Sunday, January 19, 2014

Communications Disorders classrooms?

Hi guys.  I am looking for a new school set up.  I have been feeling for years now that my son's placement in a public school life skills classroom was just not quite right.  He has an intellectual disability and will not be able to keep up in a regular ed. classroom.  I have been told that in our district either life skills or keeping up with regular education are our only choices.

Recently, it has become obvious that one of my son's main stumbling blocks is that he does not speak.  He does use some sign language but he does not know enough to truly communicate and his apraxia makes it hard for him to sign correctly.  He also has Proloquo2Go but doesn't like using it.  I also feel that his teachers/aides/and therapists do not know how to help him learn to communicate.  The teachers keep telling me that they don't know sign (my son's main form of communication) and learning it is a "personal goal"; which just sounds like, "I will get to it when I have time which is probably never".  I actually really love his speech therapist but we just haven't made the progress we need to make and I feel it has more to do with his classroom environment than with his SLP.  I also don't know how comfortable his SLP is with working with a little guy like my son who will not ever speak but is higher functioning.

All I know is that break down in communication is making him increasingly violent and angry.  He has so much more that he needs to say and can't say it.  I want to find a Communications Disorders classroom in northern Utah that he could attend.  We live in Ogden but I am willing to figure out either moving or finding a way to get him there.  I have tried Googling it with no success but I have heard that there are such things in SLC at least.  I would even love to get him somewhere that uses sign language but since he does not have a hearing impairment this hasn't been a possibility yet.  Does anyone have information that may help?  I am desperate to find a better placement for my son with more emphasis on communication.  Please, any information would help.