MCPS - Standard for providing 1:1 aide to child with special needs

[Anonymous]

1. Needs to be in the IEP

2. As a pp mentioned, even if you have it in the IEP (hard to get), they might not be able to find someone to hire who wants to be hired as a temporary, hourly person (no benefits, no guarantee of a job the next year, just a crappy hourly wage)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

But 1:1 might allow a student to stay in a less restrictive environment than where they would have been placed otherwise. A minimally verbal Autistic student in my child's elementary classroom was given a 1:1 aide. The aide followed the student around during recess, and sat next to him during class. As far as I could see, the aide served as a babysitter and for safety. The student did not return the following year. I hoped MCPS or the parents had found a smaller, more supportive school environment where he could learn from more experienced teachers. If he did, the environment would have been more - not less - restrictive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

But 1:1 might allow a student to stay in a less restrictive environment than where they would have been placed otherwise. A minimally verbal Autistic student in my child's elementary classroom was given a 1:1 aide. The aide followed the student around during recess, and sat next to him during class. As far as I could see, the aide served as a babysitter and for safety. The student did not return the following year. I hoped MCPS or the parents had found a smaller, more supportive school environment where he could learn from more experienced teachers. If he did, the environment would have been more - not less - restrictive.

That sounds like it was not a helpful solution. Is a self-contained classroom better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

But 1:1 might allow a student to stay in a less restrictive environment than where they would have been placed otherwise. A minimally verbal Autistic student in my child's elementary classroom was given a 1:1 aide. The aide followed the student around during recess, and sat next to him during class. As far as I could see, the aide served as a babysitter and for safety. The student did not return the following year. I hoped MCPS or the parents had found a smaller, more supportive school environment where he could learn from more experienced teachers. If he did, the environment would have been more - not less - restrictive.

That sounds like it was not a helpful solution. Is a self-contained classroom better?

It would probably depend on the type of self contained classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if very severe dyslexia could qualify for a 1:1 or self contained

Self-contained for core academics, yes.

I'm not sure what a 1:1 aide could do for dyslexia. Students with dyslexia need special instruction in reading from a special educator - not the assistance of an aide in a general ed classroom. Most students with severe dyslexia are based in general ed settings and are pulled out for special ed reading instruction. Or in MS and HS, they may have a self-contained class for the specific subjects they need. In the gen ed classes, there may be a co-teacher or paraeducator, but not a dedicated 1:1 aide. Accommodations that a student with dyslexia may need in gen ed classes can be provided by technology or a paraeducator who is assigned to several students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

But 1:1 might allow a student to stay in a less restrictive environment than where they would have been placed otherwise. A minimally verbal Autistic student in my child's elementary classroom was given a 1:1 aide. The aide followed the student around during recess, and sat next to him during class. As far as I could see, the aide served as a babysitter and for safety. The student did not return the following year. I hoped MCPS or the parents had found a smaller, more supportive school environment where he could learn from more experienced teachers. If he did, the environment would have been more - not less - restrictive.

Except that 1:1 in gen ed is often viewed as more restrictive than a smaller, self-contained classroom. The impact of having an adult glued to a student and assisting them constantly is often more restrictive than being in a classroom with 8 students, one teacher, and 1 or 2 aides. Socially, academically, etc

[Anonymous]

"Nonverbal autism with disruptive behavior" in a general education classroom, unsupported. SMH. What are we even doing, besides failing every single person in that room? I hate how LRE and FAPE have been twisted to justify reducing self-contained to almost nothing and slashing credentialled special ed staff and support staff.

As a society, we're failing everyone, from our most vulnerable children to our teachers and everyone in between. I want OP's child to have the environment and support they need to succeed (however that is defined), I want student to feel safe in their classrooms, and I want teachers to be able to teach, not manage behaviors all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Nonverbal autism with disruptive behavior" in a general education classroom, unsupported. SMH. What are we even doing, besides failing every single person in that room? I hate how LRE and FAPE have been twisted to justify reducing self-contained to almost nothing and slashing credentialled special ed staff and support staff.

As a society, we're failing everyone, from our most vulnerable children to our teachers and everyone in between. I want OP's child to have the environment and support they need to succeed (however that is defined), I want student to feel safe in their classrooms, and I want teachers to be able to teach, not manage behaviors all day.

Could not agree more. Why would MCPS allow this to happen? That's not what is best for the child with special needs, let alone the other children in the class.

[Anonymous]

Like most things don't expect the school system to offer it. You're probably going to have to fight for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if very severe dyslexia could qualify for a 1:1 or self contained

Not 1:1. Reading isn't a major fraction of the day.

[Anonymous]

1:1 is an aide, nor private tutoring.

1:1 is a separate decision from which kind of classroom the kid is in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

But 1:1 might allow a student to stay in a less restrictive environment than where they would have been placed otherwise. A minimally verbal Autistic student in my child's elementary classroom was given a 1:1 aide. The aide followed the student around during recess, and sat next to him during class. As far as I could see, the aide served as a babysitter and for safety. The student did not return the following year. I hoped MCPS or the parents had found a smaller, more supportive school environment where he could learn from more experienced teachers. If he did, the environment would have been more - not less - restrictive.

Except that 1:1 in gen ed is often viewed as more restrictive than a smaller, self-contained classroom. The impact of having an adult glued to a student and assisting them constantly is often more restrictive than being in a classroom with 8 students, one teacher, and 1 or 2 aides. Socially, academically, etc

This is PP you responded to and thanks for the explanation. I was thinking in blanket terms (gen ed = less restrictive and self-contained = more restrictive). For my child's classmate, I think gen ed + 1:1 did keep him away from social opportunities and the curriculum (he did not interact with other students at recess, and he spent much class time on Chromebook video games). One reason for this is that neither the gen ed teacher nor the 1:1 paraeducator were trained for his level of need. I agree that if MCPS placed him a self-contained program (I never found out but I hope they did), his educational experience will have been less restrictive in the true sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dedicated 1:1 aide is very restrictive, so it is often only tried after many services/settings have not worked out. Or if there is a reason 1:1 is needed in the general education setting, rather than in a self-contained classroom. For example, a student who is blind and needs constant assistance in their gen ed classroom to navigate and access content.

+1 My child had a classmate in MCPS that had a 1:1 aide-the child was legally blind, and I think had cerebral palsy or something similar so movement was an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn’t really a list or set of requirements. LRE means that kids have to fail into 1:1. An important consideration is safety. So basically they will try to make a child successful in a regular classroom with support before they will go to a 1:1.

Agreed! Safety for self and others. Could be significant medical need or significant behavior need. 1:1 is most restrictive so school team will try lesser restrictive environments before agreeing to 1:1.

No, a 1:1 aide is not a restrictive environment. But yes, they are hard to get and school teams will often try other less less intensive (and less expensive) interventions first.

- special ed attorney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid got one for elopement in elementary school school. However, it was never staffed. Ended up moving to NPP. Smaller setting made all the difference and elopement was no longer an issue and 1:1 was not needed.

What does NPP mean?