Behavior Day Treatment Program in Public School?

Question

My adopted daughter has been put through the ringer from Kindergarten to 4th grade.... She was placed at age five federally and state identified as Special Needs....

She has FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) Specifically ARND (Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder) with an IQ of 72 and Zero Working Memory almost no Processing....

She also has Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) Disinhibited Type... PTSD, ODD, ADHD, and was sexually abused....

We have worked since kindergarten for an IEP and long story short.... Finally got one last October... After 5 months and 15 meetings the public school has agreed they cannot meet her needs at their school... Next week she will attend another district Day Treatment Program in a Class with Only Boys...

I am concerned... The Modality will be Behavior Modification You cannot Modify Brain Damage and she is at risk with sexualised behaviors. The shcool is 1:2 ratio in class but...

Can I ask for a HomeBound Education Teacher?

Answer 1

All you have to do is put IN WRITING that you disagree with this. YOU are an EQUAL member of the childs IEP team and if you dont' agree with somethign, it can NOT be done.

You really need an advocate. Every state has them for FREE to parents.

Call your state dept of education and ask for the phone number of the 'federally funded special education parent advocacy agency'

Answer 2

Here is my question.. (and I agree given the history and diagnosis it should never have taken this long to get an IEP,, it makes no sense)...

What does your daughter need to be successful in school? This is the district's first responsibility. If they cannot meet these needs then they can look to outside options such as non-public schools and/ or home education. But honestly a school district would look at home education as a last resort as it is very restrictive and will not help the child in the long run cope in the real world or more typical environments. Also home education typically involves a teacher coming out to the house no more than 10 hours a week and giving they child a bunch of work to do independently in between visits. For children with significant difficulties this is often not enough to help them make progress on their goals.

My red flags regarding the school placement is the frequent use of a time out room. These are often used inappropriately and can be abusive in my opinion. Your child should have a Functional Analysis Assessment and a Behavior Intervention Plan in place if they need a time out room that tells staff how to deal with potential behavior problems pro-actively and time out room should only be a last resort when the child is a danger to themselves or others. A behavioral approach to education and behavioral difficulties can be a good thing if done well.. if it means teaching positive replacement behaviors and not merely suppressing negative problematic behavior. Do they have a Board Certified Behavior Analyst on staff? (www.bacb.com).

It sounds like you are on the right track with an advocate on your side. My advice is to never request a place but request the individualized services your child needs which may include behavior support services, low class ratio or one to one support, counseling or mental health services, consistent teaching strategies, structured environment etc.

Make sure that strategies (that you know work with your daughter) such as allowing 5 min to process information and 15 min to calm down are written into the behavior plan and or accommodation page of the IEP.

I really feel for you and all the time an energy you have put into this. Unfortunately it looks like a long road ahead.

www.wrightslaw.com as mentioned above is a great resource for knowing your legal rights and advocating for your child.

Answer 3

There is no way with her IQ and list of disorders that it should have taken that long to realize she is disabled and needed an IEP either by the school or her doctors.

Great step that the school admits they can not meet her educational needs. Make sure you have it stated in her IEP they admit that. Now, will the recommended alternative placement address her goals set forth in her IEP as well as the other listed issues that she has? If not, is the program going to immediately include what is needed? Here's the deal. Your daughter is entitled to an education in the least restrictive environment that will meet her needs. Not the best, but it must be adequate and it must address the agreed upon needs as stated in her IEP. If the placement is not and will not be appropriate, then yes, you can request a homebound teacher or another placement.

But, you have to be able to prove that it is necessary and appropriate as a placement. So, gather what proof you can that the suggested placement is NOT appropriate, ask your daughter's doctors and therapists for formal recommendations which support homebound education that you can present to the case conference committee, and engage independent testing that can also support home or another placement. One big, big issue that has to be addressed is if, as you say, she has problematic sexual behaviors towards males and is going to be placed in an environment that has a majority of males, that should be highlighted as a very bad placement until the behaviors have been addressed. Maybe once she has progressed with learning proper sexual behavior she could move into a co-ed class, but I would think that would have  to be something worked up to do.

BTW, behavior modification has nothing to do with modifying brain damage. Find a good child advocate to help you as you obviously need someone who knows federal and state law regarding disabilities. Ask the school for a list of advocates as well as if they have any parents who have volunteered to be a contact. Ask around for the best advocate recommendation. There are bad ones.