nvts
Active Member
I can't help it. Only you guys would understand. I have to pat myself on the back to people that "get it" and husband just doesn't get it.
Short background: NYC has several school districts. Our borough has 2. One is the general ed district and the other is Special Education. Now, the General Ed district has within the community schools "Special Education" which was primarily designed for kids with learning disabilities as well as needs for Occupational Therapist (OT)/PT, speech, etc. Since the major influx of kids on the autistic spectrum, anxiety issues, etc., they've managed to incorporate kids with developmental disabilities as well.
All of my kids were in the Special Education district which is for kids primarily with Conduct Disorders or are emotionally disturbed. Our Gen Ed school district was where they started out, but our local principal was brand new with 1 year of substituting before hitting the administrative trail. She is a miserable, manipulative witch who lies to get kids with special needs out of her school (even kids with minor Occupational Therapist (OT)/pt/speech issues). As soon as an IEP is drawn up, the kid becomes a target. But anyway, I digress.
As many of you know, both my boys have been physically and emotionally abused within the system since leaving 2nd grade. They wanted me to put difficult child 1 in the equivalent of a locked prison ward for intermediate school. ALL of his meltdowns have been directly related to the sense of physical danger. Since we have taken him off all medication, he's developed so much that it's almost creepy. He now sees the difference between frustration, anger, sadness and fear and is working hard to now utilize the tools that have been given him for years and years. Think about it: he couldn't differentiate the emotions, but was getting lectured about ways to deal with it. Scary huh?
Well, I spent from 8:30 yesterday morning untill 2:00 yesterday afternoon fighting with the Commitee on Special Education team during our IEP conference and got all 3 kids into the Spec. Ed side of the Gen. Ed district. difficult child 1 is going into a 12:1:1 with a para with Occupational Therapist (OT)/counseling and adaptive learning programs because of his read/write disorders that the Spec. Ed district refused to acknowledge.
difficult child 2 is going into a 12:1:1 in a community based school with Occupational Therapist (OT)/speech/counseling and a 1:1 para. We're trying to get him into his old asperger's program (he was too behavioral in Kindergarten).
difficult child 3 is going into a 12:1 in a community based school but will be taking reading in a Gen Ed or CTT class with the hopes of eventual mainstreaming. She'll have a 1:1 para to help her with any type of anxiety issues, counseling and Occupational Therapist (OT) for the sensory issues.
All 3 will still be bussed, but it should be shorter trips with non-behavioral children.
difficult child 1 is so proud - he says for the first time he feels like a success because I was able to fight for him because he straightened up his act. Then he drove me nuts until 11:00 pm in a panic - what if I screw up, what if no one likes me, what if, what if, what if? I finally got him to leave me alone and go to bed by saying "Listen, you'd be asking the same questions even if you stayed in Spec. ed except you'd have to add the question "what if someone beats the tar out of me". Let's quit while we're ahead ok?!!" He looked me straight in the face and said "That makes sense - I'm going to bed now." Turned on his heel and walked away.
Yippee for us!
Beth
Short background: NYC has several school districts. Our borough has 2. One is the general ed district and the other is Special Education. Now, the General Ed district has within the community schools "Special Education" which was primarily designed for kids with learning disabilities as well as needs for Occupational Therapist (OT)/PT, speech, etc. Since the major influx of kids on the autistic spectrum, anxiety issues, etc., they've managed to incorporate kids with developmental disabilities as well.
All of my kids were in the Special Education district which is for kids primarily with Conduct Disorders or are emotionally disturbed. Our Gen Ed school district was where they started out, but our local principal was brand new with 1 year of substituting before hitting the administrative trail. She is a miserable, manipulative witch who lies to get kids with special needs out of her school (even kids with minor Occupational Therapist (OT)/pt/speech issues). As soon as an IEP is drawn up, the kid becomes a target. But anyway, I digress.
As many of you know, both my boys have been physically and emotionally abused within the system since leaving 2nd grade. They wanted me to put difficult child 1 in the equivalent of a locked prison ward for intermediate school. ALL of his meltdowns have been directly related to the sense of physical danger. Since we have taken him off all medication, he's developed so much that it's almost creepy. He now sees the difference between frustration, anger, sadness and fear and is working hard to now utilize the tools that have been given him for years and years. Think about it: he couldn't differentiate the emotions, but was getting lectured about ways to deal with it. Scary huh?
Well, I spent from 8:30 yesterday morning untill 2:00 yesterday afternoon fighting with the Commitee on Special Education team during our IEP conference and got all 3 kids into the Spec. Ed side of the Gen. Ed district. difficult child 1 is going into a 12:1:1 with a para with Occupational Therapist (OT)/counseling and adaptive learning programs because of his read/write disorders that the Spec. Ed district refused to acknowledge.
difficult child 2 is going into a 12:1:1 in a community based school with Occupational Therapist (OT)/speech/counseling and a 1:1 para. We're trying to get him into his old asperger's program (he was too behavioral in Kindergarten).
difficult child 3 is going into a 12:1 in a community based school but will be taking reading in a Gen Ed or CTT class with the hopes of eventual mainstreaming. She'll have a 1:1 para to help her with any type of anxiety issues, counseling and Occupational Therapist (OT) for the sensory issues.
All 3 will still be bussed, but it should be shorter trips with non-behavioral children.
difficult child 1 is so proud - he says for the first time he feels like a success because I was able to fight for him because he straightened up his act. Then he drove me nuts until 11:00 pm in a panic - what if I screw up, what if no one likes me, what if, what if, what if? I finally got him to leave me alone and go to bed by saying "Listen, you'd be asking the same questions even if you stayed in Spec. ed except you'd have to add the question "what if someone beats the tar out of me". Let's quit while we're ahead ok?!!" He looked me straight in the face and said "That makes sense - I'm going to bed now." Turned on his heel and walked away.
Yippee for us!
Beth
