s/o Special Education and IEPs -- worth it!

[msjones]

The Special Education thread got me thinking about how much I love my new job.  I'm an instructional assistant in a developmental preschool classroom for students with multiple disabilities who are considered medically fragile.  

 

We have only 5 students with one teacher and two assistants.  We also have a vision therapist, a speech/language therapist, a physical therapist, an audiologist, and an occupational therapist visiting the students throughout the week.  So, we sometimes have a one-to-one ratio!  

 

The students have lengthy IEPs.  The teacher spends a large amount of time managing those IEPs and coordinating all the services for our students.  

 

Despite the many flaws in the system, I must say that I am so thankful the system and the hefty IEPs exist to serve these kids!  

 

I am able to come to work each day and learn which goals I'll be working on with which student/s.  I have been instructed by the various therapists how to work with the children -- everything from learning to sit unsupported to using augmentative communication devices to learning to grasp and release objects etc etc.

 

We keep good data and so the teacher is able to adjust the goals and plans and approaches accordingly.  We know the kids well and know down to the teeny details what we are supposed to be working on each day.  We have excellent support from the therapists.  We love our students and are thrilled to see the progress they make!  

 

I have taught as a classroom teacher in ps general ed.  Never in general ed did I have the opportunity to know a child so well or to work with such care and detail to help them reach their goals.  We aren't wasting time or 'warehousing' these children -- they are working hard every day and enjoying (mostly) school.  

 

I'm sorry to say that I hear some disturbing comments when I tell people where I work.  Many people seem to think the expense isn't worth it for "kids like that."  I try to bite my tongue, but I usually tell them they probably wouldn't feel that way if they got to know the children.  

 

Okay.  Rant/rave over.  I just wanted to share some positive thoughts about IEPs and special ed and my school and students.  :)  

 

 

 

 

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm sorry to say that I hear some disturbing comments when I tell people where I work. Many people seem to think the expense isn't worth it for "kids like that." I try to bite my tongue, but I usually tell them they probably wouldn't feel that way if they got to know the children.

 

Okay. Rant/rave over. I just wanted to share some positive thoughts about IEPs and special ed and my school and students. :)

I saw your post yesterday, and was really hoping others would comment. I'm so glad for what you wrote. I'm so glad to hear that (at least in some locations) ieps aren't only lengthy paperwork, but something that is very helpful to the teachers.

I'm grateful that there are people out there that love going to work, to work with these kids. I'm also glad for your description about the children working and not a glorified daycare.

 

However, like to ask an honest question. But I'm very hesitant, for fear of being flayed open by the hive. Ime, people who say the expense isn't worth it aren't referring to the value of the children. they acknowledge that the children are special, and amazing, and need nice kind wonderful teachers. They aren't insinuating that the children shouldn't have education or shouldn't have somebody that cares about them just because they can't compete with her peers. Rather, from a financial point of the community, how does it make sense to pour so much money into children that will not be able to contribute that back once they reach adulthood? Again, I'm not implying that they aren't worth kindness, etc. But how does it make sense to pour so much money into students that won't be able to EVER function on their own as adults.

One child I know is 10, and has the mentality of an 18-month-old. He will never be able to live on his own. Certainly he needs help developing skills he can do; like how to sit or catch a ball or how to eat... I'm not sure why the school district should put out $50,000/year to make that a possibility. and given that we are in a very rural location, that is a very good estimate of what it would cost... because help would need to be brought in from another portion of the state.

I'm very very tempted to delete all of this. I don't need slaughtered as happened on the other post. I realize this can be a very contentious subject. I'm not calling into question the intrinsic value of a child. every child has worth, but I'm not denying this. I don't want or need mom to special needs children to come here and attack me. It's an honest question, How does the cost-benefit analysis for these children justify the expense used in their education? ( I did not make it to the website that was linked in the other article. clearly there are people out there who go well above and beyond what anyone thought they were capable of their people that rise to the challenge and excel beyond our wildest dreams. however I would imagine this is a small percentage of the population, whether you are talking about exceptional, average or special needs students.)

[athomeontheprairie]

Also, Fwiw, I live in a state that is having a financial crisis. I think lots of funds are misproportioned. I think there's a lot of waste happening in our schools. and running a lot of that waste comes in the name of sports. and perhaps it's so much money wasn't wasted in extracurriculars I would feel okay continuing to be taxed out the wazoo for matters of education .

I've a very serious problem with sports in our district, as eligibility is based on a cumulative GPA. students can be failing math science history and English , but as long as they have an A in band, choir, study hall and as a TA then they qualify for sports or sports. Doesn't seem like that's the purpose of the school district

[Farrar]

Rather, from a financial point of the community, how does it make sense to pour so much money into children that will not be able to contribute that back once they reach adulthood? 

 

I think this is an easy answer.

 

Yes.

 

And I mean that from an entirely financial point of view. Many children who receive expensive services go on to be mainstreamed and DO become productive taxpayers. So that's an easy one. Without those services they might have become a burden to taxpayers. So I think your question assumes to much about the limited potential of young children. Also, at the other end, there are children who will never be able to be really self-sufficient. However, money spent to help them become even partially sufficient, happy, skilled, etc. is going to save in the long run. And even if there are kids who will always be a burden on the taxpayers and for whom such services are "just" a kindness to their quality of life, a system that assumes that as a baseline will never be able to lift up the many children for whom services are a lifeline to a productive, full life because the base assumption will always be that they're never capable of doing more. It's a gamble, yes. Even the best system can't help every kid become a scholar or even become self-sufficient. But it's a gamble worth every penny, both from a POV of doing what's right and from a financial standpoint (assuming resources are well-allocated and used).

 

Thanks for your post, MsJones. I've seen the process go every direction - good and bad. There's a lot of bad, but it's nice to hear the good side sometimes too.

[Dmmetler]

Sometimes, the value isn't so much for the kids, but for the people around them.

 

My BIL had a chromosomal deletion that left him at an infantile level his entire life. The cost to his family was immense, and it was made worse because the school district deemed him too low functioning for their programs, and placed him on home bound. Which means a teacher coming in a couple of times a week, with no support for the child's physical/medical needs, so the parent is still actively involved as well. The result was that my MIL, from his birth to age 21, when he finally qualified for Medicaid Waiver services, which provided respite care, had responsibility for his care by herself. Her marriage didn't survive. Her three older kids didn't have a parent there to cheer them on or support them because once their younger brother got past the point that he was easily portable, it was just plain hard to bring him places. It was very draining and stressful on everyone involved. She missed our wedding, and the only reason she made her DD's wedding was that I missed it to stay with BIL.

 

My MIL died in her early 50's, but looked much older. Only after she died did the state assist in finding care for BIL, which, by that point, was full-time residential care until his death.

 

It would have been expensive to have him in school, yes, but if they had-if MIL had had that respite ongoing, she could have been more involved with her other children, had her health needs seen to, and might have actually survived to see her grandchildren. BIL could have stayed home his entire life, and long-term, it would have probably cost less overall, because there never would have been a need for full-time institutional care.

 

Are the schools the best provider? Maybe not, but that's what we've set up for kids age 3-21 or so. If the schools don't provide, as they didn't for my BIL, pretty much no one does.

[City Mouse]

and another

[City Mouse]

oops double post

[City Mouse]

It sounds like you work in a wonderful program. I wish all special needs programs could be that great.

 

As far as it being "worth it", I do thing the federal law requiring that all students are educated is a good thing. Otherwise, people would have to decide which kids are worth educating and where to draw the line. One organization might think the these kids with extreme needs aren't "worth it". While another might decided that kids with autism, or kids with learning disabilities aren't "worth it".

[athomeontheprairie]

As always, I am thanks for the opinions and views of the hive as they are often very different from my own. And I walk away learning. I look forward to hearing other responses.

[MyHandsAreFull]

My son had at least moderate severity autism. He was nonverbal at age three and two doctors seperately told us he would probably never talk (one was a big name in the field; we waited several months to see him and paid out of pocket to fly to NY see him).

 

Our insurance would not cover ABA therapy (I think they should). We had to find a way to get it from the school. We moved five times in five years. Sued a district and got sued by the regional center. It was very stressful. But we won and he got therapy (40 hours week). Cost the taxpayers about $80-$100k per year x about 6 years. But now he has a solidly normal IQ, is in a mainstream class with some resource room support, takes the regular STAR test (state test) in math and the modified (easier) one in language. At this point he is on track to at least live semi-independently and probably hold down some kind of job.

 

If we hadn't been able to get him the therapy I think it's highly likely he would still be nonverbal, total care, likely with severe behavior problems (more common with nonverbal autism because they can't express even basic needs). The state would be providing care in a residential facility as soon as he turned 21, likely costing at least $150k per year for decades. The state doesn't always come out ahead but in my son's case they clearly did.

[athomeontheprairie]

My son had at least moderate severity autism. He was nonverbal at age three and two doctors seperately told us he would probably never talk (one was a big name in the field; we waited several months to see him and paid out of pocket to fly to NY see him).

 

Our insurance would not cover ABA therapy (I think they should). We had to find a way to get it from the school. We moved five times in five years. Sued a district and got sued by the regional center. It was very stressful. But we won and he got therapy (40 hours week). Cost the taxpayers about $80-$100k per year x about 6 years. But now he has a solidly normal IQ, is in a mainstream class with some resource room support, takes the regular STAR test (state test) in math and the modified (easier) one in language. At this point he is on track to at least live semi-independently and probably hold down some kind of job.

 

If we hadn't been able to get him the therapy I think it's highly likely he would still be nonverbal, total care, likely with severe behavior problems (more common with nonverbal autism because they can't express even basic needs). The state would be providing care in a residential facility as soon as he turned 21, likely costing at least $150k per year for decades. The state doesn't always come out ahead but in my son's case they clearly did.

This is an amazing story. I'm so sorry for all that you had to go through, and so glad it turned out for you the way it did!

[MyHandsAreFull]

PS athomeontheprarie, you shouldn't feel guilty for raising legitimate, honest questions. No offense taken over here. These are important discussions to have. Resources are not boundless. It's not all about money, either. Ethically where do we draw the line in some of these cases? It's a tough topic. Thanks for letting me share.

[Erin]

My mom was a moderate/severe SpEd preschool teacher for about 30 years. She was considered an unofficial autistic specialist to the point where parents would opt all of their kids into the district just to have one in her classroom. The ARC even awarded her Teacher of the Year for our state, a couple of years before she reitred.

 

I have always admired the work Mom did. I cant even guess how many thousands of hours she spent outside the classroom on more college classes (she never did get her Masters as she always took a scattershot of classes that were specific to what she was needing for her particular situation) or building specialized communication devices in the days when homemade picture touchpads were all that existed.

 

Seeing all of the Christmas cards, updates on grown kids and such that she still gets makes it clear how very worth it ALL kids are!

Her favorite is probably the non-functional, autistic, 3/4/5/6 year old who went on to graduate high school and join the work force. REALLY graduate, that is, not just passed through. A good example of you-never-know when talking about kids' potential.

[Guest Suzianne]

Generally a lurker here but need to post on this topic.

 

I have an 8 year old who at age 3 (when phasing into the school district from early intervention) appeared to be very delayed. It looked highly unlikely that she would be an independent adult. DH and I were sending her to school partially for respite care because we were planning on always having her at home.

 

Now 5 years later her gains are amazing. She is going to because mainstreamed next year. She no longer has any physical delays that functionally limit her. Her speech is still delayed and she will always stugue with speech. But she is grade level appropriate academically.

 

She was a huge cost to the taxpayers the last 5 years. Probably $75,000 a year. Next year when she goes into a typical classroom with some supports and continued therapy that amount will probably be cut in half.

 

She is going to save taxpayers a ton. She will be a productive member of society and not require care for the rest of her life. We could have never afforded to give her the interventions the school system did. Without the early and intensive interventions she would not be on the trajectory she is on now.

 

Is every child a success story like this? No. But we don't know who will be and who won't be.

 

It breaks my heart to think that 30 years ago she would have been shoved in the back of a special ed classroom and left to rot. How many kids were lost in those days?

 

Poor kid wants to come home to be homeschooled with her siblings but understands that her job is school. There is no way I could provide the services at home. Especially with other children.

 

I am so glad there are so many amazing special ed teachers and para professionals that help create miracles every day.

[Alessandra]

The Special Education thread got me thinking about how much I love my new job. I'm an instructional assistant in a developmental preschool classroom for students with multiple disabilities who are considered medically fragile.

 

We have only 5 students with one teacher and two assistants. We also have a vision therapist, a speech/language therapist, a physical therapist, an audiologist, and an occupational therapist visiting the students throughout the week. So, we sometimes have a one-to-one ratio!

 

The students have lengthy IEPs. The teacher spends a large amount of time managing those IEPs and coordinating all the services for our students.

 

Despite the many flaws in the system, I must say that I am so thankful the system and the hefty IEPs exist to serve these kids!

 

I am able to come to work each day and learn which goals I'll be working on with which student/s. I have been instructed by the various therapists how to work with the children -- everything from learning to sit unsupported to using augmentative communication devices to learning to grasp and release objects etc etc.

 

We keep good data and so the teacher is able to adjust the goals and plans and approaches accordingly. We know the kids well and know down to the teeny details what we are supposed to be working on each day. We have excellent support from the therapists. We love our students and are thrilled to see the progress they make!

 

I have taught as a classroom teacher in ps general ed. Never in general ed did I have the opportunity to know a child so well or to work with such care and detail to help them reach their goals. We aren't wasting time or 'warehousing' these children -- they are working hard every day and enjoying (mostly) school.

 

I'm sorry to say that I hear some disturbing comments when I tell people where I work. Many people seem to think the expense isn't worth it for "kids like that." I try to bite my tongue, but I usually tell them they probably wouldn't feel that way if they got to know the children.

 

Okay. Rant/rave over. I just wanted to share some positive thoughts about IEPs and special ed and my school and students. :)

Like, like, like, like. Actually LOVE this post.

Thank you!

[athomeontheprairie]

Generally a lurker here but need to post on this topic.

 

I have an 8 year old who at age 3 (when phasing into the school district from early intervention) appeared to be very delayed. It looked highly unlikely that she would be an independent adult. DH and I were sending her to school partially for respite care because we were planning on always having her at home.

 

Now 5 years later her gains are amazing. She is going to because mainstreamed next year. She no longer has any physical delays that functionally limit her. Her speech is still delayed and she will always stugue with speech. But she is grade level appropriate academically.

 

She was a huge cost to the taxpayers the last 5 years. Probably $75,000 a year. Next year when she goes into a typical classroom with some supports and continued therapy that amount will probably be cut in half.

 

She is going to save taxpayers a ton. She will be a productive member of society and not require care for the rest of her life. We could have never afforded to give her the interventions the school system did. Without the early and intensive interventions she would not be on the trajectory she is on now.

 

Is every child a success story like this? No. But we don't know who will be and who won't be.

 

It breaks my heart to think that 30 years ago she would have been shoved in the back of a special ed classroom and left to rot. How many kids were lost in those days?

 

Poor kid wants to come home to be homeschooled with her siblings but understands that her job is school. There is no way I could provide the services at home. Especially with other children.

 

I am so glad there are so many amazing special ed teachers and para professionals that help create miracles every day.

I am so very glad you posted. It is stories like this that force me to see the value of the programs in the long-term. from the outside, I have only Everseen the short-term results, which do not appear to be cost-effective. But when looking at success stories like this one begins to see the true value of these programs and the benefit they have in society. and they force people like me to reevaluate what we think we know.

 

thank you to everyone who has posted!

[JumpyTheFrog]

I also appreciate this thread. It's nice to know that for some kids, these high expenses pay off in the long run. I get frustrated at schools who won't provide an adequate education for gifted kids, so it's easy to feel like the money is being "wasted" on others.

[Guest Suzianne]

I also appreciate this thread. It's nice to know that for some kids, these high expenses pay off in the long run. I get frustrated at schools who won't provide an adequate education for gifted kids, so it's easy to feel like the money is being "wasted" on others.

[Guest Suzianne]

Wanted to quote that on a reply. Obviously I haven't learned how to post yet!

 

The fact that gifted education is neglected drives me batty too. It's honestly the driving force behind homeschooling my other children. They are both significantly gifted and would be miserable in a regular classroom.

 

Our state has zero regulations or requirements for gifted children. The general feeling is they will be fine. Which is so not the case.

[MyHandsAreFull]

I also appreciate this thread. It's nice to know that for some kids, these high expenses pay off in the long run. I get frustrated at schools who won't provide an adequate education for gifted kids, so it's easy to feel like the money is being "wasted" on others.

Us too. We homeschool our other children for precisely this reason--they can not receive an adequate education (in my view) at the local public school. California does not do GIEPs and gifted kids receive minimal support in our district.

 

However, I think there are a host of reasons for this. It's not all special education spending (not meaning to imply anybody here thought it was).

[Erin]

Slightly off topic: I hate IEP rules that require 2 grade levels behind in order to qualify.

So your gifted dyslexic is bright enough to keep himself functional, but not successful. :(

[Mom22ns]

Slightly off topic: I hate IEP rules that require 2 grade levels behind in order to qualify.

So your gifted dyslexic is bright enough to keep himself functional, but not successful. :(

 

Two grade levels behind is something schools try to pull but it is completely illegal. If your child has a disability that inhibits their ability to succeed in school, in any part of school (classroom, playground, lunchroom, bus), it is legally required for the school to address it. They can do this with a 504 or an IEP depending on the issue.  

 

Don't think that most schools will do this without you knowing your child's rights and standing up for them, knowing the requirements of how to ask (in writing with the correct wording) and even the occasional lawyer involvement, but they will do it.

 

There are many 2e kids with IEPs who have never been even the slightest bit behind academically. 

[cbollin]

athomeontheprairie,

 

you sound like you're sincere in your question about long term evidence. 

 

I'd encourage you to consider the idea of reading some biographies of successful adults who have special ed labels.

 

read and learn about Dr. Temple Grandin.  She is old enough that I don't think any of these IDEA laws and all of that IEP stuff existed.  Her mom fought for her back in the 1950's and had to do it in private sector.   Her mom was told that Temple was never going to amount to anything.   Well, Dr. Grandin is one of the world's experts in her field of design of cattle products.  She is a highly respected and sought out speaker  She is also a university professor.  She even had a HBO movie made about her.    I can't forget her remark at the conference this summer near the end of her keynote speech when she said all of that stuff about her accomplishments.  She said in that Temple way,   "not bad for someone that the system said was would amount to nothing in society. Glad my mom didn't listen to that."   The crowd at that point was a mix of tears and standing ovation.   It was private sector money in the beginning days of the special ed stuff.

 

read and learn about Kerry Magro.  Kerry, on the other hand, is only in his 20's and has benefitted greatly from all of the public school IEP and everything.  

 

I was glad to hear both of them personally this summer at a special ed (autism) conference.   I'm guessing learning about some of the famous success stories may help you to learn why so many people see the value in trying.  

 

and if you haven't watched the youtube video or read about Tim Harris...  you might want to do that.   Yes, there are success stories showing that all of the effort does have long term benefits.  Tim is a restaurant owner and has Down Syndrome.  He helped to start a non profit foundation to help others.

 

maybe hearing some of the most famous ones will help you find the information you're seeking.  and to understand that those who work in this therapy and education field are inspired and think "well, if that person can do this, then maybe I get to help the next Kerry or next Temple or next Tim". 

[Mom22ns]

I am so very glad you posted. It is stories like this that force me to see the value of the programs in the long-term. from the outside, I have only Everseen the short-term results, which do not appear to be cost-effective. But when looking at success stories like this one begins to see the true value of these programs and the benefit they have in society. and they force people like me to reevaluate what we think we know.

 

thank you to everyone who has posted!

 

I'll throw out our experience. Ds was diagnosed autistic spectrum at 3. He regressed, lost nearly all his language (he had been speaking in short sentences at 18 mos), had horrible tantrums, couldn't understand me when I spoke to him, and was completely vacant and detached. He began an early childhood special ed program and received speech, OT, and behavioral therapy. We worked with him at home too. We were told to be prepared to institutionalize him when he was older. 

 

That is the ds that is in my sig. A senior in high school, already accepted to his first choice college next year, with several college courses and credits complete, taking APs, a contributing part of his community. Without the early intervention, there is a good chance he would have been a drain on society his entire life, needing social support forever. Instead, he will be a working contributing member of society. 

 

Not all kids in special ed programs have this potential and not all will have this success. However, each one that is pulled out of the system and becomes a contributor instead of a drain, saves the taxpayers thousands, possibly millions over a lifetime. The combination of the drain he will not be and the taxpayer he will be will, will pay for many, many kids that won't make it out.

 

Early intervention is such a good investment of taxpayer money! 

[msjones]

OP here.

I think it is reasonable to question the expense of a program like ours.  It is very, very expensive and far, far more expensive than general ed.

 

One thing to remember is that there are very few classrooms like mine.  In our large school district there are only 10 students in the medically fragile developmental preschool program.  So, that is a tiny portion of the overall budget.

 

Also, the expense of it is a good and heavy 'burden' on staff like me!  I feel the weight of making every moment in our school day count.  I am so thankful that we can work closely with our students and am motivated to do the very best I can.

 

Each of my students is severely disabled.  Some/many days it is hard to see progress.  I do not know what the future holds for them.  But I do know that they are little people with little souls and they are "in there."  Our students communicate in very subtle ways.  Their communication is easy to miss or to misunderstand.  But they are wonderful kids!  They often surprise us with their progress.  Just the other day one student did something that stunned every one of us in the classroom!  (I'm being vague for privacy reasons.)  It was such a beautiful moment!  We got out a phone and filmed it and sent it to her mom right away.  I can hardly wait to see this student after break!

 

These kids can appear vacant and absent -- but they also sometimes smile and giggle.  They learn.  They communicate in their own ways.  They know their families, their families love them.  They want what every one of us wants - to be known and to love and be loved and to enjoy the little things of day-to-day living.  I am so glad to live in a country that values these children and their families even though they may never contribute in an economic sense.  They contribute in other (more?) important ways.  The bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the student helpers, the office workers all know these kids and care for them.  I am so thankful to know them and to teach them what I can.  And none of us knows the potential of these kids.  Like I said, one of them knocked our socks off the other day with unexpected progress!  

 

So, athomeontheprairie, I don't know if I answered your questions.  (And I do think they are fair and reasonable questions!  I'm glad you had the nerve to post them.  :))  But I am so thankful that we as a culture have chosen to make their education a priority -- even if the numbers don't always 'work out' in an economic sense.  It gives me hope to see these kids valued and cared for by our big, messy, flawed system.  

[EndOfOrdinary]

My husband reaches at risk high school. In his thrid period English class 15 kids are autistic and 11 are nuerotypical. Of those 15, I taught 5 when they were in elementary way back when. The leaps jumps and bounds these kids have made. I was a one on one SpEd para. One boy had an oral fixation so strong he would compulsively lick other students, tried to cut his tongue with scissors, and ate his schoolwork. I mean, like, whoa. Odd did not even come close. He now has a girlfriend - never saw that coming. He now uses a fidget ball instead of eating things. He is still delayed in his social skills,but has learned how to try and hide it quite well ( his girlfriend is helping a lot with filling in gaps). The kid is not going to college, but is in a vocational program to learn to work for the city checking meters. He will have a livable wage in two years when he graduates. It is amazing.

 

Another boy used to pretend he was a large cat when he was stressed. Seriously, like a cougar or lion. Preening, licking himself, pretend hair balls, removing clothing because cats do not wear clothes, whole deal. No girlfriend for this young gentlemen, and still some undesirable arrogance issues, but he has matriculated into the general population. His anxiety is largely mitigated and working in a technology field from home will be easily achievable for him. He can be a fully functioning society member, if occasionally a bit abrasive. :)

 

There are stories of tax dollars mis-spent. Lots of counseling for two girls who are never going to be emotionally healthy and whom I sincerely hope never actually hurt anyone. Lots of kids whom drugs has been their outlet when all else seemed to fail them and 504/IEPs just didn't work. Two other females whom both Dh and I know something is really wrong, but we cannot figure out how to get them identified this late in the game or identified for what specifically.

 

It is a toss up. I have a hard time throwing the kids away though. Often it is the ones that sure seem to be going nowhere that do the greatest things. Many who would have the world going for them decide to make a few stupid decisions and become tax burdens for no other reason that irresponsible stupidity.

[Haiku]

Rather, from a financial point of the community, how does it make sense to pour so much money into children that will not be able to contribute that back once they reach adulthood? 

 

I think we get into very dangerous territory when we start trying to measure how much a person gives back financially and use that as a base for how much we invest in them. Viewing people solely in terms of their financial output is what leads to the situation I encountered in 2013 in Ukraine, when I volunteered for a month at two institutions for severely mentally and physically disabled children. The societal (and heavily Soviet) view of disabled persons there is that they are of no financial benefit to the state, so they are therefore of no concern to the state. You end up with children who are tied to cribs 22 hours a day and neglected to the point that even ones with comparatively mild disabilities develop institutional autism. If you don't believe me, I will show you hundreds of pictures and tons of video.

 

We invest in these kids because it is the right and humane thing to do. We invest in these kids because what else would you have us do? Merely babysit them?

[kiwik]

I would love everyone to have the sort of attention and services you mention. But of course there really isn't the money. I get annoyed that there is NO money for gifted education in NZ and feel it is unfair those on the other end of the curve get what they need to meet their potential while my children with so much potential don't.

 

Then I remind myself that isn't true. My friend's son got ABA because she did all sorts of unofficial jobs and recruited and trained the people herself, the severely delayed kid in my son's class got one hour teacher aide time a day and the rest of the time the teacher dealt with 23 5 year olds and what was effectively a 3 year old. Aidex are poorly trained and poorly paid without any of the benefits teachers have. When an aide is sick schools sometimes send the kid home too.

 

There are few places that serve those on either extreme of the curve so am glad the OP can prove their is one.

[msjones]

 Aidex are poorly trained and poorly paid without any of the benefits teachers have. 

In our district, instructional assistants (a.k.a."aides") receive the same benefits as the teachers.

 

 I'm very happy with my hourly rate (near the top of the pay schedule.) 

 

 We have many training opportunities and daily on-the-job training from the therapists who work with our students.  

 

There are quite a few of us certificated teachers with masters degrees working as assistants because it is such a great job. 

 

I know it's not that way everywhere, so I feel very lucky.

[msjones]

I would love everyone to have the sort of attention and services you mention. But of course there really isn't the money. I get annoyed that there is NO money for gifted education in NZ and feel it is unfair those on the other end of the curve get what they need to meet their potential while my children with so much potential don't.

 

 

 

Wow.  I know parents are unhappy with the gifted programs here, but at least they exist.

 

One key difference between "gifted" services and services for the severely disabled is the number of students.

 

 In my neck of the woods, there are many parents who believe their kids need gifted services (thousands of them).  Thankfully, there are only a very few (twenty, at this time) students as disabled as my students.  So, the funding is less controversial.  

[bttrflyvld]

This is a good thread for me. We home school my daughters and have felt so worried about not homeschooling my son with down syndrome. He's just a baby, but when he's three he'll get to have state preschool. I hope he gets teachers that can see his potential and give him a chance. It's nice to know there are people out there that care about our kids.

[Mom22ns]

Wow.  I know parents are unhappy with the gifted programs here, but at least they exist.

 

One key difference between "gifted" services and services for the severely disabled is the number of students.

 

 In my neck of the woods, there are many parents who believe their kids need gifted services (thousands of them).  Thankfully, there are only a very few (twenty, at this time) students as disabled as my students.  So, the funding less controversial.  

 

Our school district qualifies the top 5% of students as gifted. A child may have an IQ in the 130s, but not be in the top 5% and still not qualify for gifted services. I'm sure we have more kids that get services for disabilities than we do in the gifted program, although, not necessarily in the severely disabled range.

[Ad astra]

I'll throw out our experience. Ds was diagnosed autistic spectrum at 3. He regressed, lost nearly all his language (he had been speaking in short sentences at 18 mos), had horrible tantrums, couldn't understand me when I spoke to him, and was completely vacant and detached. He began an early childhood special ed program and received speech, OT, and behavioral therapy. We worked with him at home too. We were told to be prepared to institutionalize him when he was older.

 

That is the ds that is in my sig. A senior in high school, already accepted to his first choice college next year, with several college courses and credits complete, taking APs, a contributing part of his community. Without the early intervention, there is a good chance he would have been a drain on society his entire life, needing social support forever. Instead, he will be a working contributing member of society.

 

Not all kids in special ed programs have this potential and not all will have this success. However, each one that is pulled out of the system and becomes a contributor instead of a drain, saves the taxpayers thousands, possibly millions over a lifetime. The combination of the drain he will not be and the taxpayer he will be will, will pay for many, many kids that won't make it out.

 

Early intervention is such a good investment of taxpayer money!

This story is inspiring to me as I'm going through the same thing with my 3yo who got diagnosed with ASD. She is nonverbal, self-directed and having tantrum issues with little interest in interactions. She had received the early intervention service (speech therapy and special instruction) for 2 hours a week at home since she turned 2. With ASD diagnosis (Waited for a year to see a developmental pediatrician), I was hoping to get more service hours but we only got 135 minutes (Speech, OT and SI; each session lasts 45 mins) of IEPs per week after the evaluation when she turned 3 last month... and the first session with the new provider hasn't even started yet. I don't see a point of changing therapists when kids turn 3 as we liked our former therapists a lot and my DD is showing regression during this long break. More paperwork and wasted time... unfortunately there is no special preschool in this area and the evaluator adamantly told us my DD is not eligible for ABA. This district seems to offer very little service to ASD kids unless they are clearly low-functioning... Didn't even know I could fight or sue them... To make things worse, we're moving to a different state in 6 months and then again in another year. Well, I guess I should make the most out of what we got for now while I take initiative to help my child's speech and social interaction issues because I don't know if receiving 2 hours of IEP service per week is going to make much change in her symptoms... I think the special ed service itself is wonderful. Just wish we got more as I desperately need help on how to get through my kid and can't afford private therapy.