Re: How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input!

[Guest guest]

I understand what you re saying, my son is highly intelligent and although the behaviour issues you describe are not a problem in his case, he doesnt do his home work, no one understands what a battle it is getting him to do something he doesnt want to do and when he does do his homework it is below average and really not acceptable....I have had him run away from school a few times but he only runs home because something has upset him and he is so worked up he feels out of control,He was bullied at a previous school and is basically afraid the whole time he is in school... I dont usually let him stay off school, although I would like to keep him home to spare him the worry and anxiety he suffers but there have been one or two occasions where he has been in such a state I have let him have the afternoon off, as a result the school, are "concerned about

his grades" My feeling right now is that he is so unhappy at school that although I know how intelligent he is and I dont want him to fail at school I dont see why he should be so miserable either,I have thought about home schooling but its such a big commitment and my other 2 children wouldnt understand why they cant stay home aswell.....My son is like yours not really suited to a class for children with more obvious behaviour problems, he just doesnt like crowds and noise, I feel he would do better in a small school but there are none in the area SO, in answer to your question although each persons child is different so you may not think this right forr your son, my decision is to just try to get him through school as best as we can, as happy as we can, his academic ability is for us not worth upsetting his emotional welbeing, and he can always study later in life, whereas the upset my son is going through at school could do irrepairable damage

psycologically.I dont know if my experience helps but wish you luck with your son....Hayleyx x x From: <kelly7278@...>Subject: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input! Date: Thursday, 3 March, 2011, 13:16

My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class.

Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).

The other issue we struggled with for my son at school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.

So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!

My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his work as much.

So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.

I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

my son who is 12 now, had almost the same problems with school. Mostly, he didnt do the work because after one or two problems on a page with 20, they dont see the point of proving they know the answer by finishing when they already know how to do the problems. my son never would do pe, would walk the fence line by himself. He would rather be alone in a corner of the library to do his work than in a noisy classroom. From my experience the last 6 years dealing with the school, I would give them two options. First, try a one on one aide that can pull him out of class and go somewhere quiet to work when necessary. If that still doesn't work, and after 4th grade, it didnt with my son, I insisted they put him in a school in the next city and bus him there. It is an aspergers only school with 125

kids, k-12 and social skills are one of the core curriculum. The ratio is 3-7 and the classrooms are big with couches, separate areas to be quiet and so forth. All the things our kids need. There is no bullying, which starts to happen in 3rd grade by the other kids on the playground. All I can say is get him services now, we waited too long and were under the impression that the school was the expert. The only thing the district is an expert in, is saving money by doing the least amount they can provide. Now they are paying $40,000 per year plus door to door transportation. Every district has alternatives, check into them before you pay for private schools. We had my son in a private school, public, even tried a year of home schooling. It doesnt work, I can not stress enough to fight, fight, and fight some more to get the services your son needs. There are two great books from wrightslaw.com called "from emotion to advocacy" and

"all about ieps". They are only $10 each and have more information than you will need now, but might in the future. I only wish my son was 6 again and I knew what I know now. Good luck, if you have more questions, just ask me, I have been through the wringer with the school district, yet have a good relationship with them, but now when I call, they know that I am serious and will not back down. Deborah Sycamore Art StudiosSycamore Art SchoolDeborah GustlinGraphic & Web DesignArt classes

for K-12www.sycamoreartstudios.comwww.sycamoreartschool.comHome: 408-710-0892 Business: 408-710-6070From: <kelly7278@...> Sent: Thu, March 3, 2011 5:16:17 AMSubject: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input!

My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class.

Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).

The other issue we struggled with for my son at school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.

So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!

My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his work as much.

So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.

I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Wow, sounds like he is really struggling with overload. I don't have a whole lot of input, but did have a couple of suggestions. First of all, is he required to complete all this work in a classroom with many distractions?? It sounds like he is just trying to get to somewhere quiet in order to think! I know I had these issues, I just couldn't process the information I was receiving with so many distractions!! Could he possibly have lunch and maybe a short time during the day have him do his work in a quiet environment (I have heard counselors offices and principals offices have been used in the past). My accomodations included taking tests without time limits and in very quiet environments, I was also allowed to have all my texts on tape (due to my reading

processing issues). Having said that.... I have been a nurse for 11yrs now and have a Bachelors degree with a 3.84 GPA. It is possible to do whatever you set your mind to

Carolyn

From: <kelly7278@...> Sent: Thu, March 3, 2011 7:16:17 AMSubject: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input!

My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class. Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).The other issue we struggled with for my son at

school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally

got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his

work as much. So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Does your son have an IEP? Private schools usually don't provide services so that is why I am asking. When my son started these types of behaviors I asked (in writing) for an OT evaluation. The OTs evaluation agreed he was having sensory problems and he now receives OT through the school. She works with him on different ways to cope such as balls to squeeze at his desk, roller under his feet, etc. Careyhttp://www.GreenDiaperStore.comSent via BlackBerry from T-MobileFrom: "" <kelly7278@...>Sender: Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:16:17 -0000< >Reply Subject: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input! My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class. Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).The other issue we struggled with for my son at school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his work as much. So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!Thanks,

[Guest guest]

I wouldn't give up. He's just going to have these same issues at another school. You need to find out how to work through them/around them/within their parameters. And I don't think you need to look to a totally different placement. Remember: Least Restrictive Environment. Think about what other supports you can put into place or what may need adjusting in his current supports.

Does your son have a 1:1 aide? Or does the teacher have an aide?

Have they tried chunking the work, rather than giving it to him all at once? Multiple reading worksheets can be overwhelming. Give him one sheet. Have him do part and check in with the teacher or aide. Then have him do the next part. He may just be getting overwhelmed by having this "all at once" and maybe it doesn't show until he outbursts later in the day. (Think of the "Balancing the Tray" story/analogy.)

Are his sensory breaks soon enough and often enough? Does he get more if he needs them? Does the teacher/aide recognize when he needs a break? As for running away and climbing a tree during sensory break, what kind of break is this? Does he just go for a walk? Does he need something more structured, perhaps with more proprioceptive feedback?

Just some thoughts.

( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input!My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class. Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).The other issue we struggled with for my son at school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his work as much. So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!Thanks,------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone. To answer a few questions...

Yes he has an IEP. The private school he's going to in the fall is for kids with

special needs only (learning disabilities, asperger's/autism, and ADHD).

The principal called me this afternoon. DS is having the worst week ever. The

school has decided that it's a combination of him not adjusting to all the

recent changes (some staff and student changes) and the fact that he now

expected to work hard and keep it together (while dealing with sensory

overload). I'm thankful that the teachers and administration get it, but I'm

also frustrated because no one has any suggestions on a solution. As of now

we're just going to " be as consistent as possible, continue to monitor things

and see how it goes " .

Thanks again for all the input.

>

>

>

> I wouldn't give up.  He's just going to have these same issues at another

school.  You need to find out how to work through them/around them/within their

parameters.  And I don't think you need to look to a totally different

placement.  Remember:  Least Restrictive Environment.  Think about what other

supports you can put into place or what may need adjusting in his current

supports.

>

>

>

> Does your son have a 1:1 aide?  Or does the teacher have an aide?

>

>

>

> Have they tried chunking the work, rather than giving it to him all at once? 

Multiple reading worksheets can be overwhelming.  Give him one sheet. Have him

do part and check in with the teacher or aide.  Then have him do the next

part.  He may just be getting overwhelmed by having this " all at once "   and

maybe it doesn't show until he outbursts later in the day.  (Think of the

" Balancing the Tray " story/analogy.)

>

>

>

> Are his sensory breaks soon enough and often enough?  Does he get more if he

needs them? Does the teacher/aide recognize when he needs a break?  As for

running away and climbing a tree during sensory break, what kind of break is

this?  Does he just go for a walk?  Does he need something more structured,

perhaps with more proprioceptive feedback? 

>

>

>

> Just some thoughts.

>

>

>

>

> ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some

input!

>

> My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained

ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class

wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my

son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade

class.

>

> Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the

accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this

point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because

for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the

moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not

seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory

breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks

were what we really had to fight for).

>

> The other issue we struggled with for my son at school was that he wasn't

being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being

supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because

he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level.

He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity

to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for

example.

>

> So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is

really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and

being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor.

Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from

the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on

the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree

(because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally got him

out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to

do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the

table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that

this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to

sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!

>

> My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't

know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him,

but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get

through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide

at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming

environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior

problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have

to also do his work as much.

>

> So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with

the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means

a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete

his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our

expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations

are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words,

I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory

overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.

>

> I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have to say yet again I ditto Deborah, our stories are almost the same except we never put our son in private school. We too have been through the wringer with the school and now the director of middles schools comes to our meetings. They knew they were one more screw up from getting taken to court!

I too say fight, fight, fight! It can be time consuming and exhausting but it pays off. I have the same books Deborah mentioned and they helped me a lot. Now when I go to IEP meetings or send an e-mail, they know I'm not playing. I wish sometimes too that I could go back knowing what I know now and do things over again. My son would be SO much better off than he is now. But you know hindsight is 20/20 and I can't change the past. I have to try to stop beating myself up for it. But at least maybe I can help another Mom with the advice I wish I had gotten.

ne

From: Deborah Gustlin <sycamorestudios@...>Subject: Re: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input! Date: Thursday, March 3, 2011, 9:34 AM

my son who is 12 now, had almost the same problems with school. Mostly, he didnt do the work because after one or two problems on a page with 20, they dont see the point of proving they know the answer by finishing when they already know how to do the problems. my son never would do pe, would walk the fence line by himself. He would rather be alone in a corner of the library to do his work than in a noisy classroom. From my experience the last 6 years dealing with the school, I would give them two options. First, try a one on one aide that can pull him out of class and go somewhere quiet to work when necessary. If that still doesn't work, and after 4th grade, it didnt with my son, I insisted they put him in a school in the next city and bus him there. It is an aspergers only school with 125 kids, k-12 and social skills are one of the core curriculum. The ratio is 3-7

and the classrooms are big with couches, separate areas to be quiet and so forth. All the things our kids need. There is no bullying, which starts to happen in 3rd grade by the other kids on the playground. All I can say is get him services now, we waited too long and were under the impression that the school was the expert. The only thing the district is an expert in, is saving money by doing the least amount they can provide. Now they are paying $40,000 per year plus door to door transportation. Every district has alternatives, check into them before you pay for private schools. We had my son in a private school, public, even tried a year of home schooling. It doesnt work, I can not stress enough to fight, fight, and fight some more to get the services your son needs. There are two great books from wrightslaw.com called "from emotion to advocacy" and "all about ieps". They are only $10 each and have more information than you will

need now, but might in the future. I only wish my son was 6 again and I knew what I know now. Good luck, if you have more questions, just ask me, I have been through the wringer with the school district, yet have a good relationship with them, but now when I call, they know that I am serious and will not back down. Deborah

Sycamore Art StudiosSycamore Art SchoolDeborah GustlinGraphic & Web DesignArt classes for K-12www.sycamoreartstudios.comwww.sycamoreartschool.comHome: 408-710-0892 Business:

408-710-6070

From: <kelly7278@...> Sent: Thu, March 3, 2011 5:16:17 AMSubject: ( ) How to adjust -- Long but I really need some input!

My son is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Previously he was in a self-contained ESE class. This year the school deemed that their self-contained ESE class wasn't the appropriate placement (it's mostly kids with behavior issues) for my son and we hesitantly agreed to mainstream him into a regular ed 1st grade class. Although it took some doing, we finally have the school on board with all the accommodations we believe he needs (and they were willing to provide to this point) to address his sensory needs in this setting. We were struggling because for my son the sensory overload is more of a cumulative issue than in the moment, so the school wasn't seeing the overload behaviors. Finally we're not seeing the affect of sensory overload at home because they have put some sensory breaks into his day (in addition to other sensory diet elements but the breaks were what we really had to fight for).The other issue we struggled with for my son at

school was that he wasn't being held accountable for getting his work done because he wasn't being supervised closely enough. We insisted that he be held to this standard because he is extremely smart and academically capable of being at or above grade level. He simply needs to do the work appropriately, and not be given the opportunity to draw Batman or pirates instead of completing his reading worksheets, for example.So now that things are going better after school and at home, the school is really starting to see my son struggle during the school day. He's blurting and being disruptive more and more, and his behavior is just consistently poor. Monday of this week he ran away during PE and then that afternoon he ran from the teacher while on a sensory break and climbed a tree. The principal was on the phone with the fire department to get help getting him out of the tree (because 2 adults with 12-foot ladders wasn't working) when they finally

got him out. Tuesday he refused to go to lunch and then in the afternoon he refused to do any work unless he was sitting under a table. Yesterday same thing with the table, but it was all day. Thankfully the principal and his teachers know that this isn't behavior that he can truly control (impulse control and reaction to sensory overload) but I dread looking at the caller ID when the phone rings!My son is going to a private school in the fall (his current school doesn't know this yet). I appreciate all that his current school has done to help him, but it's just not the right place for him. So we know that we just need to get through the school year with him. I think that his recently behavior backslide at school is because he is now required to do his work in this overwhelming environment. I think that the reason the school wasn't seeing the behavior problems before is because my son wasn't *as* overwhelmed because he didn't have to also do his

work as much. So my question (thankfull we're at the question!!!) is do we reconvine with the school to discuss a different placement, which at this point probably means a different school, or do we back-off on our expectation that our son complete his work to the level that we think he can. I don't want to lower our expectations of his academic performance, but I'm not sure if our expectations are realistic given his challenges with the environment he's in. In other words, I'm not sure he's really capble of doing his work while battling the sensory overload he seems to still experience being in this regular ed class all day.I'm done rambling. I'd love your input!!!Thanks,