Special Needs + Speech

[WeBe204]

Share information/concerns on the special needs/speech programs here

[eb204]

I've copied/pasted my previous responses to the previous thread here and put them in bold type. You can refer to the original posts in the thread if you want further clarification.

Regarding the "predictions" as posted by daytoday, here is my response:
"This rumor surfaced a few months ago and it was put out then. Dr. Daeschner and Sharon Tate came to the Special Needs PTA meeting and gave the presentation and backed it up with data. There plan was also presented to the SB on March 24. There is no truth to this rumor.

For those special needs parents who want to get this information first hand, there is another Special Needs PTA meeting on May 20 in which the plan presented to the board will be presented to the PTA for those who couldn't be at the board meeting.

These "predictions" are just that. And these don't even have any basis. There are four pilot schools involved in the plan and there are no plans to sends kids to other schools. If you were a special needs parent and part of the IPSN PTA, you would already know this. Not a single one of these "prediction" has any validity. These are just accusations to stir the pot. Nice try. "

When questioned if I wanted to confirm/deny, here is my response:
"Yes, absolutely! But I hesitate to do it here. Words will get twisted and there will be a whole nother mess to clean up. But I'll take your bait, so here goes:

Yes, there will be some changes in how the special ed is deliivered in this district. There are four schools involved in pilots. None of them involve any of the scenarios in which were predicted. Yes, there will be changes in the number of aides. There will be more certified teachers teaching these kids and not the unqualified aides as you describe. And yes, these unqualified aides exist, but I must say there are some darn good aides out there doing their jobs even better than some of the teachers. Give some of them that credit. There will be more certified teachers coming on board to teach these kids and there will still be aides. There will be more communication between the classroom teacher and the special ed teacher for those in inclusion. The special ed teacher will be more educated on the current cirriculum and will be responsible for providing the modifications instead of leaving it up to the aides to figure it out. That is not their responsibility. The schools that are involved in the pilot are very excited about this program and implementing it within their schools and sharing it with the rest of the district.

If you want to know more, come hear it first hand on May 20 at 7:00 pm at the Crouse Education Center in the Multipurpose room. Of course, many of the parents in the IPSN PTA have already heard this information, but it is being presented again for those who have not heard it. It's not a secret. I state again that the statements that were put out there are indeed, inaccurate." Regarding the question of "what about speech?" My response:

"What about it? If a student has an IEP or 504 plan for speech, it will be handled per the IEP or 504 plan. If they have an IEP or
504 plan for speech, they fall in the special education group and will be part of the changes and/or pilot if they happen to be a a pilot school. Actually these pilot programs will allow schools to tailor programs to fit the needs of their special ed population, whether they are 9 speech kids, 10 kids with autism, or 3 hearing impaired kids. They tailor it to the needs of their own population, not some cookie cutter mold. If a school happens to have only speech kids (not likely, but for the sake of argument), then their special ed delivery will be geared with only those kids in mind. And data will be collected so as to monitor the actual progress of those kids and compared over a long term basis, not just that IEP year. This is really very exciting for special ed and these pilot schools are geared up to do this. I think the pilot school principals will be at the May 20 meeting too. "

[eb204]

If anyone has a specific iquestion to be asked at the next IPSN PTA meeting, I would be happy to ask them if you can't make the meeting. I will ask them directly to Dr. Daeschner or Sharon Tate or the principals of the pilot program schools. You can specifiy who the question should go to, if you prefer.

There is also a recap of the Feb. 5 meeting in which questions were asked from parents. Those that were not able to be addressed due to time limitations are also included in this document.

www.ipsd.org/Uploads/IPSN_IPSNPTAQA.pdf

[WeBe204]

Thanks, eb.

[d204mom]

I was not specific enough with my question. I was questioning the loss of speech teachers at the DEC for preschoolers. You seem very well versed, eb204. Will there be more, less, or the same number of speech teachers in the district next year?

[eb204]

Apr 17, 2008 20:06:33 GMT -6 d204mom said:

I was not specific enough with my question. I was questioning the loss of speech teachers at the DEC for preschoolers. You seem very well versed, eb204. Will there be more, less, or the same number of speech teachers in the district next year?

I didn't understand exactly what you were asking about speech previously, so thanks for the clarification.

I don't know what the exact numbers will be. I'm not even sure the district knows that yet. As with OT, PT, and other services, i
It will depend on the specific needs of current children with IEP's and 504's and any incoming or yet to be identified children with these specific needs. I can bring that question to the table, though and try to get a more definate answer for you. I would, however, like to compile all the questions at one time and bring them forward at the May 20 meeting. I know that currently, there are some schools that share speech pathologists, because of the needs and numbers in the schools. That usually changes every year, again, based on the numbers of kids needing speech help. I'm sure that doesn't answer the question, but I will try to get something narrowed down for you.

[Avenging Eagle]

EB et al,

I am very alarmed to hear that our loose-cajun has considered eliminating some of these types of programs, or pre-school speech teachers.

7 years ago, My daughter had a condition known as selective mutism before kindergarten, and was accepted into the Prairie Preschool of IPSD under the direction of Robin Miller-Young because of her condition.

In her former pre-school before Prairie, we found out that she had not even spoken to her teachers in 6 months, and we were shocked and alarmed because she talked all the time at home. (We were also alarmed because the teachers had not told us about this before that point!)

Here is a description of this condition:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism

Under the guidance of Robin Miller-Young at Prairie, my daughter successfully overcame her problem and now is one of the top performing students in the 6th grade at Scullen, this year receiving all A's for the first 3 quarters with the lowest percentage in any class being 95%. She has also received the shark of the week award at Scullen recently. We owe a debt of gratitude to Robin and the other teachers at Prairie.

She also plays piano, sings, and dances. One of the techniques used was to rehearse the walk down the street to the school, which Robin did with my daughter before the first day of school, and some of the teachers were assembled there ahead of time to help my daughter overcome her fear.

If Dash eliminates any kind of program anything like the one that helped my daughter conquer her problem, this would be another black mark on his horrible record and another horrible district crime to add insult to injury.

If this happens, he should immediately be placed on a fast rocket-boat back to Kentucky. The boat has been fueled up and is ready to go......Make your move Dash.

Say it ain't so, EB.

[Eagle Dad]

I will just say this - although I have no special needs children myself, and only one who has participated briefly in the excellent pre-school speech program (which I think really changed her life, at the most early stage) - It (special needs) is one of of the truly unique, wonderful, and special things that sets District 204 apart, and heads and shoulders above.

If I see that destroyed - or even diminished, I truly will shed my last tear for this district. Screwing around with a piece of land or a building is one thing, this is entirely another.

I know there are a thousand parents more involved in this every day than I, from top to bottom. But if ever a shiny, sharp pitchfork is needed to defend this bright point of light, please let me know.

[concerned2]

I'm just curious and don't mean to go off topic, but has there ever been cuts in the administration?

My son also had to use speech services in ES and he too received the help he needed.

AE, great new about your daughter's success.

[eb204]

Apr 17, 2008 21:05:06 GMT -6 Avenging Eagle said:

EB et al,

I am very alarmed to hear that our loose-cajun has considered eliminating some of these types of programs, or pre-school speech teachers.

7 years ago, My daughter had a condition known as selective mutism before kindergarten, and was accepted into the Prairie Preschool of IPSD under the direction of Robin Miller-Young because of her condition.

In her former pre-school before Prairie, we found out that she had not even spoken to her teachers in 6 months, and we were shocked and alarmed because she talked all the time at home. (We were also alarmed because the teachers had not told us about this before that point!)

Here is a description of this condition:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism

Under the guidance of Robin Miller-Young at Prairie, my daughter successfully overcame her problem and now is one of the top performing students in the 6th grade at Scullen, this year receiving all A's for the first 3 quarters with the lowest percentage in any class being 95%. She has also received the shark of the week award at Scullen recently. We owe a debt of gratitude to Robin and the other teachers at Prairie.

She also plays piano, sings, and dances. One of the techniques used was to rehearse the walk down the street to the school, which Robin did with my daughter before the first day of school, and some of the teachers were assembled there ahead of time to help my daughter overcome her fear.

If Dash eliminates any kind of program anything like the one that helped my daughter conquer her problem, this would be another black mark on his horrible record and another horrible district crime to add insult to injury.

If this happens, he should immediately be placed on a fast rocket-boat back to Kentucky. The boat has been fueled up and is ready to go......Make your move Dash.

Say it ain't so, EB.

Well, again, every situation will be different. But I do know that Dr. D has a lot of respect and admiration for the early intervention efforts at PPS. He is a big advocate for early intervention as evidenced by the push for All Day K and the interventionist reading programs. If we can put all this HS stuff behind us for just a moment, others might see that he is very passionate about education, especially during those formative years. He loves his job as an educator and speaks often of when he was "just a teacher". That opinion may not be well received because of the recent events of the last few months, but I believe this to be true.

I am somewhat familiar with selective mutism, but I thank you for sharing the link with others here. It is through education of the many, many disabilities that we begin to understand them. Perhaps this link will be added to the IPSN PTA website.

Again, parents know their children best and we will have to continue to advocate for those children. Just because a program does not exist in this district or certain staff members resist a certain type of intervention does not mean that we shouldn't advocate for its use for our child. Parents are the drivers of the IEP bus and don't let anyone you any different.

As a side note, there was a speaker at the IPSN PTA meeting in March who spoke all about IEP's. District administration always attends our meetings and welcomed her input and even agreed with what she was telling our parents. And this speaker was pretty much giving them an instructional manual on what to do. She even offered to look at everyone's IEP's that night to see if improvements could be made. Sharon Tate (Asst. Supt. of Student Services) was there at the meeting, as always, and she didn't bat an eye. She came and advised parents on how to productively work with the schools to get what was best for their child. My experience at the district level has been much better than at the school level. Once I got the district involved in our situation, the school had a whole new respect for me. And the district sided with us on the issues. I find for special needs, the district is much more receptive to ideas from parents. The people involved in special needs at the district lever are wonderful, in my opinion. Very concerned about the needs of our kids. That's just my opinion, though.

[eb204]

Apr 17, 2008 21:10:42 GMT -6 Eagle Dad said:

I will just say this - although I have no special needs children myself, and only one who has participated briefly in the excellent pre-school speech program (which I think really changed her life, at the most early stage) - It (special needs) is one of of the truly unique, wonderful, and special things that sets District 204 apart, and heads and shoulders above.

If I see that destroyed - or even diminished, I truly will shed my last tear for this district. Screwing around with a piece of land or a building is one thing, this is entirely another.

I know there are a thousand parents more involved in this every day than I, from top to bottom. But if ever a shiny, sharp pitchfork is needed to defend this bright point of light, please let me know.

Thanks for saying this. I, too, think it's a great district to be in with special needs.

And my pitchfork will be at the ready, too, if this doesn't play out as I've stated. Next year will be the pilots and we go from there. But this is being watched by many people, even outside our district. We are often the "go-to" district for special needs programs/changes in other districts.

[eb204]

Apr 17, 2008 21:11:07 GMT -6 concerned2 said:

I'm just curious and don't mean to go off topic, but has there ever been cuts in the administration?

My son also had to use speech services in ES and he too received the help he needed.

AE, great new about your daughter's success.

I don't know a lot about the history of admin cuts, but I think if cuts were made, it was because of the reduction in need (i.e. special ed enrollment down, services no longer needed, etc.)

I believe this district earned its reputation by providing services when perhaps other districts wouldn't or couldn't. However, if funding is an issue, I'm sure they look at those who advocate the most and give services there. Some parents just aren't informed enough to press on or simply accept what the staff tells them, when in fact their child could truly benefit from specific services fi they knew what to ask for. Therefore, there is no longer a need and cuts are made due to lack of "need".

[specailneedsmom]

This district is imploding with special needs kids with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Higher functioning students who must be tested with the general population must have in their IEPs that they be tested with accomodations, such as more testing time and a quieter testing environment.

I believe this district earned its reputation because it followed the law of least restrictive environment under IDEA. Every effort is made to work toward having the child included in the typical classroom with his or her peers. Sometimes that is not possible and it is not the best placement for the child. But we must continue to work toward this goal because we have to set high standards for these kids too. My son was included up until middle school when the work became too challenging and he needed an alternate curriculum. But he was, is and always will be challenged and continues to learn.

[Arch]

One size does not fit all.. what I have been noticing is that the I in IEP has been losing its meaning as the years go on... Group many together and teach to the lowest common denominator instead of handling each kid's specific strengths/weaknesses on the INDIVIDUAL level. This results in many in the class being bored, agitated, etc because they are not learning anything or are properly challenged to learn.

[jenrik2714]

My daughter is a junior and she is one of the high functioning LD students. She does complain that there is no help for her in study skills class when it comes to math. The aides are only knowledgable up to Alg 1 and Geometry. They don't expect the kids to get past that level. My daughter is taking Alg 2 with Trig, when she does have a problem, she has to go the library at lunch. She is stuck in the middle. She is smarter academically than some of the kids in her study skills course, but she still needs assistance.