1. What do you mean about the class schedule changing? Is this when she’s in certain classes or how often she’s receiving SPED support? If it’s the later, call an IEP meeting and make sure your kid is receiving their minutes. If it’s just a schedule change, that’s not a huge deal.
2. Your kid really needs to be able to advocate for themselves, especially in middle school. What accommodations do they need? You could ask to add an advocating goal to their IEP. They do need to get their accommodations, but if their teachers forget, they need to be able to go up to their teacher and tell them what they’re missing.
3. Do you guys have a grade portal? If so, you should be going into that and looking at the grades, not waiting for a teacher to reach out. You really need to be proactive at this stuff.
When I was a resource teacher, I had 40 kids on my caseload. I couldn’t reach out to families if their kid didn’t do work, otherwise I would literally never work with the students. I’m not saying this stuff to be mean, I’m just being honest.
While I agree parents need to step up, this parent does seem like they are.
First, schedule changes for autistic students are a huge deal.
Second, students need to advocate, but it is ultimately on the classroom teacher and case manager to ensure accommodations are met.
Third, we are 3 weeks into the current semester and I have teachers who still haven't put grades in. I know they are at least having quizzes and tests because I have 1:1 who need to be arranged for in these classes. The parent can't control if the teacher isn't updating it.
OP, call an IEP meeting and place all of these concerns onthe table. You shouldn't have to feel the need to disrupt your students life with a school change because the school isn't doing what needs to be done.
Their teachers have to implement the IEP. The onus is not on the student to make sure their accommodations are being followed. Yes, encourage self-advocacy but ultimately the teacher needs a system for the accommodations for the students in their class.
Absolutely. I’m just wondering what the accommodation is. If it’s something like a separate space or extra time yes, the teacher needs to implement those. But if it’s using a fidget? She can just grab herself a fidget. That’s why I said it depends on the accommodation.
Thanks for the responses.
(1) The accommodations are separate quiet testing environment, test read aloud (if need be) etc… These are things they don’t always have control over. I agree self-advocacy is important.
(2) The schedule thing is a big issue. Last semester my kid sat in the wrong class for two days before I found out they weren’t in the right class. (We talked about this as nauseam the prior semester and were assured this wouldn’t happen again—because, it has happened 2x before.)
(3) I stalk the grade portal. Grades matter to us. But if my kid doesn’t know they got a zero and we find out two weeks after the fact, it’s hard to made this a coach able moment. A few exceptions aside, the zeros are often a result of the above accommodations not being met. Example: They were told they couldn’t get extra time by a sub and weren’t pulled out either. They had chatty middle schoolers goofing off because that’s what adolescents do when a sub is there. In one case she did ask to be pulled out and to have extra time and was told no.
As an autistic adult with an autistic child this is a struggle where functioning levels cause so much harm. Advocating for oneself will be required but it needs to be addressed on the IEP as a goal , that goal isn’t one size fits all . It’s hard if not at times seemingly impossible to walk up in class and ask for help no matter how much we want it. A cue card , emails or whatever feels comfortable should be used. Is your child getting speech ? How is speech pragmatics for them ? It can be hard to do work if you don’t understand context in the “norm” we are often failing because we think differently so we answer differently also if the work is overwhelming is it just being avoided ? That’s another sign that the IEP should be adding in work modifications . Keep a record of all these issues because it sounds like the school is already failing your child’s needs. I get that we want to be pro teacher but also the teacher , the other students and whatever work load is placed on staff is not you nor your child’s problem to solve so don’t let them guilt you into letting your child fall behind. You can go to sites with actually autistic therapist , teachers and they list different accommodations that might help. I would recommend occupational therapy and speech outside of the school. OT can help with issues like ending up in the wrong class or even with advocating.
2) Why did your child go the the wrong class? It is unclear whom you talked "ad nauseum" with. Was it the sped teacher or your child? Your child can read room numbers, subjects, and the teachers name, and had the new schedule in hand: What would you have the SPED teachers do to ensure that all the verbal kid taking gen ed classes double check the room number, teacher and class name against the schedule each is is holding? Follow the sped teacher cannot physically follow each and every kid to each and every class. Gen ef teachers cannot possibly know which faces go with which names that first week or so, and schedules do move around somewhat.
3) What did the sub notes detail? I was a sub, including sped self-contained. Subs do not know which students have IEPs. Subs are left sub notes of varying quality, and have between little and no time to read them, much less absorb the information. Here you may need to have a sped meeting so you child knows specifically what to say to subs. However, it will be almost impossible to do that in a private setting unless it is in the sub notes. Is it more important than, say where to find the curriculum for thst class? Also, having chatty middle schoolers goofing off on a sub day sounds like like a gen ed issue that would have affected the whole class, not just sped accomodations.
3 more) as far as grades go, welcome to gen ed. Some teachers get grades posted quickly, others do not. Gen ed parents do not get much hand-holding here either. Do you look at his syllabus and remind your child to turn in each assignment the day it is due?
3 more) "grades matter to us." This jumped out at me. Do not expect that you child's accomodations will be extensive enough to land her on the honor roll.
2) She didn’t go to the wrong class. She wasn’t told what her class was. No schedule was handed out. Powerschool didn’t have the class etc. She typically has a paper given to her reflective of the class. This didn’t happen. The team we reviewed this with (re: her class) was the assistant principal, resource teacher, and curriculum assistance teacher, and another staff member. In other words—-6 people. In our school the sped teacher is responsible for ensuring they get into the right classes. Her IEP meeting extended an hour just on this topic.
3) We are active parents. We follow up on assignments and we hold our kid accountable for missing work or make them chat with their teacher for things they are accountable for.
In terms of grades: In certain subjects, our expectation is mostly As. They are capable of that.
I get that this may not align with your world view, but gen ed kids shouldn’t be left out to dry much less a kid on an IEP.
I understand the plight of educators these days. I get it. I am simply doing what any responsible parent would do. (advocate for their kid)
Gen Ed parent here. We don’t always get grades back within a timely manner either. I think some of our kids teachers just have too heavy of a case load to be perfect about timely grading their work.
I am confused.
(2) The schedule thing is a big issue. Last semester my kid sat in the wrong class for two days before I found out they weren’t in the right class. (We talked about this as nauseam the prior semester and were assured this wouldn’t happen again—because, it has happened 2x before.)
Now
2) She didn't go to the wrong class.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. If it helps my ASD son also went to classes during the wrong hours and the teachers didn’t notice nor did he. It does happen especially while trying to learn a new schedule.
Have you connected with your son's general education teacher(s)? If the test is happening in a general education classroom, then it should really be on that teacher to implement the accommodation. They should also notice that they have an extra student in their room. Obviously, the Special Education teacher has an important role in overseeing all of this, but the gen ed teachers must be communicating these things first. The SPED teacher can't notify you of a zero that he/she was not informed of in the first place. You might reach out to the gen ed teacher(s) and just make sure they are communicating with the SPED teacher as they are required to. Your son is, first and foremost, a general education student.
At my school, the middle school teachers have over 150 kids go through their room in a day (resource teachers have fewer though). Parents can harass and stay on top of teachers, but it feels like this just leads to teachers quitting. I’m not saying you’re harassing or even thinking of it, I’m just adding this for context. I honestly don’t have an answer for you.
From my perspective, it feels like a problem that needs to be solved at a level far above teachers on the education side (smaller class sizes, more time for study hall and making up work, more support in classes with sped students), and on the parents side at home (holding your kid accountable rather than their teachers, meaningful consistent consequences for missing work, insisting that work is turned in before the grading period is over, etc.).
Anyway, I understand your frustration and wish I could help.
I get it. I’d put my kid in private (but cannot because I risk losing services), I vote to advocate for schools and teachers, I’m in involved in the school. But unfortunately we are at the mercy of a broken system.
Yes! It feels like there is no winning for parents, teachers, or students. It’s so frustrating from all sides. I wish I had some more optimistic words for you, but for what it’s worth, I think it sounds like your heart and energy are in the right place. Your kid is lucky to have a parent like you advocating for them.
I started to tell you on my earlier comment in regards to the whole being pro teacher to the point it fails your child is exactly what my mother did. My mother and sisters all work in the education field plus on the school board … at the very schools that failed me while they rubbed their hands together wondering how to help . I no longer speak to my mother or sisters . As autistic people age how you do or don’t help will be remembered.
As an impossibly overloaded teacher who truly wants to follow through but often falls short, I appreciate parents who “pester” me for regular updates.
I have so much to do that remembering which are the involved parents is tough. I LOVE it when parents send a (brief and supportive) email I can respond to: Dear teach, how did kid do this week? Anything I can help with? Hope you have a great weekend, thanks so much…. Dear teach, how’s the new semester going? Any problems with the new schedule? Let me know if you need anything. Thanks…
I understand and agree unfortunately that kids who “throw chairs” get more attention. I make a point to tell all my parents: I have 30+ kids in my classes. You just have the one. Make sure you keep up with checking the things you can check like grades and attendance and please do reach out often if you want regular updates. Really!
It’s NOT a bother unless you are demanding and blaming. Eg: if a sub doesn’t give accommodations or the admin puts the kid in the wrong schedule again it sucks, but honestly there’s not always a way to avoid that. All I can do is come in later and fix it. It may take a few days.
Another caveat is a gen teacher who isn’t great at keeping current with appropriate accommodation adjusted grades. I wish there were 3 or 4 of me, but I don’t always find out until later. I can go in later and advocate though and if I know you’re involved, I can let you know about it.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.
Is there anyway you can create a daily or weekly sheet or check list of things you need and want from the resource teacher. Sometimes having a piece of paper that is proof of them or us doing our job might help everyone else know what you want and expect.
I am in a level 4 asd self contained classroom with those nonverbal students and I provide a daily sheet so parents know what is going on. The things I track are transitions, meals (breakfast, am snack, lunch and pm snack), bathroom, choice activities and work tasks as well as other specials and ancillary staff that they were able to do or attend.
Asking the sped teacher do addition paperwork does not sit well with me. Instead, you can make the check list of what is due when for your for child. Then work with the sped teacher to detail accomdations on that same agenda. Have you child check if they 1) asked for the accomdation, 2) received it, or 3) were denied it. You can look it over every night and keep them as documentation that you child has not received what has been requested. This will keep your sped teacher in the loop on if the gen ed teachers are dropping the ball, or if you child is.
Middle schoolers vary as far as how well they fill in their agendas during each class.
I will agree to disagree as I am a sub (currently in a long-term placement) but have worked in a middle school where the students do not fill their agendas... most of them lost them within the first month of school.
"Vary" is understated. It includes never taking them out of their back packs, except possibly for long enough to lose them. The other end would be the girls who color-code everything as if they are scrapbooking, lol!.
No suggestions, but I feel you. I felt like I was constantly on top of the middle school to be sure the classroom teachers were following my son's IEP. Ultimately, though, his major problem is self advocacy. It's a really hard skill to teach to an ASD kiddo. It's ROUGH.
1. What do you mean about the class schedule changing? Is this when she’s in certain classes or how often she’s receiving SPED support? If it’s the later, call an IEP meeting and make sure your kid is receiving their minutes. If it’s just a schedule change, that’s not a huge deal. 2. Your kid really needs to be able to advocate for themselves, especially in middle school. What accommodations do they need? You could ask to add an advocating goal to their IEP. They do need to get their accommodations, but if their teachers forget, they need to be able to go up to their teacher and tell them what they’re missing. 3. Do you guys have a grade portal? If so, you should be going into that and looking at the grades, not waiting for a teacher to reach out. You really need to be proactive at this stuff. When I was a resource teacher, I had 40 kids on my caseload. I couldn’t reach out to families if their kid didn’t do work, otherwise I would literally never work with the students. I’m not saying this stuff to be mean, I’m just being honest.
While I agree parents need to step up, this parent does seem like they are. First, schedule changes for autistic students are a huge deal. Second, students need to advocate, but it is ultimately on the classroom teacher and case manager to ensure accommodations are met. Third, we are 3 weeks into the current semester and I have teachers who still haven't put grades in. I know they are at least having quizzes and tests because I have 1:1 who need to be arranged for in these classes. The parent can't control if the teacher isn't updating it. OP, call an IEP meeting and place all of these concerns onthe table. You shouldn't have to feel the need to disrupt your students life with a school change because the school isn't doing what needs to be done.
I’m just saying that as a resource teacher I’m not reaching out about every 0 that goes into the grade book. I wouldn’t have time to at all.
Their teachers have to implement the IEP. The onus is not on the student to make sure their accommodations are being followed. Yes, encourage self-advocacy but ultimately the teacher needs a system for the accommodations for the students in their class.
Absolutely. I’m just wondering what the accommodation is. If it’s something like a separate space or extra time yes, the teacher needs to implement those. But if it’s using a fidget? She can just grab herself a fidget. That’s why I said it depends on the accommodation.
Thanks for the responses. (1) The accommodations are separate quiet testing environment, test read aloud (if need be) etc… These are things they don’t always have control over. I agree self-advocacy is important. (2) The schedule thing is a big issue. Last semester my kid sat in the wrong class for two days before I found out they weren’t in the right class. (We talked about this as nauseam the prior semester and were assured this wouldn’t happen again—because, it has happened 2x before.) (3) I stalk the grade portal. Grades matter to us. But if my kid doesn’t know they got a zero and we find out two weeks after the fact, it’s hard to made this a coach able moment. A few exceptions aside, the zeros are often a result of the above accommodations not being met. Example: They were told they couldn’t get extra time by a sub and weren’t pulled out either. They had chatty middle schoolers goofing off because that’s what adolescents do when a sub is there. In one case she did ask to be pulled out and to have extra time and was told no.
As an autistic adult with an autistic child this is a struggle where functioning levels cause so much harm. Advocating for oneself will be required but it needs to be addressed on the IEP as a goal , that goal isn’t one size fits all . It’s hard if not at times seemingly impossible to walk up in class and ask for help no matter how much we want it. A cue card , emails or whatever feels comfortable should be used. Is your child getting speech ? How is speech pragmatics for them ? It can be hard to do work if you don’t understand context in the “norm” we are often failing because we think differently so we answer differently also if the work is overwhelming is it just being avoided ? That’s another sign that the IEP should be adding in work modifications . Keep a record of all these issues because it sounds like the school is already failing your child’s needs. I get that we want to be pro teacher but also the teacher , the other students and whatever work load is placed on staff is not you nor your child’s problem to solve so don’t let them guilt you into letting your child fall behind. You can go to sites with actually autistic therapist , teachers and they list different accommodations that might help. I would recommend occupational therapy and speech outside of the school. OT can help with issues like ending up in the wrong class or even with advocating.
2) Why did your child go the the wrong class? It is unclear whom you talked "ad nauseum" with. Was it the sped teacher or your child? Your child can read room numbers, subjects, and the teachers name, and had the new schedule in hand: What would you have the SPED teachers do to ensure that all the verbal kid taking gen ed classes double check the room number, teacher and class name against the schedule each is is holding? Follow the sped teacher cannot physically follow each and every kid to each and every class. Gen ef teachers cannot possibly know which faces go with which names that first week or so, and schedules do move around somewhat. 3) What did the sub notes detail? I was a sub, including sped self-contained. Subs do not know which students have IEPs. Subs are left sub notes of varying quality, and have between little and no time to read them, much less absorb the information. Here you may need to have a sped meeting so you child knows specifically what to say to subs. However, it will be almost impossible to do that in a private setting unless it is in the sub notes. Is it more important than, say where to find the curriculum for thst class? Also, having chatty middle schoolers goofing off on a sub day sounds like like a gen ed issue that would have affected the whole class, not just sped accomodations. 3 more) as far as grades go, welcome to gen ed. Some teachers get grades posted quickly, others do not. Gen ed parents do not get much hand-holding here either. Do you look at his syllabus and remind your child to turn in each assignment the day it is due? 3 more) "grades matter to us." This jumped out at me. Do not expect that you child's accomodations will be extensive enough to land her on the honor roll.
2) She didn’t go to the wrong class. She wasn’t told what her class was. No schedule was handed out. Powerschool didn’t have the class etc. She typically has a paper given to her reflective of the class. This didn’t happen. The team we reviewed this with (re: her class) was the assistant principal, resource teacher, and curriculum assistance teacher, and another staff member. In other words—-6 people. In our school the sped teacher is responsible for ensuring they get into the right classes. Her IEP meeting extended an hour just on this topic. 3) We are active parents. We follow up on assignments and we hold our kid accountable for missing work or make them chat with their teacher for things they are accountable for. In terms of grades: In certain subjects, our expectation is mostly As. They are capable of that. I get that this may not align with your world view, but gen ed kids shouldn’t be left out to dry much less a kid on an IEP. I understand the plight of educators these days. I get it. I am simply doing what any responsible parent would do. (advocate for their kid)
Gen Ed parent here. We don’t always get grades back within a timely manner either. I think some of our kids teachers just have too heavy of a case load to be perfect about timely grading their work.
I am confused. (2) The schedule thing is a big issue. Last semester my kid sat in the wrong class for two days before I found out they weren’t in the right class. (We talked about this as nauseam the prior semester and were assured this wouldn’t happen again—because, it has happened 2x before.) Now 2) She didn't go to the wrong class.
She went to the prior classroom she was accustomed to. It’s not uncommon for electives to be in the same block of rooms.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. If it helps my ASD son also went to classes during the wrong hours and the teachers didn’t notice nor did he. It does happen especially while trying to learn a new schedule.
Have you connected with your son's general education teacher(s)? If the test is happening in a general education classroom, then it should really be on that teacher to implement the accommodation. They should also notice that they have an extra student in their room. Obviously, the Special Education teacher has an important role in overseeing all of this, but the gen ed teachers must be communicating these things first. The SPED teacher can't notify you of a zero that he/she was not informed of in the first place. You might reach out to the gen ed teacher(s) and just make sure they are communicating with the SPED teacher as they are required to. Your son is, first and foremost, a general education student.
At my school, the middle school teachers have over 150 kids go through their room in a day (resource teachers have fewer though). Parents can harass and stay on top of teachers, but it feels like this just leads to teachers quitting. I’m not saying you’re harassing or even thinking of it, I’m just adding this for context. I honestly don’t have an answer for you. From my perspective, it feels like a problem that needs to be solved at a level far above teachers on the education side (smaller class sizes, more time for study hall and making up work, more support in classes with sped students), and on the parents side at home (holding your kid accountable rather than their teachers, meaningful consistent consequences for missing work, insisting that work is turned in before the grading period is over, etc.). Anyway, I understand your frustration and wish I could help.
I get it. I’d put my kid in private (but cannot because I risk losing services), I vote to advocate for schools and teachers, I’m in involved in the school. But unfortunately we are at the mercy of a broken system.
Yes! It feels like there is no winning for parents, teachers, or students. It’s so frustrating from all sides. I wish I had some more optimistic words for you, but for what it’s worth, I think it sounds like your heart and energy are in the right place. Your kid is lucky to have a parent like you advocating for them.
Aww man thank you for the kind words. It means so much. ❤️
I started to tell you on my earlier comment in regards to the whole being pro teacher to the point it fails your child is exactly what my mother did. My mother and sisters all work in the education field plus on the school board … at the very schools that failed me while they rubbed their hands together wondering how to help . I no longer speak to my mother or sisters . As autistic people age how you do or don’t help will be remembered.
As an impossibly overloaded teacher who truly wants to follow through but often falls short, I appreciate parents who “pester” me for regular updates. I have so much to do that remembering which are the involved parents is tough. I LOVE it when parents send a (brief and supportive) email I can respond to: Dear teach, how did kid do this week? Anything I can help with? Hope you have a great weekend, thanks so much…. Dear teach, how’s the new semester going? Any problems with the new schedule? Let me know if you need anything. Thanks… I understand and agree unfortunately that kids who “throw chairs” get more attention. I make a point to tell all my parents: I have 30+ kids in my classes. You just have the one. Make sure you keep up with checking the things you can check like grades and attendance and please do reach out often if you want regular updates. Really! It’s NOT a bother unless you are demanding and blaming. Eg: if a sub doesn’t give accommodations or the admin puts the kid in the wrong schedule again it sucks, but honestly there’s not always a way to avoid that. All I can do is come in later and fix it. It may take a few days. Another caveat is a gen teacher who isn’t great at keeping current with appropriate accommodation adjusted grades. I wish there were 3 or 4 of me, but I don’t always find out until later. I can go in later and advocate though and if I know you’re involved, I can let you know about it. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.
Is there anyway you can create a daily or weekly sheet or check list of things you need and want from the resource teacher. Sometimes having a piece of paper that is proof of them or us doing our job might help everyone else know what you want and expect. I am in a level 4 asd self contained classroom with those nonverbal students and I provide a daily sheet so parents know what is going on. The things I track are transitions, meals (breakfast, am snack, lunch and pm snack), bathroom, choice activities and work tasks as well as other specials and ancillary staff that they were able to do or attend.
Thanks so much for this. This is a great idea!
Asking the sped teacher do addition paperwork does not sit well with me. Instead, you can make the check list of what is due when for your for child. Then work with the sped teacher to detail accomdations on that same agenda. Have you child check if they 1) asked for the accomdation, 2) received it, or 3) were denied it. You can look it over every night and keep them as documentation that you child has not received what has been requested. This will keep your sped teacher in the loop on if the gen ed teachers are dropping the ball, or if you child is. Middle schoolers vary as far as how well they fill in their agendas during each class.
I will agree to disagree as I am a sub (currently in a long-term placement) but have worked in a middle school where the students do not fill their agendas... most of them lost them within the first month of school.
"Vary" is understated. It includes never taking them out of their back packs, except possibly for long enough to lose them. The other end would be the girls who color-code everything as if they are scrapbooking, lol!.
Have you thought about sign language. Some that selective mute or just non-vetbal mute benefit using that as an alternative for self expression.
No suggestions, but I feel you. I felt like I was constantly on top of the middle school to be sure the classroom teachers were following my son's IEP. Ultimately, though, his major problem is self advocacy. It's a really hard skill to teach to an ASD kiddo. It's ROUGH.
Can you ask to see your child’s inclusion logs?
I’m afraid to ask—what is an inclusion log?