Special Needs School or Pubic with 1:1 Aide

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old/what grade is your MERLD child with the aide for academics?

He is 10, in 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

There are important advantages of mainstreaming, such as good behavioral models, more predictable peers, sometimes more consistent expectations, etc. I would stick with mainstreaming as long as possible. Save your money for privates for later when school actually matters. Elementary school matters less than most people think it does. What matters is middle school and high school. It is harder to go from private to public than the other way around so I would avoid privates as long as you can.

[Anonymous]

07/04 1047: where does your merld 4th grader go to school? i have a merld kid and we had kicked around the idea of a aide for a while but then it was dropped

[Anonymous]

Please be aware that students with Asperger's, high or low functioning, are eligible to receive the help of a 1:1 Aide in DCPS. There is a procedure for this to happen. I would advise you to speak with your child's school rather than get your information from posters on a web forum. I am a teacher and SEC in DCPS - there are upsides and downsides for individual students when working with a DA. You, your child's teachers, and the staff at the school will know if a DA is warranted and when a DA should be faded. There is a plan written for each Dedicated Aide that specifies when and how the DA will operate with the child. There are specific criteria a student must meet to qualify for a DA. There MUST be an FBA and BIP in place with data to support the need for a DA. A fade plan MUST be submitted with the request for a review for a DA. The BIP should be created with the ENTIRE IEP team (to include you, the parent), the DA operating plan, and the Fade Plan will also be created by the entire team. The only part the parent will not directly be involved in is the collection of data related to the BIP as this is done in the classroom by the teacher.