Sharing a Special Education Success Story..(A Brag!)

[DaisyFace]

I just wanted to share a Special Education success story...especially for parents worried that by sending their child to "Special Education" they are somehow damaging them or interfering with their future opportunities:

My son had ADHD. He was held back in kindergarten and then struggling in first grade. Some of his issues included fine motor skills: he had trouble holding a pencil, cutting with scissors, buttoning. He had TONS of trouble with writing: his letter formation was terrible, he struggled just to get a few words on paper. And on top of that, he literally COULD. NOT. SIT. STILL. FOR. A. MOMENT!

Sure enough - I was told: he needed to be in Special Education.

I remember worrying that Special Education was going to hold him back forever - that he'd be one of the "dumb kids"...that he'd feel ostracized...different.

But it was obvious how much he was struggling. We designed an IEP - and he spent most of his elementary school years in the Special Education program...where they worked especially hard on his writing skills. He struggled to get assignments done every day. He HATED writing. Getting him to write basic sentences was like pulling teeth.

But his SpEd teacher was WONDERFUL. She worked really hard on helping him improve his skills. And he did.

He was mainstreamed just in time for Middle School.



Fast forward to today: DS starts 8th Grade next year. He wanted to know if it would be OK if he signed up to write for the school newspaper?



It's hard to believe this is the same kid! I couldn't be more proud!

Thank goodness for Special Education programs and dedicated SpEd teachers! He couldn't have done it without them...

 

[HaoZi]

Very inspiring, I also remember SpEd as being the "slow kids" and even having a kid that's SpEd but definitely NOT slow intellectually still hasn't killed that association in me.

 

[TeDo]

You have every reason to be proud. First, you overcame your fear/belief about Special Education to get your son the help he needed THEN he accomplishes something you'd never dreamed of. THAT is something to hold on to!!!

 

[soapbox]

DF - Your son sounds like he could be a poster-child for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) - developmental coordination disorder. Obviously, he did not receive the diagnosis... but the help he got would be exactly what a Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) diagnosis "should" provide - intensive, one-on-one assistance with learning key neuromotor skills, including... writing, scissors, etc.

I am super-impressed with that Special Education teacher for filling in the gaps and getting the right help at the right time - because, for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), the greatest successes come with early intervention. Wow!