I'm looking for input so please feel free to weigh in...
I've posted quite a bit about DD11 and her OOD placement at a spec Ed school. She receives tons of remediation support including daily Wilson for dyslexia, daily Camelot math for math disability along with grade level math for higher level concepts, 3 1/2 hours a week OT for dysgraphia and AT support, 2 hours a week speech and an hour a week with SW even though anxiety is under control just to help her cope with all her challenges. She also is doing a high school literature curriculum 1-1 rather than in a HS class setting but they are trying to include a HS student with her to increase the opportunities for discussion. She also has an enrichment program in any area she chooses - always history. She is now decoding on grade level, pretty much independent on AT. She seems to be doing well plugging the holes in basic math and is picking up higher level concepts with great ease. Looks like she has hit the wall on handwriting. Speech program was recently retooled to focus on oral motor issues and daily excercises will be worked into her program 2-3 times a day starting next week. In her third year at this school they get her - everyone loves her. I mean they *really* respect her, admire her and genuinely like her as a person.
The first 2 years in this placement were kind of rough. The first year there was a girl in the class DD became very close to who had an explosive disorder that led to the classroom being evacuated with an alarming frequency. DD couldn't stand the explosions but loved this girl - her best friend in school. She was absolutely devastated when after a particularly bad explosion 911 was called, the girl taken to the psych ward and never returned to school. 2 years later she still talks about her and misses her. The next year the class became rather chaotic with ADHD boys bouncing off the walls and the only other girl left as a result. Last year was *very* difficult being the only girl in that environment.
This year has been very calm. Bouncing off the wall boys have moved to middle school area or out of the school altogether. With the calm environment she doesn't mind as much being the only girl and she has a TON of outside activities with other girls (Girl Scouts, chorus, dance class, yoga class. Plus she does a lot of musical theater.)
So to my question - for 6th grade some kids remain in the elementary school area, some move to the middle school area and some split their time between the 2. We are being asked what we want to do with DD and this has led to thought and discussion of how we weigh appropriate academic support (including remediation, special services and acceleration/enrichment) against the need for an appropriate peer group. The first 2 years we felt we had no choice - the academic interventions had to outweigh the question of peer group so we really pushed access to NT peers outside of school as a balance. But is this enough? Are we doing her a disservice having her spend 6 hours a day surrounded only by kids with special needs?
I am concerned about allowing her to move to the middle school area if she will again be surrounded by bouncing off the wall boys. There should be a girl or 2 over there, though. I am also concerned about keeping her in the mixed grade 1st-6th grade classroom because she really doesn't have any intellectual peers there. (One ED kid in the same grade was an intellectual peer the first 2 years but he left. He also contributed to the meltdowns, evacuation problem on occasion.) There is also another musical theater kid in the middle school area.
This discussion has also led to the question of whether or not we can continue to consider this an appropriate placement if the peer group is not appropriate for her. If not we don't have any kind of back up option available (which is why she was placed there to begin with.)
So what should way heavier? Remediation that has been very successful, especially when combined with a willingness to provide acceleration and enrichment? Or the need as she gets older to have an appropriate peer group in school? She is extremely empathetic and emotionally mature. She explains quite eloquently that everyone is in this school because they are working on something. "We may have a rough couple of weeks, especially if someone is going through a change in meds but if we can get through that it usually calms down." Or when someone considering the school asked her if the kids were weird "well, some of them but they're working on it..." When I told her a friend was considering sending her son to this school but she was concerned because it was small and all special Ed kids and she was afraid he wouldn't be around non special Ed kids at all she said "Well that's silly. It's a nurturing supportive environment. They will teach him how to make friends. And besides he will make friends with the kids at school."
If the calm environment of this year could continue it would be a no brainer - move to the middle school area, keep her in all her outside activities, continue to make sure she maintains contact with her multitude of NT friends outside of school (almost all of whom are TAG in their various districts so she obviously gravitates to smart and/or gifted kids in everyday life), and continue to make sure enrichment, remediation and special services remain appropriate. But of course main bounce off the walls boy is now in middle school area (which is why elementary area is so calm this year...) and at any point a new kid could enroll in area to throw off the balance. So if craziness starts back up what to do?
So ideas or input? I am eager to hear your thoughts please.
