Annual Review with New Team

This morning we had an almost two hour annual review with the new middle school team. Here are some updates from staff:

Teacher:

• Great transition
• In reading and math he participates about 1/2 the time.
• Polite
• Hard to redirect or reteach, especially in Math. 
• Not working on a ton of academics, mostly focusing on social skills, staying safe. 
• 60-70% of time he's on task.
• Lots of walks around the school.
• Working on being "Flexible thinkers".
• He's mentally and emotionally "Done by noontime". After 12 pm, the rest of the day is "Behavioral Management". 
• Discussed the idea of changing schedule to 7:45-12:35 every day. 
• Overwhelmed with large groups
• Hold off on adding in UAs (Unified Arts)
• Uncomfortable with other children
• Has not organically used other children's names
• Defaults to adults 
• Working on how to be appropriate during periods when behavior escalates.
• Has ability to advocate for when he needs a break.
• Coping well, even in the absence of mechanisms he had available in previous years. 
• Discussed importance of MCAS vs Alt in regards to graduating

Counselor: 

• Increased independence with lunch (Going in line, getting own tray, bringing back tray). Continues to eat lunch in her office. Would like to see him eat in the cafeteria eventually. 
• Has social skills group with two other students. They interact well.

Speech:

•  Couple refusals when not expecting to go.
• Working on relationship building
• Needs lots of cueing
• New goal: Holistic, bigger picture view of events and situations.
• Wants to do 1 of the 2 weekly 30 minute sessions with a peer to work on conversational skills. 

PT:

• Seems overwhelmed even in the hallway
• Functional skills for his school day are there. 
• Vocationally and physically will be able to participate in work.
• Transition goals to other settings than just pull out such as gym.

OT:

•  Sensory seeking behaviors to self regulate
• Teach him sensory skills he can do independently such as heavy work

Important Updates:

1. Continue with "Shorter School Day". Modify to be 7:45-12:35 each day. Every other day (Red Days) will be in 1st block with three 8th grade peers. 2nd semester consider adding in a UA in the morning, with a para. 

Goals:

1.  Math: 1-2 step equations; integer work; test taking strategies
2. Written Language: Topic development; utilizing and including supporting details, paragraph structure
3. Reading: Fluency; active reading strategies; meaning from text
4. Counseling: Age appropriate peer interaction; social awareness
5. Speech: Receptive/Expressive skills, descriptive skills, semantics, main idea and details from written and oral stimuli
6. PT: Generalization of skills across all settings
7. OT: Increasing sensory strategy awareness and use, technology use, functionality of handwriting

We also discussed the importance of him taking the MCAS, if we have any hopes of him graduating. In the past, I was told from his previous teacher that children can pass with the MCAS Alt if teachers show that they know certain things sufficiently. This morning I was told that is not the case. If a child does not take the MCAS, they only get a Certificate of Completion. I am going to spend some time in the next few days researching this. They did say that if he fails the 10th grade MCAS (Which is the one they need to pass to graduate), that they give them three tries. If they fail all three times then the teacher can make up a portfolio which the state may accept instead. They said that is totally different than the MCAS Alt though. They did try to drop direct PT services today, because he's not getting gym with his shortened school day. It would also be too overstimulating for him. The teacher is going to talk to the gym teachers to see if there is a time that the gym is free that she can bring just her class there to practice PT skills. I'll update more when we get his IEP.  They're going to conduct a new FBA and make a new Behavioral Intervention Plan. Much in his previous one is no longer valid at this school.

Middle School Nightmare Schedule

We received Honeybunches middle school schedule in the mail yesterday. It looks like this:

It gets even better! One day is a red day with the next being a blue day. It rotates like that throughout the school year. You can see how those make the schedule look to the left of the pic.

I proceeded to write the following email to the IEP Chairperson, SpEd Director, Dean and Superintendent:

"I have concerns regarding both my children's schedules.
I'll begin with Princess --'s first, as her concern is simpler. I see she was placed with Mrs. N for Algebra 1A. It had been decided at a previous IEP meeting that she was not to be placed with her unless she was the only teacher teaching the specific class she needed. This was due to a teacher-student conflict and clash of personalities. Princess has mentioned dropping out of school before taking her class and that she'll likely get expelled having to deal with that teacher.

Now onto Honeybunches --'s schedule...
I see he has music on red days with Mr. Music Teacher in B block. I have concerns that music will be too overstimulating for him. It's especially concerning in the morning, because then he'd likely either have behavioral issues or shut down for the rest of the day. I see in last year's handbook that art, drafting, business or foreign languages are other options. I can see foreign language being too frustrating for him, when he struggles even with the English language sometimes. I am thinking that Art, Drafting or Business would be a better fit for him. With his sensory needs relating to his Autism and previous struggles and behavioral issues at (Elementary School) relating to Music, I think putting him in that class is setting him up for failure. I also think it will get him off to a bad start at (Middle School). I don't understand why that class was chosen for him, when I thought I made myself pretty clear in previous emails about his sensory overstimulation related to Autism and how that class would not be a good choice for him.

Another concern I have is with Woodworking. Although that is a less stimulating choice for him, the end of the day is known to be when he struggles the most. I also have concerns about him having access to saws, chizzels, hammers, electric sanders, nails, screw drivers and other dangerous weapons... I mean tools... that could be used as weapons... that could cause serious bodily injury to another child. I honestly fear for the safety of the other children in that class, if Honeybunches becomes frustrated, overstimulated, his Bipolar becomes unstable or something else in the day might have caused him to be in a bad mood. I thought I'd be blunt, in case something serious does happen at least I gave you all warning of his potential. His lack of impulse control related to his diagnoses (Bipolar and Autism) could have serious consequences in that class especially without a 1:1 aide who is restraint trained. I would hate to see the injuries a child could be subjected to at the hands of somebody who might have a moment of insanity and not remember what happened or by a child who does not realize how his actions affect other children but acts on impulse and the "Fight or flight" reaction often times when he feels unsafe in a world with too many people. There are times hen he is not in control of his body, because of his Bipolar Disorder.  I truly would hate to see another child get hurt due to (Middle School)'s policies of placing children who can't handle them into these UAs just because they might be a graduation requirement. We could see how it goes (And hope for the best), if that's what you all insist, but it would not have been right for me not to give you prior notification of the potential for another child or staff member to become seriously injured in that class. My conscience will rest easier now. (Plus, documentation that I let you all know in case something serious does happen in that class which ends up having legal ramifications against Honeybunches. You all would have had prior knowledge that it was a possibility, which puts it in your hands too and not just his.) At home, we hide all our tools, keep knives out of reach and don't let him use any of them for safety reasons.

How many children are going to be in his Technology, Gym, Music and Woodworking classes? He has only been in substantially separate classrooms since Kindergarten. His class for 5-6th grade (Mr. M’s) had 4 students, the teacher and 3 class aides. Going from that to these general classes is too big of a leap. I spoke with Honeybunches. He is totally against music class ("Not gonna do it"), but said he'd try woodworking if he's not in a bad mood. I thought I'd let you know his input on things too."

I hope I did not go overboard with this email. Some people say that I should not have told the school about the possibilities of tools becoming weapons in woodshop as they might perceive that as a threat. I did what I always do.... What I believe to be best for Honeybunches. I am awaiting a response back from the school district. In the meantime, I've begun drafting letters to all his teachers regarding his diagnoses, strenghts, challenges, what has worked and more about him. It's similar to the "All About Me" pdf I made at the end of the previous school year in preparation for this upcoming one, but more condensed. I left out parts about his diagnostic history, medications and things like that which don't need to be known by everyone at the school.  For example, technology and gym teachers don't need to know that. I did, however, let the gym teacher know about him being on Lithium which can cause toxicity if he sweats too much and also on other medications which put him at high risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I will email those out at the beginning of next week. Hopefully by then we'll have his schedule fixed. 

Last night, I actually spent some time researching public virtual schools here in MA. It looked like a promising possibility, until I got to the part about mandatory MCAS/PARCC testing. At school he does not have to take either, as the teachers do an alternate assessment. That made me think that online schooling would not be the best option for him either. The more I learn about this middle school, the more I believe it won't meet his needs. The only way to get him into another school is to let him try and (Sadly) struggle. Only then, will I have the proof I need for a good debate. Knowing my son has to fail before getting the help he needs is one of the toughest things about parenting a child with special needs. 

Then there is DH, who always seems to carefree. That's just his personality. It's good sometimes because it kind of evens my worrying about everything all the time out. At other times, it honestly gets annoying though. 

Honeybunches anxiety has been very high these past few weeks. I know it's all related to transitioning to middle school. He struggled with even small changes. He refuses to sleep in his room. He won't even go in there at night. He's been sleeping on a toddler bed mattress on the living room floor while I sleep on the futon. His separation anxiety has also been very high. He's had some struggles at tutoring. I have to stay with him at the sessions because he was having some behaviors (Threats, running out of the building, refusals, etc) that made the tutor uncomfortable. This is the last week of tutoring. Next week, there are two orientation programs and a "Now that I have my schedule tour". We also are planning on having him go on Friday, without other children around, to meet all his teachers. Then on the 31st, this school year begins. Any guesses on when I'll get the first phone call?

Finally Some Answers!

Here is the email I got from Mrs. F (After contacting the SpEd Director, who ordered her to answer my questions):

"Good morning Mrs. C, 

I apologize for my hasty reply to your email. This morning, I reread it, and I realize I misunderstood the information you wanted from me. My apologies. I read your email while I was working at my night time job at --- School, and gave (what I thought) was the information you needed." 

 I just wanted to add something in... I smell BS.... What she thought was that she should cover her @$$!!! Anyways, back to her email now...

"I know you had a chance to observe the Middle School ILC program earlier in the school year, but I will provide you a quick snapshot before I answer your specific questions. This program serves students who need social-emotional support in order to be successful in school. There are students in the program who are substantially separate, partially included in the general education classrooms, and fully included in the general education classrooms. Students who are assigned to my class all day have one class period in the middle school tutorial room. It is a small group and taught by two special education teachers. We do have Level system incentives. Students are awarded points on a Point Sheet for successfully performing daily behavioral tasks: one point is awarded for each task accomplished. Some general behavior task are as follows: Complete Assigned Task, Speaking Appropriately, Following Directions, Positive Adult Interaction, Respecting Property, and Positive Peer Interaction. The student is responsible for handing their teacher the Point Sheet, and the teacher awards points based on the performance of the student for each academic class. A student can earn 30 points by accomplishing these tasks. There is also an Individual goal set by the teacher and is focused on the student's individual needs. A student can earn an additional 10 points per day (2 per class) by reaching their daily goal for each class. The incentives include chips (given at the end of the day), juice (given at the end of the day), Pokémon cards, homework passes, and I am always open to individual incentives that would motivate a student. These incentives are decided on by the student, myself, and the parent. I have had such incentives as a container of raspberry mustard and a Littlest Pet Shop figurine."

Another pause with my thoughts... I love the sounds of this program. Honeybunches needs that very small group and having two teachers sounds good. What sounds even better for him is the level system. He's so drawn into the one they do in his current program that he does it with us at home too. He does our star charts. He even tells the teachers when they make mistakes putting him at higher levels than he should be. Those are mostly the same things they are working at currently in his class. That consistency would help with the huge transitions that are going to happen for him. He's a very reward driven child, so having those incentives would work well for him, as his current class does them too.

"A schedule of each class is posted by me on the whiteboard and checked off as we go along. As an example, today’s agenda for Skills class looked like this:

Pledge of Allegiance

Moment of Silence

Announcements – (School’s and then ILC’s)

Do Now (this is the daily activator which students write in their notebooks)

Ratios and Proportions (the class work of the day)

5- Minute break

"We do have a Time Out space in the classroom if a student feels over stimulated. It is a bean bag in the corner of my room. It is nicknamed The Blue Potato because the kids say it reminds them of a potato. The kids assure me it is very comfortable. I will take their word for it because I have never actually sat in it. Some kids like to wear headphones and listen to music a bit if they are overwhelmed. Most of my kids like this option. Some students like to take a walk if they are feeling overwhelmed. There are two paraprofessionals that work in the classroom with me, so someone is usually available to walk with a student. In the rare instances that both paraprofessionals are busy, we take a walk as a group. If a student wants to be alone and walk, there is a pass they can carry in the hall. Two minutes for a walk alone is the guideline, realizing that some students need to walk longer. (Honeybunches) will also have access to both his guidance counselor and an adjustment counselor."

Okay... Another time out for my thoughts: I would not call that a "Time out space" compared to the built in padded room which is in his current classroom. I wonder how easy "The blue potato" can rip apart lol? Music is overstimulating for him, so her idea would not work. Taking a walk, might be okay if they get to it before it's too late. It's good to know there are two aides who work in her class... So far it sounds like two teachers and two aides. I am a little terrified about the part that says if a student wants to be alone and walk, there is a pass they can carry in hall. Um... No thanks!!! He might end up walking out one of the doors. 

"Does (Honeybunches) like to listen to music? If so, the headphones and music might be an option for him. He might like to sit in the beanbag and listen to music on headphones. We have Chrome books that can play music. Does he like to walk when upset? Some students like to get out of the classroom and stretch their legs for a bit. With aggression, I usually offer a quiet space or a walk for a student to regulate. I have never worked with restraint so I am not sure how that would look in my classroom. That would have to be a conversation for me, you, (Honeybunches), and administration to have at some point if the Team decides this is the correct placement for him. I have had students who do not want to go to lunch or assemblies. Assemblies are often unpopular with my students because of the loud noise. I usually offer options for this student such as staying in the classroom with a paraprofessional. This is a popular option. Reading in the library with a paraprofessional is also another popular option. During lunch time, the student is welcome to stay in M01 with me. I’ve eaten lunch with students in my room many times. If the student has hot lunch, we go to the caf first to get his/her lunch and then we return the tray to the caf once lunch is over. All students have UA classes at Mahar. If a student does not want to go to a UA, then the student can stay in M01. I contact the UA teacher and ask if the student can do the work in my classroom. Then I and the student (or sometimes a paraprofessional) collects the work to do in M01. We then make sure the work gets to the proper UA teacher. This is what I do in the event of a child having a challenging day. If the student routinely doesn’t want to go to a particular UA class, I call the student’s guidance counselor to discuss options. It looks differently with each student. Sometimes a student wants the added support a paraprofessional in the classroom brings. Sometimes they would rather do the work in M01. I do differentiate classroom instruction to meet the needs of the students. I use pretests to establish where a child is academically, and I tailor instruction accordingly. I have the support of the paraprofessionals to implement different levels of instruction in my classroom.

Yes, I have experience with students who have Autism and/or Bipolar. This is my third year working as a full-time Special Education teacher. I also have two years working as a long-term substitute in a variety of Special Education classrooms."

I am concerned that she's only been working as a Special Ed Teacher for three years. I wonder if Honeybunches would break her and make her quit? He always tests new people, but for her it would be a test of if she really likes her job and how much she'll last through. I just find that lack of experience concerning in many ways...

"I am a proponent of frequent home/school communication. I know it is important for parents to have information regarding their child’s school day.I have several parents with whom I communicate on a regular basis. The details on this can be worked out as we plan for Honeybunches' transition. Please don’t let my too-quick email response last night make you think that I don’t encourage communication with parents. That is not the case. I look at the teacher/student/parent unit as a team. Communication is super important. The transition to middle school can be challenging. There are a lot of changes a sixth grader has to face. School, teachers, classes. I’m sure once he gets settled at (Middle school), he will enjoy whichever program he’s placed in. There are many supports in place to help him get acclimated."

All I have to say to that part is HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I was laughing inside about all of it. I have different thoughts of her beliefs in parent teacher communication. I think it's more along the lines of covering her butt first and telling parents what they need to know 2nd! Also the part about Honeybunches enjoying whichever program he's placed in made me laugh too, but that was a more laugh instead of cry moment. He's been at his current school for almost seven years. He'll be out of his comfort zone. I know he's not going to "Enjoy" that!

"Sorry this email is so long, thanks for taking the time to read it. I think I answered all of your questions. If not, please shoot me another email and I’ll explain about the ILC program more. I look forward to your next (Middle school) visit. Is there any way that we could meet (Honeybunches) before he transitions to Mahar? I would love a chance to meet him in person...."

So there we have it... Her non-voluntary email explaining her program and answering my questions. It's frustrating to know she only did it because her boss ordered her to do it. Like I said, if I could pick a teacher I'd pick the other one. Teachers can come and go... So does that mean I should pick a program based on it's aspects then? If so, I think this one would give him more comfort because it is closest to the one he is in now. It's so hard to know what is best for him, because they are both different. His doctors all have told me he'll need help with life skills when he gets to high school, which is what the other program, Mrs. C's class does a lot of focus on. By focusing mostly on Life Skills, would I be selling him short academically and cognitively? At this point, I am about to tell the school district my thoughts but let them pick which placement they believe will be best for him. I was all set. I had it all figured out that Mrs. C's would be best for him.... Before learning more about the ILC. Now IDK what to do. Why can't decisions be easier? I am honestly scared to make the wrong one. At least if the school district makes it and it's wrong I won't feel so bad. I would not be as hard on myself. I could even be mad at them instead since it would be their fault lol. At this point, I think I'll just let go and let God... And the school district make this decision (But I will have my opinions and thoughts known). In the end, it's always the school district's choice what classroom a child goes into. I've been blessed they let me be as involved as I have been. I can honestly see why they make those decisions 99.9% of the time. It's not as easy as it seems, especially when it's a whole new school.

Disliking the Unknown

Sometimes it is so hard to know what is best. It's hard to decide between what placement will be best for Honeybunches next year.  If I could chose by teacher, I'd pick the program for children with intellectual disabilities I talked about here. Just to re-cap a bit, the teacher in that program was very open talking freely to me about her experiences, theories, methods, etc. She does a lot of work on feelings, makes sure her children have other "Safe people" in the building in case she's not there, does a lot of work on life skills, goes with the flow of things, had a lot of experience with children who have both Autism and Bipolar from previous work at a residential treatment center and more.  One negative about her classroom is that she does not use rewards, except what she called natural life ones such as playing games and giving praise. Honeybunches is a very reward driven child. From my 1st impression of that teacher, I loved her. I could see her and Honeybunches having a good relationship.  On the down side, she has 3-6 children in her class.  All that means though, is that on the worst case scenerio he'd need a 1:1 aide.

On Thursday evening I wrote to the teacher of the ILC (Integrated Learning Center) which is the class at the middle school that his current class is based off of. I wrote the teacher this email:

 

"Hi Mrs. F...",

I met you briefly when I observed your classroom a couple months ago regarding my son -- (Who will be in 7th grade in the Fall; has Autism and Bipolar along with a borderline IQ; and has been in a substantially separate room since Kindergarten). Although I plan on observing both (Your and Mrs. C's) classrooms again in February or March, I also have some questions. With my son being as complex as he is (With a mix of cognitive, emotional and behavioral concerns), it's clear (To me and administration) that neither classroom will be a perfect fit. We'll have to try whichever one seems better, add in extensive accommodations needed and go from there. 

 In his current placement, his classroom has a "Time out space" which I've been told nothing like that exists within (Middle school). He has times when life becomes too much for him and he needs time somewhere that he can tune everything out and regulate. How would you accommodate that?

 How do you each deal with aggression (For example, beginning with throwing chairs, but escalating to kicking, punching, hitting, scratching and spitting) directed toward you and other staff members who might work in your rooms? His current plan utilizes his classroom's time out space and restraint when needed to keep him and others safe.

How do you deal with a child who refuses to go to lunch or assemblies (Likely due to being overstimulated sensory-wise) or UAs? (Especially when if made to go to things that are overstimulating, the child has a tendency to get aggressive as the fight or flight response becomes activated.) Do all children in your class have to go out to UAs? Have any ever been within your class for the entire day (Except lunch)?

From what I seen when observing your classroom, my  main concern would be my son being lost academically and cognitively. He has various delays in many areas. During your classroom instruction on the day I visited, the words you used seemed to be way above his level which I could see easily frustrating him.  Do you individualize that based on the children's needs in your classroom?

I am interested in hearing more information about how your level system works.  Could you explain that to me more or send me information about it?

Do you have experience with children who have Autism and/or Bipolar?

What do you think about frequent home-school communication?
My son is on medications which help control his Bipolar and keep his mood stable. (His Autism, is another story, because that still affects his everyday life and most likely always will.) When he was six, he was placed in a psychiatric hospitalization for two weeks where they did a med wash and got him stable. The psychiatrist he's been seeing for the past several years has been awesome with changing things before they get to that point. Part of the reason why I believe home-school communication is important, is because it can help me document his moods on mood charts and inform his psychiatrist so she can make changes if necessary before things get too severe. By doing so, we've been successful in preventing him from needing another hospitalization. 

My son can be so caring and sweet, but struggles with changes and understanding a lot about life.  I know that he'll likely struggle with whichever placement the IEP team picks for him next year, because he even struggles with little ones (For example, the new OT and PT people this year who he's tested more than once). Next year, he'll be out of his comfort zone at Dexter Park where he's been for seven years and flip flopped between only two teachers throughout those years. 

Thanks...."

The response I got:

"Thank you for your letter. I am forwarding it to my supervisor who is better qualified to address your various concerns."

My response to her response:

 "Are you the teacher in the ILC or did I email this to the wrong person? I was hoping to get your answers, not the administrations. Sorry if I asked things too complicated. I am not interested in hearing how your supervisor would deal with these situations."

 

Her next response:

"I am the teacher who works in the Midddle School ILC. Ms. C works in the Bridge Program."

My next response:

"Please tell your supervisor to disregard my email.  I'll get the administration answers at a meeting towards the end of this school year as far as how things are at -- in general.  I was asking you for your answers and your experience to help me decide if your classroom would be a good fit for my son. I guess I'll go with what I've gotten and will get from observations instead. Thanks for your time. 

Her next response:

"My supervisor is the head of the Special Education Department for -----. I am sure she would be delighted to help. I will tell her, however, that she should disregard the forwarded email."

 

Next, I wrote back to her letting her know I am very familiar with the Special Education Director, since I've been the Chairperson of the district's Special Education Parent's Advisory Council for the past several years. From there, I forwarded the email communications between me and the ILC teacher to the SpEd Director, myself. In part, my email to her said how I emailed Mrs. F asking a few questions to help me determine what placement would be a better fit for Honeybunches, how she refused to answer any of my questions, that I was not asking how the school in general deals with things or their policies but wanted to know specific things from the teacher to help me know which placement would be best. I told her, I will learn about the middle school's policies and how the school as a whole can accommodate him at our meeting at the end of the school year once his placement was finalized. I told her that while I was leaning towards Mrs. C's class being a better placement for him, I wanted more information from Mrs. F to come to a conclusion. I asked if that school had a policy against answering questions from parents. 

 

The SpEd Director wrote me back that next morning. She said: "Thank you for sharing the email you sent to Mrs. F, her reply and the concern that you did not receive an answer to your questions. I spoke with Mrs. F this morning and she will be emailing you back either this afternoon or tomorrow with the information you requested. This is going to be a big transition for (Honeybunches) and the more information we all have the better we will be able to make good decisions regarding programming and supports...Thank you for including me on this email thread..."

 

In my next post, I am going to write what I learned about Mrs. F, since this one is long enough already lol. For now, I will say I did NOT have a good 1st impression of her by the way she would not answer any questions I asked her. That really made me dislike her... ALOT!

Another School Year Over... Progress Updates

Today was the last day of school for Honeybunches.  That means it's also report card and progress report time again.  It's confirmed in writing that his placement next year with be with Mr. M again. :)

Some highlights from his Progress Reports:

Honeybunches has:
(Counseling goal report) "Greatly improved his ability to verbalize his feeling associated with frustration, anxiety and stress.  He continues to struggle with using these strategies, however overall has made significant gains this year.... -- Continues to work on identifying and verbalizing his feelings.  He continues to struggle with the comprehension of his feelings, which in turn hindered successful peer interactions.  Continued work in this area would be beneficial... -- Continues to struggle in the larger group setting and often removes himself from the classroom's social skills lesson.  Continued work in this area for -- to remain in class and participate would be beneficial..."

(Behavioral) "During group lesson, -- may protest at times and want to do his independent work right away, but he will stay and participate in the classroom/group activity 100% of the time due in a large part to his desire to earn stars." (Sensory activities are a big part of his behavioral goals, but he refuses to do his sensory activities most of the time although he takes other breaks which are scheduled throughout his day...)

(Sensory Motor) "-- continues to participate in weekly therapy sessions in a small group setting. He is pleasant and cooperative. He will offer assistance when needed, suggest particular activities and state when he needs help.  It has been a pleasure working with -- again this school year and observing his significant progress in all areas of his sensory motor development."

(Occupational Therapy) "-- Has acheived his benchmarks and has improved his readability of hand written text through the use of a spacer. He is now working on correcting a few letter forms that further impact readability. When he works to monitor written output, speed of copying can vary. -- is always happy, polite and cooperative... The team should consider decreasing services if his progress continues next marking period..."

(Speech and Language) "I have enjoyed working with -- this year.  He continues to put forth good effort during language sessions on most days.  -- continues to benefit from multiple choice tasks when providing synonyms or antonyms for words and when identifying the main idea for short paragraph level material.  His ability to define multiple meaning words by using them in sentences has increased from 20%-100% for familiar words...."

(Reading) He is 60% accurate in the skill of "Given a written passage, written directions and a verbal prompt, -- will be able to identifying important details in writing". His goal was 80%. He can determine the meaning of words with 50% accuracy.  Goal for that skill was 60%. He had a goal to read 80 wpm with no more than 3 errors on 4 out of 5 trials.  He did not meet that goal, but did make progress (Which is what I look at the most) going from 55 wpm in November to 61 wpm in June on the DIBELS assessment.  The teacher did note that his "Ability to read fluently varies a lot from day to day and this assessment was done first thing in the morning when it is usually done in the afternoon..." The teacher also commented how he's "Put forth great effort on the Read Naturally Program.  At his request we were able to obtain some 5th grade materials... as he'd gone through most of the 4th grade..."

(Math) He is meeting most of his goals regarding place values, addition with three digits and regrouping, written subtraction with three digits (However the teacher wrote how he needs to be reminded to regroup before he gets going) as well as multiplication and division. He is not meeting his division goal as he's only 40% accurate on #s 100-200 although he's 90% accurate with the smaller numbers. The teacher says that multiplication is a strong skill for him.

(Written Language) "He is doing very well with writing paragraphs, but needs 1:1 help expanding his writing to 2-3 paragraphs.  -- will rewrite his sentences, but will need to get verbal prompts to be able to do this."

His report card does not go by A, B, C, D or F like most children's do.  His goes by
1: Developing grade level skills.  Not yet able to produce required grade level work.
2: Progressing toward grade level.  Producing required grade level work with direction and assistance.
3: Meeting grade level skill.  Producing quality work.
4: Exceeding grade level skills.  Producing highest quality work consistently.

In English Language Arts he got mostly 2's. He did get 3s this trimester in "Understands and utilizes new vocabulary" as well as "Reads with accuracy, fluency and expression". He got 1 in "Edits work" and "Writes an organized piece with purpose, clarity and details" but got a 4 for "Effort".

The narrative for this trimester says "--works very hard in reading.  He did a lot of Scholastic Reading Counts books and Read Naturally stories this trimester and has been improving significantly from his cold to hot reads."

Spelling he got 2 in "Learns spelling words for weekly tests" as well as "Applies correct spelling" but got another 4 for "Effort". :) That narrative says how "We don't do weekly spelling words as we try to focus more on reading and writing.  However, with the Word of the Day we do focus on proper spelling as well as with his written work."

In Math he got mostly 2s again, but got 4 in "Effort", 1 in "Communicates mathematics thinking using correct vocabulary, orally and in writing" and 3 in "Computes accurately". That narrative says " -- loves doing math and always wants to get to his worksheets.  We have been working with him to focus more on accuracy and less on speed."


Social Studies he got 2 in "Demonstrates understanding of concepts...", 2 in "Interprets and constructs data from maps, charts and tables", 1 in "Communicating understanding..."but again a 4 for "Effort".

Science his teacher says "Participates in Science lessons, although they are not his favorite.  He enjoyed our concluding field trip to the Aquarium..." ht moved up from 1 to 2 in "Communicates scientific thinking...", got a 4 for "Effort" and 2s in understanding, making skillful predictions, and draws appropriate conclusions.

In Work Habits he got a 4 for his overall grade; 2s in handwriting and communicates effectively in oral presentations and class discussions, presents neat and careful work; 4s in follows rules, uses time efficiently, accurately completes and returns homework on time, interacts and works cooperatively with peers and adults and follows oral and/or written directions; 3s in organizes work space and uses appropriate study skills. The teacher wrote "Has strong work habits and is one of the hardest workers I have ever had the pleasure to teach.  He has made some progress in making his work neater and more legible. He is very polite and interacts well with peers and adults alike.  He will have Mr. M next year as his teacher...."

Art and Music gave him a simple 3 while in Physical Education he got a 4.  They are not broken down like the other subjects are.

I am very pleased with the progress he's made this year.  He's been sitting hear timing himself doing "Read Naturally" that came home with him for over an hour.  He did it for quite a while this afternoon too. Three weeks until tutoring begins, which is our town's elementary school version of ESY.

Honeybunches Spring 2014 Report Card and Progress

Report cards and progress reports came today. :) Overall, I am happy with his progress.  That's something that not everyone would understand as you can see from these:

Although he got mostly "2"s, I am proud.  It means he is making progress. He moved up to "3"s in a few areas.  That's what I focus on. I am glad that his teacher only gave him 1s on "Writes an organized piece with purpose, clarity and details" because that should help us keep him in OT for another year.  At his last yearly review, they were talking about possibly cancelling him from OT services when they do his three-year eval this upcoming October. I was going to fight that anyways, but now I have more ammunition! Some things on his report card with "1"s are because of his diagnoses.  For example, I believe that "Comprehends inferential meaning (Implied, not stated), "Applies problem solving skills" and "Communicates mathematics/scientific thinking/social studies using correct vocabulary..."might always be areas he struggles with. Him having issues with communicating will help me keep him in speech 2x week. As you can see, he put in a lot of effort as he got "Exceeding grade level skills" in every area!!! He is trying and making progress.  I love reading the teacher comments, such as how he increased his reading fluency by 16 words since the beginning of the year. As long as he is progressing, I am happy.  He might not ever make honor roll, but as long as he is trying his best, this Momma will be supporting him and proud of him.  Maybe I am even more proud than those Momma's whose children do get all A's, because I know how much harder it is for him.  I feel like creating a sticker that says "My child progressed this year" or "My child got 4s for effort".  Hmmm, maybe I can get Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid to make a badge for me lol...

His progress reports also came home.  Here are some comments from them....

Counseling:
"--- has improved his ability to verbalize his feelings associated with frustration, anxiety and stress.  He continues to struggle with consistently using these strategies, however overall has made significant gains this year... He continues to work on identifying and appropriately verbalizing his feelings. He continues to struggle with comprehension of his feelings, which in turn hindered successful peer interactions. Continued work in this area would be beneficial... --- continues to struggle in the larger group setting and often removes himself from the classroom's social skills lesson.  Continued work in this area for --- to remain in the class and participate would be beneficial."

Behavior:
Mostly this one talks about his goals, most of which are sensory related and how he "Engages in sensory activities 25% of the time" instead of 8:10. There is another sensory related goal also, which states how he chooses to take breaks which get him up and moving instead. On a good note, there is a goal that states in 8:10 trials when he is in a classroom setting, with verbal directions and verbal prompt he will participate positively in group activities in 8:10 trials.  He is currently doing this 100%, although he might protest at times and want to do his work independently, but will stay and participate in the classroom group activities 100% of the time.  (Remember, his class is only him and two other boys with the teacher and two class aides so it's still a small group setting.)

Sensory Motor (PT):
He achieved two of his objectives, but continues to work on another in regards to trunk/upper body strength. (If only his forceful hugs counted lol...)

Visual Motor (OT):
He met three of his objectives out of five. They are still working on getting him to write within the assigned spaces and his copying skills. He increased his printing speed, is using both hands for typing tasks and can produce, edit, save, print a draft.

In Speech and Language, he is still progressing towards all 4 of his goals.

Reading: He is working towards his goals of being able to identify important details in writing with 80% accuracy (At 60%); using context cues to identify the meaning of a words with 60% (At 50%); "Given a written passage at a 4th grade reading level, written directions and verbal directions, along with a verbal prompt, he will read 80 wpm with no more than 3-4 errors on 4:5 trials" (He can read 71 wpm with 0 errors which was significantly improved from his September assessment of 55 wpm AND they got him 5th grade Read Naturally work from the other school at HIS request). I am proud that he advocated for himself in getting it! :) :) :)

Math: He's meeting all his objectives!

Written Language: This explains how he needs 1:1 help expanding his writing to 2-3 paragraphs and needs verbal prompts on other areas, but is progressing.

Yup, this report makes a Momma proud as he is progressing!!!

Baby steps are the most important.  As Miley Cyrus says "It doesn't matter how fast we get there... It's the climb..."

New School Safety Plan

I received Honeybunches updated Behavior/Safety Plan today from school.  It says:

"(Honeybunches) spends his day in the ILC which is designed to provide intensive behavioral and social supports along with specialized academic support.  A high staff to student ratio provides the opportunity for a great deal of proactive social support for each child.  This is a very structured setting with a predictable schedule and clearly established routines. 

There are a number of systems set up to promote pro-socieal behavior.  Students earn stars every 15 minutes for speaking appropriately, cooperating with adults, being on task, respecting adults and maintaining self=control.  A certain percentage of stars by 11:15 each morning and by 2:30 each afternoon allow them to earn breaks.  The breaks are also contingent upon safe behavior and completion of academics.  Earning stars determines the number of points for the monthy "Treatsure Box" and also counts towards a level system which allows students to earn increasing privileges as they move up through the system.  In addition, they earn stickers on a car for especially good academic efforts, positive social interactions and exercising self=-control in difficult circumstances.  Cooperative efforts are encouraged through a compliment chain and an addition classroom reward system.  

Supports outside the Classroom: The school counselor works with (Honeybunches) both individually as well as in a class wide group that focuses on social knowledge and skills.  He also has a supportive relationship with his previous teacher, principal, the district psychologist and the district BCBA behaviorist.  

Sensory: The teacher will consult with the Occupational Therapist to determine sensory breaks for (Honeybunches).  They will generally be offered after times that are typically challenging for him: unstructured times, recess, physical activities, or school-wide events. As the afternoon is generally a time when it is more challenging to sustain academic efforts breaks may be offered more frequently. These are typically short breaks of 3-5 minutes that allow him to calm down but are not so long that they will interfere significantly with academic time.  Most of the time he prefers to do his academics.  Often moving to a quiet space may be all (Honeybunches) needs to reduce sensory overload. 

Self-Regulation: The ability to be aware of their emotional state and to have skills to help themselves return to a calmer place is crucial to all students.  For the majority of the students in the ILC this has been an area of difficulty.  A 5-point scale with a 1 being his calmest and a 5 being the most agitated has been developed with (Honeybunches).  It indicates what it looks like and feels like at each level as well as what (Honeybunches) can do to return to a calmer place if he is becoming upset.  Over time it is hoped that (Honeybunches) will internalize these concepts and be more able to regulate himself.  

Target Behaviors: These behaviors are documented each day.  Currently disruptive behavior and delay in starting his academic assignments are our two priorities.  At this point unsafe behaviors such as aggression and leaving staff supervision are no longer a significant concern.

Safety: ILC staff are trained in TCIS - Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools.  This model incorporates a variety of de-escalation techniques, therapeutic behavioral approaches and physical restraint (If necessary) to assure student safety.  The ILC has an adjacent time out room that is easily accessed from the classroom.  This space is available to the students assigned to the ILC anytime throughout the day - either self or staff directed.  There is no consequence to the student if used appropriately to "Take a break" and allow for improved self-regulation.  

If (Honeybunches') behavior escalates and becomes unsafe or aggressive, he will be escorted to the time out area if he does not respond immediately to a verbal prompt.  Once there he will be released and allowed to calm down unless he becomes unsafe at which point he would be restrained.  All restraints will be logged to include information related to the reason for the restrain,, time it began, time it ended and the student's behavior during the restraint.  (Honeybunches) will be released from the restraint when he is able to keep his body calm and refrain from threatening statements for one minute.  He must remain quiet and safe for a minimum of five minutes in the time out area before he is allowed to return to a prior activity.  As soon as possible following the completion of a time out he will be provided with the opportunity to have a Life Space Interview to process what led to the crisis, how the behavior was unsuccessful in getting him what he wanted and an alternative strategy for getting his needs met.  

(Honeybunches) will be closely monitored and supervised throughout the day both in the classroom and during unstructured activities (i.e. lunch, recess) by the ILC staff.  This implies both visual and physical proximity to ensure his safety.  Walkie-Talkie handsets will be used for effective and efficient communication during recess.  

Home/School Communication: A "Daily Communication Sheet" is sent home to provide (Honeybunches) family with a short narrative of his day along with information on his status on the Level System, Time Outs (If any), Restraints (If any) and Homework.  There is a place for adult's signature as well as a place for comments and questions.  Serious incidents will also be communicated to his family through a phone call."

Revised Acceptable IEP

To know what is going on with this post please read about his IEP Annual Review Meeting and his IEP I received last week after that meeting which resulted in a Dispute Resolution Reconvene Meeting. Anyways, today I got his new IEP.  This one is much more acceptable. It's even better than the previous one! 

They gave him back his "Longer School Year" stating Honeybunches "Is to receive tutoring for four days a week, two hours a day for four weeks. It is essential that ---'s tutor is someone he is familiar and comfortable with." That is even better than before, because it stipulates who is to do the tutoring. They also added in his Assigned Seat under transportation and gave him a "Transportation Support Plan" that says "If members of the team identify an increase in the number of refusals to board the general education bus or an increase in the number of behavioral incidents that occur related to transportation service and/or if there is an observed change in ---'s attitude toward riding the general education bus, the following steps will be taken to provide additional levels of transportation support:

A monitor will be added to the general education bus to support (Honeybunches).

If further support is required, special education transportation will be provided, and the team will evaluate the need for a monitor using available data."

That's so much better and more clear than it even was before. They also put home use for the Ipad back into the IEP, moved the Ipad to PLEP A and PLEP B as an "Assistive Technology Device" which the OT agreed it was and put it under "Student Strengths" like I requested. 

Turns out going to Due Process was not necessary, at least this time! I feel like the school must hate me now, but I try to look at things as what will matter in five to ten years. Will it matter I made them hate me? Will I remember that part of things? I doubt it. What will matter is that I did everything I could to get Honeybunches the help he needed in school. Honestly, it does bother my heart a bit though. I've been that way my whole life... wanting everyone to be happy. Anyways, I got all I wanted for Honeybunches in the IEP... and then some! I guess that means I did a good job advocating for him, even if the school thinks I am a #&*!$ (Fill in the symbols with whatever word you want lol...)

IEP meeting round #2: Dispute Resolution

When I got the IEP in the mail, I noticed the IEP chairperson made several changes:

• Took "Longer School Year" out of the IEP moving "Tutoring" to "Additional Information".
• Changed the wording regarding his Ipad, took out home-use. 
• Some dates were wrong. 
• Changed wording in the transportation area and took things out so basically he had him on regular transportation with no supports. 

First I sent an email to the IEP Chairperson trying to work things out in a nice way.  He was not willing to negotiate at all and justified every single change he made.  After that, I emailed the SPED Director and Superintendent telling them I was partially rejecting his IEP and looking forward to Due Process lol.  I did partially reject his IEP (Brought it to the office, had the secretary initial/date/stamp it received and mailed a copy to the DOE/DESE Bureau of Special Education Appeals).  I wrote the IEP chairperson and SpEd Director a nice 5 page letter stating the regulations, why he needed what I requested, what regulation it went along with, etc. The school district requesting a meeting. So that's how we ended up at today...

I walked in with my big rolley cooler type bag on wheels. It has 3 big binders (2'' with info regarding this mess, 3'' with his most recent IEPs/Evals + other recent materials and the third 3'' with his old IEPs and other old info), Wright's Law, The Complete IEP Guide, a copy of the state regs, my notebook and other info I might have needed.  The secretary joked asking if I was moving in.  Things went very well.  I requested his old teacher Mrs. Understanding and the new SpEd Director's presence.  Also there were OT, PT, Principal, School Psych, School Counselor, his current teacher and the IEP chairperson. I walked in, opened the bag, sat the Wright's Law book on the table, opened one binder to the Mass Regulations and sat where I knew the SpEd Director and IEP Chair could be close by to see it lol.

They agreed to put the Longer School Year back in his IEP specifying the 2 hours per day, 4 days a week for 4 weeks he's been getting for the past few Summers.  He said he learned something.  He came from the high school as a SpEd teacher where at that school they had a complete Summer school program.  There that's what they consider ESY/Longer-School-Year.  There tutoring is not, when in the elementary school it is.  Although we agreed upon that, I don't see it in the meeting notes....
 
At the end of the meeting I asked if what we agreed upon was actually going to make it in the IEP.  I also asked Mrs. SpEd Director lady if she ever proof-reads IEPs.  She said randomly.  I asked her if she could read (Honeybunches)'s before it goes out.  She said she would.  School psych and Mrs. Principal described the "Historical patterns of events regarding transportation." (OT) discussed the Ipad's benefits of being an "Assistive Technology Device" and agreed it was such. She brought up the question if we write it with a time stipulated such as for the duration of his involvement with special education... what if something better comes out in a couple years? I agreed to leave that part out based on her point that technology is improving and their agreement to place it in the other areas.   School psych made the point that it should also go under PLEP A and PLEP B which everyone agreed upon. 

As for transportation: School psych lady and I went over his history. (Basically in a nut-shell for Kindergarten he was on the van, but was aggressive with the bus driver and other students some of whom were medically fragile so I drove him the rest of that year and got reimbursed from the school district; In grades 1-4 he had a 1:1 on the regular bus.) School psych pointed out how he has difficulty with any transitions and gave examples.  They are making changes regarding what IEP Chairperson called his "Transportation Support Plan" which will state "Criteria for enacting the transportation support plan:
- Increased number of refusals, increased number of behavioral incidents
-Change in (Honeybunches)'s attitude towards riding the bus. 
The plan will state:
Step 1: Addition of a monitor to the general education bus.
Step 2: Include special transportation and evaluate the need for a monitor"

They also agreed to write in the IEP his assigned seat behind the bus driver by himself, although I don't see that in the meeting notes. They clarified "Proximity to teacher" which will be changed to "Seat within 15 feet of teacher" or "Seat within 15 feet of instruction".  I let Sped teacher determine the exact number of feet.

I was pleased with how the meeting turned out.  I got the important stuff. (Or shall I say, at least it seems that way now, but I'll see when the IEP comes if what we agreed upon today actually makes it's way into this IEP.) We did agree to leave out an accommodation that the IEP chair and teacher took out that stated "Counting in real life situations to be implemented throughout his day", because he's way past that now with his math skills.  Basically I threw that in there to have something to negotiate with so it looks like I was cooperating.

I told them it was important for things to be clarified and the reason I nitpicked through the IEP (Which I would have anyways) was because since my father died last year, my mother's been having a hard time affording to keep the house.  I don't know if we'll have to move in the next year or so.  I told them that's why it's important things be written in a certain way so if we were to move and he went to a different school district things would be clear.  IEP chairperson said that gave him a different perspective.  He talks a lot about this school district. Sometimes things in life happen and children move or get school choiced out of here (Which is something I've always debated regarding when Honeybunches gets to middle school).

All in All this meeting went well.  I was determined it would.  I feel accomplished!  My advocating skills and knowledge of the federal laws plus state regulations needed to be polished off anyways lol.  I guess I am thankful that I was given this challenge in life so I had the opportunity to do that.  Now I sit and wait for the IEP to come in the mail probably sometime next week.  Then I'll see if what we agreed upon makes it's way into this one.  At the last meeting we signed off on the meeting notes.  Certain things were in those notes that IEP chairperson decided to change in the IEP.  Hopefully now that they know I am knowledgeable regarding the laws/regulations and not scared of Due Process they will be more cooperative. 

I am also the SEPAC (Special Education Parent's Advisory Council) Chairperson.  The DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) is coming in a few weeks to review certain programs including the special education system here.  They want to interview me as I represent the SEPAC group.  Hmmm maybe that worked to my advantage as well?