Executive functioning

[marissa]

Any help would be nice. I said for over a year a Matt was having issues in this area. We put in some assistance last year and they aren't using the same system this year. He's having an issue getting the completed work back in his folder. He's being penalized in school and tomorrow will miss out on their Fun Friday as a result. We put in his iep that they can't do this and it is being done anyway. I'm rather pissed about it and a few other issues(they took his snack away yesterday because the deemed it not healthy. It was. I packed it.) I'm so over things and ready to pull the plug saying everyone at an OOD placement.

[Captain Serious]

I would contact the case manager and ask about the things that are happening contrary to his IEP. I have to do this right now, too; J's IEP says his PT should be a push-in into gym, to help him better understand directions there, but it hasn't pushed in all year. If things aren't recified after contacting the case manager, it's time to call a team meeting.

[auntie]

It's so hard. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

If they're violating the IEP, call a meeting of the team to discuss but be prepared with suggestions for how to best do this.

Snack is an entirely different issue- but may be related as a consequence for other behavior. Maybe his, maybe yours. I would ask for a written snack list. TBH, my kid's school didn't do snacks past 1st grade unless a kid was in after-care. I'm sort of surprised they still do snack in, what, 3rd or 4th?

You've got a bright kid, you want him taught to overcome his EF issues. You also want to get to a point where he can be OK with multiple protocols and expectations from dealing with assignments before he gets to middle school- it's about getting him ready for IRL where IEPs don't exist. Later 3rd/4th is a time when the expectations for EF skills really ramp up- his classmates are demonstrating a new level of autonomy in managing their time, work and materials. They set the bar.

This time was hell for us. DS's Ef skills were along the lines of a single cell oganism at this age. His entire middle school IEP was about EF and internalizing the skills he needed to be a secondary student. His robust IEP came about after he flunked science based on a single assignment on which he earned three zeros because he neglected to turn it in 3 days in a row.

(backstory- I apologize if I've bored you with this one before- but it speaks to the gift of a skinned knee.)

I had to make a trip to FL to see my parents. DS had a science report due while I was away. He worked on it and completed it before I left which was a few days before it was due. I saw him slip it into his science binder. I sent DS's reource and classroom teachers a note that I would be OOT and that DH was PIC in my absence.

Midweek I get a panicked call from DH. DS is in big trouble- 3 zeros on his science project and a detention for forging my name on a note informing me. WTF? I call the IEP custodian and schedule the meeting.

At the meeting, I thank the science teacher for holding DS to ae appropriate standard and providing me with a perfect example of how his disbaility impacts him not only educationally but academically as well. I followed up with a glowing letter to the superintendent of schools lauding this as being the straw that created a couple of special classes to meet his IEP goals in the middle school. They required the hiring of an additional teacher for 7th and 8th. I figure bitchdaces move cost the district, oh, about $120K.

Then the meeting became about teaching DS skills rather than giving him a pass around them. It took a long time to master them, but he did eventually get there.

I like the book "Smart but Scattered" and also "It's So Hard to Be Your Friend" (which has a lot of information about EF and school/personal relationships).

One caveat about OOD placements. IME, they didn't do as much real instruction around this. One of DS's carool buddies was a 4th-5th grader while we were at Lewis. He had ADHD and dysgraphia- the teachers at that age (middle school) didn't do much around this that I could see. The teachers acted as frontal lobes for their charges which did little to prepare this kid for his return to mainstream.

[marissa]

I asked for the policy on snacks auntie, I was told there is none specifically but the teachers in 3rd grade have decided to do a "fruit or veggie only" snack. They are going around and inspecting everyone's snack and telling the kid they can't eat it if it isn't a fruit or veggie. Snacks extend until 4th grade. When the kid hits 5th grade they don't have them any more.

I e-mailed the case manager and asked her to give the classroom teacher the tool we had put in place last year when we noticed the issues happening. The CM and teacher were unaware that they existed. The SLP was not aware Jon had 2 mediation settlements either so...

Here they expect the kids are 100% responsible for their everything in 3rd grade. IMO, a light switch doesn't turn on at 8/9 saying "I need to be responsible for myself" at this age. It needs to be taught and guided through.

I e-mailed the teacher and asked if we could work together to come up with a plan for him and her response showed me she doesn't understand what EF is. Her reply was that he has no issues doing the work in school. It has nothing to do with doing the work with him (well, unless you talk writing and that's an entirely different monster) but with the organization. He is scatterbrained and needs help to remember what to do. I was given an e-book by someone about EF and what it means to kids. I printed it out and highlighted with notes on how this looks for Matt. I don't expect the teacher to take it but am offering info to her to explain it to her.

I knew you said he had a separate class for science and social studies but didn't know the reason behind it.

[auntie]

Nov 25, 2014 16:55:04 GMT -5 marissa said:

I asked for the policy on snacks auntie, I was told there is none specifically but the teachers in 3rd grade have decided to do a "fruit or veggie only" snack. They are going around and inspecting everyone's snack and telling the kid they can't eat it if it isn't a fruit or veggie. Snacks extend until 4th grade. When the kid hits 5th grade they don't have them any more.


So 3rd and 4th grade teachers play by their own rules? Grrr. What about the kid who needs protein with whole grains as a snack?

I e-mailed the case manager and asked her to give the classroom teacher the tool we had put in place last year when we noticed the issues happening. The CM and teacher were unaware that they existed. The SLP was not aware Jon had 2 mediation settlements either so...


Wow.

Here they expect the kids are 100% responsible for their everything in 3rd grade. IMO, a light switch doesn't turn on at 8/9 saying "I need to be responsible for myself" at this age. It needs to be taught and guided through.


That's unrealistic given the age for all but the most well developing kids.

I e-mailed the teacher and asked if we could work together to come up with a plan for him and her response showed me she doesn't understand what EF is. Her reply was that he has no issues doing the work in school. It has nothing to do with doing the work with him (well, unless you talk writing and that's an entirely different monster) but with the organization. He is scatterbrained and needs help to remember what to do. I was given an e-book by someone about EF and what it means to kids. I printed it out and highlighted with notes on how this looks for Matt. I don't expect the teacher to take it but am offering info to her to explain it to her.


That sounds like a plan. Otherwise, can you get her some training? She can't help your kid with EF if she can't even define it.

I knew you said he had a separate class for science and social studies but didn't know the reason behind it.

Yeah. Middle school. Mainstream academic material with EF and organization taught along side.

[marissa]

Got back not that long ago from the conference.

Snack is taken care of

The Spec. Ed teacher e-mailed last year's 2nd grade teacher and she gave her the check sheet they used. The Spec. Ed teacher ran off 25 copies to give us for home.

They said many kids are having a problem with this and they would expect it to be better by the spring but for now to be the one to do it for him to help.

The classroom teacher said she doesn't see an issue with EF for him in the classroom but followed it up with the class is so structured that he doesn't have the ability to screw it up AND because I talked to her about it and she talked to last year's teacher, SHE has done some changes to help him pack up.

Both the classroom teacher and Spec. Ed teacher had concerns with his handwriting. I questioned how he could have the same goal in 2 places in his IEP and get 2 different responses. The teachers believe he needs services still to help but worry that pulling him out might do more harm. I had said last year she was to be push in and during his writing time. She scheduled it during the writing lesson and not during the mechanics piece which did no one good. He wasn't really getting the service and the OT told me she wasn't a handwriting teacher. Classroom/Special Ed teacher do not feel his handwriting is functional but OT put that he mastered the goal and believes it is. They asked me to send in work that he's done so they can show the OT.