shadow for private school

[Anonymous]

This is 20:20. How do I do that? Can you post an email and I will contact you directly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with PP. The shadow is there for your child. Why should they appear to be just another teacher in the room?

A well trained shadow doesn't hover, they step in as needed. They don't hinder the formation of a relationship with the teacher. In my observations a good, engaging shadow draws other children to your child (essential if your child has social difficulties and needs help with interacting with typical peers). Most children are intrigued that a child has their own "teacher" who is actively engaging with them and will want to be involved in whatever the child and shadow are doing.

Well in my experience the institutions that really knew how to handle this made the shadows appear to be other teachers. This so the child doesn't stand out as needing the extra attention. The shadow is absolutely there to help the child but not to interfere with the typical classroom dynamic. Yeah, many of the other kids will figure it out but it really works better if the shadow is not hovering, as I said. This isn't a situation of a child being essentially tutored in a broader classroom environment. You want the child to be a part of the wider class.

This I got from the professionals we worked with. Perhaps of the child has a more profound disability the dynamic works differently.

[Anonymous]

I am the poster who said her husband contacted U MD. These students have been wonderful with my child. My husband emailed this person:

http://www.education.umd.edu/EDSP/contactus.html

[Anonymous]

Its very important that the shadow know not to hover, and to appear to all the other children to be just another teacher in the room. When my DS was in preschool they imposed a shadow on us, not particularly well-trained, and as a result the teacher decided she didn't have to have a relationship with him. In other words, the primary relationship for your DS should be between him and the teacher, not him and the shadow.

My only other piece of advice is to consider PP's suggestion to find a specialized school rather than a shadow in a mainstream school. My DS is extremely high functioning but still didn't get what he needed from the preschool. The fact that they left you to find the shadow without any guidance tells me that they really don't know how to handle SN kids, even if they want to.


why would they force a shadow on you if your DS was extremely high fuctioning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its very important that the shadow know not to hover, and to appear to all the other children to be just another teacher in the room. When my DS was in preschool they imposed a shadow on us, not particularly well-trained, and as a result the teacher decided she didn't have to have a relationship with him. In other words, the primary relationship for your DS should be between him and the teacher, not him and the shadow.

My only other piece of advice is to consider PP's suggestion to find a specialized school rather than a shadow in a mainstream school. My DS is extremely high functioning but still didn't get what he needed from the preschool. The fact that they left you to find the shadow without any guidance tells me that they really don't know how to handle SN kids, even if they want to.


why would they force a shadow on you if your DS was extremely high fuctioning?

He still had trouble following the group. I didn't object to the shadow, just the way the school handled it.