Reply to APS Co-taught vs. Self-contained Middle School

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[quote=Anonymous]I would not take the input of one SPED teacher as definitive. Moving a kid to self-contained is a big step and takes more than just one teacher. You need to know what kind of programs exist, if your child actually needs them, etc. That takes the entire IEP team and usually district representatives to decide. And yes you would need to gather your own information as well.

In terms of advocates, people are suggesting lawyers because the decision to move to self contained has certain legal protections and requirements. If this was something that your disagreed with strongly and felt they were pushing, but you wanted to try more supports in general Ed, then a lawyer would be needed. but I don’t hear you saying that is the situation (yet). It sounds more like you are in the initial stages and only have this one teacher mentioning it. For that, I strongly recommend getting a variety of opinions including a former teacher advocate, because lawyers are not teachers and don’t actually know what the better academic environment is. (FWIW I am a lawyer so I have a basis for opinion!) Some really good lawyers with a lot of similar clients might know a lot about the reputation of various programs and whether clients have been happy with them, but that still doesn’t take the place of an expert who can help you understand if your child needs a more intensive setting.

Finally I think a lot depends on your kid. HFA with learning disabilities may mean that they do need a lot more specialized instruction. There is also a range of HFA - some kids are basically NT socially/communicatively and others have much more significant social and communication issues that will make middle school much more challenging. on the flip side, middle school can also be a lot more structured in a way that actually helps kids on the spectrum if they can learn the rules and function independently. [/quote]

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