Dee, ia m so glad things seem to be finally workign out for you!! It is so nice to hear about a school district that seems ot have it togther! In this envirnmoent I bet Liam will be able to thrive.
That is fantastic. Having people in the schools who actually care about the kids and understand the differences of ASD kids is so very important. One of Ian's friends came from a school where this was not the case. His mom was belittled for her lack of parenting skills instead of listening to her, heeding the doctors' diagnoses, and paying attention to the boy. It tooks months before she got an IEP, and only after she contacted the school board. Even then, they didn't do what they were supposed to, and what they did do was not done with any diligence at all. They just wanted that poor kid out of their school, and they got their wish. She decided to move and get him placed in our school (that's how I came to meet her) and she has said numerous times what a huge difference there has been in how the schools handled things. The boy's grandmother lives about a block away, and Ian actually knew him before they were in class together, which also helped him.
I'm so glad that the new school has been so responsive. It's only, what, the second week of school? It's very encouraging that they got on the ball so quickly. If there are other ASD kids in the class, maybe you could call the other parents and get to know them, and have your boy meet some of them outside of school. Knowing a familiar person might really help to ease the transition for all of you, and also give him the added security of having your direct involvement with the other parents and kids. Unfortunately, mainstream schools and classes can be very isolating to our kids and to US AS WELL. I find it very, very helpful to know the other parents and kids with ASDs.
It sounds like you are really on top of it and things are going in the right direction!
How wonderful for Liam! We struggled through 1st grade without a proper placement. After several months, the school finally decided that DS needed a different placement, but the program we liked had no openings. I ended up homeschooling for the last 3 months of 1st grade. Second grade was so much more successful. His class of 8 boys (1st-3rd grade) had 1 teacher and 2 full-time aides. DS is entering 3rd grade tomorrow and will have the same teacher he had last year, so I'm not expecting too many difficulties other than readjusting to the school schedule. He goes with a main-stream class for specials (art, music, PE).
Next year will be a challenge again when he will either return to his "home" school (he's currently in a public school in a neighboring district) or continue in an ED classroom in yet another district. We are in a 5 district special ed co-op, so his current classroom and the 4th/5th grade class have the same principal/administration.
I'm so glad you were able to change your placement early in the school year!
Dee,
I'm so glad you are happy with how it all worked out. I hope Liam loves the new school and its a really good fit for him.
Samantha
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That is fantastic. Having people in the schools who actually care about the kids and understand the differences of ASD kids is so very important. One of Ian's friends came from a school where this was not the case. His mom was belittled for her lack of parenting skills instead of listening to her, heeding the doctors' diagnoses, and paying attention to the boy. It tooks months before she got an IEP, and only after she contacted the school board. Even then, they didn't do what they were supposed to, and what they did do was not done with any diligence at all. They just wanted that poor kid out of their school, and they got their wish. She decided to move and get him placed in our school (that's how I came to meet her) and she has said numerous times what a huge difference there has been in how the schools handled things. The boy's grandmother lives about a block away, and Ian actually knew him before they were in class together, which also helped him.
I'm so glad that the new school has been so responsive. It's only, what, the second week of school? It's very encouraging that they got on the ball so quickly. If there are other ASD kids in the class, maybe you could call the other parents and get to know them, and have your boy meet some of them outside of school. Knowing a familiar person might really help to ease the transition for all of you, and also give him the added security of having your direct involvement with the other parents and kids. Unfortunately, mainstream schools and classes can be very isolating to our kids and to US AS WELL. I find it very, very helpful to know the other parents and kids with ASDs.
It sounds like you are really on top of it and things are going in the right direction!
Kelly
How wonderful for Liam! We struggled through 1st grade without a proper placement. After several months, the school finally decided that DS needed a different placement, but the program we liked had no openings. I ended up homeschooling for the last 3 months of 1st grade. Second grade was so much more successful. His class of 8 boys (1st-3rd grade) had 1 teacher and 2 full-time aides. DS is entering 3rd grade tomorrow and will have the same teacher he had last year, so I'm not expecting too many difficulties other than readjusting to the school schedule. He goes with a main-stream class for specials (art, music, PE).
Next year will be a challenge again when he will either return to his "home" school (he's currently in a public school in a neighboring district) or continue in an ED classroom in yet another district. We are in a 5 district special ed co-op, so his current classroom and the 4th/5th grade class have the same principal/administration.
I'm so glad you were able to change your placement early in the school year!
Misty