teacher wants to put my kindergarten child into special ed i disagree what do you think?

Question

MY SON IS VERY QUIET AND HAS A SPEECH PROBLEM HIS TEACHER WANTS TO PUT HIM IN SPECIAL ED AND SPEECH THERAPY I AGREE WITH THE SPEECH THERAPY BUT HES A VERY SMART BOY HE CAN DO THE SAME WORK AS THE OTHER STUDENTS HE JUST REFUSES TO SOCIALIZE WITH THE OTHER STUDENTS I FEEL THAT THEY WANT TO PUT HIM IN SPECIAL ED CAUSE THEY DONT WANT TO TRY TO REACH HIM AM I RIGHT IN REFUSING TO LET THEM PUT HIM IN SPECIAL ED OR AM I HURTING HIM BY KEEPING HIM IN THE REGULAR CLASS ROOM PLEASE GIVE ME HELP

Answer 1

Perhaps the reason your son is quiet, and doesn't socialize well is because he is self-conscious about his speech problem. My son was similar when in the early grades. I chose to put him into a special ed class and he is now one of the most confident children! He has also benefitted from the teachers immensely. I know as a parent it is really difficult to make a decision like this. The fact is, for me I really tried to convince myself, and everybody else that my son was fine and could do it, was just choosing not to. It turned out not to be the case. Not saying that is what is going on with you though. Good Luck. I am sure you will make the decision that is right for your son.

Answer 2

If the teacher recommends it there is probably a reason for it. If you don't agree with the decision, try enrolling your son in a different school. They might be a little more patient with him. The teacher at your son's school can't really just focus on your son with 20 other kids in the class, it's not fair for the other student and parents. Putting your son in special ed will be a benefit to him until he picks up the pace. They put some kids in ESL for the same reason. I was in ESL for Kindergarten and returned to a regular classroom in Grade 1.
I know it feels like an insult when special ed is recommended but don't let your emotions and wants get in the way of what your child currently needs.

good luck!

Answer 3

It is truly hard when you are a parent and you are being told that your child needs additional help. I have been there twice so, I know where you are coming from.
I have two beautiful and very intelligent daughters who have BOTH been put back a grade. They just didn't make the cut for the 1st grade so, they were put back into preschool.
Being put back or being put into a special class does not mean that your child is not intelligent. There are so many other factors in getting a proper education besides intelligence. One of those is properly socializing.
My oldest daughter had the same problem with socializing. At first, I didn't think it was a big deal. I thought she was taking after me because I am not much of a people person myself. But, it can cause a lot of problems in school and of course later in life when your child goes into the work force.
By taking that one year to learn social skills, she really came out of her shell. In general, she is a much happier and prepared child. She can NOW focus on her education which she is excelling at.
My youngest daughter has a problem with emotional immaturity. I'm hoping with the additional year she is getting at school she will be able to work out her problems so, she too can focus on her education.
In conclusion, I would have to say that you should never take additional help as a personal offense even though it is hard not to do so. Additional help can only do one thing which is help.
Most teachers have been in the business for years and they tend to know when a child needs that extra push. So, you could always just try it. Let them put him in a special education class and see how it goes. If you don't see an improvement then you can ask for him to be put back in his normal class.
Extra help is not going to hurt him. You might even be pleasantly surprised like I was. And remember, it is not always about intelligence. Some people need alternative methods for learning things or have problems in other fields that need to be addressed.
Good luck!

Answer 4

If he can keep up with the work, don't put him in special ed. I really believe teachers make recommendations such as this based mostly good intentions. The bottom line is however, that you have input on this decision as well and if he doing well in a regular class there is no reason to move him. If he is having trouble with the work, but you don't necessarily trust the teachers opinion then go to a doctor and him evaluated for a learning disability. At that point you may decide that special ed is an option worth considering.

Answer 5

I would definitely accept the speech therapy because speech problems are embarrassing for kids and they usually can be treated when a child is young.

I don't think that the school is trying to put your child in special education because they don't want to try and reach him. Almost every teacher I have ever known, with very few exceptions, have always acted in what they consider the best interests of the child. They must have some concerns.

You have to remember that you are in the driver's seat when it comes to special education services. You can pretty much tell them the amount of service you want your child ro receive. There is an option for education in the regular classroom with resource services, which means either just special consultation with the general education teacher or pull out for specific subjects.

There are other benefits to receiving special education services for your child. One of the things that done is that the team recommends accommodations to the learning environment, which might benefit a quiet kid. Also, the child can take state tests in a smaller group and get more time. Finally, they are eligible for free counseling.

If I were you, I would accept the offered services and request that your child be maintained in the general education classes with consultation only. This way, if things get harder for your child, you don't have to go through the whole referral process again. You can pull your child out of special ed at ANY time.

Answer 6

I think you should follow his teacher's lead. You didn't post many of her reasons for recommending he be looked at.

I have 2 children. Both extremely intelligent, both can keep up with the work given to them, both are ahead of their peers in many areas. Both have autism, and it would be an injustice to refuse ANY services offered by the school. I'm not saying your child has autism, but you should never argue with getting a little extra help. They probably want to leave him in a regular class, and send him out for some subjects. With speech, he may also get a social skills group.

The goal of special education is to work on the areas where he's lacking, and try to get him out. He's young, put him in special, accept all the help they're looking to give him, and maybe in a few years he'll be mainstreamed. Or, they could pick up on serious learning issues now. You don't want to wait until he's falling behind to get help. His teacher is already experiencing problems with him, or is anticipating worse problems in future years. Kindergarten in many areas is not required, but it is a good place to start picking up problems the child may have.

Answer 7

Has your school tested him? Do they have I.Q. scores on him. I don't know what state u live in, but in PA we have a law that says the least restricted environment.The least restricted environment would keep him in the regular classroom with adaptions if he is in need of Special Ed. Speech does not really qualify him for special ed. A team (including you) decides if your child needs special education. A child can receive speech without being in special education. If your son isn't socializing with the other students, where does she feel he would better benefit in special classes. It is still early in the school year. What month was your son born is he a young kindergarten age, or one of the older ones. Boys don't mature as fast as girls. There is a lot of factors to weigh out here. I hope this helped.

Answer 8

This is gonna be tough but your child shows some signs of being autistic.

Just make sure of why you make any decisions. It is very easy to make a bad decision for a young child because the parent refuses to believe or accept that their child has some special challenges.

With that said, think it over and go with your gut feeling. The teacher may be a very good judge, dedicated to the welfare of your child. The teacher could also be just phoning it in and since your child takes more time and effort than most of the others the best thing for the teacher is to get the child out of the class as much as possible.

Take your child to a doctor and get opinions. Talk to the teacher, get to know him/her. Be open minded, firm in your beliefs and make a decision as soon as possible. And don't be afraid to change directions.

Answer 9

If you qualify for speech therapy you qualify for special education services. I assume you are protesting placement in a self-contained classroom not that he qualifies for special education. Secondly it is not the teacher's decision. In order to qualify for any special education services including speech therapy your child must be assessed by the school team which will usually involve a speech therapist and a psychologist at the minimum if these are your child's need areas. If you agree your child has needs then request that an assessment be done immediately and they will look at his speech and language needs as well as academic, social etc. Remember it is your son's right to be education in the least restrictive environment possible. So special education for him may be speech therapy and some kind of push in support during free time and/ or recess to help facilitate social skills etc. AT this age socializing with peers is almost more important than any academic work, but does not mean your child needs a special classroom, necessarily. Welcome to the large complicated world of IEPS and special services. Check out www.wrightslaw.com for lots of information on your rights and services. But there are a lot of options available, depending on your district, that can help your son be successful and do well and get services that may not involve him being put in a separate classroom. Special education does not always mean a separate classroom. So don't' panic. Be grateful the teacher has recommended the assessment. Cooperate to help them gather all the information. Be cautious and evaluate their findings against your own knowledge about your child. Make sure they offer you services to meet all his needs, speech and socialization, and don't panic. Your son is young and getting good service and advice now will help so your child may not need services for very long.

Answer 10

The good thing is that you as aparent have the right to document and take part in his IEP. They can not just move your child. I would really have him assessed by a developmental pediatrician. Have they ruled out PDD? Are you in Private or Public School? He could possibly need learning support and assistive support in the mainstream classroom. Have they given your child social skills classes by a qualified instructor. You should look up social skills therapy programs in your area and request the district pay for your child to go to a social skills program. He should have had a complete school assesment before they even discuss this with you. Please get everything in writing and buy one of those phone call log books. You should look at the website wrightslaw they will help you. I don't know what your money situation is like but I would consider getting an attorney or an advocate.