How do I set it my son with Down Syndrome up in a full inclusion classroom?

Question

My son is 20 monthes old and has Down Syndrome. We would like for him to be mainstreamed into general education classes, which the research clearly shows is best for all students. Districts often fight parents on this. How do you set it up for your child so he is mainstreamed from day 1.

Answer 1

In Georgia, where I work as a special education teacher, at a Pre-K center, students are eligible for our early intervention program as soon as they turn 3.  The parents meet with the school psychologist to determine if the child qualifies for our significanly develpmentaly delayed classroom.  They have to qualify in at least two areas to be cosidered significantly delayed.  Then we hold an IEP meeting, and the parents decide whether or not they want to accept the early intervention.  If they do, then the 3 year old is placed on one of our special education cassrooms and is at school for 1/2 day.  Then as soon as they are eligible for the regular pre-K program (they have to be 4 by september 1) Then we work on getting them a spot in a regular education classroom.  We start off slow and ease them into the regular ed class.  At first just an hour a day and when they can handle that we can start increasing their time in regular ed.  Our ultimate goal is to get them all day in a regular classroom.  Some students need extra help in a regular ed class so sometimes we send the student with a teacher's aid to help. (Ths is called inclusion) And If the student needs a lot of help, sometimes the special education teacher goes in with the child. (this is called the collabrative model)  Hope this information helps!  Good Luck!

Answer 2

my son has DS as well and he is in early intervention preschool at the moment. his classroom is located in our districts kindergarten school. next fall he will be attending 4 yr old kindergarten and be mainstreamed into the system totally. he will go in the afternoons and will have help from his special ed teacher, but he will be with his peers.

Is your son in birth to 3 or early intervention program now? if so talk to your service coordinator. by the age of 3 they are out of the program and if you want them to go to preschool they will get the ball rolling on an IEP with your school district. you will them meet with the school psychologist, special ed teachers, and therapist that your son may need to continue to develop on track. In my opinion, this has been the best route to go.We are lucky because our district is wonderful! (we live in wisconsin) considering we are very close to Lakeland School which specializes in kids with special needs we still wanted Nick to be mainstreamed. I am so glad we have begun that process with the pre-school. he knows everyone at school and loves going and has learned so much in the past year and a half. I wish you all the best with your son!

Answer 3

Start working on things with him at home, the ABC's, Numbers that sort of things. I'm sure that it will be difficult, but anything that will give him a head start will be beneficial for him. If you can show at the Kg interviews that he has the aptitude similar to those in his grade, they should have no reason to fight you. Be willing to work super hard on everything that he does. Granted they don't give homework in the lowest grades, but I'm sure that the extra practice will certainly help him.

Also, just as a side note, I've always said that if I could talk to parents of young people with cognitive challenges, I would tell them to start working on money skills ASAP. I work with adults with mild cognitive impairments in independent living situations and nearly across the board my people have trouble with everything from counting money, to saving and prioritizing wants vs. needs. Sorry that this doesn't have anything to do with your question, and I know that living independently is the last thing on your mind, but in my opinion, it's never too early to start working on independent living skills.

Answer 4

I suggest that you contact your state's Parent Training and Information center (PTI) for parents with special needs. They can guide you in the right direction.

To find your state's PTI, simply do an Internet search for the name of your state plus "parent training and information center."

Answer 5

You may want to revise this decision as time goes on.  Districts often fight it because it is not always in the child's best interests.  Please don't let your ego stand in your child's way.

My advise is to learn all you can about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and stay updated.  You will need it to get your son properly placed and monitored.

Stand your ground and use the law to back you up.

Answer 6

I don*t know where you live, I live in a small town in New Mexico and I teach special education.  The way we do it here is we have Child Find and people (through the newspaper and radio) are invited to a Health Fair where kids are screened.  You would take your child and he would be screened by a speech therapist, occupational therapist, physcial therapist, social worker, early childhood teacher, etc.  At that time if there were any developmental delays, you would be explained the services that were available.  He would receive those services and then by age 4 he would be in preschool and then is when you would tell the MDT Committee that you  want your son in a full inclusion classroom.  YOU have to make known what it is YOU want for your son.  You also have to be realistic, your son might benefit from pull out where he will have intense remediation for a couple of hours a day in reading and math.  Right now I have an autistic student and he is in full inclusion all morning, for science, social studies, P.E., computers and library and then we pull him out to work one to one with a paraprofessional in the areas of reading and math.  Good luck and try to find an advocate.

Answer 7

I grew up with a sister who has Down Syndrome, and she inspired me to become a teacher of children with special needs.  I applaud you for being such a strong advocate for your child, and for having a vision for his future.  

If you want your child to succeed in a full inclusion setting, the single most important attribute you will want him to develop is cooperation.  DS kids are famously stubborn, and it is important that you teach your child early on that he needs to follow the rules, and that he only gets the "rewards" when he complies with adult directions.  Often we family members want to give our DS kids a lot of slack because of their disability, and we let them misbehave because "he doesn't understand," or "he isn't at that level yet, "   or "his inappropriate behavior is a form of communication."  All of these things may be true, but if we want them to fit in with the mainstream crowd, their behavior needs to be pretty mainstream, too.  Teach your child at this early age that he earns the things he wants by following adult directions, and that misbehavior never gets him a reward.  The reality is that our kids with DS already have a strike against them when they go out into mainstream society;  as cute and charming as they may be, people already regard them as "different" because of their appearance, speech, and slower development rate.  If their social skills are high, that will help compensate for their differences.

And while full inclusion can be a positive experience under the right circumstance, it is not necessarily the best option for any given child at any given time.  As a special education teacher, I frequently have students referred to my class after they have been in full inclusion for a year, or several years.  Sometimes kids do well in kindergarten and 1st grade, but as the academic demands increase, it becomes more difficult to structure the general ed classroom curriculum so that it gives the children with special needs the support they need for optimal learning.  It's not at all a failure, either of the child or of the school system, if a special day class ultimately becomes the most appropriate placement.  The best placement is always the one that best meets the student's needs.

Answer 8

Research has shown it to be better on average. Your child is an individual, not an average. Remember that. Don't assume that what is best for the average DS child is best for him; keep an open mind.

That said, remember this phrase: Least Restrictive Environment. That's from the IDEA, and it means they have to put him in a mainstream classroom if they possibly can, if he can get as much out of it as he could with a special ed classroom, and even if he needs a full-time aide to do it. (It also means they can call an aide "restrictive" if they want to... double-edged sword.) You really should get together with other DS moms, especially those with older kids--they will know how to work the system, and that knowledge is extremely valuable.

My personal experience (I'm autistic and I regularly attend an autism support group, where most of the time is devoted to "working the system" for different people's kids) says that most parents are willing to turn themselves into lawyers, doctors, and educators at need for their kids... and when they do, they meet with astonishing levels of success. Probably because once the mamma bear comes out, the IEP meeting doesn't know what hit it...