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Repeating a grade


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Hi all,

 

New to the forum but have really appreciated all of the info and the commraderie. Our dd has had PANDAS for 3 years during which she has struggled academically. She was diagnosed Dec. 2011 and has been on Cefdinir since Feb. She is not strep free as any missed or late dose is immediatelly apparent in her behavior.

 

We finally have an IEP and 504 for her. She attends a private school where she is in a pull out class for individual instruction in Math and Language Arts and attends a regular class for science and social studies. She has improved academically since treatment, but there is a lot to catch up on since she has been battling PANDAS without treatment during these crucial foundational years. The teachers in the pullout class (the PLUS class) think she should "repeat" 1st grade and not advance with the class she has been with since Pre-K. The argument is she still struggles with reading and writing and that the 2nd grade science and social studies would be difficult. She is the only child in her grade in this program. Next year there will be an additional child in the PLUS class who is attending 1st grade. If she were going to be mainstreamed in the reg. 1st we would do it hands down, but we just don't have the strep undercontrol to generate the focus she needs to be in a regular class. Should our dd stay in 2nd or repeat 1st?

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Well, there are a couple of thoughts on it. We had this question with our son, Ian. he is now 9. I think it really depends on the child and the issues they are dealing with. He is on an IEP. We determined that his issues would not be helped by staying back (inability to focus, worrying with the OCD, etc). And no matter what level of information he was learning, his issues would get in the way, so we decided to push him on through. I am glad that we did. with the help from his IEP, he is at grade level in everything now, but still does need help because of his focus issues.

 

On the other hand, I don't think you can ever go wrong repeating a grade if it is a question. But you might regret pushing her through. It worked out ok for us, but Ian would still be fine if we did hold him back. Does that make any sense?I don't think you would regret holding her back, but you might regret pushing her through. It may work out if you send her on, but it could make it harder. If you can, you might want to sit down with the special ed teacher and find out what her thoughts on the matter are. Saying all this we did hold my daughter back years ago in 3rd grade and it was the best thing we did. She is not PANDAS, but she had a learning disability. She caught up, and is now in college. For her it was the right decision. No one can answer for you. But I would talk to people that work with your daughter at the school. Good luck!

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I agree with the others. Each case is so individual. If you think that her issue is really a matter of being behind (academically and/or socially) due to lost time, then I would agree that repeating now, rather than later, is a good idea. If, on the other hand, there are lingering issues that hold her back and are likely to continue holding her back, then you may not gain much by repeating a grade.

 

I lean towards following the advice of her educators--as long as you have trusted them all along. They know your child and the 2nd grade curriculum.

 

Have you considered working with your dd over the summer to bring her up to speed for 2nd grade? If you choose to go this route, you must be very disciplined and stick to it. If you aren't sure how to do it, perhaps you could pay for the service. Just an idea.

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We held our son back in third grade and it was the best thing we ever did. He was "fine and average" academically, but with the wrong peer group. Chronologically he was their age, however, he was very young developmentally. (He had strep 3 times in second grade.) We moved him in Jan. and the kids were educated and prepared before the move. It went so smoothly and he was so relieved to be where he belonged. I NEVER thought it could go so well or be so easy. Having academic stress on top of the "regular PANDAS worries" is tough. If you do decide to "change grades" (that's what we called it) it will probably be far more difficult on you than on your sweet girl ;) ) Uggg. I remember how hard this decision is :( Good luck with yours!

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Its a very difficult decision but I would keep DD back. In our case I am doing everything to try to reduce pressure on my recently dx'd dd8 so she can focus on healing without distraction. I am seriously even considering moving to a new area in the future. Better to take extreme measures now so they have the best chance to succeed going forward. Good luck

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I homeschooled my dd for first grade and it went good

I think I am going to do it again for 2 grade because

If she has a PANDAS flair or has a bad relap I can still try to keep up with her school

We will try to get her back to school in third

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Thanks so much for all the comments. We have worked hard to catch up by doing the dolch words this summer. That was the big thing along with math. She was also given a summer packet. Since she began treatmentw/ Cefdinir, she has made huge improvements academically. Still has social issues, touches too much, hugs too hard, etc. She is improving on focus after I added another dose of Cefdinir in the evening. She wakes up undermedicated. Obviously the strep is still present if each dose of medicine seems so crucial. The teachers in the special class are poor communicators, so we never really know how school is going since we drop off early and pick up late due to work schedules.

 

As I said if she were in the regular class all day, the decision would be an easy one. We would repeat first. But as she is making such strides, I hate to give her work that is beneath her especially since the work in the pull out class is adjusted for her level. Again you have helped me see this from more angles.

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