I just want to make sure I’m making the right decision for my daughter (8 yrs / 3rd grade). Currently she is in a fulltime LD room (which I hate). Here’s the story:
We always felt “why can’t we teach her”. Her preschool teachers taught her how to write her name. She finished K not knowing all her letters and even began 1st grade not knowing all the letter sounds. The school put her in Title 1. she was doing o.k. until winter break, then it seemed she forgot some stuff. Then end of 1ST grade had her tested w/ RIAS, WJ-III and YCAT. They tell me Non verbal is very high and reading writing is avg to below avg. and she has LD. She started 2nd grade using the resource rm. She hated it and always complained saying it wasn’t helping. what i think, she didn’t like leaving her peers. when she returned, she would just stand around waiting for her teacher to basically hold her by the hand and help her on the next assignment. This teacher taught her 1st and 2nd grade along w/ tutoring during the summer. We both thought she would do great in 2nd grade. But, as things got harder and faster, she was showing more and more anxiety. In the meantime, we had her see a Psychologist and as the anxiety increased, we put her on Zoloft. But the zoloft didn’t help much cuz the “wall was up” and it seemed we couldn’t get “thru to her”. We/I decided I needed to do something drastic and put her in a fulltime LD room. Problem is, it is at a different school. From the beginning, Last year Feb to current Feb ‘07. I feel I have been railroaded. I currently found an advocate, which will help w/ her IEP that is scheduled this month. But first, we are going to have an informal mtg Feb 14th to discuss what everyone feels is best for her. She is very social and loves to be surrounded by friends. She takes it very personal and gets emotional if a classmate gives her an odd look. She has lots of friends at her homeschool, and none except for the kids in her LD rm. They want to remcommend her be introduced slowly in the mainroom while using the ld room. I was considering her to be removed and brought back to her homeschool using modifications and the resource room. She has personally told me if she was to be mainstreamed she wants to go home. I’m not sure. Yes, we have somewhere to go if she can’t handle the work load, but isn’t that what the mofications are there for? I also feel (from the beginning), that my daughter is way too smart to be in this LD room, plus, I feel it is way TOO slow for her and if she stays there any longer, she will never be able to keep up w/ the pace of a reg classroom. I also don’t appreciate all the “standing” around time she does. I think there’s more “wasted” time than production.
Please, I really could use some input/help!