Dear God

As I mentioned before we did not really get 100% assistence for JP in his inclusion Kindergarten classroom. I am getting more and more nervous about this as time passes. I already made a request of the principal to reconsider. She said that she agrees with my concerns and has already put in a request. But that request was denied. So I guess my next step is to approach the Special Education Coordinator. If you recall from my IEP post this is the only person in our meeting that I felt was not on our side.

So I drafted up a letter. Worst case scenario I have no doubt that we will get someone in there when we have our meeting 4 weeks after the start of school. But my concern is that this person they hire will not be the best candidate. They will be the only candidate that wasn't hired at the start of school. I don't want us to have to settle for a warm body. I want them to find someone who wants to work in my son's classroom. By waiting they set this up to be a bad fit.

Anyway, here is my letter. It got way to long but those of you who read my blogs know that I can drone on and on and on...

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**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS**

Dear (Special Education God),

First of all I would like to let you know that I felt that our IEP/Placement meeting went well. Everyone really seemed to be focused on JP’s needs and getting the right goals in place. It was a little bittersweet to have to say goodbye to our preschool teachers. They have been wonderful with JP! However, the pain has been lessened by the warm reception we have received from the staff at our elementary school. Everyone has been very welcoming to us and they all seem committed to making JP’s year at Kindergarten a success.

However, I am still uneasy about our level of supports in place for JP. Based on our discussion during the IEP, most of the support was to be applied at group times. This is definitely a critical time for JP. He must “learn how to learn” in that group setting. However, various events recently have made me worry about the other 12 hours of his week. I still completely agree that we should meet a few weeks into the school year to discuss if we have the right supports in place. These supports will always be a work in process because our goal is to fade them back as soon as possible. However, I don’t think 4 weeks into the school year will be a realistic point to start withdrawing. I believe Mrs. A and JP will need a paraprofessional in the classroom full time.

JP has made wonderful gains this past year in his preschool class. I did feel that it was a risky move putting him in a larger class without specific one on one support. However, having a classroom paraprofessional seemed to provide the right level of support to meet his needs. I fear that putting JP in a situation where he doesn't fully grasp what is expected of him and in an even larger class with even more sensory/social chaos might cause regressions. I also worry about him developing inappropriate coping behaviors that will make it difficult to keep him in the mainstream.

Thanks to his fine teachers this past year, JP is doing a fairly good job of staying with the group and not acting out. I worry that with some of his peers not having experience in a classroom there will be a bit of chaos those first few weeks. All it will take is one child to be hyperactive and running around the room, and JP will be drawn to that activity. I have seen this happen in our gymnastics class. However, we have found that with a subtle reminder from an adult, JP is able to stay put and focused. Mrs. A will have 20+ kids to tend to and will not be able to be a constant chaperone for JP. I really feel that we need to be proactive on keeping his behavior in check. It will be easier to shape his behaviors from the beginning than have to correct them after he experiences problems. As you know, autistic children can be very rigid. Although JP is doing much better in the aspect, I can’t state enough how important it is that we be proactive on this!

As excited as I have been with JP's growth and performance, I really don't feel that he is ready to navigate the Kindergarten environment alone. The following situation at Kindergarten Roundup illustrates my concern:

JP and another little boy were playing. As you know, most of the children think they are at roundup to make new friends. This other little boy asked JP if he wanted to be his “best friend”. According to Mrs. M, “you could see the wheels turning and JP knew he had to say something. But he didn’t know what. So he yelled “Boo!” When it didn’t get the reaction he expected, he said Boo again.”

Of course the other little boy was discouraged and moved on. JP would have lost a huge opportunity had Mrs. M and Mrs. T not witnessed the event. (Mrs. M and Mrs. T were only there for Kindergarten Roundup. The will not typically be in the classroom. Mrs. M was there specifically to shadow JP on this day of orientation!) Fortunately they were able to coordinate a second attempt between the children. They explained to the other little boy that JP was learning how to make friends too and that maybe they could try again. They brought the boys together and explained to JP that this boy liked cars also. JP said something like “Cool. Let’s play cars!” and they proceeded to build an elaborate road and played together like 5 year old boys should. JP played appropriately and it was a wonderful learning and social experience for both boys!

However, that learning opportunity would very likely have been lost if there hadn’t been the adult hovering near by to witness his “friendship faux pas”. We continue to struggle to understand the friend concept. JP was likely confused and unsure of how to respond to his peer. I have no idea where the idea to yell "Boo" came from but this was essentially a brand new experience for him. He did not know how to respond. He needed guidance. This is likely what will be typical for him in these foreign situations. He is making steady gains but his adaptability in social situations definitely needs more practice. If left on his own he will not know how to self correct. For now, he needs an adult to help him understand these situations.

In my opinion, this is exactly the type of situation that will make or break his future. Unfortunately/fortunately social skills in kindergarten build into social skills in adulthood. If left unchecked his social deficits will render him an outsider. These failures will directly impact his life, confidence and learning as a whole. The best thing JP has going for him is that he can be a quick learner. Thanks to the support the adults provided, the second approach between the two boys worked magically!

I truly believe that a successful Kindergarten year will allow us to fade back his supports in the future. He needs help learning how the elementary school structure works and guidance on how to interact with his peers. His use of language has come along wonderfully but he still doesn't fully understand the skills of communication. Once he understands the process he will gain confidence. However, JP does not learn these things on his own. I fear that putting him in the mainstream environment without scaffolding in place will likely cause him to take steps backward. He is already behind his peers. We can not afford to let him regress.

Intellectually JP belongs in the mainstream. Regular education is his least restrictive environment. Intellectually he can learn these other pieces of the puzzle. But we must help him understand. I know this little boy and firmly believe that he will adapt well and once he gains his footing there will be no stopping him. But we must set him up to succeed!

A few of the elementary staff members visited JP's preschool during his last week of school. I believe that they will agree with my assessment. I am sure his former preschool teachers would also be willing to provide their insights and concerns about his needed level of support. He has made huge strides this past year and I really believe that with the right structure around him he will continue to grow and catch up to his peers.

I know that the intentions were to have Mrs. L and her staff provide JP's supports during those first weeks until we could better evaluate the situation. However, I really think that we need to reconsider. The supports we have already agreed on will be there during group times, but as we saw at Roundup, JP's communication difficulties will be experienced during his entire day at school. I believe it will be imperative to have a second set of hands in the classroom in order to make this year successful for both Mrs. A and JP. I have no doubt that these supports will need to be firmly in place for longer than 4 weeks and want to urge you to consider acting on the staffing requirements now. It will be better for everyone involved to have the group assembled before that first day of Kindergarten.

I must say that I am excited by how helpful everyone has been. I know that we all want next year to be a success. I believe that with the right supports JP will continue to amaze us all and that down the road these supports will be unnecessary.

Sincerely,

MWAM