AboutMichelle Fattig Expertise I can answer questions about educational testing, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Special Education, IEP, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing, Parent Advocacy, Response to Intervention, living and parenting with disabilities, parent rights in special education, school psychology, and more. I cannot provide a medical diagnosis.
Experience I am a school psychologist, medical technologist, author of the Annie Books series: Experience Aspeger's Syndrome and Attention Deficits Through the Eyes of a Child, RTI facilitator, ILCD facilitator, parent advocate, presenter, and researcher. My children and I have Asperger's, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.
Organizations National Association of School Pyschologists, American Medical Technologists, Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
Education/Credentials Ed.S. in School Psychology, doctoral studies in SPED Law, SPED Systems Enhancement Leadership, and doctoral candidate Education Leadership. MT(AMT) and MLT(ASCP)
Expert: Michelle Fattig Date: 12/19/2007 Subject: integration Vs. Non- integration
Question My Husband was recently awarded custody of his 5yrold daughter after finding that the mother was very neglectful. This child had not ever been around other kids or adults, until she moved with us and she never had anyone to guide her. She sat in front of the TV for 5yrs straight while her mother was always asleep or too busy for her. She was very malnourished when we got her and she has recently been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Post traumatic stress disorder, and psychological and educational neglect. She started school for the first time ever in October where she was placed in a special ed K class and she had issues with control and wanting everything to be her way but slowly the teacher adjusted her routine so it was better for the child. The teacher used a picture schedule to help with the transitions with the day and it worked so well that she went a whole week without any tantrums and she was finally starting to show progress and started acting more "normal". She was then switched over to a special school where she was only around disabled peers and we have been seeing regression, this is a Boces type school and it seems very old school. The teachers have not tried to use pictures even after we have stated many times that it helps ver much and she is now coming home doing hand flapping gestures and movements with her fingers that she had NEVER done before. We feel that most of her delays were from the bad environment that she was in for so long and she just doesnt know what life is all about and what the world has to offer(she had no idea what a playground was until she moved with us and now she goes and playes all the time). We now feel like we made a very bad decision with moving her into this special school because she thinks that what the other kids do is normal since she is very influenced by them and their behaviors. The One problem is that if we were to take her out of this special school and place her back in the special ed K class and she doesnt make the same progress that she did before the move to the special school, then we would have to be put back on a waiting list that could be up to a year to get back into the special school, on the other hand she could make so much more progress being around non disabled peers and grow out of her tantrums. We are unsure as what to do? Her conditions are only mild but we do not want them to become severe from being around disabled peers. We know that this will take time but we dont want to make the problems worse. We need people to tell us what they would do in this type of situation.
Answer If you are seeing regression, and were seeing progress in the previous school, it would be a good idea to talk with your doctor, school psychologist, and both teachers (if possible) to find options that will best suit her needs. It is true that children can pick up maladaptive behaviors from other children, but the new behaviors could also be a reaction to the stress of moving to a new school, adapting to a new routine, making a connection with a new teacher, and a lack of visual schedule (which I highly recommend be reinstated if at all possible). Having all of the team members together to brainstorm the best solution for your child, including an occupational therapist to talk about sensory interventions and a speech pathologist to talk about communication needs) is most probably your best option.
