My son is 6 and is a kindergartner. He is a little behind with speech and learning, but when helped one on one can usually do his work him self. He is in a public school in a class of 28 so one on one time is hard to get. He does have the speech therapist working with him a few times a week, either pulling him out of class or working with him one on one in class. He will be tested for resource next month, but still has an IEP and will receive speech services next year. I really like his speech therapist, but don't love his kindergarten teacher (for him), she is a little negative and he doesn't respond well to that, he needs a lot of positive reinforcement. His main problem now is he is not focusing on what he needs to do in class, he needs to be told to move on to the next thing otherwise he is just spacing off. So my question is what services are there that could give my son more one on one help, in the school he is at or if maybe there is another option in different schools or maybe something that is an after school program. Thanks!
Do you have the option of moving him to a smaller classroom? I know for me I identified my daughters needs and choose a school with a small teacher to child ratio. If you can't do this then maybe you can talk with all involved with his IEP for suggestions to help him improve: Good Luck
This is a great time to be considering what assistance or teaching he needs to finish kindergarten well, what he could benefit from this summer, and how he could be well-supported next year. I would suggest you:
1. Speak separately to each person who works with him (teacher, speech therapist) as well as the school's team chairperson. These conversations, with lots of listening on your part, will enable you to gather different perspectives on how he learns best and ways to enhance those ways.
2. Start taking notes on all you learn.
3. After your conversations, start to think about which person is most likely to be able to help you, as the key person may be different depending on the student, the parent and the staff. This person may be your guiding light for years.
4. Then request the school initiate a full evaluation of his needs and strengths, including cognitive, language, social, etc.
I think I remember that you kept your son out of kindergarten for a year, to let him be ready, so now is the perfect time to let the school know that your concerns are valid and need to be addressed. All my best.
I am sure every state is different. My son is 5 and in kinder and has some developmental delays and speech and ot services. He does have a one on one aid for part of the day during class. At the beginning of the year it was for the first 2hours of class and they have started to wean it down to the 1st hour (our K is 3 hours long). Then another aid comes in toward the end of class to help him and a few other kids. He is pulled out once a week for speech and once a week for OT. He is the only one in the class to get one on one help.
To be honest I dont know how he got that. He definitely has delays and can have a hard time focusing but he is also ahead in some areas like reading and is doing pretty well in writing. Ask for it during the IEP meeting see what they tell you. Good luck!
Does your school offer a content mastery program? When I was teaching (Middle school), we had the option of sending kids to content mastery after class instruction time. The kids could go there to get the one on one help they needed.
One on one help is not available in school just to help him focus. If he qualifies for resource, that should help. You can work with him at home too.
There are classrooms where kids with special needs are integrated with the general population, and the kids with special needs have para-teachers, sometimes one per kid. The thing is, your son would need a pretty definitive diagnosis (i.e., a special ed placement) to qualify for this. It's possible, unfortunately, if he's just a little behind, that he may be doing too well to qualify. But it never hurts to investigate.
I would def. talk to the principal on that one. If your not comfortable with your child's teacher, and feel he's not getting the attention he deserves, then maybe he needs to be moved to another class. It's all in the best interest of your baby. The principal of the school may know of other means to help your son. Good luck mommy!
A private tutor will work wonders-and perhaps a new teacher-one with whom your child will flourish-someone who makes him feel good about himself. Everyone wants to feel like they belong and that they are loved, respected and valued; it is the nature of man to seek validation and acceptance from friends, family, teachers, coworkers, and even strangers. Nurturing this need produces a sense of self worth and a desire to demonstrate self reliance and independence. When educators on the kindergarten level grasp this concept, they can more effectively teach. Do not waste another moment of your child's life putting him in front of a teacher who doesn't "get it".
Get him a 504, ask the speech therepist if she can reccomend it. Basically it can help require certain things are done for him such as him being told to move on and checked in with regularly.
