self contained classes

If your son is functioning without behavior issues in the gen ed class, keep him there. Some kids just need more time for improvement and a self-contained class is not likely to help that.

We are in a very similar situation and I have posted about it here and on other forums, but I never get much feedback. My dd has a language impairment, but struggles in other areas as well. She also has anxieties. She too is behind in reading, writing and math, but socially she is fully aware and has absolutely no behavior problems. She has quite a few kids that she considers her friends. I’m not sure if she has any “best friends” yet at age 9 (grade 3), but certainly there are some that she is closer to than others. Either way, when I talked to her about going to the self contained class at our school she flipped out on me begging me not to let them send her there. She knows the kids in that class and is very bothered by them. I believe they are all quite low functioning, which is why they recommended a self contained class at another school. I don’t see how one classroom is really better (especially at another school) than another, except for whatever students HAPPEN to be in one classroom vs. another. But with her anxieties, sending her to another school in what could potentially become a class with lower functioning kids would really upset her. And to top it all off, when we went to visit the class there were all boys in there. There was 1 girl, but they said she is mostly mainstreamed so she really wouldn’t be there. So, what we are left with is my 9 yr old, who is very anxious in new situations and new environments, in a new school in a new class where she would not know a soul and she’d be the only girl. Meanwhile, my other 2 kids (1 5th grade and 1 kinder) would remain at our home school where all her friends are. We also have a former teacher saying to me behind the scenes “DON’T PUT HER IN A SELF CONTAINED CLASS”. Everyone tells me she will regress. How can they possibly make this recommendation for her. It pisses me off! And did I mention that she has no behavior problems? She never does anything wrong. She is extremely compliant. She’s very quiet except when she’s playing on the playground then she runs around with whoever she’s playing with that day. She has no attentional problems. Oh, and she was getting only 40mins of RSP 4 days/week until I said no to the SDC and then they bumped her rsp time up to 2hrs/day which I feel is quite good and more than enough! So, now I’m thrilled with her program, thrilled with how happy she is at our school, which is right around the corner as opposed to being clear across town. I just know they will want to push the SDC again next year. This teacher friend of mine seriously doesn’t get it. She’s still at the school, but is not my dd’s teacher anymore, but still is very close with us, so she still says “NO WAY”. I just think there is more going on that we don’t know about.

The other thing for you to think about is once you move him to a self contained classroom, you are stuck. It’s a change of placement and you will not be able to change it back without getting everyone on his IEP team to agree and if he would be moved to another school, there would be a whole new IEP team. So, we’re talking about people you probably don’t even know right now.

I’m not saying don’t do it. It depends on your son. What I am saying is before you do it, check it out very carefully. Go look at the class and observe the other kids. Observe the teaching. If it were me I’d even go look at self contained classes all the way up through high school in case you find yourself not being able to get him out of it and want to know what a high school class looks like. From what I hear, the behavior gets really bad the older they get.

Be cautious. You might even be happy where he is right now and don’t have to move him. Another thing I’d have to add is that if they are the ones pushing it the offer will most likely still be good next year or the year after that or the year after that, so don’t rush into it. Tell them that you want to stick with what you’ve got for now, but will think about it for the future and in the meantime do what you’re doing and ask as many people as possible. People who know your son.
Kathryn

thanks for the advice. I really feel that with a little more time my son will improve where he is given the chance. I lost my oldest son early last year and I feel that this may have something to do with my ds situation. He was very close to his brother and was present when he shot himself, so I know that Coalton is trying to deal with this too.
It seems that these teachers don’t take into consideration the circumstances that he is in at the moment
Teresa

Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your older son. I would think that would most definitely affect any child. They should certainly be sensitive to situations like this.

Again, my deepest sympathies.
Kathryn

thank you for your concern. It has been very difficult getting through this, and at times I didn’t think we would, but we are getting there. When Coalton started school this year, we had closed out his charts at mental health and had switched him over to his GP but I’ve since reopened his case at mental health and he seems to be making improvements slowly, but improvements none the less. I am afraid if he is isolated from the things he is accustomed too it will only set him back further.
I have discussed it with his mh councellor and she agrees with me on the self contained classes issue, so that helps alot. I have even thought about home schooling him for a couple of years and see if that might help, does anyone have any info on the subject? It would be greatfully appreciated.
Teresa

Part of the reason I was so angry at the recommendation of an SDC placement for my daughter is that it meant moving her to a new school where she would not know a soul AND would be the only girl in the class for most of the day. They did not take her anxiety disorder into account. In discussing this placement with her psychotherapist AND her pediatrician, I came to the conclusion that moving her would do more harm than good and would outweigh any benefits of having her in a smaller class. It would take her at least half the year to get used to being there, so she would lose that entire first half the year. What would be the point?

It sounds like the advice you have received is to not move your son and your gut instinct tells you the same thing, so if I were you, I’d go with that.

I don’t home school, but it’s something I have thought a great deal about. I would LOVE to home school her, but I’m not sure she would be on board with that. It would take some adjusting as well, and again, she is so happy in her current classroom that I don’t see the point and I don’t feel inclined to do it.

I was also told that home schooling was a change in placement and would be an IEP TEAM decision. They made it sound like they were not going to go along with that idea, but then the special ed director said that of course, parents have the right to home school their children whenever they want. I think they would always go with that because it gets them off the hook in a lot of ways, although I do know that if you have an IEP and you home school, you continue to have an IEP and you still receive services such as speech therapy and possibly resource support. My dd happens to like the general ed classroom better than the resource room, so I’d be taking away the part she loves and keeping the part she likes least! That would not be fun for her.

iVillage has a home schooling board, so maybe you can get info from there? http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-pphschooling
They might have links to other boards for homeschooling kids with learning disabilities. I didn’t see that on there, but you’d have to read through the links.

Keep us posted!
Kathryn

Teresa, so sorry to hear about your son. {{{Hugs}}}

If you need help and support navigating special ed, and adhd etc. We have quite a few knowledgeable parents at http://millermom.proboards107.com

A few from SC as well.

The school has to provide the least restrictive environment for your child, so if self contained is not the right place for him, you do not have to agree.

thank you all for the advice. I didn’t have to face this with my older son, so I’m in new territory now. thanks for the links too I’ll check them out . you have all been alot of help. Thanks.
Teresa