School, how does it work?

Still in Louisiana

The Early Start program only provides services until the age of three.  Then it switches to the school system.  Chris was still in ABA therapy but we figured, more help is more help, right?  He saw a therapist at our local school for 30 minutes once a week.  She irritated me. 

At the end of the session, she would talk about how it went, progress made, etc.  But she would say, “I got him to…”.  No, you really didn’t.  He’s been doing that for six months, you just don’t know him. 

At the ABA Center they would do the same thing, but it was always celebrating HIM.  He met this goal, he accomplished this.  She made it about her and what she was able to get him to do.  It just rubbed me the wrong way.  But, we kept going.  At our last session with her, I was eight months pregnant with Alex.  She pointed to my belly and said, “you know, that one’s probably going to be Autistic too.”  Why?  Why would you say that?  Who exactly is that statement meant to benefit?  I’m not a violent person but….  Don’t worry, I only punched her in my mind. 

On to Michigan

As Alex moved from baby to toddler, the signs were there.  I recognized them and, yes, expected them.  We had him tested and he was diagnosed with ASD.  I cried again.  I felt ridiculous.  This time I really knew.  This time I was more educated and knew how to help him and what to do.  But I still cried.  Not for me, for him, for the struggles he would have.  About a year before Alex was diagnosed, we had moved from Louisiana to Michigan.  Specifically, Kalamazoo because of the programs they have and the services they provide.  They have Early Start here as well, so he was able to receive speech therapy services. 

The breakdown

The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (or KRESA) oversees all the different educational services.  The ultimate goal is to get all children into General Education (or Gen Ed) with their peers.  There are teams of people that help you along the way! 

Both of my kids started school at a KRESA facility.  They have a kind of pre-pre-school.  Once they have completed the time there (basically aged out), there are several options. 

Kalamazoo has a special school called WoodsEdge.  It provides services for kids with various disabilities from 3-18 years of age.  The entire school was built and paid for by an anonymous donor. It is amazing!  It’s huge.  They have “streets” in the hallways and an indoor swimming pool!  WoodsEdge is for children that need the highest level of support. 

If your child needs a little less support, they have off-site classrooms.  These are classrooms within one school district that have teachers employed through KRESA.  So it’s basically a special education class, within a typical school.  The kids still get all the support they need but they’re able to interact more with their typical peers.  These only exist in one of the nine school districts in Kalamazoo but you can qualify regardless of what district you live in. 

The final option is going to a Gen Ed class in your district with additional supports as needed.  So, now that you have that basic understanding, let’s talk about where my kids are. 

Chris

Chris started out at KRESA when we first moved here.  He was there for 6 months and then he moved to WoodsEdge.  He was there for 6 months and then he moved to the off-site classroom. 

He is now in 3rd grade.  He will be moving from the Elementary school to the Middle School next year but will still be in an off-site classroom outside of our district as he continues to need the extra support.  But he has been spending more and more time in his Gen Ed class and has been connecting with typical kids.  I’ll talk a little bit more about that in my next post. 

Alex

Alex also started in KRESA.  When it was time to make his next move, he went to a school within our district.  They have an ASD classroom for pre-school aged kids and he has been going there for the last 2 years.  They have started to introduce him to the Young Fives classroom. (Young Fives is a class for ANY child that is five and not quite ready for the Kindergarten classroom) 

Next year he will be moving to our “home” Elementary school. 

Progress

Every six months we have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting for each child to discuss progress and goals.  Its weird, but I love these meetings.

There are anywhere from five to ten to more people in each meeting.  There are teachers and speech therapists and school social workers and more in attendance.  Why do I love them?  Because they are always so positive!  They talk about all the great things my kids are doing and how far they’ve come. They talk about how they love working with them and that they’re smart or funny or sweet.  And, yes, they also talk about their struggles and goals they haven’t met but they’re still positive about it.  I can feel and see that every one of these people truly care about my kids and want them to succeed. 

In the five years that we’ve lived here I’ve been in a lot of different rooms with a lot of different people and the feeling has always been the same.  It’s a far cry from “you know, that one’s probably going to be Autistic too.”  I wake up each day knowing that we’ve planted our roots in the right place.  It’s exactly where we, and our kids, need to be!

ASDAutismSpecial Education