[Labyrinth]

My little brother (4 y/o) has a medical DX of PDD-NOS, and educational DX of Autism. I take care of him about 40-60 hours a week so I have a fairly good grasp on his needs. He is high functioning with a measurable IQ of 112, reading at the 1st or 2nd grade level, very social with adults and his peers, very affection, tries really hard to "be good", and loves attention. He is atypical for is diagnosis with how social he is (he tends to be socially uninhibited, doesn't know a stranger, gives people he just met hugs and kisses, etc). He struggles with things like transitions, running (although we don't know he will do this in school with lots of other little kids), potty training, and answering open ended W questions (like "how are you?").

He is going to be placed in public school preschool after a 6 month wait. They have three levels of classrooms in the school. A level 1 classroom has regular and special education students combined with a regular ed teacher and aid. The level 2 classroom is also combined, but has a regular ed teacher, special ed teacher, and aid. The level 3 classroom is smaller, self contained with only special education students, and has a special ed teacher and 1-2 aids (these classrooms are often DX specific, they have special autism classrooms).

They want to place him in a level 3 classroom. This is the most restrictive environment within the school district. I have issues with this, I don't think he needs it and I think he needs to be around his typical peers, especially considering how social he is. I also think that this level is more restrictive than he needs. I don't think being in a classroom that only has autistic children will satisfy his social needs, and I think he will probably be on of the highest functioning kids so he will probably not receive much 1 on 1 attention. His mother also has a problem with it.

I think they want to place him in this classroom because it will be easier for them, and they won't have to consider hiring a 1 on 1 aid if he is in level 3 if a safety issue was to arise. I don't think it's fair to place him in the MOST restrictive environment when he hasn't had a fair chance at succeeding in a less restrictive environment. I don't think it meets his needs at all. Is this a battle worth fighting at the IEP? Would you fight it? Am I being unreasonable thinking that a level 3 classroom is not appropriate?

If he was going to school for 5 or more hours a day I would say that he should spend half the day in a level 3 classroom because I think it would be hard for him to maintain in a level 2 classroom. However this is only 2.5 hours a day. He can maintain his behavior for 2.5 hours at the park or the mcdonalds playplace- I think he could do it in preschool.

Thoughts?

 

[PikkuMyy]

I would DEFINITELY fight it.

They are legally required to place him in the LRE and a level three classroom for a child with his verbal and social skills is NOT it.

I have students who are 90% nonverbal who are in a level 1 classroom with an aide. I would go for the level 2 and request a 1:1 aide for part of the morning - it doesn't sound like he needs one all the time, unless I'm mistaken - like during recess and other more free times or social times, with the idea that you will agree to fading the aide as your brother shows he no longer needs one. There may be another student in the classroom who also needs aide assistance and they could share. That's what they do at one school where I work - have 1 aide assigned to a classroom who helps several students, or have 1 aide assigned to two students in different classrooms who need her at different times of the day. Then when she's not needed at all, she helps out in the resource room or just in the classroom in general.

It is totally doable, and it sounds like with good support, your brother could really thrive in an inclusion environment and move to not needing an aide at all.

I have one student who just started kindergarten and this is how they have done it successfully - regular classroom with help and an aide for him during the more open social times. But he is potty trained and went to an inclusion preschool like level 2 for 2 years with fading support whereas it sounds like you have been providing most of your brother's education/care so far. However, my student is doing SO well I bet your brother will too.

I would also make sure to have in the IEP that they will put alarms on the doors to the classroom so that if he should get out, he doesn't have a chance to run and get hurt before they know the door has been opened.

ETA: I also don't see his academic knowledge being supported to his level in the restrictive classroom whereas in a level 2 or 1, he will be able to learn to his level.

 

[sunflowers]

I think before any decisions are made concerning his classroom, his mother needs to go vist each level. Schools are required to place the child in the least restrictive enviornment. It is possible they need to be reminded of that or they need to know that his mother knows the law (so they aren't trying to "get one past her").

My dd has a dx of autism, some other issues related to prematurity, low vision, a neurological condition, and a real problem with anything between "stop" and "run". We did a classroom visit before placement and she did have some problems with running into other kids (a safety issue) and she was unfocused in any task. I have it written in her IEP that she be allowed to change tasks frequently and she has a one-to-one aide to help her with some vision troubles and to help her not run into other kids.

Our district does not have the levels of classrooms that you describe. The kids either are in a special needs class or they are typically placed into other preschools within the community that are not specific for special needs. There is also an option of a county school for those kids who have very difficult and challenging medical/emotional needs.

With some careful attention to the process (or with the help of an advocate which can be hired by the parents or some districts provide access to them for the parents) your brother should get what he needs. Good luck!

PS- he actually sounds a lot like my dd! She also has no real social issues, is extremely bright, doesn't seem to grasp the idea of potty learning, and can't seem to find her own voice to answer general and vague questions. She does not have very good expressive language and she does not show very much empathy, though, but I think she's growing into both a bit. I think they will both grow into wonderful, fullfilled, and incredibly productive adults

 

[waiting2bemommy]

I'm prefacing this by saying that I work in a special ed classroom, but i'm not a degreed teacher. And I've only worked in one classroom, so i could totally be talking out of my butt here.

but I wanted to reply because working where i work this whole inclusiong thing has become a topic near and dear to my heart.

YES, please fight this....my heart is breaking right now for one of my kids who could be mainstreamed at least half time, but no one is fighting it. he is actually a lot like your brother sounds....verbal, knows his letters/can read a little, reasonably social although without the "common sense" that most kids his age have with peers. i.e. he pushes to get to thefront of the line, lacks impuilse control, melts down easily during transitions. but academically he does NOT belong in our calssroom. i am an assistant and I take him and two other kindergarteners (one high functioning, the other about 80% nonverbal) to regular ed PE & music. It was my idea and i agreed to accept full responsibility for any behavior issues. I have had no trouble keeping up with the three of them and am now pushing for more inclusion time during the academic day. I have seen him make tremendous strides language wise as well as socially, and it is only December. If he had not had the exposure to his typical peers, I don't think it would have happened. i can't tell you how it warms my heart to see "my" kids being accepted and making friends in the regular ed classroom.

I would think (in my limited experience) that its very, very likely that if your brother goes into the level 3 classroom, he will not get the stimulation he needs. in a classroom like that, there are usually a lot of behaviors to deal with, and with a higher functioning kid it is easy to give them a book or a puzzle, or put them on the computer so you can work with the kid rolling on the floor, or overturning trashcans or whatever. he will be wasting his time and with a SN kid you really can't afford to do that. Please update with how things turn out.