School Unit for the Emotionally Disturbed???

4timmy

New Member
Well, difficult child was suspended again today for telling a little girl he was going to kill her. He apparently told this same little girl that he was going to kill her last Friday in class too. This is the same girl he pushed against a wall the first time he was suspended. For whatever reason, he tries desparately (the wrong way, of course) to get these two particular little girls in his class to like him. Bottom line is, I think he has a crush on this little girl, but when she rejects him or makes fun of him, he reacts inappropriately. Also, I'm told that she does NOTHING to provoke him.... WHATEVER!!! Little girls can be mean. Especially in groups. So you can't tell me she hasn't said something to upset him. Her parents called the school to "complain" or to report one of the incidences because they are concerned for her safety. (urrrrg) difficult child has never hurt anyone!

Soooooooo, now the principal wants to meet next week to talk about removing difficult child from the school and sending him to another school where there is a unit that teaches the "ED" class (Emotionally Disturbed) !!!!!

Ok, is this even a politically correct name for this?? Oh, and the Special Education Director of the School District told me at the beginning of this year that they would assess him after the first 6-9 weeks of the year in order to know if they wanted to go this route and then never did. Now they want to pull him out in the MIDDLE of the school year!!!!???

I don't know. Maybe it's the best thing for him, but it just ticks me off that they are just now suggesting this.:sick:

Vent Vent Vent Vent:sad-very:
 

Janna

New Member
Here, they call it "Emotional Support" classrooms. It can be nicer - depending on the level of intelligence and knowledge of the teacher. Ours had one teacher, one aide, and a pretty small classroom, like 6 children. It was much more individualized, and my son did do pretty well, sometimes - but, in our case, we lacked the teacher with intelligence and knowledge part LOL, which kinda ruined it for us.

I don't think they call it an Emotionally Disturbed class. That would be, ehh, very offensive.

Kinda stinky they're moving him in the middle of the year, BUT, maybe it'll be a good thing? They should let you check out the room with him prior to you signing or agreeing to anything. See if you can go check it out!
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Hi there--

Unfortunately, I have seen the same scenario with my difficult child (daughter) trying to bully little boys into being her boyfriends. In her mind, they are in love--but her actions toward these boys (different kids over the years) have been very abusive. Teasing, threatening, name-calling, hitting, pinching, tripping, taking their belongings etc. etc.--and any attempts on the part of the boys to avoid difficult child or convince her to leave them alone only make it worse.

Eventually, the boys go to their parents or a teacher and then teachers and school counselors usually have to intervene to separate difficult child from the boy before she causes him any more harm.

She has worked with the school counselors on peer-to-peer relationships for many years.

Hang in there! You are not alone...

Best,

DaisyF
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry. I've pretty much been there done that decades ago and although I have always been a "strong woman"...I literally had to take 24 hours away from the children so I could cry away my fears and frustrations. "Back in the day" they had one elementary school where ALL special needs students were sent and there were no parental rights available to block their choice. There are protections in place now.

Reading your post I am not sure whether you are upset that the expected has finally turned into reality or whether you don't believe that he needs to be placed in a special environment. If your gut tells you this is right but it makes you sad....I'm sending understanding hugs your way. If you
don't believe that his behavior pattern indicates that he needs this type of placement then it is time to study the documentation.

Just for your own comfort, try to take time to look at your own records and experiences without anyone around to interupt your analysis. If you can look at patterns in black/white perhaps you will see that his poor choices are more frequent than they seemed to you. If you see that he has maintained acceptable behavior with some verbal exceptions, then you may want to get psyched up to question the suggestion of the school
placement. Big decisions like this can not be made arbitrarily. There are guidelines for the protection of all involved. I wish you well. DDD
 

jal

Member
My difficult child is in out of district placement for ED kids. He is 6 and in a classroom of 8. So far he is doing ok with-some minor blips on the radar. I love the team and the teachers there. I think it is the right place for him. He started off mainstream but couldn't handle all the commotion around him and would flip out. Now he has great days and not so great days but academically he has just begun to blossom. He tested high in Math and all of the sudden we have just seen an explosion in what he knows mathematically. He got a 100% in his first ever spelling test and just generally seems to be learning in the smaller environment. They also have group and individual therapy and they are now working on accessing him for Occupational Therapist (OT). It was the best choice for us. Also, we were provided with options and ultimately got to chose the program he went into. He is in a wing of a mainstream school were they work to mainstream them there so they can return to district. Good luck - it was a heart wrenching decision for us, but ultimately the right one.
 
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4timmy

New Member
Thanks for the comments. I guess I'm just a little frustrated that it didn't work out for him at this school. My heart just aches for him every time something like this happens. I'm also a little frustrated that we couldn't have started him out in the ED unit and then we wouldn't have wasted 1/2 the school year (better late than never I suppose). Oh, and yes, they DO call it Emotionally Disturbed. I checked. I wish they would call it Emotional Support... that sounds so much better.

I'm mentally wiped
 

wakeupcall

Well-Known Member
4timmy, my difficult child is now 13. IF ONLY...he'd been able to be in a class like that when he was in elementary it would have solved SO many problems. He was in the principal's office three times a week at least and his self-esteem didn't even exist. At the time I had no idea such a class was available. Now difficult child is in 7th grade, in the social development class of 6 students. He loves it!!! He makes very good grades; all A's and B's, and NEVER gets into trouble anymore. He would freak out if they actually forced him into mainstream, though I look for them to try it. He knows that he gets into trouble in the regular classroom. He's unable to focus long enough to "catch" whatever it is that the teacher is teaching. He is so hungry for "attention" he acts out in class.

My point of all this is, you might find out that your difficult child may love it, and you, too! Go visit, meet the teacher(s) and aide and see what you think. It's definitely worth a try!
 

eekysign

New Member
Thanks for the comments. I guess I'm just a little frustrated that it didn't work out for him at this school. My heart just aches for him every time something like this happens. I'm also a little frustrated that we couldn't have started him out in the ED unit and then we wouldn't have wasted 1/2 the school year (better late than never I suppose). Oh, and yes, they DO call it Emotionally Disturbed. I checked. I wish they would call it Emotional Support... that sounds so much better.

I'm mentally wiped

Just so you know you're not alone, many school districts I am familiar with also call it "ED". It may not be the most easy child term, but it's fairly accurate--whether someone agrees with child-"labeling" will determine whether they are OK with the name. Heh. So yeah, your sd isn't being particularly jerky, that's just the catch-all term. :tongue:
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
You can ask for them to call it "Other Health Impaired" for his record. That's the new thing here. When my son had the wrong diagnosis. of bipolar, we insisted he be called "other health impaired" because "emotionally disturbed" to us indicates that the parents are at fault. We got the OHI label. Now he is just Learning Disability (LD). I really dislike calling these kids emotionally disturbed. They are kids who are born with disorders and problems, but they aren't disturbed because of what was done to them usually. They are just wired differently. Good luck ;)
 

crazymama30

Active Member
Actually, other health impaired and emotionally disturbed are two different classifications with different requirements to meet the requirements. Or they are here in Oregon, could be different elsewhere. The ED label hoovers, I agree. I have my difficult child with both classifications so I can be sure he will carry his IEP to middle school.
 

eekysign

New Member
Actually, other health impaired and emotionally disturbed are two different classifications with different requirements to meet the requirements. Or they are here in Oregon, could be different elsewhere. The ED label hoovers, I agree. I have my difficult child with both classifications so I can be sure he will carry his IEP to middle school.

Same thing around here---two different classes. Never thought of it as a "blaming the parents" label. It's interesting how everyone gets different impressions from the system! :)
 
B

butterflydreams

Guest
In our school district there is actually a whole school - it has k-12. It is called an Achievement Center.

This is their mission statement: All students who have serious emotional disturbance will benefit from their education academically, socially and vocationally; by receiving direct instruction and community experience.

This is listed as the general climate: The Miley Achievement Center program is based on the fundamental belief that all people have the basic right to be treated with dignity and respect. They also have the right to benefit from an educational program that is most appropriate to meet their individual needs.

I am actually going to be checking into this school for my difficult child because I believe that he would benefit from it. I will be checking with the psychiatrist.
 
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