I have real opinions on this one!
We lived in California, in a district where they WOULD NOT give a one-on-one assistant in a regular classroom for our son -- but they WOULD put him in a special needs classroom with 15 kids, all with different special needs. Before his first grade year, we MOVED back to Pennsylvania (where we had come from) and were able to get all sorts of help that we couldn't get in California.
Our son had a one-on-one aide in first grade. He desperately needed this help, and at this age, the kids in his class didn't really notice anything unusual. He needed the direction to stay on task, to know where he was supposed to go, to clean up his space, and to pack his backpack.
In second grade, he had aides (multiple) who would help depending upon the class he was in. He did NOT have an aide in his main class, but basically a different aide with each class where it was necessary. This way, he didn't become dependent upon one aide, and he could get used to a number of different people helping while we were basically getting ready to ease him off of aides.
In third grade, he had fewer aides.
In fourth grade, the aides were completely pulled. He may have had help every once in a while, but not much. It was the same in fifth grade.
In sixth grade, they provided aides for the first week or so. This was a nice idea in theory, but not a good idea for him, because it caused more confusion than providing help. Also, I am under the impression that having an aide at this stage, for him, was more of a negative stigma -- making him appear more handicapped. He is not handicapped -- he just has areas where he sometimes needs more understanding than other children.
He is now in seventh grade, and this is the first year where he has all regular ed classes. He is really doing well, and I think that this is due partially to maturity, and partially to the fact that we incrementally got him used to independence and NOT needing support. The school would rather give him lots of support, because that's how they've done things for years. But he cannot have support forever, so we needed to get him used to enjoying independence. He loves this independence, and has really stepped up to the plate in keeping track of things, working on homework, etc. He periodically has problems, but they seem to be manageable and minor.
I don't know if this type of aide "schedule" is doable with all kids, but it sure worked with my son. Other kids may need more support, while some may need less. But I totally believe in diminishing support for children as soon as it is possible, so that they can gain independence as soon as possible.
Kris
10 Sep 2008, 10:19 am
