Thoughts on Autism Part II
The journey into the public school system with any child can be a tortuous affair. When you have a special needs child, the journey becomes all that more difficult. After 2+ years of early intervention services to combat his deficiencies, Evan started his Pre-K 3 year in the public school system. He was placed in a classroom by the counselors at Child Find in Palm Beach County who determined that his delay required the full day program.
We were blessed that his teacher, Sheila, was one of the most caring and qualified teachers in her profession. Her many years of experience provided a structured setting full of increasing expectations veiled in a nurturing preschool environment. In addition to his lead teacher, his speech therapist, Lori , worked wonders with him. Between Sheila and Lori, Evan emerged from his two Pre-K years with a much larger vocabulary and the ability to have a short conversation, a skill which had eluded him years past his peers.
One of the biggest skills parents must acquire when navigating the school system is the task of completing the IEP, Individualized Education Plan. Each student has a plan that is, for the most part, written by the teachers outlining what services the student should receive. For the first 2 years, we relied on the knowledge and skills of the faculty to tell us what Evan needed. As we moved toward Kindergarten, I realized that Evan’s best advocate was ME, and that I needed to become as knowledgeable as any autism specialist or teacher.
At the first IEP meeting for Evan’s transition to the Kindergarten year, the school psychologist said the “A” word for the first time…autism. We had known what we were dealing with, but hearing the word for the first time was still like a punch in the stomach. I read everything I could get my hands on…internet, books, articles. Evan was still getting therapy outside of school, so I spoke with his therapist and asked for her help. Together, we wrote goals for Evan that WE wanted to see mastered and worked with the faculty at the school to have him placed in the appropriate classroom.
The elementary school that was chosen was not in our neighborhood zone, but it just happened to be less than a mile down the street from his home school, the school where his older brother was in 2nd grade. We knew Evan was not ready for a typical classroom, but we didn’t want him to be in “special ed” forever. We agreed to start him in the autism cluster classroom, with a clearly defined program of gradually weaning him “into” a mainstream Kindergarten classroom. The plan worked BEAUTIFULLY!!
Evan’s cluster teacher was a very kind, nurturing woman named Susan . She was full of energy and enthusiasm and Evan took to her right away. The first three weeks were spent acclimating to the classroom and then Susan told me that she had found the perfect “typical” classroom teacher for Evan. Kelly was Evan’s typical teacher and we were blessed that she had some experience with autistic children. She was the sweetest woman I have ever met in my life – kind, nurturing, welcoming, patient…the most perfect Kindergarten teacher on the planet. Evan adored her (and even had a little crush on her, I think!) The combination proved to be magic and Evan thrived.
We started with a 20-30 minute “visit” for circle time. Evan was seated right in front of the teacher so he could see and hear everything. As it turns out, this was not the best spot for him. His new lead therapist, K. Kelly, Ph.D., encouraged us to move Evan into the “T” zone for more optimal positioning. The “T” zone is basically in the middle of the group in the 2nd or 3rd row. This positioned him within close sight of the teacher where he could see the board and her, but also gave him the opportunity to observe his peers in front of and to the sides of him. In the front row on the end, he had been constantly turning around to observe his peers, an important activity when students are modeling from their typical counterparts.
As the year progressed, we added more and more time in the typical classroom setting. First it was circle time, then we added one station, then two. By the end of the 1st semester, he was eating lunch with his typical class. He even participated in the holiday show with several hundred other Kindergarteners, something I never thought he would do. He didn’t sing, but he did stay on the stage without having a tantrum and shook his bells while everyone else sand “Jingle Bells”!
By the end of the year, Evan was spending 5 hours of a 6 hour day in the typical classroom, only spending the first 15 minutes and last 45 minutes in the cluster classroom for welcome time and math. The plan had been a success. Evan was going into “regular” 1st grade.
Marcia is the mother of three boys. Evan, her middle child is 7 years old. She is very active in her Autism Society. This information is provided by Burps Bibs and Beyond, a leading provider of baby gifts, burp cloths, and bibs.
We were blessed that his teacher, Sheila, was one of the most caring and qualified teachers in her profession. Her many years of experience provided a structured setting full of increasing expectations veiled in a nurturing preschool environment. In addition to his lead teacher, his speech therapist, Lori , worked wonders with him. Between Sheila and Lori, Evan emerged from his two Pre-K years with a much larger vocabulary and the ability to have a short conversation, a skill which had eluded him years past his peers.
One of the biggest skills parents must acquire when navigating the school system is the task of completing the IEP, Individualized Education Plan. Each student has a plan that is, for the most part, written by the teachers outlining what services the student should receive. For the first 2 years, we relied on the knowledge and skills of the faculty to tell us what Evan needed. As we moved toward Kindergarten, I realized that Evan’s best advocate was ME, and that I needed to become as knowledgeable as any autism specialist or teacher.
At the first IEP meeting for Evan’s transition to the Kindergarten year, the school psychologist said the “A” word for the first time…autism. We had known what we were dealing with, but hearing the word for the first time was still like a punch in the stomach. I read everything I could get my hands on…internet, books, articles. Evan was still getting therapy outside of school, so I spoke with his therapist and asked for her help. Together, we wrote goals for Evan that WE wanted to see mastered and worked with the faculty at the school to have him placed in the appropriate classroom.
The elementary school that was chosen was not in our neighborhood zone, but it just happened to be less than a mile down the street from his home school, the school where his older brother was in 2nd grade. We knew Evan was not ready for a typical classroom, but we didn’t want him to be in “special ed” forever. We agreed to start him in the autism cluster classroom, with a clearly defined program of gradually weaning him “into” a mainstream Kindergarten classroom. The plan worked BEAUTIFULLY!!
Evan’s cluster teacher was a very kind, nurturing woman named Susan . She was full of energy and enthusiasm and Evan took to her right away. The first three weeks were spent acclimating to the classroom and then Susan told me that she had found the perfect “typical” classroom teacher for Evan. Kelly was Evan’s typical teacher and we were blessed that she had some experience with autistic children. She was the sweetest woman I have ever met in my life – kind, nurturing, welcoming, patient…the most perfect Kindergarten teacher on the planet. Evan adored her (and even had a little crush on her, I think!) The combination proved to be magic and Evan thrived.
We started with a 20-30 minute “visit” for circle time. Evan was seated right in front of the teacher so he could see and hear everything. As it turns out, this was not the best spot for him. His new lead therapist, K. Kelly, Ph.D., encouraged us to move Evan into the “T” zone for more optimal positioning. The “T” zone is basically in the middle of the group in the 2nd or 3rd row. This positioned him within close sight of the teacher where he could see the board and her, but also gave him the opportunity to observe his peers in front of and to the sides of him. In the front row on the end, he had been constantly turning around to observe his peers, an important activity when students are modeling from their typical counterparts.
As the year progressed, we added more and more time in the typical classroom setting. First it was circle time, then we added one station, then two. By the end of the 1st semester, he was eating lunch with his typical class. He even participated in the holiday show with several hundred other Kindergarteners, something I never thought he would do. He didn’t sing, but he did stay on the stage without having a tantrum and shook his bells while everyone else sand “Jingle Bells”!
By the end of the year, Evan was spending 5 hours of a 6 hour day in the typical classroom, only spending the first 15 minutes and last 45 minutes in the cluster classroom for welcome time and math. The plan had been a success. Evan was going into “regular” 1st grade.
Marcia is the mother of three boys. Evan, her middle child is 7 years old. She is very active in her Autism Society. This information is provided by Burps Bibs and Beyond, a leading provider of baby gifts, burp cloths, and bibs.
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