We have a child who has been medically diagnosed with severe DAS / CAPD. We have tried to help since preK to gain appropriate help through the public school system. Placement is special education for most of the day with main streaming fro PE, science and social studies. Educational level is at least half of current grade placement, the system will promote to next grade level. Regardless of understanding or mastery of present level of understanding. We are scheduled for a IEP in the next few weeks. Should we allow more inclusion into general ed as seems to be the movement? The system knows the student is unable to comprehend, and is fully aware of our interest to see the student appropriately educated. What to do, been to most BB’s and Wrightslaw.
Re: Poor IEP's
Sandy,
Isn’t it the responsability of the school to GET the “time, materials and training” needed to attain the goals of an IEP?
Judy
Re: Years behind peers
Currently grade is fourth, reading and language skills are primary level, math is mid second grade. The student this year is with an excellent well experienced sped teacher. Trying to make up for lost time last year that ended up with a state filed complaint and moving to a different school. I believe he is being treated as an individual this year. Two years passed where he did not receive appropriate education and they are wreaking havoc now.
As to who I’ve spoken with, you name it, all the way up the food chain to our state sped director. To address educating ourselves, one reason I’m posting here. We’ve also been to our local Children’s Hospital seeking help, read just about everything I can find on the subject. You know the routine of how to get the help, cookies n’ milk. I know and tell others that you must be passionate and convince others on the IEP team to do what’s best for the student. Last thought, the student is capable of doing grade level work, just can’t find the key.
Re: Poor IEP's
That’s true enough; but the bottom line is and this is straight from our state sped. The system cannot be held accountable if the goals of an IEP are not met. We have had so many IEP’s and “professional” teachers involved with them, including our county sped director.
Re: What is DAS?
DAS = Developemental Apraxia of Speech.
“Difficulties with producing speech sounds and in sequencing them together into words. Expressive language is often delayed. In addition, such children will often (but not always) have an oral (or oro-motor) dyspraxia - a difficulty in making and co-ordinating the precise movements of the lips, tongue and palate required to produce speech.”
how long did he have ear infections?
How is his auditory memory? The DAS can be linked to the CAPD if he has weak auditory memory. Does he have bad allergies? This can be part of the factor. I have worked with a kid with DAS and she had a history of ear infections, tosilitis and allergies…Once those were cleared up we were able to make rapid gains…I used a lot of music with rhymes and worked on the sounds that were giving her the most problems.
Re: Years behind peers
What I am going to suggest is heresy and anathema to the “whole-language” true believers, but it can help a lot.
Teach the child to read and write using a very strong phonics program. Spend a lot of time on the basics of the sound system of English, how each sound is produced in the mouth, accurate pronunciation, and the sound-symbol correspondences. I haven’t used LiPs myself, but am told it is good for this. Or, you can read up on linguistics/phonemics and teach yourself, and then use that knowledge in teaching a good phonics program.
Along with the very strong phonics, you also teach connected text and fluency using a developmental basal series with high-frequency vocabulary; you have the student read aloud regularly and use this time to work on pronunciation and intonation too.
All this work on sounds and symbols can then feed back into improving speech and the exposure to written language can improve both comprehension and vocabulary. (this is where I’m a heretic — and my students are reading.)
To avoid constantly reposting the same thing, I’m offering to download a bunch of things that I’ve written up on how to do my effective tutoring program; just email me if you’re interested.
Re: how long did he have ear infections?
Auditory memory is rotten, the student does better with visual queue’s. This has become their stock and trade in surviving school, watching others for hints as to how they should react. But when they was a preschooler, you could not pry a word out for the love of life. The earliest test could not be completed because they wouldn’t interact with the instructor. So in that sense we’ve come light years, but the student still does not understand the basics and have them committed to memory. We’ve always lived at the same address and still the student cannot recite it.
A small seasonal bout with allergies but really no more than a minor bump in the road. The student is a little immature for their age, but that doesn’t worry me too much. I’m concerned because the school system is moving right along with promotion’s from grade to grade regardless of what is learned. Another story for another time. Curious, the student has always “felt” music on a level I can’t even pretend to understand. They become one with the music and has always loved listening to all kinds. Anything work better than other avenues?
what grade presently? the plan with sp ed is that you teach kids how they learn (individualized) rather than lumped into the classroom- so this isnot happening?so goals are not being met on IEP? sometimes the sp ed teachers really have their hands tied but lack of materials, time, training- have you spoken with sp ed director? we didn’t even deal with our principal (a banana eatin monkey). what has seemed to effective for us is for us to educate ourselves and constatnly challenge, question -all the while bringing cookies and compliments.
good luck