Really? Special Ed?

[mom2gsd]

Mandy, you said...."the only thing that happened was her chest spasms, which is where she stops breathing and i breath in her mouth and she goes on her merry way". My understanding of your comment concerning your daughter is that she could have very serious complications that could possibly result in her death if she does not receive "immediate" attention. I have a feeling that the school is also concerned about the seriousness of her situation. Have you made steps for her to carry an AMBU BAG with her at school? If it were me, I would keep her on homebound for awhile until she becomes stable.

My son is in SpecialEd and I'm sure it's a humiliation to be placed in with children with a disability, but it sounds like the school is trying to keep your daughter in a more protected area where she can be monitored closely. Hope everything works out for her and wishing you the best.

[MomWithOCDSon]

Mandy --

 

So, it sounds as though your DD does have some written accommodations, or they're being worked on now, and the school was informed about her condition before you arrived.

 

SO . . . I'm right there with Kimballout: they can't place her in a Special Ed classroom all day and say that they are following the law, giving her the most appropriate, least restrictive learning environment. That just isn't the case. She's entitled to be main-streamed, and the health concern (spasms) needs to be addressed as a health concern, with an appropriate intervention in place and available so that she can remain in the class and move forward.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about how the school is approaching this; not only does it lack sensitivity, it's unethical and potentially illegal. I don't know if you want to fight with them or find another option, but it seems to me your odds at winning a fight are pretty good, though it may sour your relationships with the school in the process. Is there anyone with the school or within that particular district who might help you advocate? Someone on the inside who might make more headway with the staff and administration? Or someone on the school board? If that's a possibility, ajcire's thought that you might catch more flies with honey than with vinegar may have some teeth.

[melanie]

Im going to chime in here .

Ive been a teacher for 18 years,I have a son who is a special education student in a special education school who has some behavioral issues,some that are directly related to his ASD,and PANDAS.

Never and I mean never have I heard of a teacher requesting a student to be put into a self contained classroom with "slower"(OMG) children.There is a long process of classifying children,you just dont say his child needs to be in SE for no reason.NO WAY!!That teacher must have very specific concerns,my son is very bright I wouldnt say hes the brightest in his school or his class but still hes pretty smart.

There is a specific protocol for classifying children (legal )Child study teams must do many tests.

 

I took offense to this posting as Im sure many other parents here have Special Ed students.

 

Melanie

[tpotter]

No disrespect intended, but despite the fact that my son is extremely smart, I have been fighting for 3 years to get my son IN special education. Special education provides accommodations for a child's individual needs, so s/he can learn. When we arrived in our current state, our school district refused to honor my son's 504 plan from the state we had moved from. A 504 accomodation plan is where he doesn't qualify for Special education, but the school recognizes that he has a disability, and needs help to succeed. No one, and I mean no one is stupid enough to turn down a 504 plan that is handed to them on a silver platter, that doesn't cost them any money. No one that is, except our current school district (our lawyer recently told us not be take it personally, because our district does it to every parent...I wasn't impressed.)

 

Anyway, a long story short. Because his 504 plan wasn't honored, he crashed, and when I say crashed, I mean crashed. This was a child with social problems, as well as learning problems, and anxiety because of PANDAS. He talked about wanting to be dead, and his grades dropped from A's/B's to D's/F's. The district still didn't want to do what he needed, and he went on homebound, after a 4 day hospitalization,due in very large part to all the stress from the district. He went on homebound, because he had his 3rd episode of school refusal, with the 3rd one being school phobia.

 

We went to Due Process, and ended up paying for over a year of private school tuition at a school that caters to children who are very stressed out. He loved it, and got his grades back up to A's and B's. Due Process is a very expensive endeavor, and not for the light hearted. One doesn't do it for fun, or think they'll get much back...they do it for the benefit of their child. The district finally settled with us, with the understanding that we would move forward (remember, I fought them for 3 years to get him into special education...3 years where he really suffered greatly.) Looks like we are back to square one (our son may need to be truent for awhile until this is worked out!)

 

Special Education is not a bad thing. As others have said, it is a process that has to be gone through...evaluations, team meetings, etc. Personally, I think you are very lucky to be getting a recommendation for Special Education without the fight that we are having to do. If you feel that the recommended placement is too restrictive, you can always ask them for a less restrictive setting. You are a member of the team. Special education is nothing more than providing accommodations that the child needs to succeed in school, and ranges from something as simple as extra time for test taking, to special self contained classroom settings, with literally anything and everything in between. It consists of an INDIVIDUAL education plan.

 

I know it probably came as a surprise, and we are all just very tired of fighting our children's illness, and frequently feel like the world is against us. But, I suspect those teachers really had the best intentions when they suggested Special Education.

 

Now, take a deep breath, have a nice glass of wine.

[tired mom]

I am guessing the chest spasms are an ocd thing or is something really happening? Either way it does not matter. If a child has an ashma(spell check) attack at recess and needs a breathing treatment and the children become tramatized does that child need special ed?? Oh I think we all have a special place in heaven...

[mandyknowles]

Mandy --

 

So, it sounds as though your DD does have some written accommodations, or they're being worked on now, and the school was informed about her condition before you arrived.

 

SO . . . I'm right there with Kimballout: they can't place her in a Special Ed classroom all day and say that they are following the law, giving her the most appropriate, least restrictive learning environment. That just isn't the case. She's entitled to be main-streamed, and the health concern (spasms) needs to be addressed as a health concern, with an appropriate intervention in place and available so that she can remain in the class and move forward.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about how the school is approaching this; not only does it lack sensitivity, it's unethical and potentially illegal. I don't know if you want to fight with them or find another option, but it seems to me your odds at winning a fight are pretty good, though it may sour your relationships with the school in the process. Is there anyone with the school or within that particular district who might help you advocate? Someone on the inside who might make more headway with the staff and administration? Or someone on the school board? If that's a possibility, ajcire's thought that you might catch more flies with honey than with vinegar may have some teeth.

 

Wwll, another teacher has told me to break free all together and go the home school route...and i am seriously considering it, because like u said, it could sour the relationship with the school; and i have two other children in that school

[mandyknowles]

No disrespect intended, but despite the fact that my son is extremely smart, I have been fighting for 3 years to get my son IN special education. Special education provides accommodations for a child's individual needs, so s/he can learn. When we arrived in our current state, our school district refused to honor my son's 504 plan from the state we had moved from. A 504 accomodation plan is where he doesn't qualify for Special education, but the school recognizes that he has a disability, and needs help to succeed. No one, and I mean no one is stupid enough to turn down a 504 plan that is handed to them on a silver platter, that doesn't cost them any money. No one that is, except our current school district (our lawyer recently told us not be take it personally, because our district does it to every parent...I wasn't impressed.)

 

Anyway, a long story short. Because his 504 plan wasn't honored, he crashed, and when I say crashed, I mean crashed. This was a child with social problems, as well as learning problems, and anxiety because of PANDAS. He talked about wanting to be dead, and his grades dropped from A's/B's to D's/F's. The district still didn't want to do what he needed, and he went on homebound, after a 4 day hospitalization,due in very large part to all the stress from the district. He went on homebound, because he had his 3rd episode of school refusal, with the 3rd one being school phobia.

 

We went to Due Process, and ended up paying for over a year of private school tuition at a school that caters to children who are very stressed out. He loved it, and got his grades back up to A's and B's. Due Process is a very expensive endeavor, and not for the light hearted. One doesn't do it for fun, or think they'll get much back...they do it for the benefit of their child. The district finally settled with us, with the understanding that we would move forward (remember, I fought them for 3 years to get him into special education...3 years where he really suffered greatly.) Looks like we are back to square one (our son may need to be truent for awhile until this is worked out!)

 

 

 

 

Special Education is not a bad thing. As others have said, it is a process that has to be gone through...evaluations, team meetings, etc. Personally, I think you are very lucky to be getting a recommendation for Special Education without the fight that we are having to do. If you feel that the recommended placement is too restrictive, you can always ask them for a less restrictive setting. You are a member of the team. Special education is nothing more than providing accommodations that the child needs to succeed in school, and ranges from something as simple as extra time for test taking, to special self contained classroom settings, with literally anything and everything in between. It consists of an INDIVIDUAL education plan.

 

I know it probably came as a surprise, and we are all just very tired of fighting our children's illness, and frequently feel like the world is against us. But, I suspect those teachers really had the best intentions when they suggested Special Education.

 

Now, take a deep breath, have a nice glass of wine.

 

 

ok, i understand that you wanted this for your child; BUT, I include my child in every decision. She is the type of child who will be destroyed! and i do mean completely. She is, and i say this with complete confidence, the smartest and brightest kid in her class. I agreee to an IEP, in fact I asked for one, but I want her education to be mainstreamed and not in a self contained setting. I have fought for my child for almost a year now, and if fighting her school is what it takes, then they can bring it on. She will never 'fail' a test for special ed. I know my child and i know how bright she is. she is the reason for my fight.

[mandyknowles]

I am guessing the chest spasms are an ocd thing or is something really happening? Either way it does not matter. If a child has an ashma(spell check) attack at recess and needs a breathing treatment and the children become tramatized does that child need special ed?? Oh I think we all have a special place in heaven...

 

 

well, I am so not sure what exactly I am facing here. She has had this thing since december. And as for the asthmatic thing, EXACTLY! What will they do for that(two of my children have this), and what would they do for a child who has epilepsy or cancer? they are labeling a sick child and I am not allowing that for my daughter. I have learned alot since she has been sick and one of those things are to not lay down and take BS...

[ajcire]

Have you considered trying to get a one on one for her? I would not expect my school to allow me to sit in on the class but I would expect them to find a way for my child to have an appropriate education potentially through having a trained one-on-one. If a child had epilepsy my guess is they would travel with a nurse if necessary.

Edited August 15, 2010 by ajcire

[mandyknowles]

Have you considered trying to get a one on one for her? I would not expect my school to allow me to sit in on the class but I would expect them to find a way for my child to have an appropriate education potentially through having a trained one-on-one. If a child had epilepsy my guess is they would travel with a nurse if necessary.

 

 

See, I have asked for one of those, but they said no. That they dont do that. But, I have contacted numerous schools about this, and they said if we are in their district, they have to do what she needs.

[ajcire]

Ok, that to me would be a fight worth fighting.... for an aide. It might be worth a call into a lawyer who specializes in education... I don't know the laws about nurses for children with special health needs and who is responsible for what but when I subbed prior to teaching I subbed in a few classes where students travelled with nurses for various reasons. They were in special ed classes but that is because the health issue was not their only issue.

[mandyknowles]

Ok, that to me would be a fight worth fighting.... for an aide. It might be worth a call into a lawyer who specializes in education... I don't know the laws about nurses for children with special health needs and who is responsible for what but when I subbed prior to teaching I subbed in a few classes where students travelled with nurses for various reasons. They were in special ed classes but that is because the health issue was not their only issue.

 

 

Yea, I am working on that. I haven't contacted the school back yet, because I wanted to see how the IVIG goes before I do anything. But, she is not getting anything done schoolwise yet. We will see how it all goes before I decide on what to do.