IEP

As a parent this just horrifies me that a decision as big as this was made and the teachers were not prepared for the transition! Wait, what am I saying, I shouldn’t be surprised that this is the way it goes. The great minds of the almighty administrators.

sorry, responded to the wrong thread

Tamara,

One of the 1st things I do when my daughter starts with a new school year/teacher is to have a meeting with the teacher. I ask them if they have seen my daughter’s evaluation and IEP. If they have not, I just might have a xtra one with me that I can show them.

I often times even print out interesting articles, and supportive interventions that I think might help the teacher in working with my daughter. So far I have not had any trouble with teachers being will to provide what my child needs in the gen ed classroom.

I couldn’t agree more. I am a teacher and I really aprecciate it when a parent fills me in on their child. It’s more perosnal and it can help to put a face with the paper work that can sometimes be overwhelming. Thanks for being proactive. I’m sure your child’s teachers really appreciate it. And if they don’t then it’s their loss.

Jen

Thanks, Jen, for saying it’s GOOD to talk with the teacher about your child. Sometimes I’m afraid I’m too “pushy”. Most teachers, tho, after they get to know me find I only want whats best for my daughter and I don’t want “favors”, just “fair”. I haven’t had any real problems with teachers since the K-5 teacher who kept telling us nothing was wrong even though my daughter couldn’t rhyme, couldn’t do word families, couldn’t remember the words to songs, etc. After the eval we found out about her needs, got an IEP (15 min consult only) and she’s doing fine in a reg ed class (she goes to private LMB tutoring). So far, so good. My biggest concern is middle school teachers and their willingness to work with my child - any out there that can give me some positive feedback?

I have tried on the middle school level to do this—I gave the iep to the teachers two years in a row (the school never gave it to them and didn’t tell them they had a special ed kid in their class) I went over modifications, I gave them articles, and I was always available by phone and in person. It didn’t work for two sets of teachers, half of whom are very competent and caring. I had in my child’s IEP a 4 hour training course by someone who knew something about my child’s disability. They gave the training to the teachers in March, when it was required to be given in Sept. As of right now, my child made no progress on her academic goals in the past three year. I have paid for tutoring, I taught her myself and after filing a due process and compliance complaint last year, the district is paying us $6000 for tutoring this summer. As a parent, I did not find my suggestions listened to and implemented—only when an outsider told them what to do. It is worth a try, but be prepared that there is not enough support for these teachers, or they have taught that way for 20 years and they aren’t going to change for your child. You have to really be on top of it. I talk to my child every day about how the day went, and when she wouldn’t talk to me, I knew things were bad there. I fully expect to be back in due process procedures next fall, as I have grave doubts about the competency of the staff or their abilitiy to institute the IEP and the goals. My daughter is in Gifted Classes, does no homework or writing, and has yet to get any services other than speech. She has Asperger’s syndrome, reads college material, and is highly gifted. organization, peer relations and writing are a disaster. Good luck

ssf

My daughter is gifted/LD and is currently going into 4th grade. You said your daughter does no homework or writing - I don’t understand. My daughter’s OT (at school) is working on her organizational skills. Does she get accommodations in class? That’s what I am after. Limited board copying, notetaker, extended time for tests and long written assignments and the use of assistive technology. She is currently using an alphasmart, a stand alone computer and writing and reading assistance software in 2-3rd grades. I fully expect all that to continue. Am I dreaming to expect this without a fight?

It all depends on the school — but having things in place already is a huge plus. Is there anybody in a similar situation a year or two ahead of your daugher?

It is the teacher’s responsibility to read the student’s IEP, and it is the Special Ed. department’s responsibility to let the teacher know there is an IEP to read. However, as a gen. ed. gr. 5 teacher of 32 students last year, 14 of them having IEP’s, don’t expect the teacher to be able to remember on an ongoing basis what is in the IEP beyond the general idea (unless of course she only has a few IEP’s in the class). It seems like everyone gets an IEP these days. There are also several ESL students in my class, who cannot speak, read or write English. They get 30 min./week of ESL instruction. I’m expected to do the rest myself. I love all of my students, and spend many hours when I am at home with my family, thinking about my students individually and trying to go the extra mile for them. I spend a lot of my own money buying resources for them that I think will help, I contact parents at night and on the weekends to discuss concerns, regularly. I also spend many sleepless nights mulling over a difficulty with one of my students, or searching the internet for ideas to help students over problematic areas of study by finding great learning experiences to help them learn in a more ‘hands-on’ way.

Re: IEP’s. I kept all the IEP’s in my class, and still could not get to re-reading them very often. There are so many pieces of information which we are inundated with all year long in so many different areas related to my job (because teacher instruction is just one facet remember), that to be able to retain that information is difficult. I have found in working with parents, and as a parent myself of 3 children in the system, that usually the parents’ expectations of what the teacher can do would work if the teacher only had a handful of children in the class. I also would like to point out, that for parents of students which special needs, that this fact is the main concern for them (as it should be) and takes up most of their time, effort and thoughts. However, remember that for teachers, this is but one of a wide range of concerns which the teacher has within his/her job, all of them requiring equal priority. It is no wonder that parents and teachers sometimes appear at odds. The parent sees the teacher as having an uncaring attitude toward this grave concern of theirs. For the teacher, it is a grave concern, as are so many other concerns that teacher has, so far less time, effort and emotion can be invested in this one area.

With 32 students, with it mandated that teachers continue professional development regularly which means I usually have my own homework assignments I must complete for adult courses, an expectation that teacher’s also coach school teams, handle even serious discipline problems on our own by communicating regularly with the parents, there is no way I can remember each individual’s special needs and meet teaching strategies for all the children who now are identified as special needs. All 14 of my students on IEP’s said “preferred seating away from distractions”. In a portable, with 32 kids??? Many said pre-teaching of concepts. When? Some said scribing or oral testing. They expect the teacher to be able to do that?? It’s unrealistic! Whoever wrote those IEP’s hasn’t taught in a classroom in a very long time.

With the new curriculums, we have to move at break neck speed, and with standardized testing and pressure from the administration to make sure our school performs well, I have to spend many many teaching hours preparing the students who will be writing these difficult tests which would seem beyond their ability level for even the A student (we begin prep in Sept. on a weekly basis for a test written for a week in May). There simply is no time to implement all of the “ideal world teaching strategies” put down in the IEP’s. Please don’t misunderstand me….I care about the education of ALL of my students, equally, whether they have an IEP or not. My experience with parents of students with special needs is that they expect I will dedicate more time and effort to their children because they have special needs. That’s not so. I also have a legal obligation to meet the needs of students who are not on IEP’s. And I am expected to give students who have been identified as above grade level enrichment opportunities.

So what is the solution? We need the parents to be very public about how the educational system does not provide enough staff to support the students with special needs. Nobody wants to hear it from the teachers, as teachers are just discounted as whiners. I log on to this bulletin board often for ideas. I would also like to log on to feel motivated and reassured, but the general tone of this board is to blame the gen.ed. teacher and I just find that completely unfair. I try to give all of my students everything I’ve got to give, but the reality is that that is nowhere near sufficient, and few student’s needs are going to be met, IEP or no IEP. We need to join forces, teachers and parents, to identify funding as the culprit, because most teachers are given impossible tasks in a system with no support and then insulted by almost everyone it seems for not succeeding.

Ruby,

I agree with some of your comments, but as a parent of a child who suffered miserably this year due to the fact that the teacher “did not have time to read the IEP” I AM HORRIFIED AT THIS RATIONALE.

You are incorrect when you say that teachers who step up are considered whiners. Teachers are the only ones who can initiate a difference in this whole INCLUSION FIASCO! In my opinion it is the biggest mistake that education has made and it WILL come back to haunt us.

The truth is that parents are considered the idiots in this equation. We hav no idea what we are talking about when it comes to the educational benefit and well-being of our children. We are labeled as pushy parents when we demand answers and change within the establishment.

I’m sorry, but it has to start with teachers admitting that taking on an inclusion classroom is not humanly possible. No child (disabled or not) benefits being in a classroom with a wide range ability.
No human can be expected to accomodate all of these abilities effectively. Yet the system demands it.

If teachers refuse to do this for this very reason, things may change. I have been treated like a hysterical mother who just has “no idea” whats going on.

Well they are wrong. I see the product that they have created when I trusted his educational well-being to their progressive ideas. Right now I have a child whose individual needs (documented in the IEP, a legal contract,) have been denied due to teachers who have no idea what to do with him, and will even tell me this. Instead I get the excuse of “well, we have no other choice, it’s what the school says we have to do.” OR “I’ll lose my job if I say this or that, that’s just the way they do things here, blah, blah, blah”

If teachers TRULY care about their students, the best thing they can do for them is to step up to bat for them and tell the administration that the present state of the classroom just does not work and that you refuse to do it this way.”

Did you know that parents be allowed to testify in a due process hearing anymore (under the revised IDEA) because they are considered to be too emotionally involved to make logical decisions. That tells you how parents input is regarded.

Help us out Ruby, step up and make a difference!!

I just got my book today” Teaching Kids with Learning Difficulties in the regular classroom” as a mom of a LD child I wanted info that could help my child.Yes, little lulu I do agree that some kids need more than inclusion and should have pull out as mine does and sometimes I don’t think that is enough.But my child has done well and could do alot better with inclusion if every one communicates.The book says that the regular education teacher should be communicating with the special ed teacher and use the interventions that they suggest in the classroom and should have an additional aid to accomplish them.If that does not work the principle should be brought in to see what adjustments should be made to the IEP.The teacher should get the parent to advocate for their child if the situation does not seem to be helping the child.Basically the general ed teacher shouldn’t be expected to do it all and should ask for help.Anyway I am not finished with the book but hope to get everyone to communicate next year and hoping this inside look will lead to a better school year.Also when my daughter was in first grade I took her to a speech pathologist/psychologist who said she should be in a school that was more than an hour away that she wouldn’t make it in public school - I was in tears- but my child was making progress in regular classroom with pullout .She was writing and doing math and reading a little which I never thought she could.Although I am not happy at times with the inclusion it is because modifications are not being implemented to help my child learn.

I read your post. You are being asked to do the impossible. Sounds like you are a wonderful caring teacher. Administrators do not want to hear from parents either. We also cannot fix the system on the backs of our kids-although we cannot fix it anyway. I must tell you that my son’s needs are never met in a sp ed supportive class so I have now opted to push inclusion. These sp ed classes focus on academically weaker children than mine. He sits there and gets no help since he can function in the system. With a flexible caring teacher like yourself he is reached in the mainstream, when he gets a rigid teacher with weaker teaching skills he sinks.

To NYMom,

Your reply encourages me. I feel frustrated constantly that I don’t feel I am helping the students in my class who have special needs. But just maybe some of these students are benefiting in ways which I can’t see and more so than if they were in a separate class. Perhaps I am expecting to see too great a gain, and you remind me that the small gains are progress. But I get frustrated when I think how little is gained over a year, and how much could be gained if these students had more small group or one-on-one assistance.

I agree with you that if a student is academically higher than most in the special education room, then that student will likely not get any attention at all, and will make very little progress. But I think each case should be taken individually, because I know for some of the students on IEP’s in my room, they feel they are behind the others in the room, and therefore feel less competent. When I can’t get to them right away during desk work to make sure they understand, their behaviour becomes disruptive and they act out and have emotional outbursts. Discipline in the classroom is always a difficult thing to navigate and these added complications make it even more so.

I feel that for many of these students there wouldn’t be behavioural difficulties if they were instructed at a slower pace using more concrete teaching aids and having the information presented to them in a format which is complimentary with their learning style strengths. When given teacher support along the way, and when they aren’t surrounded by others who seem to be moving so much faster with such ease, which makes them feel “stupid”, I believe all of the students would succeed.

In truth, probably the success of all special needs students is dependent upon a wide variety of factors: the experience of the teacher and the special education teachers, the willingness of the parents to reinforce teaching at home on a daily basis or hire a tutor, the demographics of the class/school (i.e. how many special needs students are there in each class), the ratio of staff to students, and the willingness of the Principal to really hear and address parent and teacher concerns, and also the level of Special Education funding provided by the School Boards and Governments. I think parents would be wise to investigate their home schools thoroughly. If there is a high level of students on IEP’s at that grade level, then, if it were me, I would send my child somewhere else where the staff may have more time to dedicate to their child’s individual needs.

My daughter has all the accomodations written into her IEP—the teachers just don’t do them. the school didn’t even give her teachers her IEP til Oct—I gave it to them in Sept—a month after school was started. My daughter learned almost no math in 6th grade—the teacher barely taught any, never let me know that she was having a hard time til Jan—then would not make sure she had homework written down, then the teacher left all the math instruction to the student teacher, who was not told my daughter had an IEP and needed accomodations. I taught my child 6th grade math in the summer. In 7th grade, this year, she had already mastered all content of her math class so I paid a teacher to teach her pre-algebra (honors math) and she passed the exam for honors 8th grade math. So for her IEP this year, I said that she should just concentrate on getting math homework home and back and not to do other homework if she didn’t want to. My daughter has no support in the classroom—she doesn’t qualify for OT services, she does not have an aide, and the resource teacher (who was supposed to look out for her) never talked to her or to me or to the teachers the entire year. My daughter has severe difficulties in non-fiction writing. She has stared at a paper for an hour in a test because she can’t write what they ask. Almost all of her homework was writing and there was no way I could make her do it. they never came up with alternative ways to teach her writing or measuring her progress. So—for the third year in a row, she has made no progress on her writing goals. I spent the year fighting the district—filed a due process and compliance complaint, and finally in mediation in March, the district agreed to give me 80 hours of writing tutoring for my daughter this summer and to pay for M. Winner’s social skills class. This means my daughter has to give up every week day (except for 1 week) this summer for work, but she is making progress. My daughter has not done a written assignment over a paragraph long for three years.
My daughter has an alphasmart, that she has used for creative writing—and I would like the school to give her a way to print off of it so she could use it at school more easily. I was told over and over this spring—they can’t do this, they don’t have the technology for it and I am just asking for it because I want a reason to sue the school district (like I enjoy paying an advocate $100 an hour for these meetings).
I fully expect that we will not agree on an IEP this fall, and I will be asking them to pay for a private high school. other than speech, my daughter is left to fend for herself. Teachers ignore the accomodations, don’t know how to do them, and just tell me my daughter should try harder. My daughter did impress the principal at the last IEP meeting when the principal looked at her SAT 9 scores—three of them were 99%—she was shocked.

I think the fight is a bit easier in grade school with one teacher—it is a nightmare with 6. My daughter was moved into inclusion for the fall and I hope she may finally get some support—but I’m not holding my breath. The school won’t even schedule my IEP in Sept, because they won’t schedule anything til the end of August. I wanted to schedule it now so I could get some experts in there—but the school “can’t” do it. I do have a horrible story—but my daughter keeps trying.

Teachers contracts say they will do the duties the principal tells them to do. Refusing is not an option. Any better ideas?

I agree totally. I’ve recommended homeschooling where it was painfully obvious that my school situation was toxic — even truly lousy homeschooling wouldn’t do the damage being done there. But a flexible teacher can make a big difference (and odds are it would be worse for the kiddos under your replacement if you left). I also understand the pure arithmetic involved in the number of minutes in a day - it’s not a rationale, it’s a reality.

Hi, I am the teacher that went out on the limb to support my students. The admin. was not using funds for Title 1 correctly and I tried to intervene. The funds were being used for art and elective classes. When I complained, I lost my job. I had a case load of 28 to teach remedial reading and math (k-12) with 2 hours, the restof the day, I taught the art and electives….we are talking about kids 2-3 years below grade level, and I was heartbroken. If you want teachers to go out on a limb, you must realize they are risking their jobs when they do approach an administration. I admit I won’t do it again as nothing positive came about and I had to move out of the small village and find work elsewhere.

I don’t know how this works in your state, but in the school in Georgia that I worked in for the past three years, the special ed teacher who is responsible for writing the IEP gives a copy of the modifications needed for successfully completing the mainstream class to that teacher. The regular ed teacher is responsible for reading the IEP and modifying the instruction in accordance to the modifications listed. The special ed teacher is also available to help the regular ed teacher with modifications by advising or by working with the teacher on strategies and methods for structuring the lessons. The teachers must work together. If the reg ed teacher does not communicate with the special ed teacher, the special ed teacher should periodically check with the reg ed teacher to be sure the student is learning. (We would send out checks to the teachers three or four times during the grading period, and also have informal interviews with the reg ed teachers if we felt there might be a problem. If your school has nothing in place, I would urge you to stay involved yourself by asking questions and watching for problems. Ask about what your child is learning once or twice a week. Ask to see completed homework, test papers, etc. Do not let too much time lapse before you KNOW what is going on. The final report card is too late.

At my school, we make “IEP AT A GLANCE” sheets for each regular ed. teacher (including PE, art, music) - a one page summary of a child’s needs (including medical) and IEP goals. Teachers can keep these handy and review them as they are planning units. We used to do them by hand, but now can cut-and-paste from the IEP computer program. They take a bit of time, but are helpful to the teacher and to us (I keep one in my plan book, also!)

I am a parent of a soon-to-be seventh grader with LD, ADD, hearing deficits, and sight deficits.
One thing that I did on my own for my son’s teachers….was to create a “resume” for him. This resume is in my words…and is the important information that I feel would be helpful for his teachers to know…All on one piece of paper.
It includes (grouped by subject and in chronological order): his characteristics (eg. chews on fingers when feeling stressed, caring, easily influenced), his interests, important discoveries throughout each school year, (eg. repeating kindergarten, etc.), important medical information (eg. hearing deficit found), his strengths, his weaknesess, current IEP services as listed on his IEP, and current goals listed on his IEP.
The director of special ed loved this idea because the school is not bound to it at all ….so we can include things that would be difficult for her to justify on the IEP, but that the teacher should know. It is user friendly, and has said to be very helpful.
It is my own “fluid” document and I revise it every year to give to his new teacher.
MO

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS IDEA. Thank you for sharing it and I am going to begin my son’s tonight! I hope you don’t mind that I am totally going to copy this idea? How resourceful of you to come up with this!

You are very welcome! I hope it helps you and your son.
The hardest part was getting it all to fit on one page….and deciding what actually made it on the sheet.

When the teacher’s were made aware of my resume at the beginning of the year last year..I told them that I would love to get any input from them about Justin at the end of the year…. that I could add to his resume and that would be helpful for his teachers next year to know… I got so much helpful informatin…I had to expand to two pages.

I have pasted it here for you to see….it looks much better on my document and I can send it to you if you send me your e-mail address

Justin Parson’s Profile 6/13/02

Characteristics:
* Parents reported: Justin is Happy, Caring, Helpful, Eager to please, Shy, Timid, Naive, Easily Influenced, Hard Working, Easily upset (Emotional),
* 6th grade teachers reported: Justin is serious about his work and doesn’t want to be in a group with students who don’t take it seriously.
* 6th grade teachers reported: Justin is hesitant to work in small group until he feels comfortable.

School History:
Held back in Kindergarten. Was socially promoted in Third Grade. Successful in Fourth Grade. Had much Difficulty in Fifth grade. Was Successful in Sixth grade.

Medical Information: (In chronological order)-
* 3rd Grade- Diagnosed A.D.D.-Prescribed Adderal
* 4th Grade- Diagnosed with a Sight Deficit- Prescribed Strong Glasses
* 4th Grade- Diagnosed with a Learning Disability- I.E.P.
* 4th Grade- Diagnosed with a Substantial hearing loss- Corrective Surgery
* 5th Grade- Diagnosed with Hearing Deficit- 2nd Corrective Surgery
* 6th Grade- Diagnosed with Hearing Deficit- 3rd Corrective Surgery

Strengths: Artistic Talents, Math Computation, Spelling in isolation, Writing is almost Always on topic,

Weaknesses: (MFE-00)
* Struggles with written expression for any math problem he has to explain.
* Has trouble writing a topic sentence.
* Has difficulty writing an introductory and concluding paragraph.
* Difficulty attending to key facts and supporting details presented orally.
* Difficulty recognizing correct answers in written material.
* Struggles with word problems.

Suggested Intervention Strategies: (MFE-00)
“Justin appears to be a visual learner who learns best when the auditory/vocal channel is combined with the visual mode of presentation.”
“Comprehension should be checked by asking Justin to paraphrase or demonstrate what is expected of him rather than requesting a repetition of the instruction.
“Establish a system of verbal or non-verbal signals to cue Justin to attend, respond, or alter behavior.”
“When giving Justin a reading assignment, alert Justin to look for the important details that will be discussed.”
“Use a buddy system” in the classroom so that another student can help with class notes, assignments, and instruction.”

Current IEP Goals 2003: Current IEP Services 2003:
Listening Comprehension Preferential seating in all classes
Reading Comprehension Benefits from highlighting important details
Written Language Skills May have extended time when deemed necessary
Math Problem Solving Skills May complete assignments in Study Skills when necessary
Fraction Computation May have directions clarified and checked for understanding
Tests may be read in a a small group setting
May redo tests to receive a a passing grade
May use a calculator
Justin benefits from
Weekly progress reports
_________________________________________________

New Second Page

Most recent Discoveries about Justin
(Updated June 13, 2002)

Justin’s Discoveries:
He feels that he does much better on tests when it is administered in a quiet setting with little or no auditory distractions.

Parent’s Discoveries:
Justin shows signs of anxiety by chewing on his fingers.

Endeavor’s Team Discoveries: (Sixth grade)

“ We have noticed a tremendous amount of growth in Justin this year. He has matured and taken charge of his work. We know he needs continued support, but he appears to know what needs to be done and is responsible. Here are ideas we feel will be helpful for next year:’

“Justin responds well when a teacher shows a personal interest in his outside hobbies, which helps in building a trusting relationship.”
“By keeping a binder this year, Justin has developed his organization skills. We would recommend that this continue next year.”
“Justin needs to be encouraged to ask questions when he does not understand.
Justin needs to have preferential seating in the classroom.”
“Extrinsic motivation techniques tend to work well with Justin, i.e. candy, homework pass, pencils…….
“Encouraging words and praise help with motivating Justin to complete work.”
“Justin needs to continue to branch out and work with other students in a group setting. We have seen him begin to take risks and associate with peers in the regular classroom setting.”
“Justin’s work needs to be monitored regularly to avoid frustration and to complete the assignment accurately and correctly.”
“Please make sure you refer to the accommodations in Justin’s IEP.”

“We have enjoyed having Justin in class this year and hope he will have a successful year in 7th grade. The Endeavor Team.”

Speech Language-Pathologist Discoveries: (Sixth grade)

“Justin is a quiet, polite, well-mannered student who loves to please.
He is an excellent artist.”
“Justin has become a very organized student”
“Has strong support at home to help with homework when he needs it.”
“Justin learns best when information is presented in “chunks”, and he has time to think about and understand the first “chunk” before the second “chunk” is presented.”
“He is most comfortable in a classroom environment where there is a routine that is followed daily.”
“When he has questions, Justin is more comfortable asking an adult than a peer.”
“Due to his fluctuating hearing, Justin needs to sit in a place where he can see the speaker as well as clearly hear them.”
“He needs for important things (like homework, key curricular concepts) to be written down somewhere in the room as well as spoken about.”
“If you need any additional information about Justin, please contact xxx

Your child is on the caseload of a special ed teacher in the school. During the week when the teachers are in school before the students, we send a copy of the objectives and accommodations to all of her regular ed teachers. I also manage to meet with all of her teachers during that week if at all possible. This is the same procedure in all of the schools, as far as I know. I also continue to keep in touch with the teachers of my student with regular performance updates. You also receive, with her report card or in a separate envelope, a progress report. The teachers all give progress reports during midterms for each grade period and before grades go out. Also, if a reg. ed teacher is having any problem with a student, whether it is academic or behavioral, the case manager is the first person to know. At the beginning of the school year, you should receive a phone call from her case manager introducing her or himself. Give the special ed teacher some time because we still do teach five classes or more. I know that I call my parents in the evening from my house because it is too hectic during the day and most parents are working then.

Lulu,

It is not the teachers that have demanded inclusion classroom and we have no say because it is the law, it is called least restricted environment (LRE). The law demanding inclusion classrooms for sped kids began with the parents of the severe and profound mentally and physically challenged. These parents hired lawyers and advocates so that their children would be in with their peers so that their peers would know that people exist that have many handicapping conditions and many were indenial about their limitations of their children. Just so you know, I am not passing judgement on these parents. I am just telling you what happened, in the history of LRE. One thing about this discussion that I don’t understand, the IEP determines placement. Some of you are saying that the school has stopped all self-contained classes and the students have to be in inclusion classes. This is totally against IDEA and you, as the child’s parent and advocate, immediately can call for a due process hearing. Technically, we can’t even discuss placement before the IEP meeting. Parents give teachers way too much political clout. We rarely can decide anything including the methods that we use to teach. I have been told that I have $250 to spend this year on special ed supplies. This is total, not per student. At this point, I would like to introduce myself. I have thought long and hard about even coming to this and the parenting of LD board being that I am a teacher, but I decided that maybe I could help some of you in many ways.

I wear many hats. I am a mother of a dyslexic, special ed teacher, professional advocate and I run a business that remediates dysteachia. I also use all of my programs to remediate my 11th graders in both my English and reading class. (I have about $2000 worth of supplies) I have read most of the threads on this board and also parenting a child with LD. I must say, I was very dismayed with the anger that all of you have. You are going to have to do something about it before it eats you up. I have been in your situation but didn’t have any programs to even ask my daughter’s school to try. Let me tell you about her, Jacquin, age 24. She was a delightful child with a lot of energy but was held back in 1st grade because they told me she was a slow learner. (I wasn’t a special ed teacher at the time, phys ed instead) I knew that she couldn’t read but her tests weren’t bad enough to say that she had a reading disorder. She was taught to read using phonics, the old ones with rules, exceptions and basals. She was a total auditory learner and memorized her entire 1st grade book. She was amazing, even then. To make this shorter: she was diagnosed ld with a reading disability in second grade. At the time, it was thought that this condition could not be remediated. There was nothing open to me, no programs and no special schools where I lived in rural PA. She was fine in ele school but became a behavior issue in middle school due to awful teachers who even asked me that with all of her accommodations, what good was she? Yes, I know where you are coming from. She is a mathematical whiz, number line in her head, but failed 9-11 math courses. In 11th grade, I realized that she was not going to graduate with her class and she was becoming school phobic and physically drained and so she resigned from school. She was a manager at McDonalds at the time. I kept looking for a reading program that would work for her and five years ago, I found PG. I bought Reading Reflex from the McGuinnesses before it was out in the stores. She took 10 hours of PG (I have been a trainer for 5 years), took the GED, passed it, went to a community college for a year, transfered to a campus of Penn State, made dean’s list with 3 A’s and a B and is now studying Radiation Therapy at Kent State and had 3 B’s and an A last semester. Oh, she also works 30 hours a week. I am telling you this because I don’t want to be flamed if I give some of you advise that you don’t want to hear. And here it is.

Schools, by law, have to give all students an appropriate education and this includes the ‘special needs kids’. IDEA was not meant to be for every child that had a deficency, if that were the case, all the kids would be in sped. I have always told my kids that the only difference between them and the reg ed kids is that they were tested. I think that almost every one of the kids in public school have a spelling disability! Special ed was to be for those kids with severe deficiencies, that is the reason for the 20 point discrepency rule, at least in VA and PA. There are about 20% of the total number of kids, in sped across the country. I am sorry, there can’t be 20% that have severe disabilities. Since IDEA, there are so many more conditions that are being served under sped, one that is so prominent is ADHD. For a long time, special educators were fighting the entrance of these kids under the special ed umbrella because we knew that IDEA couldn’t take care of them, not with the rapid increase of the subjective diagnosis of these kids. Since the admission of these kids in special education, the diagnosis has gone up 65%, 85% with a reading disability. Remediate the reading and watch the ADHD disapear! Something has to give and I hope that the suggestions of reforming IDEA and the reading legislation of No Child Left Behind can do the trick. In my school, 9-12, enrollment of 1500 kids, there are 21 special educators! That is crazy.

Public schools are not equipped nor are teachers to deal with all of the demands that parents want in teamed classes. Teamed classes are for thoses students that can participate mostly independently. A typical student in my teamed class in English has these accommodations: extra time on tests, clarification of directions, small group setting for testing and some get the standard tests read to them. If kids need more than those accommodations, they should be in self-contained classes until they don’t need as many. (remember, there aren’t accommodation in life after school or at the job for LD kids). At my school, we counsel parents toward what placement would be best for the student. When the LD or ED student is in high school, most should be in teamed classes because they have to take and pass the state tests, SOLs, like everyone else and they have the right to be taught by a certified teacher in that subject. When your children are in self-contained classes, they are taught by special ed teachers who do their best in the subjects that they teach but we still are not certified. This is another reason for the push for inclusion.

I think that all of you who are taking it upon yourselves to find the best programs to remediate your child for whatever the deficiency(ies) are that he or she has, outside of school, are on the right track. Some of you are so angry ,I understand that, but you have to give it up soon or it will consume you and you will not be any good for your child. Remember, the teaching profession is just like any other profession, it has the good the bad and the ugly. We are only human after all. When I change schools, I go to my interview and tell them that I will remediate my students and I will use the programs that I bring with me. If they don’t like it, I won’t teach there. I am sorry that this is so long, but I didn’t want anyone to misunderstand me now or in future posts, remember, I was where you are now with nowhere to go or program to use.

I’m with you. I provide all my daughter’s support with the exception of basic accommodations at school. I will also provide the computer and/or laptop when necessary. Basically, I feel like it’s MY responsible to make sure my daughter has the best that I can afford to offer. I appreciate your honesty.

Shay,

Thank you for sharing your daughters success story with me. I am very happy that you found the key that unlocked the door for her.

I am very aware of LRE, though you gave a wonderful explanation. And I see what you are saying about the discrepency and eligibility.

I also agree that sped is a big umbrella for things that should not be included. I learn something new all the time. Unfortunately, learning disabilities get the short end of the stick by the time the schools deal with every other disability included in IDEA and ADA.

When I first found out what sped was really all about I was really surprised. I had no idea that it basically replaces the old-time institutions that handicapped people were placed in before IDEA. I had no idea that they provide physical therapy and occupational therapy, social services, psychological services, life skills, transportation to and from these special services, etc. I thought sped dealt strictly with academic issues; afterall, we are in a school.

Just to give an example that surprised me, we have a child in our district who gets full PT, OT and other services provided by the district, yet his father is a physical therapist. I just always assumed (and we all know what that word says about me) that physical conditions where the responsibility of the parents, and academic concerns were addressed by the school.

Anyway … I think we could give children with LDs, as well as struggling students, the attention they need by removing them from under the sped umbrella and addressing their needs in remedial classes. But grouping children according to their abilities and needs is a big no no with inclusion.

In our district, our school board is adament about classroom makeup being children of all abilities being dispersed evenly. But, the gifted are placed in clusters and receive special classes outside of the general ed classroom (such as math) because the gen ed classroom cannot meet their specific needs. Yet, sped students are not entitled to the same consideration. Inclusion is considered a benefit to them, as they would benefit from those who think on a higher level (this is stated in our policy book).

I agree that something has to be done before it eats me up. But the fact of the matter is that when I try to back up my beliefs and wishes with test scores, etc there is always an excuse or a brilliant diversion that gets us off track. Then there’s my favorite “parents usually interpret it that way, but that’s not how the school interprets it.” I would love to get my hands on the school’s copy of “How to Confused Parents Until They Think They’re Really Stupid and Give Up.”

As parents we learn by trial and error and have to dig up info on our own. We are sitting in those meetings naked. We then go home and look up what we didn’t understand. When we find that we have been dodged again, we get mad and the resentment builds. When we return with our questions and requests for clarification, nothing usually gets resolved, we leave with more questions. I realize that this is their game, keep the parents guessing. When we get them mad enough use the “parents are too emotional to make a sound decision” card; that one always works in their favor.

I know its not the teachers who are directly responsible. But in order to make change, they have to be proactive. Not only would their voice help make things better for the children, but in the long run they benefit as well. How many teachers come on here and say they feel the same way parents do and changes have to be made. Parents are up to bat for their own children and hope to benefit others if they can. Teachers are the ones who know what changes will make the most difference overall.

Little Lulu,

I think most teachers who are dealing with special needs students in their classroom are telling everyone who will listen that they are unable to meet their needs and that it also is impacting on their ability to meet the needs of the regular students who are still worthy of a decent education as well. I know lots of teachers who regularly tell their spec. ed. team, the consultants who come to visit them and their Principals over and over and over again on a regular basis. They are continually met with the same response. “We’ve been over this a million times….there’s no extra funding to provide staff or resources, and therefore the classroom teacher is just going to have to take on more and do the best he/she possibly can…end of story”.

Since this is already being done by teachers, when you say they need to do more, you must be referring to something on a grander scale. What is it that you are expecting the teachers to do? Call the media…go directly to the Superintendents and Government officials and make a huge public stink? Most teachers are just middle class people making a middle class salary, with financial obligations, and dependents, just like everyone else. They were hired by the Boards and signed a legal contract to teach the students within the means that the employer has available and they would definitely be risking their jobs by taking these actions to such a degree. I think many do what they can to speak out through their Unions, and through their own schools, but to ask them to take such a grand personal risk for a systemic problem which seems to be based on a lack of funding is asking too much.

Where will the parents be to support them when they lose their jobs, or experience more subtle difficulties such as reassignments, lack of promotion, etc.? Will the parents organize themselves to defend these teachers? It hasn’t happened to my knowledge. Why are you asking teachers to risk so much? They do what they can within the parameters which they feel they can risk, and shoulder many great expenses (financially, emotionally and in time) to cover the gaps where they could not risk more. Do you risk (I mean really risk) getting fired at your job over a systemic problem, whatever it may be? I don’t think most people are well enough off financially to do such a thing.

And finally, if the reason for lack of support in the school system really is lack of money like they say, then all the public outcry in the world isn’t going to change that fact. The regular school system may be just simply too stretched financially to meet more than the basic needs of most people, and any special needs may have to be met outside of the public school system. I know most people really don’t want to accept that…but maybe that’s the reality we’re going to have to live with.

Rightly or wrongly, I will never look to the public education system to meet the special needs of my own children. I will do whatever it takes to meet their needs through my own and private resources. I don’t believe the public school system is capable of meeting any special needs, and I wouldn’t let my own child suffer due to that reality. It is time that the parents realize that they are also going to have to become educators on a daily basis, because the public system just can’t do the job adequately anymore with all of the stresses it is under.

Hi Ruby,

I really want to believe that what you say is true. This has not been my experience, and from posts I read here, it is not common practice anywhere.

What do I want teachers to do? I truly appreciate honesty. That’s all, plain and simple: HONESTY. Tell me that you do not know what else to do with child. Tell me what you truly see and suspect is going wrong. Stop telling me that everything is going good, he’s doing okay and giving him grades he does not deserve.

When I am told that they feel that they are giving him an appropriate education yet I am not seeing success, I am going to push you even harder. But if you tell me you just do not have the means to give him what he needs, I will take matters into my own hands and do what I think needs to be done. They tell me they can’t because of potential lawsuit. Well, I am more likely to sue for lack of progress with the infamous smoke screen vs. someone who tells me they have tried all they know how to try.

Now, being honest with a parent does not completely solve the problem. Teachers are not prepared to deal with all of the students in their class. Unfortunately, inclusion is not going away any time soon. The inclusion line is hooey in my opinion, “it benefits disabled children to be educated with non-disabled, etc.” The fact of the matter is, it is a cost saving measure. My child does not benefit by having to sit through lessons he does not understand and then has to hire a private tutor to make sure he does get it to get the grade.

Inclusion does not work for all children. Most LD children still need to be in a small, intensive environment with qualified (sped certified) teachers in order to get educational benefit from the school day. We have to stop pretending that we are taking care of all of this with the present system.

Oh, I could go on, but I am a windbag. I’m sure you get the point.

All I want for my children is independence and a self-esteem that is intact when they leave the system. I just do not understand the “victim” point of view I hear from many educators. As a parent, I do not know what teachers have to do to make the situation better, I am not privy to the inside workings of the school system. But I would hope that teachers are having these discussions for change because an improved system would definitely make their lives easier, no?

I’m new to this web site, and write from England. I am a mother of a 15 year old son who suffered for years in school, but conventional educational testing did not show up any difficulties. He received limited support from his Primary school (up to 11years of age) and then nothing in his High school until I made a huge fuss. He then received one hour per week learning support which was ineffective because it was not the correct support. In Year 9 (9th Grade?), he received no support at all and was labelled by his teachers… ‘can’t be bothered’, ‘doesn’t want to know’ etc. I took my son for an eye test and told the optician he was dyslexic. He offered a ‘Coloured Overlay Test’. This test changed my son’s life in seconds. For the first time in his life (2 weeks before his 14th Birthday), he could see text on the page how other people without disability see it. He now has green lenses which enable him to see text, his own writing and that on posters on the walls and on the board. He can tell the time now, accurately with a digital watch, and is much more confident, has grown in stature, is more assertive, and generally a much more contented and happier young man. In addition to his VISUAL STRESS, he also has an AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER based in speech. Once this was highlighted by testing in an audiology clinic and his school informed, his teachers took on board the implications for teaching my son. He has now started to make the progress he was expected to make, with minimum disruption to his teachers: they just need to check he has information he needs to complete tasks, has homework written down in his diary at the end of the lesson etc. He has never seen a psychologist… his scores do not warrant intervention! His school report this year is the best he has ever had, and we are delighted with his progress. His ‘inclusion’ has given no disruption to teachers or other pupils, has given the maximum benefit to our son who no longer describes himself as ‘the thickest person in my school’…His IQ is 120+ (120 at 7 years) and he is determined to study archaeology at degree level…his passion in life! In addition, I am on the Board of Governors for this High School, and am a Special Needs teacher myself. No-one would listen to me either! I am, apparently, an overprotective mother! ROT!!!
Please e-mail me. Janet Manogue.
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of these children to get the help the need to be fully remediated.

My nephew would be in sped right now if not for the speech therapy he received at a very young age. Instead he is number 1 in his class.

Without OT my son would still need sped because of his visual processing deficits. He doesn’t.

Therapy CAN improve academics and for some kids it is the only way they will learn anything. What is the point of a teacher teaching in the front of the class when the child is only hearing blah blah bah because of a auditory defict? What is the point of a teacher trying to get a child to understand a numbers chart when his visual processing will not allow him to understand it with a thousand hours of being taught? What is the point of teaching handwriting to a child with fine motor skills so poor that they can’t even button a button?

Therapy is often the best and most efficient way to get a child OUT of sped which is truely the most cost effective and worthwhile goal.
Sped should not be a lifetime sentence for most kids.