Half-day K as a modification on IEP

[splash716]

Hi all,

I have 2 boys who are autistic and in kindergarten. Our school district (as well as ALL the public and private school districts within driving distance) does full-day kindergarten, and it's not really working. One (H) has PDA and tends to totally melt down by the end of the day due to the demands placed on him and sensory overload. My other (S) exhibits serious school refusal behavior nearly every morning because he wants to stay home and play, and, really, kindergarten generally is pretty developmentally inappropriate for kids that age-- they SHOULD have more time to play!

Am I crazy for bringing up to the IEP team that I'd like them both to go to school only half-day? I feel like my only other option is to pull them out and homeschool (or not-at-all-school), but I don't really feel equipped for that, not to mention that I'm not sure what effect doing that would have on their IEPs if/when we would re-enroll them in public school for first grade.

[Lisa Lightner]

If they had the right supports, could they make it a full day?

[EmilyM]

2 hours ago, splash716 said:

 

I would first look at your state law. Just what is the kindergarten rule? Is a full day required? Is kindergarten even required?

If kindergarten isn't required, you shouldn't have much worry for 1st grade since technically they'll be learning the essentials then anyway.

If kindergarten is required and at a full-day, a modification could be tricky here because they will be missing curriculum.

[splash716]

2 hours ago, EmilyM said:

I would first look at your state law. Just what is the kindergarten rule? Is a full day required? Is kindergarten even required?

If kindergarten isn't required, you shouldn't have much worry for 1st grade since technically they'll be learning the essentials then anyway.

If kindergarten is required and at a full-day, a modification could be tricky here because they will be missing curriculum.

Kindergarten is not required by law in my state

[Backroads]

52 minutes ago, splash716 said:

Kindergarten is not required by law in my state

I would say in that case a modification would be very simple. They'd be attending kindergarten, I imagine, largely for the social/behavior reasons (here is how school works!) according to the IEPs, and more academics can be tackled next year.

[splash716]

3 hours ago, Lisa Lightner said:

If they had the right supports, could they make it a full day?

I mean, probably? Although I'm not sure what they would be, and the school refuses to see the kids as anything other than "noncompliant" when they struggle, so... it's hard.

[JSD24]

So non-compliant is a behavior.  What's the antecedent to the behavior?  (I get non-compliant when I'm hungry or tired or I just did something hard & I need a break.)  You don't address the behavior.  You address the antecedent.  Has an FBA been done?  I'd start by requesting an FBA for both of them.  There is something called After-school Restraint Collapse.  If this is what's happening, the school has to help so they are better able to cope with school demands and don't come home with every nerve frazzled.

I'd look to get the FBA done and getting them the right supports/accommodations before shortening their school day or pulling to homeschool.