What to do next? Elopement and aggression with first grader

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not sure what you're trying to say. A lawyer can't compel the school to do anything, but they can file a lawsuit/due process. The options would be a self-contained classroom, for which there really are not great options in DCPS for 2E kids. The ones that exist are for HFA, in at SWS and SWW-FS, so not sure if OP's child could even be placed there, unless I am mistaken. Then a private placement would be at some place that probably routinely does seclusion & restraint, and far away so that OP couldn't even really keep tabs. Trying to get the kid stabilized in the present placement would be my #1 option.

[Anonymous]

15:17–you mentioned taking his clothes off. My kid also elopes. We got our IEP meeting pretty quickly when my took all his clothes off and ran out the front door and down the street. Placement took much longer though.

When he was young if he was dysregulated he was a terror. He could not access a single coping skill. And the more adults tried to engage him to determine what the issue was, the more upset he got. My kid had Anxiety/ADHD/DMDD and ASD Level 2. I think all of these dx together and most treatment plans for the dx are similar. I would say that ABA sends to be for ASD.

You’re going to need PCIT to learn how to handle him. The normal parenting methods won’t work. The therapy is for you to implement with your child.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much everyone. I don’t know if they’re logging as suspension. I have contacted the Weinfeld group as they seem to have a team of lawyers and consultants and can hopefully advise us on what to do. I don’t want to be adversarial but the current situation is untenable and I don’t know what to do without someone holding my hand through it.

[Anonymous]

Hi, so sorry. What is ABA and PCIT?

[Anonymous]

My dd has very similar behaviors and had ASD ruled out by children’s and kki for years before she got the diagnosis. He has autism, OP, and is completely overwhelmed and disregulated. He needs an FBA, BIP, and anti anxiety medication.

[Anonymous]

^^Don’t agree to a change of placement until you start him on anxiety medication and see if it helps.

[Anonymous]

I should say we did Dr Dan Shapiro’s parenting course last year. It was helpful but it hasn’t been a magic bullet.

[Anonymous]

DCPS?

The school social worker can write a FBA, I’m sure they also do BIPs. If you have a CES program at your school you can ask if their BCBA can help write the plan or teacher.

I don’t recommend someone just in education writing it, FBAs and BIPs require some understanding/knowledge of behavioral psychology.

I would be cautious about a change in placement right away, if your child is having extreme behavior the self contained program they’d put him in is BES behavioral & education support), which is even less funded that CES (communication and education support).

I’d try to go for a dedicated aide but first you need a behavior plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not sure what you're trying to say. A lawyer can't compel the school to do anything, but they can file a lawsuit/due process. The options would be a self-contained classroom, for which there really are not great options in DCPS for 2E kids. The ones that exist are for HFA, in at SWS and SWW-FS, so not sure if OP's child could even be placed there, unless I am mistaken. Then a private placement would be at some place that probably routinely does seclusion & restraint, and far away so that OP couldn't even really keep tabs. Trying to get the kid stabilized in the present placement would be my #1 option.

I believe I said that they would have the school system, as in DCPS, to pay for evaluation and a better placement if needed, not the school itself That would be the end result of a due process hearing. And there are reputable private placements such as Kennedy Krieger and RICA that don't do shady things! I hope he can stay where he is too, I just think it's better in OP's case to immediately talk to someone who understands the law and has a network of competent people that can help her. The running away thing is freaking me out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you so much everyone. I don’t know if they’re logging as suspension. I have contacted the Weinfeld group as they seem to have a team of lawyers and consultants and can hopefully advise us on what to do. I don’t want to be adversarial but the current situation is untenable and I don’t know what to do without someone holding my hand through it.

If you’re picking him up please school is unable to handle him, it needs to be logged as a suspension. The suspensions will show that the current placement is not appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, so sorry. What is ABA and PCIT?

PCIT is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. It helps greatly managing a kid who does not respond to traditional parenting methods or is more challenging.

ABA is Applied Behavioral Therapy. Normally for kids on the spectrum but also overlaps very much with what you're doing with the FBA and other behavioral methods. I think could be very useful for you because things like elopement are common challenges in autism with solutions developed within an ABA framework. For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6108583/

[Anonymous]

You absolutely need to lawyer up and get a better placement. I'd get another evaluation, even a developmental ped for a second opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi, so sorry. What is ABA and PCIT?

PCIT is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. It helps greatly managing a kid who does not respond to traditional parenting methods or is more challenging.

ABA is Applied Behavioral Therapy. Normally for kids on the spectrum but also overlaps very much with what you're doing with the FBA and other behavioral methods. I think could be very useful for you because things like elopement are common challenges in autism with solutions developed within an ABA framework. For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6108583/

If child does not have an ASD diagnosis, insurance will not pay for ABA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not sure what you're trying to say. A lawyer can't compel the school to do anything, but they can file a lawsuit/due process. The options would be a self-contained classroom, for which there really are not great options in DCPS for 2E kids. The ones that exist are for HFA, in at SWS and SWW-FS, so not sure if OP's child could even be placed there, unless I am mistaken. Then a private placement would be at some place that probably routinely does seclusion & restraint, and far away so that OP couldn't even really keep tabs. Trying to get the kid stabilized in the present placement would be my #1 option.

Often it takes a lawyer filing a lawsuit to get things moving. This placement isn't working and you are giving bad advice. This child will miss an entire year of academics as they aren't even in the classroom.

And, for some privates, they only take government money so you cannot get into them withough school funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not DCPS, the bus will only take them HOME. They are not legally required to take them anywhere else unless that place is the address they specified and cannot be changed on a regular basis.

They also cannot not ‘make’ them pay for an evaluation lol. We have school psychologist at our schools who do that and will.

So actually you are misleading OP.