It sounds like your son has improved greatly. Maybe he can spend more time each day with the teachers who make him feel successful and less with the one who doesn’t?

It seems he is moving toward success in his home school. I wonder if it’s time for another meeting—one that helps him stay closer to home.

Patricia Aust: CT Task Force on ADHD/author of HYPER HARRY for kids 8-12 (available in paperback or kindle) at Amazon.com HYPER HARRY ebooks).

Did they already do a Functional Behavioral Analysis?  If not, please ask that they do so.  The FBA will uncover the antecedents to his frustrating behavior and the behaviorist will then write a Behavior Intervention Plan that the teacher, and future teachers, can follow.  THAT is the logical next step, not a change of placement because one teacher doesn’t know what to do when he does A, B, or C.  This will be knowledge that she can use with other students too.
    I also think you should ask the sped director about their district-wide staff training on sped behaviors.  Ask to see the agenda of the last district-wide training.  Because of cuts to education, many schools are unable to afford mandated sped training.  All of the teachers in your district should know how to deal with most sped behaviors.  In the long run, it is cheaper, and better, to train all the teachers instead of transporting students to a place where one teacher is trained.  Eventually, they will be sending kids in busses all over and no one will be happy.

Thank you for both of the above replies.  There is no way to keep him at the current school and not with the teacher who feels she “doesnt have the correct skills” to help him.  She is the primary special ed teacher.  He has had a FBA very early in the year.  I asked for another but I have not heard if it was done.  I asked them to complete another because I felt he was significantly different after medication changes.  I believe this teacher has a pattern of this with ADHD/emotionally impaired kids.  Already the team has told me one other boy in her room was sent to this other school and is “now so much better he is coming back” for 5 th grade.  (she is the teacher for 3,4, 5 grade special ed).  I went on greatschools.org and check the review of the school and sure enough there is a parent posting about how there son with Aspberger’s was “sent away” , the post is from 2010 and this same teacher had been there at that time.

I would keep him where he is thriving…and not allow this teachers perceptions to affect your decision.  She apparently cant handle the behaviors that come with an ADHD diagnosis..and has adversely affected many kids and their families.  I would not allow her to continue this pattern.  push for another functional behavioral assessment…insure that a new behavior plan is in place with 2 target behaviors to start.  make sure that the school knows that you will support this plan at home as well…there has to be carry over to home..and consistent communication to insure that the goals and the action plan for the goals are realistic. and working…you say there is a plan in place, apparently based on a previous fba…you have to follow what is being done when a behavior occurs..and know the outcome…is she following the plan?  did it stop working?  why are the other teachers reporting positive things..and she just wants to ship him off?  How will that make your child feel?  And really, how do you knowthat just because someone is certified, do we really know that moving your son will fix everything?  Again, I think you need daily communicatioan with this teacher…and positive reinforcement at home..remember, positive reinforcement is a must with ourkids with ADHD..where does this fit in the behavior plan??  keep in touch…Best, Karen K Lowry,R.N.,M.S.N.
                      ADHD Coach, AAC

Karen thank you for your reply but all that you have suggested has been done.  We did get a new FBA, and modified the behavior plan based on it.  The teacher and the mainstream teachers send us a daily behavior report sheet - if he has good behavior he earns points towards time on his computer game at home (previously he did not have any game time during the school week).  The teacher emails me frequently.  I think the whole thing is she doesnt want to deal with him anymore right now and she has another boy with ADHD coming back to her classroom for 5 th grade from the other program and apparrently the IEP team has some concern regarding both him and my son being in this teacher’s room together.  I think they are trying to railroad us into a decison.  The whole thing is not about what they think…its about what is best for my son.  I feel if all this was the case why was he not placed there in the first place ???

p.s.  Karen, I am a RN, MSN, ACNP-BC ...nurse practitioner….small world !

Is there a reason he is not being mainstreamed?  Why does he have to stay in the teacher’s class that clearly doesn’t want to work with him, although, given her position, she should.  Don’t let this teacher or this district shirk their responsibilities for educating your son!  Maybe you should seek help from an advocate…this district is not doing kids any favors by shipping them to another school to “get fixed” and then come back—-this teacher needs to be held accountable and your son needs to be served and taught!

LeAnn Risch,
Resource Specialist