Social skills class at school and a ??
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| Fri, 12-09-2005 - 7:36pm |
Yesterday, Nathan told me that he went into a different room with a different teacher. There was another boy and they played games. I knew who he was talking about, but I wasn't sure what he was doing with her. Well, today I ran into her as she was leaving school. (I usually see her when I pick Nathan and Tyler up, So I figured I'd just ask her.) She walked up to me and asked me if the spec ed teacher had informed me of the "change". NO!!!!!! She laughed and rolled her eyes too!!! LOL
Why is it that these teachers DO NOT feel the need to COMMUNICATE information regarding our children????
Anyway, it was a good change. So far this year, he has been receiving social skills help with his SLP twice a week. Now he will be getting social skills work "separate" from speech. He will still get the same amount of time for speech (as stated in his IEP) but will also get social skills help inaddition to that. YEAH!!! Apparently, our school was able to arrange a social skills class!! Wasn't that nice of them?! Ok, a little sarcasm. It was nice to actually get this inaddition to speech. But why not tell me??? I mean this would look good for them, wouldn't it? You would think they would want to brag about this achievement. Well, I guess you'd have to live here to understand how big of an achievement this is for us!!! LOL
But I do have a question that's been concerning me. I feel as though he is getting pulled out of class alot. Do any of you feel this with your kids who are in school?? I'm not sure if it's a good thing, or a bad thing? He's getting the services that he needs, but yet....I'm still concerned. I'm not really sure why. I guess I'm worried that he'll be missing 1st grade work. Not doing what the other 1st graders are doing. Although, I know that he is working at a different pace than the others. I don't know....it just worries me. He gets pulled out for speech, for spec ed services (not sure how much time for this, I'd have to look that up), for social skills class, and for extra help on his work with his aid. How often do your kids get pulled out of class??
michelle

The social skills class sounds great but if you are concerned with the amount of pull out his is doing then I would talk to them. Pull outs really depend on individual need. We have had various amounts forever. For instance in 2nd grade Mike had no pullouts but that was because he wouldn't go. Not because he didn't need it. So they did some push in instead.
Some of Nathans pull outs seem related to his academics and 1st grade work and if he is learning the academics better in that manner then that is a good thing. However, I would still ask them for the percentages and the schedule. When is he being pulled out? Is it during some things that aren't quite as important as others? They are usually careful to schedule with the teacher when it is best to pull them out. HOw much of his day is pulled out?
Here in CA (perhaps nationally, I don't know) kids in mainstream or resource placements cannot spend anymore than 49% of thier school day pulled out. After that then they go to a special day class, and vice versa. From day class they spend 49% or less in the mainstream, however, from a day class that is more flexible. You can be in an inclusion day class program and spend the majority of your day in mainstream but still be a day class student like Cait's program and what we hope to do with Mike next year maybe.
Both Cait and Mike are officially in "special day classes". Mike spends 43% of his day in mainstream (but this counts recess, PE and lunch as mainstream) so about 1-2 hours per day of academics are mainstream and the rest is in day class or 1:1. So that is 57% out of mainstream. Cait only spends 2 classes out of 8 pulled out of the mainstream for her special day class so that is 25% of her day pulled out and 75% mainstream. She only misses the explorer (art and music) classes and PE.
Renee
I have had very similar concerns regarding time spent out of class. Sylvia is only in preschool, but even so, it's important to me that she spend the bulk of her mornings in class with the other children -- mostly because that's where she gets most of her social skills and language reinforcement. Right now she gets speech 3x30 and OT 2x30, which seemed perfect to me -- but just yesterday her IEP was modified to add PT 2x30. She *needs* the PT, and I think that 2x30 is reasonable, but even so, I'm a little uneasy that in a 2.5 hour school day, two days of the week she'll be missing 1 whole hour of class. I've talked with her teacher and we both agreed that the therapists will have to work around the class schedule, not the other way around -- there are certain activities they do in class that Sylvie LIVES FOR, and it would be bad all around if the PT came and pulled her out of class during or right before one of those activities. So hopefully, with the teacher on my side, they'll be able to work out a schedule for all the therapies that doesn't interfere with her classtime too much.
It's such a balancing act... You want all the special services -- they're necessary -- but you also want your child to have as "normal" a school day as possible. Maybe you could have a talk with his teacher, if it's someone you like and trust (although if she hasn't been informing you of changes, maybe not!) Just to make your concerns known and find out whether or not it's been disruptive to Nathan to be pulled out of class so often...?
Jennifer
Peter gets pulled out for Speech, OT and PT each 2x30 per week. He is mainstreamed for Math and Spanish. His is in a small (six kids) self-contained SpEd class, where most of the kids need social skills wr, and it happens in class, as a constant re-enforcement. Our school district is VERY academically focussed, so I am not too worried about this right now. Peter is making good progress.He does it is "Peter time"; whereas he seems to struggle and struggle with something and then; -right about when when you've almost given up on it- *boom!*. He can read! Also he *needs* the OT and PT in order to function. so I look at it less as the countng amount of classroom time he has and more about putting him in a position where he has quality learning time. For him this means LOTS of physical activity and "prop" work.
Siobhan is in a big (24 kids) mainstream class with a SpEd push-in 45mins per day, a shared aide, (who is less than useless) and pull out speech in a group 2x30 per week. She is only in K, and doing beautifully so far -keeping right up with her class despite having spent a full two weeks home with pneumonia this year so far.
I think you should have a quiet word with the principal or the SpEd director about failing to inform you regarding the change. Couch it in terms of Nathan; that he needs to be prepared for change and you generally do this with him; that you all were lucky this time; -he responded so well, but had he had a problem, and started acting out at home, where would *you* have been, not knowing that this change had occurred?
Also you could discuss the possibility of makign some activities push-in or a combination (one session is pull-out, the other push in).
Just some thoughts.
-Paula
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