Touring schools

This week we toured both schools that we are considering for Oksana if/when the time comes that she needs a different setting.  Originally we were going to tour 3 but at our last meeting the third was eliminated as a possibility.  Apparently they are making a whole lot of changes to that program in the coming years so it might still be an option for the future, but as of right now it is not the program for Oksana.  The two schools we toured were the one in our district that has a pilot program geared to kids with trauma in their past, and a private school that takes the kids that the district can not accomodate.

We started on Monday touring the private school.  This school is about 35-40 minutes away.  It is a school that is on a campus that also has a residential facility on it.  They take children with emotional disturbances and autism.  I really anticipated loving this school. I've heard great things about it.  As we left, Larry and I both agreed that we didn't love it and we didn't hate it.  There was good and bad.

There are some really cool things about this school.  The biggest thing I loved is that they kids get group therapy daily, individual therapy (I can't remember how often), and also have the option of music and /or art therapy.  How cool is that?  The class sizes are small.  Right around 10 kids per class.  There is a teacher and an aide in each room plus a therapist assigned to each room.  I think I just loved how normal behaviors are.  There was a kid having a meltdown in the hallway and no one was staring or freaking out.  It just is what it is and while a few staff were working with this child everyone just moved on like it was no big deal.  When I told stories of some of the things Oksana has done no one was shocked, they just acted like it was another day in the life of these kids.  I have to say that is a bit refreshing for a parent.  Those are all great things and we really do think that this school is awesome for the population of children that it serves.

There was really nothing at all bad about the school itself but there were some things that made us wonder how Oksana would fit.  One thing we noticed is that in all of the classes that were possible placements for Oksana she would be the only girl.  Deal breaking?  No, but definitely something we noticed.  The rooms are also extremely small.  Extremely.  She would be their only child with a physical disability.  I don't know how she would maneuver through those rooms.  She would be constantly bumping into people and things.  If these kids are anything like her they are not going to take well to being bumped into or having her fall on them.  One concern that came up is whether or not she could move out of the way fast enough if a child tried to throw a desk.  My first answer was possibly not.  After seeing the size of the rooms I'd say that I don't know if a child without a physical disability could get out of the way!  Another concern we had is her cognitive level.  The truth is that we have no idea what to expect from Oksana educationally.  We have seen little to no increase in skills despite our best efforts.  The class room that would fit her best at this school is great but they can't keep her there forever.  Eventually she would need to move to the next room and they are educationally well above her.  The next option is to put her in an autism room but we weren't sure that was a good fit for her either.  We saw lots of great things but nothing that seemed like the right fit for her as she grew in this school.  Another concern was the transportation.  School drop off is from about 8-8:30.  She would ride in a van that picks up other kids in our district and busses them out to this school.  With rush hour traffic they could easily be on the road for an hour.  When you add transportation both ways to the school day that makes for an incredibly early morning and an incredibly long day.  We'd do it if the school was perfect for her, but right at this time I'm not sure it is the right fit.  That doesn't mean it won't be in the future, at which point I will take the time to address my concerns a bit more. 

We toured the second school today.  This is a class within a school in our district not very far from our home at all.  It is a pilot program to meet the needs of some of the more emotionally disturbed children and give them the tools to feel safe, learn to regulate themselves, build on social skills, and move a slowly as needed into more acclimation in the school.  The space was fantastic.  It was 2 nice sized classrooms divided by a door.  One side was more for what are the "school" type activities and one side was more of a quiet space.  In the quiet room they had mats like this

but they set them  up on their sides so they created a little "house".  Does that make sense?  Each child had one and they called it their personal space.  No other child is allowed in their space unless they knock and are invited.  It is a safe place for them to be alone or use however they would like to help them regulate themselves. 
They always moved back and forth between the rooms depending on the needs of the child/class.  There are currently 4 kids in this program.  The teacher is  young, which they had told us at the IEP meeting, but she was passionate about this classroom and just soaking in anything she can to make it a successful program.  She meets weekly with a behavior specialist and the school psychologist to discuss problems, tactics, etc.  There is tons of support from the district for this class.  The principal spent quite a bit of time with us too and he was a very nice man.  We really liked him.  The one down side is that it appeared to us that the children had a lot of say in what their day is like.  I would want to be sure that Oksana did not feel that she had control over the class and her schedule. She needs firm structure.  If they give her the option she will sit in her personal space squeezing balls and talking to imaginary people ALL DAY LONG.  Then when they wanted her to move out of that they would have to face her wrath as they try to take her control away.  That's all stuff we could discuss more deeply if she ever moved to that program.  One of the questions I asked was what this program could offer that her current setting can't.  It was mentioned that in a resource setting the teacher does not have the ability to really devote all of the time needed to help a child in a meltdown.  This program is designed for kids who meltdown so the teacher can devote time to that child without it impacting the education of the other kids. 

So this evening I sent an email to some of our IEP team to let them know what we saw and what we think.  Both are great programs.  We are thankful that right now she can stay where she is but we did bring up the concern that Oksana might max out her teacher in a resource setting and impact the education of the other kids.  Her teacher emailed us back and assured us that she and her team do not feel maxed out.  They have a great system down with Oksana now and she is growing and thriving there.  That was good to hear.  In the end, as good as those other programs are, they are second best to where she is now.  We are going to sit back now and enjoy the peace while we can knowing that no matter what happens in the future Oksana will be just fine!