| School wants an iep for DS but I cant think of anything to advocate for. He's not behind academically but needs help with self regulation. Thanks. |
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No one is going to be able to answer this unless you give age, examples of self regulation problems. Is he mainstreamed or in a self-contained classroom?
It's unusual for the school to want an IEP if you don't think one is necessary. Usually it's the other way around. |
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There should be goals around Adaptive/Dailing Living Skills. Eg., help with peer relations, conversation skills, turn-taking, whole-body listening, acceptance of feedback, etc.
There should also be goals around Emotional, Social and Behaviorial Development. E.g., self-advocacy, self-regulation, attention, etc. Most kids with ASD qualify for some speech and OT, as well. My HFA is above grade level in all subjects but has a robust IEP. |
| I have never seen goals like this for a mainstreamed child with HFA. Is this for a child who is in a self-contained program? |
Are the goals what make the iep robust/solid? Or are there extensive accomodations? How often for OT and what is worked on? |
THIS. You need to state what the concerns are at the school. How do the self-regulation issues present? Are there other issues too? Age? grade? Is it a regular mainstream classroom (1 teacher) or an inclusive classroom with 1 teacher and 1 IA? |
| OP here. DS is in elementary. He has meltdowns approx every 2 weeks but is not a danger to others. I think they probably just want him to spend time out of the classroom. If we decide to go along with the iep, I want to make sure it is a great one. I want to fight for all that he can get. But I cant think of a single accomodation or service that he would need. So if you have an elementary age child with self regulation/ control issues, which supports have worked the best? Thanks. |
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If his meltdowns are occurring that frequently and are impacting his ability to access the curriculum, than he would need specially designed instruction even if that only amounted to sensory breaks, access to counseling, etc.
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You sound like you have a young child. One meltdown ever would not be tolerated by most 4th and 5th grade teachers much less the administration. It's great your school is being supportive but you sound like you're not taking this seriously. I know families whose kids who got suspended for meltdowns for "classroom disruption."
Your child needs explicit instruction or services in emotional regulation and how to calm himself down and have appropriate behaviors when he is upset. You are probably doing this privately and if you aren't you are really in denial but you should ask for social skills/regulation instruction from the school. Accommodations include what PP put above, movement/ sensory breaks, access to the counselor to process what happened. What is triggering the meltdowns? You need to ask the school to do a functional behavior analysis so you can minimize triggers. If it's because the teacher is running the fan on the days he has meltdowns the teacher can turn off the fans or your child may be allowed to go to a different class. Is it on days when the schedule changes? Your child may need a visual schedule or prompting before schedule changes. |
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OP, If the meltdowns are happening that frequently is this the right school for your child? Is the school telling you through the IEP process that they think your child needs a different environment? Sometimes schools push the IEP process because they feel parents don't really understand the seriousness of the issues.
It's just so unusual for a school to want the IEP. That and the wording of your post makes me think they are trying to help you help your child. |
I pulled that language from my 3rd grader’s IEP. Yes, child is fully mainstreamed. |
| You're at a good school. Have met a handful of children on the spectrum fully mainstreamed and above grade level and they have really minimal IEPs, 504 plans or nothing. One minimal IEP was a 1/2 hour of social skills every other week. |
| +1 to suggestions for a mainstreamed student for goals relating to attention, task initiation if an issue, whole-body listening, acceptance of feedback, self-advocacy, and self-regulation. |
| OP, consider also that the meltdowns might get more frequent and that getting on top of them now with the kinds of supports others are suggesting will really help. My DS, now 17, got steadily worse from occasional meltdowns in K, a little more frequently in 1st, etc. until it got worse and worse. He just wasn't able to hold it together anymore. It became harder as the other kids got more mature and he got less mature in comparison. The other kids also started, right in 2nd grade, enjoying the meltdowns and trying to trigger them for entertainment. Take the help being offered! BTW, DS is graduating from HS a year early and is in his second year dually-enrolled in college too, so academics were NEVER an issue. He still had a very robust IEP by 5th grade. Wish we had had that earlier. |
Goals like what? Mine is fully mainstreamed. The book, Solving Executive Functioning Problems has lots of good goals in the back. This is from the Unstuck and On Target people. |