Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Systematic Desensitization over summer break?

I think is is really crucial information and worth really paying attention too.

I also can't imagine what kind of a teacher can't figure out some other classroom management tool than the stoplight.

I understand the point about OOD and oneupmanship. Really I do. If she is at the private, though, it will be a battle to get all the special ed services she needs. I can unilaterally place her there with OG tutoring but it could be months until the other spec ed services are up and running via due process. The private has no way to provide them. The city they are located in will not provide them. My home district will not provide them at a private located outside the city limits. I therefore need to exercise this option as a last resort. It is not just money - DD will lose her OT, Speech, Assistive Technology and the neuropsych eval we have scheduled unless we are able to win at due process.

Our district is currently scrambling and I am starting the process with the attorney. I assume that someone in the chain of command will get this principal on a leash and order her to provide an appropriate classroom environment rather than risking OOD placement. We hope to meet with the attorney asap so that we can have contingency plans in place for if they do or do not provide an appropriate classroom.

I really can't believe it either. I assume that's why the principal refused to even ask them. For some reason she wants to flex her muscle on this one. It makes absolutely no sense and I am hoping it will come back to bite her.

Wait- does your child's teacher WANT to move grades or are you trying to get her moved?

As far as the color chart goes, it is not what I would choose to have in my classroom, but if the school uses it and accepts it, you really cannot expect it to be banned from the classroom your child is in just because of her. She could be exempt from it, if you insist, but she will still need to be managed behaviorally in the classroom just like the others. If she has huge anxiety just being in the room with the chart, she has to get her severe issues better addressed in therapy and/or through medication. Also, to say she has to be in a class without disruptive children is unrealistic- it is a class full of kids all who may be disruptive from time to time, and this includes your child. Maybe she needs a more specialized setting or a para. Sorry, but you are being unreasonable here. The fact that they are offering a desensitizing program is very nice- the teachers are not required to meet your child or show her around when school is not in session.

You know what, I call BS on this. I have been a teacher. I have seen teachers in action successfully manage classroom discipline issues without a color chart. And if a teacher can't come up with an alternative, and a principal can't support it, then they have no business being in public education. This is really not unreasonable or unrealistic to ask for.

Hear, hear, deacongirl.

The school is required to give her an appropriate education. That is, not what the school or any given teacher feels like doing, but what is deemed by the team (including parents and outside professionals) to be appropriate to that child. Let us assume that most teachers are professionals who understand the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

Obviously, amob, no classroom of children behaves perfectly all the time; yet if PP's DD were seated next to a kid who has a record of serious behavior problems, and who troubles her constantly, it would make her anxiety worse. I see no reason not to accommodate this as a seating preference and as a consideration for reasonable classroom assignment, even as her parents simultaneously seek out therapy to help her cope better.

Amob, we had teachers who didn't feel like changing anything for our DS. They decided he was the problem. That was our worst year. He has since proven that with the right environment, and not unreasonable accommodations, he can be very successful in mainstream classrooms.

DeeDee

Thanks DeeDee and deacongirl. I have to say that I find it interesting that amob registered yesterday specifically to respond to this thread with an argument that is almost verbatim the principal's position. Not that it is unwelcome - I am always happy to hear alternate points of view. It helps me to understand the school's position and to formulate my response. I hope this was not a one-hit-wonder, though, and that amob sticks around to participate in the discussion.

To be clear we were given a stark choice last year - we could either address her anxiety or we could address her LD issues. Spec ed services would not be provided in the private we were certain would control the anxiety. In the end the school district assured us that they would do whatever was necessary to control her anxiety. It worked great for a few months and then it fell apart. It escalated to the point that this principal was involved in intentionally triggering her anxiety and then punishing her anxiety response as bad behavior. Does it not send a strong message that the district put in writing that they acknowledge violating her IEP and providing assurances that they would be certain to address her anxiety in the future? IF they were making a good faith effort to do this the problem would not be so serious. IF they were trying to control her anxiety and they knew that they did not have an appropriate classroom placement available wouldn't they have approached us prior to this so that we could work together to find a solution? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have us sit with next year's teacher and brainstorm ways that s/he could comfortably control the classroom and not trigger DD's anxiety? Wouldn't it have made sense to bring this to our attention so that we could have had that therapy/medication option explored properly? Instead their plan was to have her walk into a classroom on the first day of school, face her biggest anxiety trigger head on with no preparation and no support system in place. How can this be interpreted as acting in good faith?

Perhaps the constructive thing to do here is try to brainstorm other classroom management options that would both meet the teacher's need and not trigger DD's anxiety. Since the school district did not do us the courtesy of doing this perhaps amob can. I am serious in this request, by the way. If you are going to weigh in saying that I am wrong I hope that you will also point out what you think would be right.

Though Color charts can work for the mostly-behaved child, it is entirely ineffective for children who are extremely impulsive, oppositional, etc. What do you do for a child who gets on red at 9AM? What motivation does that child have to pull-it together? So many kids just can't go an entire day perfectly....and if teachers hesitate to assign colors for transgressions, then the system is moot. Of course, teachers do need tools to manage their ever-growing classrooms. I like 123Magic For Teachers....it's a much more effective system for the impulsive kids and is constantly giving kids a chance to start over.

Best system I have ever seen: the teacher has the children fill out thank-you tickets (just write their name on the ticket) when they do something good, or helpful, or something that she knows is hard for them. The filled-out tickets go into a big jar, and are pulled regularly for special privileges or fun duties (going first at something, for instance.) The first week of school she gives out the tickets very frequently; soon the kids are all vying to do the right thing and be noticed doing it.

This system is entirely positive, the children adore the teacher for the positivity, and everyone does their best. It reinforces the particular behaviors that each child is working to master. It works especially well for the impulsive kids who are used to negative reinforcement and resigned to being chewed out all the time. Brilliant.

DeeDee

Sounds like you are describing DD's first grade teacher. Is it any wonder that DD was successful in this classroom or that this teacher is universally respected and admired? Am I really so crazy for telling the team that they should use this amazing asset as a tool to train other teachers on a better system? Really???

Very good point! I once had a student like this in a class (2nd grader) and he just could not help the fact that he had severe ADHD and impulsivity issues. The saddest part is he has already labeled himself a bad kid and stupid, when in actuality it couldn't be further from the truth.