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Post by steffipoo on Jul 12, 2004 23:31:08 GMT -5
HI!!!! ;D We were talking about various types of education outlets available for our children on another post.WELL... Got a brainstorm.....
How bout we post up here our childs education experience? sp ed? inclusion, mainstreaming? combos? what we like and dislike about their programs? Perhaps we can make a section for each age group....
preschool
elmentary
junior high
high school
college
adulthood transitions and job opps and how your area is with this...
I will start another day cause my brain is racked right now. If anyone wants to start a section(probably better to segregate each age group) what your childs day consists of any particualrs in their IEP or notes of interest for oparents who are approaching this next education ladder? Whatcha think. There are so many different options out there these days and perhaps write where you live as well in case someone pops on who is from your area. Alrighty then... nighty night
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Post by steffipoo on Jul 12, 2004 23:32:28 GMT -5
ALSO a good one would be EARLY INTERVENTION. I know lots of new parents come here and would like to hear about your childs early intervention experience...
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Post by Claire on Jul 13, 2004 21:24:28 GMT -5
Adam got Early Intervention right from the start. He went to Daycare when he was 2.  I did not like this too much and hired a one on one to be with him at the daycare. I found he was cast aside. We are from a small community of 5000 where Adam is the only DS child so I'm sure they didn't mean not to involve him, they just didn't know what to expect. Hiring the one on one just made me feel safer. He went 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. Then he went to school-school. That got him ready for school. He started school at 5 in Jr. Kindergarten with an EA, then Sr. Kindergaten and is now going to grade 1 still with the same EA.  Some things I found hard was fighting for all the special programs with the school,  but we don't give up and he eventually got them. After all if the school wants the budget they have to give a little. ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by meghans_mom on Jul 14, 2004 7:30:37 GMT -5
EI - I have to say our experience w/ EI was wonderful....Meghan was eval'd at about 6 weeks and started services a few weeks later. For the first year and a half we received all our services in home (7 hour sessions per week, OT, ST, PT and SI) - although Meghan didn't start speech until about 10 months, I'd say.
At 1 1/2 we started a Mommy N Me program at the center where her services originated from (association for children with DS) and when she was a little older than 2 we stopped mommy & me and MM started preschool part time. Still got some services at home and some center based until at 3 1/2 MM aged out of EI.
At 3 1/2 Meghan started preschool 1/2 days, 5 days a week -- I didn't want to send her the 5 days but the school she attends (still ACDS) will only take kids 5 days. It's their policy at this age...they say it's so the child gets continuity and used to the routine....I'm not sure if it's that or if it's a $$ thing.
At this point she gets 7 services a week - all half hour sessions, plus a music class, dance class and regular classroom activities.
Overall our experience has been really wonderful. Because her school deals mostly with kids w/ DS - they are familiar w/ most of the things encountered. These therapists truly specialize in children w/ DS and are all terrific....
I did look into other programs and wasn't thrilled with what else I found there.
This fall Meghan will be started an integrated preschool - full time. She's supposed to attend there 2 years before kindegarten but we'll see...I may put her in a typical preschool for one year before she starts kindegarten but I'm not sure.
My only real complaint is that Meghan went through 3 classes in one year (younger toddler, older toddler then 'pre-grad') -- She does really well with change but I feel it was alot for her and because she's shy I wouldn't have - in hindsight - put her through all those classes...although it wasn't me, it was the school and where she fit in age wise.
laurie
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Post by ShawnS on Jul 14, 2004 8:50:08 GMT -5
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Post by christie on Jul 14, 2004 22:16:08 GMT -5
STEFF, EI was GREAT for Chris, he started in January, Chris was only one month old. Back then we took him to the Child Center where he recieved PT, OT, Speech and classroom social stuff 2 times a week each and there was a group meeting weekly for us moms ;D He also even at that young age went to private PT and ST
At age 3 Chris entered our home town public school for precshool which was half day. I suggested to our district that 1/2 day was not long enough as Chris was missing soo much being pulled out for therapies. Sooo we started a full day program for him, which had NEVER been done before, in my district. Worked super for my guy and started a new route for others to follow in our district ;D
At 5 Chris left preschool and started all day Kindy in our home town Public School. He was mainstreamed/included in regular Ed for Music, Art, Library, Gym, Lunch and Field Trips. Went fairly well but in first grade for us is when it started to all brake down 
We stayed and fought and tried to teach the district how inclusion should be done BUT decided after a while that YES it was worth the fights to get this RIGHT BUT in the end our Chris was losing out on valuable learning time Sooo at age 9 we pulled him from the public home school and after long searching out differet programs found a private school just for kids with exceptional needs ;D AND I am pleased to say for us and only speaking for US, this was a God Send ;D
Chris has changed, grown up and done soooo well over the last two years since we changed schools ;D
I have NOOOOOO idea what the future will hold and if one day Chris will be back at our public schools, if they ever get it right, LOL YES I would put Chris back in. but in the meantime I just check out the programs available yearly and reaccess what is what 
Sorry girl I jammed all those years EI thru now into one but wasn't sure how else to share 
CC
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Post by Robin on Jul 15, 2004 13:47:22 GMT -5
Wow great idea Steffipoo!!!!
Chase started Early Intervention when he was eight weeks old. He got OT and ST once a week for an hour (they combined the two) then we went to "school" once a week to a play group for babies with disabilities for an hour also. When he was two, they broke the rules and let him go to preschool with the three year olds  We moved when he was three to a different district and Chase then went to preschool (his was called PPI) but it was included into a regular preschool so ther was two teachers, one for the other kids and one for kids with disabilities. They had to install a lock on the door to keep Chase safe from running away. He went there half days and into day car at the school the other half of the day while i worked and it was a horrible expirence for us until the special ed director told them they were going to be sued for the way they were alienating Chase from the others. It stopped but we still worried. When he was five, he did half days kindergarten and half days preschool with no more day care. When he was six he did half days kindergarten again and half days 1st grade. When he was 7 he did first grade, fully included. From the start of preschool thru third grade, he had OT and ST both a half hour at a time, IN THE CLASSROOM. Chase stayed fully included until he went into the fourth grade when we admitted it was not working, he wasnt happy in the regular ed class nor were we happy with the treatment he was getting. The one on one aides he had wer expected to teach him everything and be in charge of him in place of the teachers. If I could do it all again, that is the one thing I would change totally, he would of not been fully included from 1st grade on. He has had a one on one aide since he was in kdg. When he went into fourth grade we had him put into a resource room for most of the day and he has bloomed there. He did go into gym with all the other fourth and fifth graders, as well as computers, art and music and all outside activities and field trips.He still got ST and OT alone and in the class. We also did speech every summer thru a speech program put on thru easter seals, it was a great way to help with his speech. This year he is going into sixth grade, he will have regular art, music/choir, gym, science/social studies with the other sixth graders, and math and english within a resource room. He is going to be the girls basketball and softball manager and also still have a one on one. I am terrifed what this year will bring, having him go from class to class like the "BIG KIDS" do and switching classes, guess it is like admitting he is growing up, I know he is not ready but it is not age approprite for him to stay in the elementary forever either. I feel like I am sending my baby bird out and am not real sure he is ready to fly, only time will tell. The biggest thing I have learned over the years with my Chase man is not to beat myself up over not spending every single moment working with him. I used to think I had to work non stop with him on everything and so I didnt get to enjoy him as much as I would of wanted now that I look back. Instead of always teaching I would of liked to play more. That is what we do now, play more and enjoy life.
hugs, Robin
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Post by nikky on Jul 16, 2004 14:03:24 GMT -5
EI is great till they "kick you out" when the child turns 3. Of course my ped didn't know about this, and Kayla was thrown to the wolves in the school system! AHHHHHH!! Then one day at my son's basketball practice the mother (angel) comes from out of no where and tells me her child goes to the speech and learning foundation and that it's free for kids with medicaid... and now life is good again!!
so that's my story.
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I did not like this too much and hired a one on one to be with him at the daycare. I found he was cast aside. We are from a small community of 5000 where Adam is the only DS child so I'm sure they didn't mean not to involve him, they just didn't know what to expect. Hiring the one on one just made me feel safer. He went 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. Then he went to school-school. That got him ready for school. He started school at 5 in Jr. Kindergarten with an EA, then Sr. Kindergaten and is now going to grade 1 still with the same EA. 
but we don't give up and he eventually got them. After all if the school wants the budget they have to give a little. ;D ;D ;D
We moved when he was three to a different district and Chase then went to preschool (his was called PPI) but it was included into a regular preschool so ther was two teachers, one for the other kids and one for kids with disabilities. They had to install a lock on the door to keep Chase safe from running away. He went there half days and into day car at the school the other half of the day while i worked and it was a horrible expirence for us until the special ed director told them they were going to be sued for the way they were alienating Chase from the others. It stopped but we still worried. When he was five, he did half days kindergarten and half days preschool with no more day care. When he was six he did half days kindergarten again and half days 1st grade. When he was 7 he did first grade, fully included. From the start of preschool thru third grade, he had OT and ST both a half hour at a time, IN THE CLASSROOM. Chase stayed fully included until he went into the fourth grade when we admitted it was not working, he wasnt happy in the regular ed class nor were we happy with the treatment he was getting. The one on one aides he had wer expected to teach him everything and be in charge of him in place of the teachers. If I could do it all again, that is the one thing I would change totally, he would of not been fully included from 1st grade on. He has had a one on one aide since he was in kdg. When he went into fourth grade we had him put into a resource room for most of the day and he has bloomed there. He did go into gym with all the other fourth and fifth graders, as well as computers, art and music and all outside activities and field trips.He still got ST and OT alone and in the class. We also did speech every summer thru a speech program put on thru easter seals, it was a great way to help with his speech. This year he is going into sixth grade, he will have regular art, music/choir, gym, science/social studies with the other sixth graders, and math and english within a resource room. He is going to be the girls basketball and softball manager