Eeyores Butterfly
<img src=http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/509
- Joined
- May 23, 2008
Nicole: I never meant to imply that you should not have children with disabilities, that we should never consider individual needs. I'm sorry that this offended you, it was not my intent.
I should have been more clear about the statement "what the parents want the parents get". In some (some will say many) areas, if the parents want full inclusion and the school does not think that is appropriate, as long as the parents insist that child will be included because of the fear of a lawsuit. Obviously there are districts out there where the opposite is true, and it's unfortunate that people are having these horrible experiences with their districts.
I'm sure you already know this, but you are entitled to an advocate at any IEP meeting. It is part of due process. There are quite a few organizations that help parents of children with special needs when they belive that those needs are not being met. Our program recommends having parents get an advocate from the get go, somebody who is familiar with the system and can help them articulate their particular child's needs. The one caveat is that many organizations set themselves up as adversaries which can worsen a situation, an advocate that maintains a cordial relationship with the school will be much more effective than one who is automatically adversarial. Of course, if the school district is having lots of compliance issues, the time for being cordial has passed. If you want, PM me and I can link to several advocate organizations. Hopefully you will find the solution you need for your child.
ETA: I once interned at a special ed head start program, and that is the reason I went into teaching. I loved working with those children, to me it was much more rewarding than the general ed head start where I worked one day each week. The children in special ed are some of the most challenging and therefore, most rewarding children to work with. Many are very open and honest, caring. There are no games. I deplore the notion that kids with special needs should be completely self contained or sent to an institution. Inclusion is good, if it is done right. I think that is part of the problem, it is often not done properly.
I should have been more clear about the statement "what the parents want the parents get". In some (some will say many) areas, if the parents want full inclusion and the school does not think that is appropriate, as long as the parents insist that child will be included because of the fear of a lawsuit. Obviously there are districts out there where the opposite is true, and it's unfortunate that people are having these horrible experiences with their districts.
I'm sure you already know this, but you are entitled to an advocate at any IEP meeting. It is part of due process. There are quite a few organizations that help parents of children with special needs when they belive that those needs are not being met. Our program recommends having parents get an advocate from the get go, somebody who is familiar with the system and can help them articulate their particular child's needs. The one caveat is that many organizations set themselves up as adversaries which can worsen a situation, an advocate that maintains a cordial relationship with the school will be much more effective than one who is automatically adversarial. Of course, if the school district is having lots of compliance issues, the time for being cordial has passed. If you want, PM me and I can link to several advocate organizations. Hopefully you will find the solution you need for your child.
ETA: I once interned at a special ed head start program, and that is the reason I went into teaching. I loved working with those children, to me it was much more rewarding than the general ed head start where I worked one day each week. The children in special ed are some of the most challenging and therefore, most rewarding children to work with. Many are very open and honest, caring. There are no games. I deplore the notion that kids with special needs should be completely self contained or sent to an institution. Inclusion is good, if it is done right. I think that is part of the problem, it is often not done properly.