New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

Please do not quote...

My child has been recommended to be in a special kindergarten class (of only a handful of children or so) in the coming fall.

I'm very sad over all of this and I didn't expect them to recommend this. I thought maybe he would go into mainstream K but receive some extra help. This is due to speech delays and learning issues/barriers that haven't improved since the fall.

I trust the teachers and the school but something deep down is making me doubt this recc. I have to sleep on it a few days, I suppose. In so many ways, I feel we could just be so aggressive with him thrrough the summer (he will be receiving speech and an educational sevice, too in the summer) and get him where he needs to be for the fall, but they feel he's so behind already. :(

So...talk to me. Did anyone feel this way? what did you end up doing? do you have any regrets - whether it was following through or changing the course?

I am so saddened by this, even though I know it's not the end of the world. I know I should do what is best for him, but I still have some nagging feeling and I'm not sure why. Wondering if that's normal?

thank you.

Message edited 4/7/2016 9:37:25 PM.

Re: New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

I have not been in this position yet but I just wanted to offer hugs I totally understand your disappointment, I would probably feel the same way. At the same time, if he needs the extra help and they are offering it I would take it. It might be the best thing for him and if he progresses enough this year maybe he won't need to be in a special class for 1st grade. I hope you get some advice from other BTDT parents on here to help you make your decision. No matter what, you want what's best for him and everything will be ok!

Re: New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

Sending you lot of hugs. I know exactly how you feel. My kids did go to special pre-school after we tried a typical nursery and they were too much for the nursery to handle. I cried for weeks. They improved so much with therapists and teachers that were trained to help them.

We are now looking into kindergarten. DH and I really thought ok they needed a little help (and I personally feel a lot is maturity) and they would be ok. One of my twins is being recommended for a special class and the other for an integrated. It is so hard. No one wants to here there is anything wrong with their baby or their child has to struggle. I wish they would be fine and I could have the difficulty. Ugh.

That being said DH and I discussed it at length and like you we agree their teachers know what's best for the recommendation and are really looking for their best interest. Also, just because he is in a special class now for K doesn't mean he always will be. The psychologist told me they move kids all the time. The goal with my son will be to move him to integrated in 1st or 2nd and maybe general Ed by 3rd. It's all so far away and who knows what will happen by then by I'm glad at least it's on their radar.

You are not alone in your feelings. It is very hard to accept in the beginning but your son will get the help and support he needs and at the end of the day I tell myself that is all that really matters.

Re: New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

I am going to give you my .02 as someone with a child a little older and whose head was totally in the sand.

My son is dyslexic. He wasn't officially diagnosed until the third grade, however, we had the inclination at the end of second that it was the case. The school and I worked together and he was put in a 12:1 class, for the first time, in third grade.

I am going to say he has come leaps and bounds this year, next year he will be in inclusion. And I attribute this to his wonderful teacher and the fact that we finally got him the help that he needed.

If I were you, I would do it in K, my son suffered a lot in school, it definitely got worse each year. He was pulled out for speech and got OT for his handwriting. He has a wonderful personality (if I do say so myself, lol) so that got him by, but he struggled. If I could have known that struggle could have been avoided, I would have.

Feel free to FM me if you'd like to talk

New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

We are in a similar situation and I will tell you I felt the exact same way! If you would have asked me last September I would have said there is no way my son is going into special class in K. But... fast forward a few months after listening to what his teachers had to say, hearing details about the program and realizing what his needs were, we decided 12:1 is best for K this Sept. I'm not sure if every district does it this way, but he will be in this 12:1 and also mainstreamed in all the specials (art, music, gym, lunch etc). As time goes by the goal is to mainstream into other classes math, English etc.. I like the fact that if he is having a hard time in the gen ed class he has a home base to go back to - his other classroom - if he needs to calm down or take a break. Even at lunch there will be a teacher or aide with him to see how he is doing socially. He will just be getting more help all around for his issues - they will also still be writing in a notebook! You know how we love the notebook! I just think it will be difficult for my son to start off in a gen ed class (even with a shared aide) or an inclusion class (I understand in some districts there is a special ed teacher in there for only 60 to 120 minutes a day). This way my son will still be getting help that he needs now, learning strategies to help him going forward, and also spend time in gen ed classes with typical kids - best of both worlds. Also, I was concerned that if we tried a gen ed or inclusion class first and he was really struggling – it could take some time to place him again during the year, especially if the 12:1 class was already at capacity. We did ask what the functioning levels are of the other kids, so my son was with kids on the same level, but also higher functioning role models. The one thing I do not like is that this class is not in his home school, so he will be attending another school in our district. If he goes to gen ed class in 1st grade he will change schools to his home school or have the option of remaining at that school till he graduates if that is what we want to do. We are taking it one year at a time which is hard to do!

New here - looking for advice, BTDT...anything..

Thank you all so much for your responses. I think I feel a little bit better about it. I figure let's see how it goes, work aggressively with him over the summer and during next year and maybe this will all help him.