and wants to have friends, however he needs alot of direction in social etiquette and appropriateness. Finding a good peer buddy match has been important for his success.
BTW DS is repeating K this year to get more "social skills" practice. He also still struggles with fine motor skills such as handwriting, although he has made tremendous progress over the past year. Academically he was ready for 1st, but maturity wise he'll benefit by another year of reg ed k. First grade is all about the standardized tests. This year they are going to have 2 inclusion k classes at his school. These classes will have 20 students (16 typical, 4 hfa), one reg ed teacher, one reg ed para, one rotating sped k teacher, and one rotating sped k para.
I hope all goes well for your DS this year.
Welcome to the board, Laura!
Thanks, everyone for such great input! I sat in the class for a little while yesterday and really liked what I saw. The classroom was quiet and the children seemed to be very engaged in what was going on. Zachary likes being in a class with "big kids" as well as kindergarteners, and has already asked if he can have another little boy over to spend the night.
If the rest of the year continues like this it's going to be wonderful. My next step is going to be scheduling an early conference with his teacher to talk a little more about the transitioning part.
Thank you again for your help! This is a great board.
Laura