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Hi,

I think that you are absolutely correct.... every program is indeed different

and this is why you must consciously be connected to what is going on. Mark was

in a great program, 2 teachers & 10 students..... it was really fabulous for him

at that time. BUT, they were teaching him maths using a calculator! His sister

used to call Mark's math homework.... Baby math!

So when Mark started getting better, the differences between him and the other

kids in the program started growing wider. After one year of NACD, he really

had 'outgrown' the other children. It was as though his head lifted up and he

realized that he didn't belong in special education any more. He began to

describe the other children as being weird. (Of course, he too at one time was

kind of weird..... in his own special wonderful beloved Markish way of course!)

He wanted the regular classroom and special education was no longer a haven but

a prison for him.

BUT..... he had some real work to do to catch up in both maths and English

composition. My daughter had been writing lengthy book reports, poetry, and

other compositions throughout junior high (grades 7 to 9). Mark's work really

had consisted in 'fill-in-the-blanks' comprehension exercises. He had done some

writing but none of it was even close to the expectations of the regular

classroom.

We truly had our work cut out for us! All through grade 6, Mark & I with the

help of NACD worked on Maths in the evening and in the summertime. This year at

the beginning of the year, we mainstreamed and it was really tough at first!

Mark still doesn't quite understand how much he needs to study for a test and is

thus rather inconsistent. Some units he will get an 89% and others a 39%! It

is that varied! So, right now he does have a B average but his marks really are

all over the place as he attempts to gain the experience of what the

expectations are and how to transition successfully to the regular programming.

He is still learning 'how to study' for the rigorous requirements of mainstream.

His organizational skills are definitely a work in progress since he missed that

area of learning as well. In special education, he didn't learn how to

self-help but was spoon fed all of the requirements. Every day, the agenda was

completed and checked by a teacher, kids were reminded and helped with their

books and knapsacks. This was great but I do wish that they would have spent

more time 'teaching' the kids these skills rather than 'doing for them' since

the kids never learn how to manage their gear. This is essential for successful

transition to mainstream education. Our kids MUST be able to take care of

themselves!

BUT..... Mark is doing it and doing it successfully. I do think that you cannot

just pull a kid out from special education and plunk them into the regular

classroom without being extremely 'aware' of where they are at academically.

Throughout the special education process, you need to be cognizant of what your

child needs to learn in order to be mainstreamed with his peer group. They do

make extensive accommodations in the IEP..... look for them and read them so

that you know. Look at the term..... " modified program " and ask questions as to

" how modified is the program? " Someday, you will want your child with the other

kids and you need to be aware of how to 'connect' the dots so that the

transition is successful.

I don't regret the years Mark spent in special education but I was not really

paying attention to how far behind he was getting until I went to remove him

from that system. He was substantially behind! The classroom he was in was

full of kids with high IQ levels and all of these children were getting left

behind their peer group.

This was just my experience this year...... others may have vastly different

experiences.

Janice

Mother of Mark, 13

[sPAM][ ] PAC Class

>

>

> My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped

today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is

affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis

does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics

but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from

being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the

increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay

on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing

ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and

money there). She seems to think that without this change he will

continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids

in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system

fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an

autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's

better/worse about it than non-cat for your child

> (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and

Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious

to see if he'll make a similar recommendation.

>

> Thanks for any guidance,

> , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS

resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost

non-verbal, severe ADHD

>

>

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In our case my son does have serious cognitive delays due to thousands of

seizures in his infancy - so he's going to be in special ed for the forseeable

future. The question is what kind of class will help him learn the most during

these early years. I just don't know if putting him in a class for preschool

kids with autism will mean that the one-on-one attention will outweigh the

potential lack of more " typical " socialization models that his current classroom

includes. Why is every decision so hard? From meds to therapies to classroom

placement. It's never ending!

Thanks for your input ladies!

, mom to Cordis

Janice <jscott@...> wrote:

Hi,

I think that you are absolutely correct.... every program is indeed different

and this is why you must consciously be connected to what is going on. Mark was

in a great program, 2 teachers & 10 students..... it was really fabulous for him

at that time. BUT, they were teaching him maths using a calculator! His sister

used to call Mark's math homework.... Baby math!

So when Mark started getting better, the differences between him and the other

kids in the program started growing wider. After one year of NACD, he really had

'outgrown' the other children. It was as though his head lifted up and he

realized that he didn't belong in special education any more. He began to

describe the other children as being weird. (Of course, he too at one time was

kind of weird..... in his own special wonderful beloved Markish way of course!)

He wanted the regular classroom and special education was no longer a haven but

a prison for him.

BUT..... he had some real work to do to catch up in both maths and English

composition. My daughter had been writing lengthy book reports, poetry, and

other compositions throughout junior high (grades 7 to 9). Mark's work really

had consisted in 'fill-in-the-blanks' comprehension exercises. He had done some

writing but none of it was even close to the expectations of the regular

classroom.

We truly had our work cut out for us! All through grade 6, Mark & I with the

help of NACD worked on Maths in the evening and in the summertime. This year at

the beginning of the year, we mainstreamed and it was really tough at first!

Mark still doesn't quite understand how much he needs to study for a test and is

thus rather inconsistent. Some units he will get an 89% and others a 39%! It is

that varied! So, right now he does have a B average but his marks really are all

over the place as he attempts to gain the experience of what the expectations

are and how to transition successfully to the regular programming. He is still

learning 'how to study' for the rigorous requirements of mainstream.

His organizational skills are definitely a work in progress since he missed that

area of learning as well. In special education, he didn't learn how to self-help

but was spoon fed all of the requirements. Every day, the agenda was completed

and checked by a teacher, kids were reminded and helped with their books and

knapsacks. This was great but I do wish that they would have spent more time

'teaching' the kids these skills rather than 'doing for them' since the kids

never learn how to manage their gear. This is essential for successful

transition to mainstream education. Our kids MUST be able to take care of

themselves!

BUT..... Mark is doing it and doing it successfully. I do think that you cannot

just pull a kid out from special education and plunk them into the regular

classroom without being extremely 'aware' of where they are at academically.

Throughout the special education process, you need to be cognizant of what your

child needs to learn in order to be mainstreamed with his peer group. They do

make extensive accommodations in the IEP..... look for them and read them so

that you know. Look at the term..... " modified program " and ask questions as to

" how modified is the program? " Someday, you will want your child with the other

kids and you need to be aware of how to 'connect' the dots so that the

transition is successful.

I don't regret the years Mark spent in special education but I was not really

paying attention to how far behind he was getting until I went to remove him

from that system. He was substantially behind! The classroom he was in was full

of kids with high IQ levels and all of these children were getting left behind

their peer group.

This was just my experience this year...... others may have vastly different

experiences.

Janice

Mother of Mark, 13

[sPAM][ ] PAC Class

>

>

> My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped

today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is

affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis

does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics

but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from

being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the

increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay

on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing

ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and

money there). She seems to think that without this change he will

continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids

in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system

fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an

autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's

better/worse about it than non-cat for your child

> (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and

Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious

to see if he'll make a similar recommendation.

>

> Thanks for any guidance,

> , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS

resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost

non-verbal, severe ADHD

>

>

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Ask the school how they handle socialization. My sons class is brought into my

daughters classes in the afternoons for playtime. (their classes contain kids

with everything from high functioning autism, downs syndrome, speech delays etc.

They are kids that don't require the ABA approach all day. My daughters classes

interact with each other and with the typical preschool class that is also in

the school. If a child progesses, they will move them into the next class up.

My son has several kids in his class (which is only 7 or 8 kids total) that go

into my daughters level classes in the afternoon. I am hoping my son can do

that next year. So some schools also look at the socialization aspect as well.

It's definitely something worth asking them about.

--------- [sPAM][ ] PAC Class

>

>

> My son had another follow-up appt with his developmental ped

today and she is very concerned about his ADHD and the way it is

affecting his ability to learn. She really stressed that while Cordis

does not have autism (he has some of the neurological characteristics

but not the social ones) she thinks he would REALLY benefit from

being in a PAC class (preschool autism class) because of the

increased one-on-one time he would receive which would help him stay

on task. She also feels that more ABA would do him good (we're doing

ABA privately but have maxed out on what we can do with time and

money there). She seems to think that without this change he will

continue to get farther and farther behind. So, are any of your kids

in the PAC class without a diagnosis of autism? Did the school system

fight you on that placement? For those in PAC (with or without an

autism diagnosis) are you happy with the placement? What's

better/worse about it than non-cat for your child

> (Cordis is in non-cat now)? We see Dr. Mott's Autism and

Communication Disorders team at town next week and I'm anxious

to see if he'll make a similar recommendation.

>

> Thanks for any guidance,

> , mom to Cordis, 4 y/o, dx Infantile Spasms at 6.5 mos, IS

resolved, developmental delays with some autistic features, almost

non-verbal, severe ADHD

>

>

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.....

That sounds like one COOL school you have there! Things certainly have improved

in the last 10 years in the early intervention arena.... WOW! :)

Janice

[sPAM]Re: [ ] PAC Class

Ask the school how they handle socialization. My sons class is brought into my

daughters classes in the afternoons for playtime. (their classes contain kids

with everything from high functioning autism, downs syndrome, speech delays etc.

They are kids that don't require the ABA approach all day. My daughters classes

interact with each other and with the typical preschool class that is also in

the school. If a child progesses, they will move them into the next class up. My

son has several kids in his class (which is only 7 or 8 kids total) that go into

my daughters level classes in the afternoon. I am hoping my son can do that next

year. So some schools also look at the socialization aspect as well. It's

definitely something worth asking them about.

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Share on other sites

Yeah, we are really lucky. I know I have talked to some moms that are really

unhappy with their school. They even took my one daughter that didn't qualify

for Early Intervention because they felt she could use a little help with

communication! You would not believe the OT and Pt rooms-They are a kids dream

come true!

--------- [sPAM]Re: [ ] PAC Class

Ask the school how they handle socialization. My sons class is brought into my

daughters classes in the afternoons for playtime. (their classes contain kids

with everything from high functioning autism, downs syndrome, speech delays etc.

They are kids that don't require the ABA approach all day. My daughters classes

interact with each other and with the typical preschool class that is also in

the school. If a child progesses, they will move them into the next class up. My

son has several kids in his class (which is only 7 or 8 kids total) that go into

my daughters level classes in the afternoon. I am hoping my son can do that next

year. So some schools also look at the socialization aspect as well. It's

definitely something worth asking them about.

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