Alison. - summer school

[Guest guest]

Alison,

I am a big believer in exageration if it is going to help you get

what you want for Jake. You say that he needs support and guidance

in the area of social skills. Well, without that exposure of being

with other kids and being shown the appropriate way to interact and

behave, he will lose whatever he has learned so far this year. He

needs the extra support and " practice " to maintain or advance his

current level. The same goes for OT and PT. In a child his age, if

he does not have continuing support in a structured environment, he

is most likely going to lose or at least minimalize those skills

thus far acquired.

What about academics? Jake is 4. Will he be going into a

kindergarten program in the fall? Does he know how to name his

letters and numbers? Write them? Can he follow 2 or 3 step oral

directions? How is his coloring? Does he know the names of the

colors? Shapes? This would be true even if he is going into

another preschool class. These days kids are required to attain

these skills by the time they start kindergarten, as silly as it

seems to me.

You also have the attention issue. He needs to attend to tasks that

he may not prefer doing at a given time, but he must because it is

what the other kids are supposed to be doing.

Jake, just by having RSS, is an " at risk " child. It is known that

kids with RSS have a higher incidence of ADD and ADHD as well as

learning difficulties/disabilities. This does not mean that every

child has it, but that our kids are more likely to have it. It is

printed in the MAGIC brochure. I would think that the " at risk "

part would qualify him. The more support he gets now, the less

likely he will need services in the future.

I could go on and on. You need to think about this and put down

every single reason that you want him in this program. Reach for

the stars. The more you are at them, the more likely they are to

accept him. And you can always email me for more info. You're good

at this, Alison. Don't sell yourself short.

Just a reminder, however. I was speaking to our director of special

services and telling her how much we appreciate all the district has

done for Max this year. And I really meant it! She said that it is

easier to accommodate Max because we are aware of his abilities and

limitations and accept them. We work together as a team. We are

not confrontational. She went on to say that she wishes more

parents were like us. Too many do not accept what their children

can and can't do, or have difficulty with, and those who are in

denial are the worst to work with. Keep this in mind.

Jodi Z.