Guest guest Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Hi!If the mom is spanish speaking, Ida Kessler at United Cerebral Palsy Broward is real good!Phone nr is 9543154062Hope this helps!Fabiola Sent from my BlackBerry® on the MetroPCS NetworkSender: sList Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:31:13 -0000To: <sList >ReplyTo: sList Subject: Advocate? Hello, everyone. I'm requesting help on behalf of a parent who is not on this list. My best friend's childcare provider has a little girl on the spectrum. Last year, she was in a special self-contained Pre-K program with a teacher and a paraprofessional. This year, she is in a General Ed class with no para. She gets pulled out during the day, and the teacher comes to get her and picks up all of the kids that get pulled out before they actually go to the class where they receive services. The mother learned at Open House that the teacher did not even know that the little girl was autistic. The mother has been getting " reports " about her daughter's behavior everyday, and the Asst. Principal made the comment that perhaps this was not the best placement for her daughter. Immediately, I told my friend that the mother needs to speak with the Sped Director, because, before they say that this is not the best placement, the school needs to show that they have done everything they can to make accomodations and meet what is outlined in the IEP. Given that the teacher did not even know the girl was autistic makes it very likely that, except for being pulled out (which, due to the fact that they are walking the kids all over the school to pick everyone up, probably means she's also not getting all of her contact hours), the IEP is not being followed. The mother does not speak English very well, and I think she needs an advocate with her when she does meet with the SpEd Dir and anyone/everyone else at the school. However, I don't know who I can direct her to. I can recommend CARD, but this is pretty time-sensitive, and she would have to have the intake interview before someone at CARD would be able to assist her. Does anyone on this list have the name of an experienced advocate? I would offer to go with her, but I'm not so sure I'm the most qualified person and I, fortunately, have not experienced this at my son's school. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly at: glad1@.... Thanks in advance, Gladys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Good evening, EVERYONE needs an advocate that knows the law. Call FND they have great advocates there...... Good luck Nathalie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I agree that she should have a skilled and experienced advocate. After all, mom is an immigrant and did not go to school in the U.S. ,and she does not know how the school system works here, right? There are many advocates here that you can contact. Yes, it is a good idea. Since I am a teacher and know the inside of a school, I would like to address your concern about the child's transitions inside the building.When you say that she is picked up by a teacher for pull out, I assume you mean that the child leaves her general education classroom to go to the school's resource room where she gets extra services. Since she is in kindergarten now, she cannot walk alone to the resource room. Someone needs to walk with her. It sounds like her resource room teacher comes to the child's cassroom to pick her up and then picks up other children who will attend the resource room at the same time. This is great, because it is a very safe way of reassuring that she gets to her class. Since the adult is there, there will be no teasing or uncomfortable questions from the other children, and she does not have to be anxious about walking in the halls with an adult who is strange to her. It sounds to me that you have a very responsible resource teacher. Who do you think should pick up the kindergartener with special needs and bring them to the resource room? The mom and her IEP committee decided that the child should attend a general education class. This tells me that the child is very capable and have few deficits. I am dissapointed to hear that the classroom teacher was not aware of the child's disability, but I am not shocked. I would ask the teacher if she has had students with autism before. Is the an autism cluster at the school? If so, there is an autism coach that the parents can see. My advice to the parents is to meet often for teacher-parent conferences, and to meet separately with the speech therapist. To: sList Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 6:31 PMSubject: Advocate? Hello, everyone. I'm requesting help on behalf of a parent who is not on this list. My best friend's childcare provider has a little girl on the spectrum. Last year, she was in a special self-contained Pre-K program with a teacher and a paraprofessional. This year, she is in a General Ed class with no para. She gets pulled out during the day, and the teacher comes to get her and picks up all of the kids that get pulled out before they actually go to the class where they receive services. The mother learned at Open House that the teacher did not even know that the little girl was autistic. The mother has been getting "reports" about her daughter's behavior everyday, and the Asst. Principal made the comment that perhaps this was not the best placement for her daughter. Immediately, I told my friend that the mother needs to speak with the Sped Director, because, before they say that this is not the best placement, the school needs to show that they have done everything they can to make accomodations and meet what is outlined in the IEP. Given that the teacher did not even know the girl was autistic makes it very likely that, except for being pulled out (which, due to the fact that they are walking the kids all over the school to pick everyone up, probably means she's also not getting all of her contact hours), the IEP is not being followed. The mother does not speak English very well, and I think she needs an advocate with her when she does meet with the SpEd Dir and anyone/everyone else at the school. However, I don't know who I can direct her to. I can recommend CARD, but this is pretty time-sensitive, and she would have to have the intake interview before someone at CARD would be able to assist her. Does anyone on this list have the name of an experienced advocate? I would offer to go with her, but I'm not so sure I'm the most qualified person and I, fortunately, have not experienced this at my son's school. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly at: glad1@.... Thanks in advance, Gladys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 Hopefully your friend doesn't work or gets very little money, because, I just recently received a letter from UCP stating that they would not provide advocacy services to my family because of our family income (and trust me it's not a lot). So I guess the working folks don't need advocacy services now? Your friend can also try FND. They have sliding scale costs now based on income, and if he family income is above their limit, they will have to pay a retainer fee ahead of time, but at least they are still providing the service. Subject: Re: Advocate?To: sList Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 7:38 PM Hi!If the mom is spanish speaking, Ida Kessler at United Cerebral Palsy Broward is real good!Phone nr is 9543154062Hope this helps!Fabiola Sent from my BlackBerry® on the MetroPCS Network Sender: sList Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:31:13 -0000 To: <sList > ReplyTo: sList Subject: Advocate? Hello, everyone. I'm requesting help on behalf of a parent who is not on this list. My best friend's childcare provider has a little girl on the spectrum. Last year, she was in a special self-contained Pre-K program with a teacher and a paraprofessional. This year, she is in a General Ed class with no para. She gets pulled out during the day, and the teacher comes to get her and picks up all of the kids that get pulled out before they actually go to the class where they receive services. The mother learned at Open House that the teacher did not even know that the little girl was autistic. The mother has been getting "reports" about her daughter's behavior everyday, and the Asst. Principal made the comment that perhaps this was not the best placement for her daughter. Immediately, I told my friend that the mother needs to speak with the Sped Director, because, before they say that this is not the best placement, the school needs to show that they have done everything they can to make accomodations and meet what is outlined in the IEP. Given that the teacher did not even know the girl was autistic makes it very likely that, except for being pulled out (which, due to the fact that they are walking the kids all over the school to pick everyone up, probably means she's also not getting all of her contact hours), the IEP is not being followed. The mother does not speak English very well, and I think she needs an advocate with her when she does meet with the SpEd Dir and anyone/everyone else at the school. However, I don't know who I can direct her to. I can recommend CARD, but this is pretty time-sensitive, and she would have to have the intake interview before someone at CARD would be able to assist her. Does anyone on this list have the name of an experienced advocate? I would offer to go with her, but I'm not so sure I'm the most qualified person and I, fortunately, have not experienced this at my son's school. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly at: glad1@.... Thanks in advance, Gladys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 In order for the children to get to the resource room, they have to go from the portables, across the parking lot and playground and into the main building. It is during this unstructured time and so many stops and the stimulation of everything that is happening that she is melting down and unable (being interpreted by the Special Education teacher as " unwilling " ) to settle down and do the work when she finally does get to the class. I was also a teacher and students were picked up and dropped of in groups by grade in the resource room. That would give the teacher time to work with the groups for a little bit if time and get them settled before the next group arrived. Whatever the case is at this school, it's that time of the day that is causing the issue as she is not experiencing this level of meltdown in her General Ed class and now does not want to go to the SpEd teacher's class. Her mom told me that when she asks her why she does not want to go anymore, the little girl either says, " I don't know, " " I can't remember, " or " It's not my fault. " Also, the mom says that the teacher gave rave reviews about the daughter at Open House (about how the teacher said he wanted to put her with the 2nd graders because of how well she reads, how well behaved she was, and how the girl was " his helper, " and that things changed and complaints started coming after they discussed that the girl had Autism. I suspect that he may not have ever taught a child with autism or that he just felt caught " off-guard " at not having noticed that she had autism. For me, the biggest issue is that he had no idea why the girl was in his class and had not looked at her IEP 2-3 weeks into the school year. Gladys > > I agree that she should have a skilled and experienced advocate. After all, mom is an immigrant and did not go to school in the U.S. ,and she does not know how the school system works here, right? >  > There are many advocates here that you can contact. Yes, it is a good idea. >  > Since I am a teacher and know the inside of a school, I would like to address your concern about the child's transitions inside the building.When you say that she is picked up by a teacher for pull out, I assume you mean that the child leaves her general education classroom to go to the school's resource room where she gets extra services. Since she is in kindergarten now, she cannot walk alone to the resource room. Someone needs to walk with her. It sounds like her resource room teacher comes to the child's cassroom to pick her up and then picks up other children who will attend the resource room at the same time. This is great, because it is a very safe way of reassuring that she gets to her class. Since the adult is there, there will be no teasing or uncomfortable questions from the other children, and she does not have to be anxious about walking in the halls with an adult who is strange to her. It sounds to me that you have a very > responsible resource teacher. Who do you think should pick up the kindergartener with special needs and bring them to the resource room? >  > The mom and her IEP committee decided that the child should attend a general education class. This tells me that the child is very capable and have few deficits. I am dissapointed to hear that the classroom teacher was not aware of the child's disability, but I am not shocked. I would ask the teacher if she has had students with autism before. Is the an autism cluster at the school? If so, there is an autism coach that the parents can see. My advice to the parents is to meet often for teacher-parent conferences, and to meet separately with the speech therapist.  > > > To: sList > Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 6:31 PM > Subject: Advocate? > > >  > Hello, everyone. I'm requesting help on behalf of a parent who is not on this list. My best friend's childcare provider has a little girl on the spectrum. Last year, she was in a special self-contained Pre-K program with a teacher and a paraprofessional. This year, she is in a General Ed class with no para. She gets pulled out during the day, and the teacher comes to get her and picks up all of the kids that get pulled out before they actually go to the class where they receive services. The mother learned at Open House that the teacher did not even know that the little girl was autistic. The mother has been getting " reports " about her daughter's behavior everyday, and the Asst. Principal made the comment that perhaps this was not the best placement for her daughter. > > Immediately, I told my friend that the mother needs to speak with the Sped Director, because, before they say that this is not the best placement, the school needs to show that they have done everything they can to make accomodations and meet what is outlined in the IEP. Given that the teacher did not even know the girl was autistic makes it very likely that, except for being pulled out (which, due to the fact that they are walking the kids all over the school to pick everyone up, probably means she's also not getting all of her contact hours), the IEP is not being followed. The mother does not speak English very well, and I think she needs an advocate with her when she does meet with the SpEd Dir and anyone/everyone else at the school. However, I don't know who I can direct her to. I can recommend CARD, but this is pretty time-sensitive, and she would have to have the intake interview before someone at CARD would be able to assist her. Does anyone on > this list have the name of an experienced advocate? I would offer to go with her, but I'm not so sure I'm the most qualified person and I, fortunately, have not experienced this at my son's school. > > Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly at: glad1@... > > Thanks in advance, > Gladys > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 I ran an ESOL program years ago and I had to pull my students for their language arts block. I despised having to pull them out of their mainstream class room during their language arts block, spend 1/4 of their 45 minutes with me walking from one end of the school to the other. Pulling kids from class is awful, they are missing important instruction during the process and falling further behind their peers. There is no reason that the same strategies I used in my ESOL classroom could not be employed in their mainstream classroom by their regular teacher or a para. The school district just decides this is the best way and that is it. I am a parent of an autistic child and I refuse to let my child be pulled from his mainstream classroom for anything. He sits his but in his seat all day just like the rest of his classmates and the resource teacher comes to him. You just have to demand that in your IEP meeting, they will fight you because God forbid you buck the system but as the parent you have the right to choose the correct environment for your child and the least restive option is to have them stay in their classroom. Advocate? > > > Â > Hello, everyone. I'm requesting help on behalf of a parent who is not on this list. My best friend's childcare provider has a little girl on the spectrum. Last year, she was in a special self-contained Pre-K program with a teacher and a paraprofessional. This year, she is in a General Ed class with no para. She gets pulled out during the day, and the teacher comes to get her and picks up all of the kids that get pulled out before they actually go to the class where they receive services. The mother learned at Open House that the teacher did not even know that the little girl was autistic. The mother has been getting "reports" about her daughter's behavior everyday, and the Asst. Principal made the comment that perhaps this was not the best placement for her daughter. > > Immediately, I told my friend that the mother needs to speak with the Sped Director, because, before they say that this is not the best placement, the school needs to show that they have done everything they can to make accomodations and meet what is outlined in the IEP. Given that the teacher did not even know the girl was autistic makes it very likely that, except for being pulled out (which, due to the fact that they are walking the kids all over the school to pick everyone up, probably means she's also not getting all of her contact hours), the IEP is not being followed. The mother does not speak English very well, and I think she needs an advocate with her when she does meet with the SpEd Dir and anyone/everyone else at the school. However, I don't know who I can direct her to. I can recommend CARD, but this is pretty time-sensitive, and she would have to have the intake interview before someone at CARD would be able to assist her. Does anyone on > this list have the name of an experienced advocate? I would offer to go with her, but I'm not so sure I'm the most qualified person and I, fortunately, have not experienced this at my son's school. > > Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly at: glad1@... > > Thanks in advance, > Gladys > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.