SPD = Sensory Processing Disorder ~ The Chronicles of Ellie Bellie Bear

Sensory Processing Disorder ~ The Chronicles of Ellie Bellie Bear

So What Exactly Is SPD? 

If you happen to be like me, Sensory Processing Disorder [SPD] is a new experience and a bit confusing.  Okay, it is really confusing.  As you start to read all of the checklists and behaviors that might be associated with said disorder, you start to think “hey, I have that.” or “OMG, my child has that for sure!”.  The fact of the matter is that everyone has some of the behaviors on the checklists and that is absolutely typical.  It is true.  What makes it a disorder is that it affects one’s ability to complete tasks, learn, and / or communicate.  The sensory issues are so severe that they impact daily activities of living [ADL].

History:
While SPD may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, it was studied by Dr. Anna Jean Ayred, PhD, OTR since the 1960s where she coined the term “sensory integration dysfunction”.Ever hear of the book “The Out-Of-Sync Child” by Carol Stock Kranowitz from 1995?  This author touches on SPD and that was in the mid-1990’s. Since then, starting around 2007, Sensory Processing Disorder and Sensory Integration Disorder have become more widely studied.   HOWEVER, there is no actual ICD-9 medical code for SPD. . . YET.  An ICD-9 is a diagnostic code used by medical providers, OTs, etc.  For example, Down Syndrome has a ICD-9 code of 758.0 Without an ICD-9 code, billing to insurance and obtaining therapies is rather difficult.  

How is it that a disorder that has been around for over 50 years does not even have its own diagnostic code?  How is it that there is no definitive diagnostic tool for SPD?

http://ellietheurer.blogspot.com/p/sensory-processing-disorder.html

The Chronicles of Ellie Bellie Bear continues because I want the world to see what I see just how wonderful and utterly perfect my daughter is, designer genes and all.  That our little Bear-Bear has more determination and motivation than most adults I know and that she is surpassing all of our expectations.  That, yes, there are challenges and yes, sometimes thing are hard, but Ellie is our beautiful, sassy daughter who completes our family.

*A note from DS Advocate Blog writer, Nancy Linley-Harris: I like to share fellow bloggers stories that help educate society to a better understanding of 'our world' of raising a wonderfully unique person with Down syndrome. If you are interested in having one of your stories featured and shared on one of my blogs please send me a link to your story. 
HaPpY Blogging!! 
Nancy ~ DS Advocate

8 Teachers from Broward & Palm Beach Disciplined ~ For doing some Crazy Crap!

BACKGROUND CHECKS & PROPER TRAINING EVERY YEAR for ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES! ~ MANDATED!

By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel

7:09 p.m. EST, November 12, 2013

"The state has disciplined eight area teachers and former teachers for incidents that allegedly happened both inside and outside their classrooms." 

Click link below for full article from the Sun-Sentinel. 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-teacher-discipline-state-20131112,0,1967364.story

This is some crazy crap a couple of teachers are 'getting caught at' doing off and on-the-job! What the heck is wrong with some of these people? Are you kidding me?? 

Most of them will continue to do what they do...they get a slap on the wrist for unprofessional behavior and no work ethics! Get rid of them for good if they have proven themselves uncaring and without morals in the treatment of the students and people they are assigned to work with. 

These slaps on the wrist are becoming more common and in the news all too often....especially stories pertaining to abuse of some sort towards students with special learning needs. 

Camera's in ALL CLASSROOMS is maybe something that should be put on the table for discussion. Setting up cameras as a monitoring tool used as SPOT CHECKS of any classroom every now and again or anywhere within the school and work place.  This will help to ensure and document that things are running smoothly on any given day. Cameras could be set up overnight if there is ever a concern for what is taking place within any given area of the school campus. Portable cameras that move around the campus if there is such resistance to having permanent cameras placed and running everyday in certain classrooms. If everyone is doing their job professionally, there should be no worries about what gets captured and recorded on any given day. 

Absolutely camera's are needed in ESE and Special Education Classrooms all day every day! There have been way too many abuse stories going on with our students receiving Special Education and seems the stories are increasing.

If you are concerned for our - YOUR Children at school and your Child maybe more vulnerable to being taken advantage of because of being a student in Special Education, please join the Cameras In Special Needs Classrooms Facebook group that has almost 14,000 members! https://www.facebook.com/CamerasInSpecialNeedsClassrooms

Mommie Prayer

Oh Dear Lord please forgive us involved & concerned Mommies for our having the thoughts we have towards those that PreJudge our Children's ABILITIES ....especially towards those in high positions! Forgive me Lord for I have sinned in thought. I pray a hedge of protection & grace around my Mommie friends raising & helping our beautiful children be successful and all they are meant to be. 
AMEN

by Nancy Linley-Harris
Special Ed Parent & Child Advocate
August 23, 2012

AMENDING an ANNUAL IEP without holding an IEP

When the IEP Team Meets ~ click to read great www.NICHCY.ORG resource about IEP meetings.


Great info on AMENDING an Annual IEP 

New Provisions in IDEA 2004: Amending the IEP Without Meeting

(4) Agreement. (i) In making changes to a child’s IEP after the annual IEP Team meeting for a school year, the parent of a child with a disability and the public agency may agree not to convene an IEP Team meeting for the purposes of making those changes, and instead may develop a written document to amend or modify the child’s current IEP.

(ii) If changes are made to the child’s IEP in accordance with paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this section, the public agency must ensure that the child’s IEP Team is informed of those changes.

(5) Consolidation of IEP Team meetings. To the extent possible, the public agency must encourage the consolidation of reevaluation meetings for the child and other IEP Team meetings for the child.

(6) Amendments. Changes to the IEP may be made either by the entire IEP Team at an IEP Team meeting, or as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, by amending the IEP rather than by redrafting the entire IEP. Upon request, a parent must be provided with a revised copy of the IEP with the amendments incorporated. [§300.324(a)(4)-(6)]

http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/meetings#nomeeting 
*Click above link to read entire article and reference resource.

How Many Days After Signing the IEP Can It Be Revised?

How Many Days After Signing the IEP Can It Be Revised? 
Broward has made it so there is no need for parent signatures to the IEP. Yes we sign a form agreeing to attend an upcoming IEP, but we do not sign the IEP document when it is finished. The Parent Participation Form aka PPF is the only thing we sign in Broward. We sign it and agree to attend only. Amending the IEP / Revising the IEP after an IEP meeting? Let's see how that works here in Broward.
Wrightslaw.com has all the answers and lots of great suggestions, but to get a stubborn school district ESE Department to do the right thing here is next to impossible. 


http://jezebel.com/5928471/10+month+old-girl-with-down-syndrome-will-be-the-face-of-designers-swimwear-ads Click link for complete article.

Parenting Special Needs Magazine ~ Pete & Pam Wright = WRIGHTSLAW

Great Magazine with lots of information for all of us!
Read this BIO on Pete & Pam Wright aka WRIGHTSLAW
click on the highlighted link below here:
Bios | Parenting Special Needs Magazine

~ IEP TidBit ~ GET IT IN WRITING !!!!

Thanks to Steve Moyer for this helpful "IEP TIDBIT" 

Original by Steve Moyer:

"Any time something is denied you in an IEP meeting, have the district memorialize what you asked for. Have them make it clear that they refused it and have them state the reason why they refused. Make them be very specific." 

"Get it in writing!!"

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tou6wjf3necOvo0qNKMtLwytN0flkO-FhbPrdWYjKjM/edit?pli=1

modelform2_Prior_Written_Notice.pdf 

Google Docs

docs.google.com

....and I am going to suggest you make copies of this form and take  this document  to your meetings to have 'on hand'.

Share this folks ~ with your friends that are part of IEP meetings and the 'whole IEP process'. 

DS Advocate

www.dsadvocate.com

CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS by ESE Parents & Advocates

Dear ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates of Broward Public Schools,

When ESE Parents and/or an ESE Parent Advocate request an observation of an ESE Student in their classroom settings in preparation of upcoming IEP ~ FBA ~ PBIP ~ TIEP meetings, this is the BTU Article Five that ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates are quoted. 

I have highlighted what pertains to us as ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates.

Please read the BTU contract Articles I have included pertaining to OBSERVATIONS.

As good ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates we all need to become keenly aware of all sorts of policies & rules, even the BTU ~ Broward Teachers Union Policies. Here is the direct link to all the Broward Teachers Union Policies. 

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/teach_tableof.htm

ARTICLE FIVE

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/BTU_PDFs_for_Website/ARTICLE5_BTU.pdf

O. Interruptions to Teaching:   

Unauthorized personnel shall not be allowed to interrupt or otherwise disturb an employee during the performance of his/her professional responsibilities.  

Observations of an employee's class by persons other than school system personnel shall be allowed only after consent has been granted by the principal or his/her designee, notification to the employee, and proper security clearance has been granted.  The visitation shall be scheduled no sooner than two (2) workdays after notification, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the affected principal. Such observations shall be no longer than one (1) hour in length.  Upon request, a building administrator shall be present in the employee’s classroom during the entire observation period. 

District personnel visiting an employee’s class during a formal and preplanned visit for purposes of observing either the employee or students in the employee’s classroom shall do so only after the employee has been notified by the principal.  Each visit shall require the observer to provide feedback to the employee within a reasonable period of time.

Employees should be able to perform their professional responsibilities free from unnecessary interruptions or disturbances.  To the extent possible, maintenance, custodial and construction work will be done at a time or in a manner which will not result in interruptions or disturbances of the employee's professional responsibilities. The same shall apply to the use of intercommunication systems.

Inclusion of students with disabilities in gen ed classrooms.

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/BTU_PDFs_for_Website/ARTICLE35_BTU.pdf

ARTICLE THIRTY-FIVE

INCLUSION

A. Training Plan:  

When the affected school's IEP Committee recommends placement in a regular education classroom for a student with a severe disability who is already attending a Broward County school, a training plan shall be developed by the receiving school, with the input of the sending school staff and the receiving teachers, prior to the student attending the regular classroom.  Health and Safety training components of the plan will be completed prior to the student's placement.

B. New Student to District:    

When a student with a severe disability with an IEP that includes placement in a regular class transfers to Broward County from another county or state, a training plan shall be developed by the receiving school, with the input of the receiving teachers, no later than ten (10) days after the first day of the student's attendance in a district school.  Health and Safety training components of the plan will be completed prior to the student's placement.

C. Students Placed With Volunteer Teachers:

Recognizing that special needs students who are placed into the regular school program are more likely to be successful when the teacher receiving the student has volunteered for the assignment,the district shall seek teacher volunteers for the Inclusion program.

The Closed Door Policy 1.1

I have a story I want to write....a story that many will be able to relate to. It's about being a mom...or a dad of child that has unique learning challenges and requires special education while at school. Our Public Schools today have lots of students with Special Needs ~ with the increase in students with Autism and many other learning and developmental disabilities and students with Down syndrome attending our local neighborhood schools, our Public School System is not like it was just 20 years ago. 


Today if you are a parent with a son or daughter with a disability you pretty much need to go to as many parent trainings, disability support groups, disability specific conferences and national conventions just to learn how to navigate special ed services and the IEP process and basically how to help ensure your son or daughter receives a quality education via the Public School System, and that's no matter where you live!


I became an Advocate first for my own daughter and son and eventually started helping other parents learn how to be a good Advocate for their children. It has been a learning experience to say the least!


One of the things that is starting to really bug me is all this talk about Parent Involvement, especially here in Broward County. Parent Engagement is the new saying, as I have recently been hearing, I like that better. I am an involved parent in both of my children's education! I was an involved parent before I officially became a 'parent' even! My future husband, while I was dating him...I was involved in his 7 year old son's education. I eventually had him tested for possibly being gifted. I attended several of his school events before I officially was his stepmom. Education is important to me and helping children do well in school is very important to me as well!


Today, I am a proud parent to a beautiful & talented 13 year old daughter with Down syndrome and a keenly creative 16 year old son with ADHD. Both require me to always be on top of things when it comes to both of their school grades, assignments, homework and all things! To say the least, I am an involved parent ~ I have to be!


I really became a Special Ed Advocate when my daughter was born 13 years ago. As a parent to a little one with Down syndrome I learned very quickly that I needed to fight for each and every therapy service she needed. She received a great many therapies and services back then, I was a TIGER MOMMA back then as I still am today. I knew I needed to make sure my daughter had her OT, PT and Speech Therapies if I wanted her to be all she could be in the years to come! So I learned quick that it was going to take a lot of my time and dedication to my daughter to help her be her best. I was always making all sorts of phone calls to secure therapy & doctor appointments. I had to drive her to all her many different appointments daily or some came to our home when she was real little. Of course I'm devoted to her well being today as much as I was when I started on my wonderful trip to Holland. It has become my full time 'career'...to help her and others. It is my passion, to help teach parents to become confident advocates for their children. I love what I do!


My son is in the 10th grade and taking High school all in stride, his grades are still consistently inconsistent, but over all he is an amazing talented and creative soul. My daughter will be going into Middle school next year! I am so not ready for a whole new group of teachers, staff, principals and administrators that don't know my daughter at all and will give me a hard time for what I know to be the best educational classrooms settings for my girl! She has only been educated in the regular general education classrooms. This year for the first time she is now receiving an hour of Special Ed services in an ESE classrom. This is for some extra reading help using the Special Ed Wilson program, with an awesome ESE Teacher! This is the only ESE special ed class she has ever attended other than her daily 1/2 hour Speech and Language school based sessions. She is doing well included in General Education aka regular classes....as long as we have teachers & staff that fully support her.....and me too..... things can get sticky & tricky sometimes, especially if the lines of communication are not fluid. There has to be a line of open honest communication with at least ONE staff person, one that can be the 'go to person'...hopefully it's your child's teacher. My daughter has a Gifted endorsed Science teacher as her homeroom & science teacher this year and he was also her teacher last year as well. He is the role-model gen.ed teacher for others to follow in the way that he communicates with all his families on a daily basis. He sends me an email update on what my daughter did in school that day and what pages classroom lessons were on. He is teacher of the year at my daughter's school ~ with good reason! His door is always open for honest parent involvement/engagement and academic collaboration with his student's parents...and special ed parent absolutely benefit from that the most! I started a blog in his honor, because I have been so impressed with his over-the-top way of how he has provided my daughter a full inclusive classroom experience both last year and this school year. 
Please take a peek at my other blog in honor of Mr. Jeffery Allagood Mariah's 5th grade teacher: 
Down syndrome Inclusive Education www.downsyndromeinclusiveeducation.blogspot.com 


Today I want to talk about my friends. My other Special Ed / ESE Parents that are also involved and care very much about their child's education. My friends are involved and caring parents. They may ask more questions because they have a real concern about things happening at school, yet for the most part they seem to get the run around. These same parents ask to volunteer for things and are told those positions are filled. They ask to observe their child's classroom and it takes forever to set up a simple classroom observation or are asked to come into the Principals office for a little talkie-talk. Instead many ESE parents are ambushed with staff members & the principal and then told their child will have be taken out of their teachers classroom and have to go into a different classroom, starting the next day!! This particular parent just wanted to have an opportunity to observe what was going on during her son's math lessons where some behaviors were noted in written notes home to the parent. This mom just asked for a classroom observation, but instead was told her son needed to be pulled out from that classroom and wouldn't even be in that classroom again! ....Really?


Over the years many of us ESE parents have been called to come pick up our child. "Your child has a runny nose" or the best one, the most common one is, "your child has diarrhea". Like good parents, we run to the school to pick up our 'sick child'....only to find out they don't have diarrhea at all!! It seems maybe our child went to the bathroom (poo-poo) three times that day. There must be an unwritten POOP POLICY out there in our school districts that says; if a child poops 3 times while in school, they need to be sent home! Especially if that child has Down syndrome and still needs adult supervision or assistance in toileting for hygiene and wiping themselves! *This is happening way too much in our schools that maybe our top district administrators and school board members or even the superintendent is not aware of. 


I'm asking....
IS there a POOP POLICY Broward Public Schools has in place? That if a child poops 3 times, the child needs to be sent home?? ESE parents are called and told their child has diarrhea and it's all down their leg, you have to come pick up your child! Only to get there and the pants are not 'soiled'.....all down their leg!! I am not making this up! 


The runny nose one is also a very common one too. The other day a close friend of mine, was called and her daughter was not sick, just her daughter did need to have her nose wiped and blown. Mom had used Saline Solution to clear out her daughters nasal passages, and her nose was draining because of the Saline Solution. (...this is a common thing parents of children with DS do daily at times.) Mom said she was not sick, she just needed her blow her nose and have it wiped and sent back to the classroom. Her daughter did not have a fever and was not sick in anyway. This little girl never had her nose wiped at school that day and was sent home with dried caked on crusted mucus all over her cute little face! The bus aide/helper was amazed at how badly her face looked with all that dried gunk all over her. The school retaliated by not wiping her nose at all while she was in school. The little girl was not sick, she just needed her nose blown & wiped and directed to wash her hands and face or directed to blow her nose even. This is a little girl with Down syndrome and blowing her nose is something that all of us mom's do everyday... several times a day. Children with Down syndrome have low muscle tone and blowing their nose is a learned 'skill' that they need help with and they need to be taught. Our kiddo's need to be told each step of the way to 'blow hard', go wash your hands. With two aids and a certified teacher in this little girls classroom, not 1 of 3 adults would or could wipe her nose? ....Really? Needless to say this ESE mom was not happy how the school retaliated and did not provide just a simple support of wiping her little girls nose that day and instead, neglected her basic needs. ESE parents would never get away with sending our children TO school with a filthy nose or face, we would be reported, but the school gets away with this treatment of our littlest angels?


ESE Parents are wanting to volunteer at the schools to do anything and are being told there is nothing to do, they don't need help. ....Really?  ESE Parents are wanting to get involved in SAF (School Advisory Forum) and are told that "that" position has already been filled, "you can attend and participate in the PTA or the PTO." ....Really?  ESE Parents request permission to go on class field-trips or as chaperones and are told either we already have our parent volunteers or "no parents are allowed, only staff will be chaperones on the class field-trip."...Really?  Some ESE parents want to be the Room Parent, again, "oh sorry...another parent has already gotten that position." ....Really? In my over 11 years at the same elementary school for both of my children, I have never been a room parent. Who are the room parents even? Do schools have room parents anymore?


ESE Parents are met with a CLOSED DOOR and are not talked to like the 'typical parents' that doesn't have a  child with a disability. Parents of ESE children know this for a fact. Staff and teachers either are instructed to not talk to us, or if they do, to refer us to an ESE Staff person or "you'll have to speak to Mr. Principal about that." ....Really? Teachers and staff can't have a conversation with ESE parents anymore?If ESE parents want to know how their child is doing in the classroom and that child has a 1:1 aide, or there is a classroom assistant in their child's class, those aides seem to not 'see us' and certainly will not talk to us. For the most part, it seems our aides & the teachers pretend they are just so busy in their jobs that they can't even look our way when we are on the campus. ....Really?  


Over the years I have had wonderful aides for my daughter, that respected and gave me their time. Not all ESE Students are even allowed to have 1:1 aides today, being told there is no funding. That is a whole conversation in itself! More of our children are being put into classrooms with several other students that would benefit by having a 1:1 aide but our schools instead will put several students into one classroom and share the aide between several students. That's alot to ask of one teacher and alot on 1 aide, now they are called a teachers assistant. The amount of the MATRIX funds generated from just a few students could actually pay for a few teacher assistants to fully support our children in their classrooms! Your child's Matrix numbers and Matrix funding and how it is actually spent is another topic of future discussion!


ESE Parents ARE INVOLVED Parents! They have to be, their child depends on them to be! Taking their child to endless hours of weekly therapies for years and years makes for a concerned involved parent. 


What is going on at our children's schools that more and more ESE Parents are being met with this unspoken rule that they are not to be talked to with a natural honesty and respect? Why are Principals now becoming more the Headmaster that has the final say so on all things to do with our ESE Parents concerns and issues relating to their child in their classrooms?


Where did this unspoken CLOSED DOOR POLICY SOCIETY come from? Why is it happening more and more that our ESE Parents HAVE NO VOICE and ARE NOT BEING HEARD? Is it a bigger problem here in Broward school District? Is is happening throughout our entire State and Nation? ESE Parents are being shut out and held back from being part of the school society. ESE parents are not being allowed to be that involved parent at all grade levels. I was sent an email the other day from a Middle school administrator that I am actually considering for my daughter to attend. This administrator wrote to me and said, "Middle school isn't like Elementary school, things are alot different in Middle school." ....her point is? Parents ~ ALL parents need and should be encouraged to become MORE involved at the Middle school level than ever before! I know I plan on it!


Being a Special Ed Advocate I have clocked my kazillion unclockable hours listening on the phone over the years, all the absolute pure nonsense way too many ESE Parents are being put through today and throughout the entire school year! ESE Parents are good parents, they want to be involved in their child's education and show their child and their school support by being a classroom mom or by volunteering on the yearbook committee or by being a chaperone on the field-trips. 


ESE Parents are being discriminated against on many levels sometimes starting with them just wanting to know how things are or what is going on or not going on or happening at the school pertaining to their child. ESE Parents are a valuable group of good parents that care, that really care not only for their own child, but for their child's classmates. These parents are devoted!


ESE Parents are met with a CLOSED DOOR in their faces more times than not and it needs to stop! ESE Parents are not the enemy, they are and can be a great resource to many, they can be a great help to their child's teachers! If principals and staff would just stop all this nonsense of shutting the ESE Parents out and start working with them from the start! Getting off on a good foot at the beginning of a new school year is important to all parents, especially to those ESE Parents! 


The CLOSED DOOR POLICY that is practiced throughout the land today and I am talking in particular in Broward County Public Schools. I know this is happening everywhere. This attitude needs to stop and be replaced with something different! Positive parent participation with real communication and a positive partnership of collaboration ~ the child is the focus and the reason, we need not forget this!


ESE Parents can help train teachers and staff. Many times the lowest paid staff person, the 1:1 aide that usually works closest with our unique children, the para professional aide or the classroom aide or teachers aides as they are now called, these employees would benefit by having a closer positive working relationship with the ESE Parents. Parents know their child the best, what a great resource! It seems they are not allowed to talk, communicate or write to the child's parents, if they do..it's the most minimal. Most good parents would never leave their children in the care of babysitters or respite workers that they aren't able to talk with...would they? Why are ESE Parents at schools treated like staff are not suppose to talk to them? This is all too common and it's a shame!  


The door is closed at just about every turn we go as ESE Parents wanting to be involved with our child's education. The CLOSED DOOR POLICY needs to stop! 


If you are an ESE Parent, please take a moment and comment on this post. Let's hear your personal story. Tell me if your school has open arms for your parent involvement. I know some schools are absolutely doing a fantastic job of making sure all parents are treated with fairness and I know there are many schools out there that are not allowing ESE Parents the same opportunities to volunteer on campus and especially in their own child's classroom as a room parent or the room mom. If you are an ESE Parent and are the room mom...write to me! Tell me the positive, let's hear from you in the comment section below this posting. If you have experienced the CLOSED DOOR POLICY and you can relate to much of what I am posting...let's hear from you too. Post a comment, society needs to know how it really is out there trying to be an Involved ESE Parent at your child's school.


Our schools are like a little society, if the attitude is warm and welcoming for all and yes that includes allowing ESE Parents some wiggle room to volunteer and ask questions, then it creates a positive happy society. If some parents are being treated unfairly, and not allowed to be involved, it creates anger, dissatisfaction and an unhappy society! Schools need to do a better job of being accepting of ALL parent volunteers, especially by allowing ESE Parents the opportunity to Volunteer period!


The CLOSED DOOR POLICY that seems to be a secret society that only fellow ESE Parents know to be true. Time for a change of attitude across the board! Let your local School Board Members know that, Yes this IS happening to you and you want to see it change too! Do your part and help make positive changes within your school, within your school district and State. Be a change-maker and be proud to stand up for what you believe and you know needs to change!


Parents are the child's first teachers, they know every little thing about their child. Parents will always be the best advocates for their child! 

Is she getting a good education today?

Just when you think you have the kinks out of all the school issues and things are running smoothly, something tugs inside of you to keep doing what we do and that is to continue to STAY ON TOP OF EVERY LITTLE THING that is or is not happeing at school with your Child, in my case with Mariah. When it comes to making sure our Children are being taught....really taught how to READ, WRITE & DO MATH, we have to continue to keep the lines of communication wide open regularly!

 With the long Christmas Break finally over and the New Year finally here...the first week of January is my time to send out a few emails to both Mark & Mariah's teachers and ask a few questions and make request for some help in a few of my areas of concern. I believe if parents get too comfortable with NOT being in contact with our Children's teachers and they don't have regular parent/teacher conferences or some kind of contact either small phone chats or emailing them it is easy for our Children to not be provided the support they need to help them learn.



I started my emailing the first day they were back in school and WOW what a whirl-wind of positive things start happening! When I inquire about certain things and they get back to me, it helps me know where I need to keep ON TOP OF THINGS better.



Parents if you haven't had a parent teacher conference in awhile or yet this year...absolutely it is time set one up and get reconnected to all the different teachers and have some discussions.



Emailing is my 'mode of communication' that I prefer to use when wanting to touch base and ask some questions on how things are going. I'm sure there are some teachers that dread any email coming from me or some parents, but to be honest..emailing teachers is the surest way to get the ball rolling with some good conversation about YOUR Child and how things are really going at school.



I encourage each of you to make contact with your Children's teachers & ESE Support people right about now, the first weeks of the New Year. Spring Break is just around the corner and in Florida we have the Standardized test called the FCAT. When its just before FCAT, that is ALL that is going on at school...preparing everyone how to do well on it! The end of another school year will be here before we know it. Make it a priority to keep good communication happening all the time with their teachers. Sending out an email once in awhile to get updates on some things is a good thing.



Set up a PLANNING MEETING with your Child's teachers, this is not an IEP meeting. This is a meeting that is alot more casual and free flowing with conversation about what's working, what's not working and what are some of the challenges teachers and you both are seeing. What are some of the wonderful things that are going on at home and while in school. I love doing MARIAH PLANNING MEETINGS in the middle of the school year especially when everyone comes to the table with an open mind and willing to share ideas and some possible new changes to how things have been going.



Right now, things are working out wonderful for Mariah's 5 grade year. She has 3 great teachers that are all good at emailing me back. The beginning of the year didn't start out so well because Mariah's homeroom/reading & math teacher refused to ever talk or communicate with me! She may have been good teacher but if she couldn't provide any parent/teacher communication...ever...not one email was ever replied back to, not one phone message I left for her was ever returned. I was a wreck at that time because of it! I wanted to have a parent/teacher conference around the 5th week of school just to touch base and discuss how things were going. We were having some MATH issues going on at the time. Needless to say, I finally had that parent/teacher conference close to the 13th week of school! If she wasn't going to ever talk to me than I guess I needed to be able to observe her classroom and to see how she worked with my daughter. What I saw during that classroom observation was my daughter being fully segragated and not included at all!! I was so upset by then that I had already spoken to the Principal and requested for a new teacher for my daughter.

Not only did Mariah get a new homeroom teacher, she got a new MATH teacher as well! Ever since the switch of teachers I have not had a problem with being able to communicate and have Mariah's teachers email me back. The classwork she brings home now tells me she is being provided an opportunity to be part of the classroom lessons and to do the best she can. She is learning so much this year in 5th grade!



If things don't seem right, chances are they aren't right! When things sent home from school show you that real learning took place, that is a great sign!. If you ever have a teacher that refuses to collaborate and communicate with you about your concerns for your Child's education and is unwilling to work with you on a regular basis, put in for a teacher change as quickly as you can! The school year goes by way too fast to waste a week or a month or a couple of months trying to make things work out with someone that probably doesn't believe in your Child like you need them to anyway. It's not about worrying about hurting someones feelings...it's about YOUR CHILD getting a good education and being able to have a good parent teacher relationship! If you have a teacher that doesn't give YOU the time of day...trade em in for a different one - QUICK!! It's all about PARENT INVOLVEMENT & if you have a teacher that doesn't want that or get that...request for a teacher that does! 



Mariah's new teacher is an absolute delight to work with! What a breath of fresh air to be able to have a teacher that actually wants to say hi to me and give me friendly updates about my daughter and on classroom stuff. It was not a fun time for me to have a teacher that refused to have any conversation with me about my daughter, it was something that totally took me for a loop, I just never expected it. *Isn't it part of a teachers job discription to talk to parents? .......sometime? 



Is she getting a good education today? Well..I know she loves going to school everyday and I know she has a good handful of nice friends that truly care about her. Her teachers are good people and they are doing the best they can helping my daughter do her personal best while she is in their classrooms. When parents & teachers are able to work together for the sake of the Child that is when everyone is learning! Teachers that embrace inclusion and aren't affraid of parents that want to be involved are the teachers become just better teachers because of it! Inclusion and having students with significant learning challenges in General Education Classrooms is not easy, I won't lie, but it is rewarding and at the end of the school year, that teacher with the open mind and the desire to teach ALL CHILDREN is the better teacher by far!! (Can I have an amen!) 



Having a student with Down syndrome fully included in a General Education classroom is not something that just happens overnight...it takes lots of collaboration and work from both parents & the teachers and it takes having 'talks'...either in person by having little planning meetings or shooting an email once in awhile or even a quick friendly phone conversation. Parents don't be affraid to have a NON-IEP PLANNING MEETING for your Child, some of the best ideas and ways your Child learns or how the teachers present lessons are talked about at these meetings.



Everyone touch base with your son or daughters teachers and get an update on things. Have a wonderfully productive January and a Healthy New Year!
 
www.dsadvocate.com

ParentAdvocactes.org

Great website and resource!

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