Did Your SN LO Ever...

[AnalogWife]

...get transferred from an integrated classroom to a Resource Room or Self Contained Classroom, and if so, did it help?

My DS goes to a SN preschool, so I don't know what the proper term for the classroom is, I just know that he's being transferred from the integrated classroom into a slower-paced classroom, I was told it was to help boost his speech.  I'm all for whatever it takes, and since it's the same set of teachers I think he'll adjust quickly...I guess the part that puts me most off-balance was the level of sensitivity the school's director adopted when she told me she thought this would be best.  I've been thinking for a while that he could use more special attention, but I'm just curious if this has happened to anyone else's kids and what the outcome was.  TIA

[~cassie]

My son hasn't been moved from one to the other but is in a self contained classroom.  He's only 3 and that is the only option for his age until he turns 4.  His main issue is speech due to hearing loss and he has done very well.  The noise level of the classroom is a ton lower than what it would be in a mainstreamed class and I think that is a big benefit for MY child b/c it guarantees he won't miss anything.  My only concern(for my child as well) is not having kids with higher speech skills to be a model for the child.  For us, it is an issue.  My child is in a classroom of 9 children(all age 3) and his language is about 9 months delayed, yet he has the highest speaking skills in his class, which is a downside for us.  Are they going to have peer models mixed in with this self contained class? 

-as a side note, I wanted to add that I am only looking at is in terms of the speech delay as I am not sure what your child's diagnosis is.  There are lots of kids that need the setting of less kids, less noise, more teachers/aides, more attention.  That is true for my child but we do see the downside as well and really wish we could get peer models in the class.

[AnalogWife]

Thank you.  DS's main issue is speech/communication, I think the transfer mostly has to do with communication, he has a 1:1 aide five mornings/week, his dx is ASD, it's almost guaranteed that he won't be the most verbal in the class, he's very delayed, but it's the class with the ipad and he's getting an ipad soon since he's demonstrated really good progress on it.

[Lollybrat]

My son is 6 and has ASD.

My son was in the school district's integrated preschool (half of the class had IEPs and half were typically developing) for 2.5 years. By the time he was to go into Kindergarten, it was obvious to all of us (parents, teachers, therapists) that DS needed a more supported environment. DS was very academically advanced (working on a 1st or 2nd grade level for math and reading), but lacked the social-emotion skills needed to function in the regular classroom.

For kindergarten DS was in an K-2 autism classroom. The class that year was mostly first graders; DS was the only kindergarten student and there was one or two second graders, with 8 students total. DS did all his work either one-on-one or in small group instruction (he worked with the first graders). It was a perfect situation for him. He was able to learn how to take instruction in groups, participate in class discussions, and other classroom skills. I think spending a year in the self-contained classroom was absolutely the right choice.

This year, DS is in first grade and partially mainstreamed, He is in the regular first grade classroom in the morning (with an aide) and the autism classroom in the afternoon. He gets pull-out for Speech, OT, APE, and reading enrichment. He also joins his first grade class for specials. We are very thrilled with the progress DS is making in all areas. His teachers and therapists genuinely care about him. DS loves going to school.

By the way, my son also has an iPad. It was a gift from my brother, who read an article about kids with autism using iPads. There are lots of great apps for kids with special needs.

[AnalogWife]

Thanks for your reply.  That's the first time I've heard of a multi-grade autism-specific class, that sounds awesome, and it sounds like your little guy is thriving.  I just picked DS up at school and one of the lead teachers told me that she was his 1:1 today and that she took him into the All 1:1 Room and she said that he was like a different kid.  To me, the stories she was telling sounded like DS, so I got another sense of what life is like for him in the integrated classroom.  Nearly everyday I'm told that he "had a tough time at first with transitions" but I don't think there are as many transitions in the new classroom, it's less structured I guess, and she said that DS was more explorative than she'd ever seen him and that he was approaching fellow students to initiate in play.  I've seen him do that on the playground (sometimes it works, manytimes it does not) but it was new to them, and they were very excited about it.  So I think it'll be a very good move.

One thing she said that sorta crushed me was....she said that since all the children have a 1:1 aide that he may have felt more comfortable and like part of the group.  Very happy that he'll feel like part of the group, but sad at the possibility that he was feeling left out in his other classroom.  I admit, the one day I spent time in the classroom I was surprised that he was the only non-verbal child there, I thought at least 1 or 2 more kids would be.  But all in all he LOVES school, his enthusiasm for it is daily, even when he's cranky he wants to go.

[khaoskat]

Just going to chime in and say I am not sure I would be willing o do it, just yet.  You said he seems to be doing well.  Remember, even though he has an aide, the school has to place him in the least restrictive environment.  If he is functioning well, then I don't think I would pull him out, unless he is having issues.  I would speak with the aide and teacher to see if they can encourage him to be a bit more social.

I would investigate to see if having the aide in the classroom is causing a problem, or if there is something more than "his comfort".  Have you asked him how he feels about his class?  

[AnalogWife]

I don't see myself getting in the way of this move.  He's been going since June and his speech has made maybe a half inch of progress--and maybe not even that--it doesn't bother me to let him into another classroom that matches his own pace a little better.  Asking him how he feels about the class would be, sort of like asking a wall.  I know he enjoys going to school everyday, he enjoys the toys and activities and interaction, but he can only tell me in smiles and some nods.  He's a prince of the school, he's always met with enthusiasm, the teachers luh-huuuuv him (I thank Attachment Parenting, he's very soft around the edges) and the classroom very close to the others, has the same staff, I'm actually looking forward to the move.

[kme]

By integrated, do you mean there were typical kids in the class?  When my son was in pre-K, there was no integrated preschool - all the kids were special ed.  There are different preschools at different schools and your child goes to the most apporpriate one depending on his/her needs.  For example, my son did not go to our home school b/c that preschool is for medically fragile children.  He went to one with mixed diagnoses, but most had some type of speech delay.  Because of this, his teachers strongly encouraged me to enroll him in a "regular" preschool 2 days a week so he would be with typically-developing children.  So he went to ECSE 3 days a week and regular preschool 2 days a week. 

I think he got way more out of ECSE; I think he was mostly overwhelmed at the regular preschool and tended to shy away from the other kids.  He was way behind them socially, emotionally and definitely with speech.  I'm not sure how much he really got out of it.  He didn't participate much and didn't seem to make any friends. 

In kindergarten he attended a special kindergarten for "at risk" kids.  The kids were either exiting ECSE (not requiring 1:1 aide), ESL, or low income.  It was a great setting for him b/c more than half of the kids were typical but there was a special ed teacher plus 2 aides in the room and the kids got a lot of extra help.  He also qualified for reading specialist who worked with him 1:1 a couple times a week.  He actually made a really good friend in that class and had a lot of support from the special ed staff. 

Now he is in an integrated 1st grade class that has a special ed teacher in the room.  He does not and never did have a 1:1 aide, although there is a child in the class who does.  Most of the kids in the class are typical.  I think there are less than 5 with IEPs.  He is doing really well.  I really credit the ECSE program for "ramping him up" - getting him ready for elementary school.  He stays with his class for all subjects although I think some of the kids go to Resource for part of the day so that is an option if needed. 

I thnk if your son requires the extra help now, I would keep it.  The more help he is getting now while he is still so young, the better in my opinion.  I wish my son would have qualifed for ECSE 5x/week instead of only 3.  Without all that early help, I don't know if he would be doing as well as he is.  He is very confident and really likes school.  It is great your son likes school, that makes it so much easier!!!

Good luck!!!

[AnalogWife]

Yes, that is what I mean by integrated, there are peer models in the class, and thank you for your story and input, it is very encouraging.  My best to your DS (did he never have a 1:1 because of budget or because of his abilites?)  My DS is somewhat-to-completely unaware of others' negative opinions of him so I don't think that it's a significant detriment to keep him IN or OUT of the class (I will say that the NT kids at the school are way more patient and tolerant with him than the legions of NT kids at the public playground, I very much support this method of schooling for all kids), but since the structure of the classroom was causing daily disruption, I'm looking forward to him being in a class that I hope matches his temperament.  Where that goes in the future, only time will tell.  As we are today, I feel that he will not be ready for a mainstream Kindergarten class, with or w/o an aide...my hopes is that the All 1:1 class will better match his learning style, we'll go from there.

[Kristine233]

We've done both off and on over the years as he's needed the different settings. He's done amazing in all the settings given the right teachers were present.   I think kids should just be given the opportunity ti have individualized care based on where they are right now. He may thrive in a resource room this year and do best in an integrated room next year.  Go with your gut mama!