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His team felt that he would benefit from moving into grade one, rather than repeat kindergarten. They felt that the "free structure" of K was his greatest challenge, and that the rigid structure and repetition of grade one would be more comforting. They believe he has a good peer group who are helping. His academics are in the higher range of the class (he's at B level reading), so immature peers are not to his benefit.
He is coded to allow 1:2 para help, mostly for the morning lit/math crunch. OT is still going to be following, and we have a solid summer program set up.
Thanks for the update. I think this is a good thing for your child. Does he need fine and gross motor help? If you like, I can list some thing you can do over summer to help him.
I never taught special ed - I taught high school math and then regular preK (2 year old class for a year and 4 year old class for 4 years). I have an autistic grandson I have been working with since he was 18 months old.
I do not think that school OT will address self-help skills, but private OT might.
Why is he crying at school? Does he have an IEP? Have they done an FBA (functional behavioral analysis) to see what triggers his crying? Does he have a behavior plan in place? All of this should be done before you consider holding him back, imo.
It depends on the program. I've had OTs work on feeding, tooth brushing, buttons, zippers, puzzles, and several other self help skills. I currently have a student working on zipping a jacket and packing a backpack in OT.
Thanks for the update. I think this is a good thing for your child. Does he need fine and gross motor help? If you like, I can list some thing you can do over summer to help him.
He has months and months to mature. :-)
True. And kids often mature in spurts. This child may be quite different by August/September.
One of my nephews repeated kindergarten as he was deemed not mature enough to enter the first grade. But he didn't repeat kindergarten at the same school as the first time.
I'm not sure if it will help much, but just always trust your gut feeling. I didn't read the whole thread, just the first and last pages.
My daughter was burned very badly in the 1st grade and she missed the whole last month of school while in the hospital recovering. Never at any time did anyone mention she might need to be held back and it never crossed our minds since it was the end of the school year. They didn't even make her do the last months school work. She got by her second grade year and we switched schools (due to moving) for grades 3-5. In the 3rd grade (going to 4th)I was noticing certain struggles, but because of her grades they kept saying she was fine. I wanted to hold her back but my husband said no. Her fourth grade year (going to 5th), same thing except this time we had her evaluated by the schools psychologist. Due to her test scores and A's and B's they said we couldn't hold her back.
My son started kindergarten during my daughters 5th grade year. After the first semester we pulled him out of school. Again, the school wanted to keep him there and just have him repeat kindergarten. I finally stuck my ground on it and told them, "No!" I pulled him out and he started preschool (a private one owned and operated by a retired teacher in her basement) and it was the BEST thing I've ever done for him. There has been SO much growth between last year and this year. Last year, he was very much an introvert, kept to himself and when he talked you couldn't hear a word he said. He was not confident in himself at all. This year he is already reading on a 1st grade level and I've gotten nothing but excellent remarks. He has the same teacher he had last year but she wasn't the one to discourage taking him out of school. That was the principal.
Now that I've found my backbone, next year I am making my daughter repeat the 6th grade regardless of her grades and test scores. We will be moving to FL in June and it's the best time to do it. She'll get a new start and really no one has to know she's repeating the 6th grade since she doesn't know anyone (unless she tells them).
I should have gone with my gut years ago, but I kept letting the schools tell me what to do with my kids. Fact is, they are MY kids and ultimately I know what is best for them. Same goes for you. Do what your gut tells you and don't look back.
My ex-wife and I discussed this back in 1999. We agreed to hold our son back. He just wasn't at the same level as other students in his class. Since then he's graduated high school without failing a class or grade and has gone on to college.
I recommend that parents should NOT have their child repeat kindergarten unless their child has some clinically diagnosed learning disability.
Schools are simply trying to hold back slow learning children because it affects the schools' test scores and ratings. Any normal child can learn and get up to speed with a little coaching and tutoring. Holding them back will simply delay their education. Don't let the schools or the teachers fool you.
Schools are simply trying to hold back slow learning children because it affects the schools' test scores and ratings. Any normal child can learn and get up to speed with a little coaching and tutoring. Holding them back will simply delay their education. Don't let the schools or the teachers fool you.
No, no, a thousand times, no...
Believe it or not, we want what is best for the kids. When it is clear that a child is struggling academically and socially, that is the time to assess the situation. The general school outlook/philosophy is to NOT hold back/repeat grades.
When we were trying to decide what to do with our son (August birthday, and 9 months to a year plus younger than everyone else starting Kinder), we spoke to lots of parents. NO ONE who had delayed entry regretted it, but several who did not (even though they suspected it was the right thing to do) said that their kids struggled for years...
We have NEVER regretted it. But there is NO STANDARD ANSWER, because each child is an individual, and MANY factors need to be considered in each child's situation.
Any normal child can learn and get up to speed with a little coaching and tutoring.
You can't be serious. If you know anything about developmental childhood, you know that a barely 5 year old is in a whole different category than a 6 1/2 year old....and that the former can never compete with the latter emotionally, physically or intellectually.
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