Repeat Kindergarden

I hear about this happening w/ boys again and again. I think you are right when you say he will be at the top of his game repeating Kindergarten. Feeling confident when learning is huge esp for elementary school BOYS. They are doers, interactive, less communicative and less prone to social awareness at a young age. If the concern is only speech delay, sp. ed. is probably not necessary. Repeating KIndergarten would be a wonderful way to allow a slower pace for communicative and social development. I tend to ere on the side of slower is better for children and education.

Jen

Do it! Repeat kindergarten!

My son was also 5 when he started K. He struggled from K thru 2nd. I wish I had waited a year to start him. Or make him repeat K.

He's now starting high school. He seems so young and immature. I just wish I had one more year. He'll be 17 when he grads. I wish he would be 18.

Do it! You won't regret it!

Actually, I think that sounds like a fantastic idea...It won't be a repeat of kindergarten, per se though...since my assumption is that the class size/tasks/expectations would be so totally different from what he was in last year.

Especially since he seems to do really well when modeling other children, I think you're right to be thinking of having him in a mainstream class with a speech pathologist working with him one on one.

Keep an open mind about 1st grade though, depending on the school and district first grade and kindegarten are not NECESSARILLY that different (although they CAN be worlds apart, it's one of those things that ideally, you'd want to observe first, at the very least be talking with his instructors). Some kindegratens are nothing more than games and getting used to being in a group for long hours and following directions...other's are basic counting and letter recognition...others are number/letter recog, plus reading, plus math later in the year. So first grades differ as well. For the play only K's first grade is number/letter recog, plus reading, plus math later in the year...for more academic K's first grade comes with the expectation of basic reading and math. So it all depends on what the school's curriculum is which would be better, K or 1st.

There's also a reeeeeally rapidly growing trend of not even starting K until 6. My son was the ONLY 5 year old in his entire K class...and there were only 3 Kindergarteners who were 5 in the entire school (about 80 K kids). So socially, developmentally, redoing K isn't the way it used to be...regardless of the academics.

Anyhow...I think your idea has tons of merit and potential.

Good Luck!

Hi C., I work as a SLP in a California district. You do know as a parent that you can request an IEP to be convened anytime, right? Also, the district makes a recommendation for what they feel is an appropriate placement based on their findings, testing, observations, etc. It is your decision whether or not to accept what is offered. If you do not accept the SDC placement, that does not mean that "extra speech therapy" will be offered however. Is your child a regional center client? If so, sometimes they will OK outside speech therapy to supplement what is happening in the schools. I am sure that this year regional centers will be strapped even more ( if you live in CA), because of the budget cuts.

This may be blunt, but are YOU sure that the delay is "only" speech rather than a more global delay. You may know that many children's IEP read speech delay, but the depth of the delay/disorder may range from a mild/moderate articulation delay to a communicatively handicapped child. The goals written for your boy should drive the service that is offered, rather than "OK he's going into SDC because he's slow" or whatever. I hope that makes sense. Just from what you've written, it sounds like repetition of K could be appropriate for him.

Best wishes towards you. If you can remain focused on working as a team for your boy rather than in an adversarial relationship, it'll be better for everyone involved.

I think you have a great idea there. Go for it. Children who start school too early are often at a disadvantage compared to their older, more mature, bigger, more physically coordinated peers who are simply older. If a child begins school at too young an age, he could fall behind and feel like a failure. This is turn, could set him up for failure throughout school and issues with self-esteem. This is why I think it is better to hold Summer babies back a year. My son was also born in June. Right now he goes to Montessori school, which is a more flexible environment where kids mostly learn on their own. He might actually start Kindergarden at 5 in the Montessori system. However, I will not transition him to first grade in regular school system until he is fully seven.

Hi, when my son was 3, we enrolled him in a Early Childhood Class at the Elementary School because he could not talk and I mean, could not talk. He was given an IEP. When he reached Kindergarten, he was doing speech 2 times a week but when he was getting ready to go into the 1st grade, he was put into a regular class so I requested a IEP meeting and asked for speech 3 days a week, 30 minutes each, and one of those session to be one on one. They gave it to me. My son is now getting ready to go into the 3rd grade and he has been in Sylvan for his reading for almost a year now which is helping with his self confidence because due to his speech his reading was very low. You and your child have rights and do not be afraid to stand up for your child and demand the help he needs. I live in Laughlin, NV and the Elementary School only has 400 students so receiving the help my son needed was easier. But I think you are on the right path by asking for more speech time. Also, there is nothing wrong with my son except his speech so I absolutely refused to have him "labeled" and be put into a Special Ed class, if this is your case then please, make sure he is put into a mainstream class and is getting the help he needs in speech. I hope everything works out. Good luck!

You may not need to call a special IEP to discuss the decision. If you can talk to the person in charge of special ed in your district, sometimes they will make changes without a special IEP meeting. Usually they will send you a letter asking permission to make the change without having to call an IEP. We just had this done with our son when some decisions were made in July after regular school was out and most of the teachers/therapists were on vacation. The school chose to give him a 1:3 aide, a lunchtime aid plus provide an FM system - all without holding a special IEP.

By the way, our son was also speech delayed with no explanation. Just this last year we found out he has auditory processing disorder. It's something that isn't usually diagnosed before a kid is 7 (our son will be 7 in October), but we found an audiologist who specializes in diagnosing it under 7. If you're not sure about the reason for your son's speech delay, you might investigate auditory processing disorder. Here's a site that has a bunch of info: http://capdsupport.org. We did auditory integration training (AIT) with our son, and his speech improved dramatically in less than a month. It's a listening therapy that is easy to administer. Feel free to message me if you want more info.

Good luck,
B.

You are considered a member of the IEP team and have every right to call for another IEP meeting when you feel it's necessary. I don't know when school starts for your child, but you need to contact the principal now, and take him/her a letter where you request an emergency IEP. The clock starts ticking once they receive they receive the request IN WRITING. (They have an accelerated time line with an emergency IEP.) Check out wrightslaw.com for more information about your rights in calling an emergency IEP.

From what your described, I also think that repeating Kinder in the regular ed class would be the best. You always have the choice of putting him back in 1st grade special ed next year, and chances are after a year at kinder and speech therapy, he may not need it after all. He is your child, fight for what you think is the best and support him, as you have done! Good luck!

What ever you decide with prayer, you stick to it. You are the mom. Those other people are just passing through. You are there for life. You know what is best. Be Strong and Pray!

God Bless!

former first grade teacher and homeschool mom, J.

Have him repeat kindergarden - you will be surprise, as time goes on, as to how many kids are a years older than their "grade". It will be a gift for him to be successful, vs. feeling behind, stressed, pressured, and possibly hating school. My daughter is a year older than her grade due to a learning issue - and we would have done it all over again the same way!

C.,
You are your child's advocate. You can request and put your child in regular ed classes. You can try it and see. I know that some decisions are hard. My son was 4 when he started kindergarten, until last year I was worried that was the wrong decision, but he is always at the top of his class, just his maturity is lacking till half way through the school year.
You make the request and fight for the right to have your child mainstreamed back to reg ed for kindergarten, then go from there. It should be a good thing for him. Just keep up on his speech therapy!

As the parent, you are completely within your rights to request a meeting at any time. I would contact his case manager and share your concerns. Your child's placement is an IEP team decision and you are an important member of that team. Even if you decide in the end to send him on as currently planned, you are having misgivings and need to have a conversation about your concerns with the teachers and therapists that work with him.

Without knowing your son and the severity of his delay, I immediately question his placement in a "special ed" (does that mean self contained-where all students in the class have an IEP?)class. In my experience if speech is the only issue, it is most beneficial to place the child with their typically developing peers so that they are exposed to proper speech models.

I say go for it. If speech is his only problem and you are willing to put in the extra work to keep him caught up and he will be repeating kinder what do you have to lose. This would be the best time to try it. It may help him to be in regular classes. If for any reason it doesn't work out he can always go back into special Ed classes. It is much easier at an earlier age then older when the kids are more aware. Best of luck to your family.

If he is doing well in all ares other than speech I say you should do it! You know your child better than anyone, and in my school district which can't be much unlike most the IEP can be set up to have the speech person meet with him outside the class for additional help, but have the normal classroom experience aside from that. I was amazed how many other kids were getting speech at my son's school when he was in kindergarten, and so they even did group stuff which made him feel even more "normal". Good luck and go with your gut, ALWAYS!
W.

Dear C.,
I worked in special education for years, now retired. I strongly feel that he should be tried in kindergarten. I helped integrate many children into the regular classroom. Also I kept two of my three sons back (one was 6 in June, one 6 in July the year they started kindergarten) so age is not a factor. The problem with kindergarten today is that it is First grade academics. If you feel he is up to it, and it sounds like with your support every night he could make it.

I would request that he be placed in a regular class room and receive RSP(Resource Specialist Program) support and speech therapy. Do not keep him in special education at this time. He will lag behind and have a lot of difficulty ever getting out. If he was a young 5 year old last year, he definitely should repeat in a regular room.

I would also see if you can get additional private speech therapy. I do not know the severity of your son's speech problem, but a private therapist would have more time for him than the ones in the school system. It may be expensive, but he really sounds like he would benefit from it at this time. If you have Kaiser, they have speech therapist that might be covered. Otherwise go through you doctor and the therapy might be covered by you insurance.

Then if in the future, he needs to be moved to special education, that is never a problem...coming out of it after you have been in a few years is much more difficult.

If he has problems, you have a right to ask for an aid to assist him in the room to support him. You may need an advocate to do this, because they are cutting back on funds.

However, if you are a stay-at-home mom like I was, you could also ask if you could volunteer in the classroom. You mainly would assist the teacher with preparation work in the room while she handles the class. This would be helpful because you could observe how he adjusts and see what his major problems are, if any, and might be able to make suggestions to the teacher.

You are his advocate right now for your son and you need to get what he needs. I hope this helps you with your decision. When you meet, make sure they know exactly what you want. They should comply with your desires for him to try regular kindergarten with RSP and speech therapy support. It is the teacher that you will need to talk to (and possibly the principal) regarding volunteering.

One last thing I can think of right now, you also have a right to have him attend regular kindergarten for an adjust time frame if you find it too long for him. The teacher can give you anything he misses to make up.

Parents have many rights when it comes to IEP's. Make sure you get heard. Be a great avocate for you son!
His future depends on it. Also I hope you do consider a private speech therapist. The school therapist might be willing to work with him after hours...some do this as extra income. You will learn as you go along more as you go, but meet his needs at this time or it may be difficult later.

Also another success story for you. A friend at church adopted a Chinese child and she had severe speech delays. They had her in therapy and in a private Pre-K then Kindergarten and now she is doing great in regular 1st grade. You might want to consider a private school that will take him and work with him if the public is too stressed about funding. I could find out where the little girl was sent to Pre-K and Kindergarten and where they received the speech assistance if you would like me to do so.

I hope the IEP goes well and you get his before the meeting.
Blessings,
H.

C.,
You ulimately make all decisions of your son's education. If you've already signed an IEP stating that he will be going to the Special Ed Class, that's where he will most likely begin the school year. You can call up an amendment IEP and one should be held within 30 days of your written request. If the IEP team agrees with you, it won't be an issue. But if the IEP team does not agree with you, you will have to sign the IEP stating that you are not in agreement with placement and go through due process and give them your reason why. The only issue with that is that it will take awhile. You have every right to mainstream your child. Push for what you feel your son will benefit from the most.

Sounds like you already have a plan in your mind. Your the parents, and you know whats best. Hold him back. My sister has a 6 year old (Just about to turn 6 next week) and she is NOT starting him in Kindergarden. He had some major speech issues (which are 80% corrected now) But, refused to learn his Alphabet and numbers as high as they are supposed to go. He is a wonderful, intelligent kid for sure....just a little stubborn. So that is why he will not start Kinder garden. He goes to a different school, and is involved with classes in their synagogue. So, I wouldn't worry about...many parents hold their children back. I remember a few kids in high school that graduated when they were 18 years old.
Good luck!

Hi C., You are so right to repeat kindergarden. I wish I would have had the guts to keep my daughter back. The school advised me not to so I let her go to first grade and then second even thought she was at the bottom of her class each year. we had extra help every summer. But when it came to the end of second grade I had to keep her back. The school had again advised me not to, I had to do what I thought was right for my daughter. The no child left behind doesnt always work the right way, my child needed to be left behind. There was no way she would have made it in third grade. She is now graduated and on to college. Bottom line is you know your child best. If you think he should repeat then let him repeat. Its better when they are young. Hang in there you know what is the right think to do for your son.

The most important thing i can tell you right now that i think will be of the greatest help is to know your rights. You really need to do a crash course on the LAWs in regards to special education.

my friend went through this experience with her twin boys and it took her 6 months to rectify this. there's a lot of bureacracy in government that has cut funding for education, special ed etc. so often the schools would not want to pay out for the proper therapy unless they absolute need to.

But because my friend studied up on the laws and REFERENCED them in her letters, the school had nothing but to do what the laws required. If parents are not educated in that, the school may argue that the parents never pushed for it etc.

PUSH for your son to get retested and get the extra speech therapy hours he needs per week. There's a proper/legal term you can use. I'm sorry I don't know anything about the process. But go do a crash course/research/read-up on this.

Let me also say that you have to have EVERYTHING in writing. Request a meeting with the teacher, the principal and the superintendent. Keep copies of every correspondences. And RESPOND IMMEDIATELY to every letter they sent out to you; because they always give you a deadline. Don't ever let them send you anything via certified mail because it actually delays the delivery and hence, shortens YOUR deadline/time-frame to respond.

My husbands a teacher and it's really not something that the teachers can control. It really is bureaucratic.

Hi

This is a tough decision you have to make. I am an Educational Therapist and I have experience with this age. If you want to email me directly you can at ____@____.com I live in San diego. I think your instinct is right, he might do just fine repeating kindergarten. I think that it would be nice if he could switch schools if he is going to do this. I worked in special day classes for many years. If they can be mainstreamed it would most likely be better. He might continue to need outside support for a few years. Please contact me directly if you want to talk more about this.

D.

Hi C.,

I think you've gotten some good advice here. I was a special ed teacher for 10 years. I taught a special day class and the students who were high functioning in my class, I mainstreamed as much as I could. They flourished and made so much more progress than they would have had they stayed in my class all day. They spent the day with " normal" children who challenged them and provided them with social opportunities that they would not have otherwise received. They also accessed the regular curriculum with support and modifications so they wouldn't be frustrated.

I highly suggest that you give your son a second chance in Kindergarten. At his age, what have you got to lose? He already has a special-ed designation so by law has to receive whatever support he needs. You should push for as much speech therapy as therapy as you can possibly get. You also have the right to have an outside agency provide therapy if your sons needs are not being met by the district program.

Remember, you and the IEP committee are a team but, in the end, this is YOUR child. You are responsible for his life and well-being. All decisions are ultimately up to you. Good luck. You're a good mother.

Christie

Aloha,
My son was in special Ed because of speech delay. Nothing wrong with special Ed, it simply means that the child gets more specialized attention. If that is a concern, you can ask if there is an inclusion program at the school.....basically means to where he is in standard classroom with a a speech aid that is there to still focus on the speech assistance until he can transition to not having any speech assitance at all. Not all schools have an inclusion program so for our son, I actually had to drive him to a different school to be able to participate.

Let us know how things go.

Marie-anne

If the public school district isn't willing to work with you, which they should be...have you considered a private school? Remember, the public school system works for you, you are a tax payer, and if the school isn't willing to work with you, take it to the district level. They need your child enrolled becaue that is how they make their money. YOU know what is best for your son, he is your child. The school districts nowadays only look at things from a political and budget perspective and not from a "what's good for the child" perspective. Our son has a speech issue as well and we have taken advantage of the free speech therapy since he was 2 1/2, but chose private school. He has a much lower student to teacher ratio and has been able to work more closely with his teacher and teacher's aide to improve his speech. We asked the district speech pathologist for speech homework and not only do we work with him on it, but so did his Kindergarten teacher. He now sounds like a typical boy and is moving into 1st grade. The teachers at our private school were more than happy and willing to work with us and set-up evaluations and teacher meetings whenever they or we needed them. We couldn't be more happy. Sorry to be so critical of the public system, but I know plenty of GOOD teachers whose hands are tied because of union and administrative issues. Good luck to you.

What a wise mama! I think that your idea sounds right on. These days more and more parents are having their kids start kindergarten later. My son started just before turning 5 (birthday in October), and was more than a year younger than a good deal of his classmates. Age would not be an issue for your son. And I think you are absolutely right on about now giving him an opportunity to be on top of his game, rather than struggling to catch up. What a great self esteem booster.
Another mom suggested learning what your rights are, which I think is a good idea as well. Sometimes schools and districts, healthcare, etc., make decisions based on finances. If you know your rights, then it's helpful in navigating the system and knowing how to ask for what you want.
You sound like you are very in tune with your son's needs, and I strongly encourage you to go with that. You are his greatest advocate, you know his needs, and he needs you to stand up for him. You are doing really awesome!

C.~

As a past teacher of kinders, I think you have it right! It may be difficult to convince your school to repeat in a regular ed class, but ask them to give your child the chance. If he has progressed this summer with speech and other kids around, you are probably on the right track. Just be sure your school offers the speech help he needs, or that you can provide it. It never hurts a young child to repeat kindergarten!

Best of Luck in this!

Hi C.,

My name is M.. I have 4 children who are all grown and on their own. Two of my children had problems growing up in Guam, because of the language barrier of the teacher who is Filipina and doesn't speak english without the roll of the tongue or correct pronounciation of words. My daughter was very shy and wanted attention from the teacher constantly, causing her to be detained back in Kindergarten. My son did not speak until he was almost 5 years old. Doctors thought he was deaf due to a surgery he had when he was 6 months. He went to speech therapy when he was 5-7 years. What actually helped him was he was surrounded by cousins and siblings that were all around his age. Even with the fights and arguments that children go thru, it helped him speak. He used to talk with little syllables, words, and at times used his hands to communicate like a deaf person. The children made him mad most of the time, but they got a surprise of their time when he stood on top of the back kitchen table when all the kids were making fun of him and told my mother what the children were doing and saying in very clear syllables. Everyone was really surprised! What I am trying to tell you that some children have problems with speech, and with a lot of patience they grow out of it. Some children it will take a lot of speech therapy, but patience and time again is what they need. My child is 24 years old and has joined the Merchant Seaman's Program travelling the world.

Hi C.,

I think it would be a great idea to have your son repeat kindergarten, as you suggested! Know that you are your sons only advocate, as his parent. If you think he would do better by going to a regular ed classroom, that is his right. Especially if his only troubles are focused mainly on his speech. I am a public school teacher in CA and it is my understanding that laws support trying to have ALL children in the LEAST restrictive environment as possible. Putting him in a special ed class may be more restrictive for him. I also think since he is young, I would insist that he repeat kindergarten. Do not let teachers tell you that he couldn't benefit from repeating kindergarten! My pediatrician and many kindergarten teachers say, "Give your child the gift of time." If you believe time will help him...insist that they retain him! If you have seen great strides in his speech when he had a different environment, that may be all he needs! Stay involved and keep communication clear with his teacher. Even if you change to a regular ed class and later decide it hasn't worked out, he can return back to where he was at.

Remember you are his mother and you know what is best for him! Do not let some know it all teacher dictate if he repeats or not. If you think that is best, do it/ insist on it!

Best of luck,
T.

I think having him repeat kindergarten in a regular class sounds like the way to go! Age is definitely not an issue - I started my son late, when he was 6 and he was certainly not the only one. I would say check into the local schools. Some are better known for their speech therapy (or other delays) One of my good friends has her (speech delayed) boy starting kindergarten this year and he will not be attending his home school, rather a neighboring school because it is well known that they have better programs for him. Ask around about that. Good luck! Do what you feel is best and keep pushing to get what you want if you have to! Nobody else will stand up for your child - you have to!

Hello, Your son is very lucky to have you as his mother. I would think about what the IEP has shown. If the only thing holding him back is speech, I don't know why they would want to put him in special ed. I agree that he should be in a regular kindergarten class. Holding him back might be the best thing for him. Have you spoken to the principal at your school? Sometimes that is the answer to getting the best thing for a child. If that doesn't work, try going to the district and asking for an advocate for your child. It just seems unfair to keep him back from learning due to a speech problem. They should have had him working with a speech specialist right away.
Good luck with your precious son.
K. K.

I don't think it is a bad idea to have him mainstreamed into kidergarten. It is not unusual, especially for boys, to do kidergarten twice. I did kidergarten when I was almost 6 and it worked out great for me during school. For things like driving etc., I was always one of the first out of my friends. It also gives kids in general that little extra maturity that may help them avoid being teased. I would encourage you to have your son repeat kindergarten and do it in a mainstream class with some extra speeck therapy.

Hi, this is J.. New information: Please email me at ____@____.com. I couldn't figure out a way to send you a regular message on Mamasource. If your child is not showing any learning delays, and his only problem is speech, he does not belong in a special ed. class. The law clearly states that children should receive special services only for the problems they are having and can not be held back from attending classes with non-disabled kids and participating socially and academically without a compelling reason. Kids are supposed to get a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Why does the school want to put your kid in a special ed class when he is doing well academically? I would really like to hear their reasoning. If he needs daily speech therapy, so be it, but the rest of the time he should be with regular kids. Please email me back.
Best wishes, J.

Hi. I am the mother of two special need kids, now ages 14 and 18 and doing great. You don't say why your kid is in special ed. I can't imagine a kid being in special ed just because of a speech problem. That doesn't make sense to me at all. Are there other communication deficiencies, like trouble learning ABC's? Has you child received comprehensive testing of ALL abilities? What were the diagnoses? My younger daughter was finally diagnosed with auditory processing disorder when she was eight. If I had it to do over again I would make different decisions. You have a lot of rights under federal law. If you don't like the decisions made by the school and you feel really strongly about it, you have the right to have your child evaluated by a private specialist at school district expense. The rights of special need kids is a passion with me. I have taken classes to competently handle the needs of my own kids. I am extremely familiar with the IEP process. If you correspond with me with useful information I promise I will answer and do all in my power to help you. Your next step would be to hire an advocate, which is expensive. I am free. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
J. Davis

My 15 year old would have been in the 10th grade. When he started Kindergarden, he already had speech delay. For one, we speak two separate language in our household. So to me at the time, is the reason of his speech delay. Unfortunately, the school recommended that he is to be put to special Ed class. My husband handled it. I knew nothing of what type of special Ed class they put him in because of my working schedule until two months into the course, I paid a visit to his school to find out, my son was put into a class with severely handicapped children in wheelchair (bless their hearts) who were totally speechless, and the teacher who was supposedly certified in this type of category, was constantly screaming at these children, including calling us about our son not paying attention. It was the reason why I fired to the school to discover this. I screamed at the teacher so she would understand how it feels to be mistreating these sweet children, but then under stress trying to teach them. By the time I pulled him out of school and put him into a regular kindergarden class his speech condition gotten so worse but with a speech therapy specialist, helped worked with him. Yes I made the decision to have him repeat the kindergarden which in turn, our younger son ended up the same grade as him. To this day, this same boy whom the school specialist recommended him be put with severely handicapped children, is making straight A's since, well athletic football player, and never get himself in any sort of trouble. If you really feel that your child is better off repeating the kindergarden in a regular class, only you know what's best for him, then by all means go for it. Parents know what's best for their children and around them more than any of these knucklehead so called counselors and therapists.

I kept my son in Special Ed until third grade. That way we were able to get more help for Michael one on one. Then in the fourth grade we put him in resource. When you have your child in special programs you get more help for your child. Once you pull him out, they tend to get lost in the mainstream. I started my son in speech at 3 years old. He is now 23 and speaks beautifully. I am so thankful I did everything this way. Mainstream would of been too frustrating for my son. I demanded a lot of extra help for my son and because he was in special programs I got that help. You run your childs education. Do not let them dictate to you how it will be run. My son soared in the fourth grade, as so many children do at that age. He truly needed the extra help the first three years.

Parents are the only ones that make a difference and considering that you know your son best advocate for it and don't give up or be persuaded otherwise.

C., mother of 3, former elementary teacher, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer

I had to make this same decision with my son many years ago although my son didn't have the speech problem. He had low scores in several areas and the teacher gave me the option of pushing him through to first grade or having him repeat. We had been through a difficult year when he was in kindergarten due to a family illness(his brother was undergoing chemo at the time). Because of my absence I feel he was traumatized but that's another story. I chose to have him repeat kindergarten and am glad I did. He improved greatly that year and was more successful in the next grades. Had I pushed him to first grade he would have struggled and had less confidence in himself. One teacher who thought he should be in first thought I would hurt his self esteem by holding him back. This wasn't the case actually. Another teacher supported my decision and thought it was better for him.
You, as a parent need to listen to your instincts. You have what it takes to support your child and make good decisions, you know him and his abilities well. Every child has their own learning curve and he will catch up given time.

My son did special ed kindergarten and then was mained streamed. What district are you in? My son's issues are speech due to hearing loss. Sounds like they were in the same sort of K class. I have discovered 2 things over the years, educators have a different view of our kids than we do. And, i don't ALWAYS know what is the best thing for my child. is there a way you can get in touch w/ your child's K teacher? and talk to him/her about what you thinking. it sounds to me like you hadn't thought about regular ed. If regular K doesn't work then you can still go to special ed. Good luck.

My sisters very good friend repeated Kindergarten and was much better off for it. He was larger than most kids, and extremley awkward with his reading and comprehension. It was a good choice that his parents talked about with the school site therapist and his speech therapist who all agreed it wouldn't hurt.

I think what you need to do is go with your gut and fight for what you know will benefit your son. If you are not happy with the current results you have every right to challenge them and have them changed.

My Mom was a teacher for 20 years and I have been in education for the last 10 years...school districts will offer you what they think will work best based on the status quo and past experiences. But, if your son is entilted to an opportunity to shine in a regular class environment and you have a right to ask for that. We've seen lots of kids go unnoticed in special Ed or placed there for the wrong reasons, and it's hard to get parents to fight what they think is the best system without enough education on their rights or what's available.

Good Luck!

C.,

You are your son's best (and sometimes only) advocate!!! You do what you believe is right in your heart for your child! IEP's are there to help assess (spelling?!?!?) your child's strengths and weeknesses to help to determin what is the best course of action for HIM!!! Fight for what you believe is right!!! Sometimes it may take ALOT of persistance (re: changing the IEP) but in the end it will be worth it!

If you don't think that he needs to be in a special ed class, explain to them and you want them to to work with you to help make that happen!

Be blessed,

K.

Parents always know best. Don't believe the school district. My son was deaf until three and in special ed until age 8 when he has mainstreamed half day and then mainstreamed with help in fourth grade. His birthday was in November and I thought that he should have been mainstreamed into THIRD grade again, but the school district said no, push him ahead. BIG MISTAKE. It turns out the school district did not properly diagnosis his additional learning problems of ADD and he is on the high end of the autistic spectrum. He did repeat 8th grade. THis was his decision, because he was not ready to start high school at thirteen. This turned out to be a very good move. Don't believe the school district and don't let them bully you. If you want a second opinion, you are entitled to get one from a third party not connected with the school district. If you don't know your rights, contact a local support group. Speech delay can be a symptom of something other than hearing. My son was given a double whammy, but because of early intervention, DESPITE the school district, he is now in college and will soon graduate. Good luck, and like I said, don't let the school district bully you. Your instincts are probably right.

Hi, I have a 13 year old daughter with Autism, so i have dealt with special ed since 1999. Please don't forget you can call an emergency IEP meeting and the district has to respond within 30 days. And remember you are in charge, you say what goes and if you want your son in a differnet class then insist on it. Remeber you want him in "the least restrictive environment". Also you know what is best for your child. I think you are right to put your son in a regular ed kinder class. I am also a Health Assistant at an elementary school in Stanton. So i deal with school professionals all the time. Don't let them try to talk you out of what you want. J. H.

Hi C.,

You've got some good responses here and I don't want to be redundant. I think that you know your child best and it seems that you intuitively feel that repeating would be the best option for him. Judging from what you have written, I would repeat him in a regular Kindergarten class and do the extra speech therapy. Good luck.

I do not recommend repeating Kindergarden, but of course the choice is always yours.

The school has to offer equal learning opportunities to all children that is the theory around "No child left behind". If I were you, I would not allow them to place the stigma of "Special Ed" on my child. You need to work with the school district to implement some type of tutorial program for your precious commodity which is your child. Your child should not have to go through life with a label "Special Ed", make the system work for you, that's what it is suppose to do.

I believe there are alternatives, search them out. I am emphatic about the repeat Kindergarden as it happened with me, not for the same reasons, but none the less it transpired and it was only because my parents were not aware of the meaning of "Kindergarden", which is develope the socializations skills and to intergrate the child as the introduction into the educationall system and they get the basics only .

PLEASE, take the time to learn what else is available for your child and he/she will be all the better for it. Thank you!

I would go with your gut feeling. Kindergarten is just about the only grade you as a parent can hold your child back. Most schools will not want to hold a child back in an upper grade without a fight. The school will convince you to move them ahead. So if you are going to hold him back now is the time to do it. Being an older child will not hurt him, only help him.

Dear Caroline,

I had 2 of my five kids in this sitution. My 20year old NOW is a july baby (not anymore) and he wasnt help back but did have to take some special ed class through his school years. Sometimes its the child that it takes a litte more time to learn than others. He graduated Redondo High and had very good grades.

Now my other son his 9 his problem was he DIDNT want to say a word when he was little at all. He would point and not speak as much, as soon as he started preschool at 4years old he started talking away but it did takr him a while to learn letters and other things, he was the type that he will learn when HIS ready (potty training was one of them) I did have him repeat kindergarten again, his actually doing pretty good. His going into the 3rd grade when his suppose to be going into 4th. He says it is better even though sometimes I take time going over things with him to understand better.

I guess it really depends on YOU on how you see YOUR child. Like some of the other moms says do what you gut says motherly instincts are never wrong. PLUS WE need to put our part in as PARENTS and help out every night with HOMEWORK.

Good luck,