shadow for private school

[saragch]

My SN son - 4 yrs old is going to a regular preschool in addition to PEP. We are looking for a shadow to accompany him to the regular preschool every morning. I am interested in a college student who is in the Special Ed field and is interested in working with a SN child for a lower rate than a regular shadow. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

You don't say what your child's needs are but when we needed extra help this summer my husband posted at the U of Maryland Speech/Language School website and we got a tremendous number of responses from students willing to work with our child just doing babysitting and other everyday stuff. Many very good and responsible and so forth.

[Anonymous]

NP here. 6:43 PP, would you mind sharing the UofM link? I am so sick of having to babysit the babysitter. Most days I just don't feel like it is even worth it to have someone else come in and help. Maybe we just haven't reached out to a capable group of applicants? Well....I can hope!

[Anonymous]

what are you looking to pay?

Are you looking for a babysitting type arrangement at school or someone who would be qualified to work with them on their special needs?

[Anonymous]

I think as PP noted it is important to know what the SN are. If there are behavior issues you want to make sure the person is trained to handle them. Even social facilitation is an art to a degree because you want the aide to help while not acting as a crutch. For a lot of spectrum issues I would get someone with the proper training. (I say that as a parent of a child on the spectrum).

[Anonymous]

OP here. My son is on the spectrum, and has behavioral issues including defiance and frequent meltdowns. He is also speech delayed. We need more than just a babysitter, so we are looking for someone with some training, specifically spectrum issues. Being that we are paying for preschool, I am looking for someone who would be interested in doing this for their own experience, resume etc. and would charge between 10-15 (or less) per hour.

[Anonymous]

advertise on craigslist.

You'll probably get plenty of responses but may have difficulty getting someone experienced (with ASD, behavior management, speech and language) for what you want to pay.

[Anonymous]

Not true. You can get a specialized ot/speech/psych etc student for $10-$15 in Bethesda. I have done it many times on craigslist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. 6:43 PP, would you mind sharing the UofM link? I am so sick of having to babysit the babysitter. Most days I just don't feel like it is even worth it to have someone else come in and help. Maybe we just haven't reached out to a capable group of applicants? Well....I can hope!

I'm not ignoring you, PP, I'm making my DH find the info on his desk...hang on!

[Anonymous]

I personally wouldn't want my SN child to be someone's way to gain experience or build their resume. I'd want someone who was already qualified to assist my DS in all the areas he needs.

Is the school requiring that you have someone? If yes, maybe you can find a school that doesn't require your child have a shadow.

[Anonymous]

I am interested. If you post your email, I will contact you directly.

[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.

[Anonymous]

OP here, 20:20 please PM me.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 6:43PP. Appreciate the update! 15:26 PP that inquired.