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Post by Alice on Oct 1, 2004 9:21:48 GMT -5
I know that some (or all?) children with DS are having an aid at elementary schools. Luke is starting his kindergarten next year and I hope he will have an aid, because he is not speaking as kids of his age. I have questions: ~ Who will give him an aid? ~ What education does an aid have? ~ Can mom (me) be an aid? Thanks for your input, Alice  |
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Post by christie on Oct 1, 2004 11:56:03 GMT -5
ALICE Since your school district would be the one to pay the one on one assistant, they would be the one to hire them. Personally I would suggest you talk to your case manager or Dept head of Sp Ed and see what their requirements are when hiring a one on one. A few years back just about any one with not much training our district would hire then we got a new department head and she started requireing College graduates. BUT haveing training with special needs kids was not a requirment. Since Chris no longer needs an aide, I have nooo idea what their requirements are now. Here I know of one Mom that was her son's one on one in school because of his medical needs and he used an augmentative and they just couldn't find anyone qualified with it all. Have to say for me and my guy NOOOO way it would have worked if I were his one on one at school and then Mom at home, CHRIS would not have liked that  He likes to keep the two separate LOL I just wanted to share too that here when Chris was young, our Assistant Superintendent was the one to do the hiring and he was kind enough to when he came to his final 2 or 3 prospects let me come in and meet them, since I knew Chris the best and then we would discuss before he hired the final one. Talk to your district, I am sure they would be willing to explain their process to you. CC |
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Post by MB on Oct 1, 2004 12:00:01 GMT -5
Alice,
An aid or paraprofessional is not assigned to Luke.
You write an Individual Education Plan with goals for Luke. If the regular education teacher needs support in reaching these goals, then one source of support would be a paraprofessional.
If the overall goal is for Luke to participate in the regular kindergarten curriculum, then a para may be needed to help keep him on task, insure his safety on the playground or walk him to the restroom.
If you have concerns about Luke staying on task, being safe or needing help with signing or keeping track of his backpack or notes coming home from the teacher, it is up to the school district to tell you how they are going to facilitate his inclusion. Usually this means a para. If he is doing fine in the classroom without a para, then he is better off, in my opinion, without the intrusion of an extra adult.
The para is assigned to the teacher who is responsible for making sure that Luke meets his goals. It is important to remember that the teacher, not the para is in charge of Luke's education.
A para may or may not have training in special ed. or any education training. A para is a non-certified employee of the school district. This means he/she does not hold a valid state teaching certificate. (Although, some teachers go to work as paras hoping to be offered teaching jobs eventually.) A para may be required to hand out papers to the other kids while the regular teacher works one on one with Luke.
It is important that you are familiar with the Kindergarten curriculum and Luke's areas of need before you attend the IEP meeting. A typewritten list of concerns with 15 copies ready for all attending would be helpful. One of the easiest ways to do this is to start listing anything that Luke is not doing that other kids his age are doing. You can also ask family, friends and neighbors to help with this list. Do not worry about academics, worry about behavior, social skills and independence. School will usually have a full academic plan for him. The individual stuff usually has to do with these other areas.
Good luck,
MB
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Post by Alice on Oct 1, 2004 12:14:34 GMT -5
Thank you so much!
Lots of useful information! Thanks....
I do not worry about academics at this point when he just needs to be guide what to do in class, to go to the bathroom, or change his diaper.
At his special ed. (our school district) pre-school he has 2 aids in his class and they are paraprofessionals, frankly to say - very professional with kids (I think regular pre-schools do not have such teacher at all).
Sure, I will talk to our case manager and discus this matter with her, but I needed your opinions first, because you are the best.
Thanks a lot,
Alice
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Post by Chris on Oct 1, 2004 14:06:10 GMT -5
When I went to a Wrightslaw conference last summer, he said to insist that you get a paraprofessional not an aide. A parapro must have a minimum of an associate's degree where an aide probably only needs a high school education.
Chris
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Post by steffipoo on Oct 2, 2004 1:38:39 GMT -5
Hi Alice!!!!!
Before Olivia started kindergarten at our home school, Olivia had never had an aide para.... BUT since she was going to be fully included in the kindergarten I knew who I wanted and even went as far as to get her ID# . So when we did her transitional IEP in June they were sooo bummed I wanted to change it before we changed schools(they actually had to work LONG STORY) that they waited till just before the school year ended and after we all chatted (we got an inclusion facilitator who was awesome as well) WE kinda had to use health and safety issues to get our TSA. BUT since they were in such a hurry to get this over with they wrote in the aide I wanteds ID# on the tsa paper. We REALLy had to PROVE our health and safety issue to even get the aide. So we did embellish a bit or I'm not sure it woulda worked in this really academic kinder program. Now Liv has an aide not a para. Paras are few and far between here in L.A. We really like her she is also studying to be a sp ed teacher and is dgging on working with all the kids. Livs teacher does NOT let her aide DO FOR Olivia. If she can do it she DOES it herself. I think a lot of times kids start to get that "learned helplessness" when they know there is somewhere "RIGHT THERE" to fix it. Well LMAO. I remember when Livs aide first met her teacher.LOL... Her teacher can sound kind of harsh but she has the kids loving her and doing sooo much. I remember her aide saying to me afterschool OOPS....Uh Oh I hope she didn't see that.. I say what??? well she was zipping Olivias backpack for her cause Olivia forgot one.Livs teacher woulda gotten her for that one. LOL.. I know I remember last year the first day she set me straight. You do NOT carry Olivias backpack for her thats hers to carry. What I love about her is that she really knows her and she does not EVER underestimate her abilities and does everything in her power(by either talking to others, reading, going about it a new way, whatever make things...) to make sure that NO ONE else does either. We're really lucky to have her. Funny thing this year I watched as the new parents were there with their kids on the first day. All us who have been thru it gave each other the "look" uh oh..... ohhh they are going to learn fast!!(as we watch em all carrying the backpacks even one carried their child I saw them approaching and then go in Livs line and wanted to say PUT THEM DOWN YOUR GONNA GET IT!!!! BUT alas we must all go thru it... LOL we all chuckled as they all got the explanation and talking to... GOOD LUCK!!!!
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Post by shellk on Oct 3, 2004 9:51:30 GMT -5
I know that Kourtney is in a Varitable Exceptionalities (VE) Kindy class and there is 1 teacher 8 kids and 1 aide for the whole class, as far as a paraprofessional or aide she doesn't have one that is assigned to her and her teacher doesn't feel that she needs one. So, for that I am thankful. But, when her next IEP comes up I am going to talk to them about it , probably before, she has trouble staying onn task and following directions and a few other little things, maybe an aide or paraprofessional might help with that. Good luck to ya..
Michele
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He likes to keep the two separate LOL