Our IEP Plan for School Anxiety- 1st Semester of 8th Grade

 

This is the first year that I feel like we have a plan that adequately meets J’s needs, both emotionally and academically.  That being said, J’s needs are so high right now and can change throughout the day given how high her anxiety is at each moment, she is not utilizing all aspects of the plan which would ensure that she is attending all classes as expected.  The school staff witnessed her lowest lows last year, which opened their eyes to the real nature of severe anxiety. I do not believe that they are fully accepting of the effect that anxiety has on her actions, thoughts, and behaviors. I believe they still think that there are parts of her simply being “spoiled” and controlling in spite of the severe nature of her mental health.  That being said, my husband and I are extremely thankful with the support and time that J’s IEP team has put into her needs, helping to ensure success at school, often translating to success at home.

Why I Choose Public School Over Home School

I go back and forth many times throughout the day, thinking about whether keeping her in public school as opposed to homeschooling, is the best option for her.  As a public school teacher, I absolutely believe in the public school setting and what it offers. Learning from diverse teachers, interacting with peers during classroom discussions, and learning to handle issues as they arise are invaluable and cannot be re-created in a home setting.  Additionally, friendships and extracurricular opportunities are something that she will not get while at home, as she does not participate in outside activities where she would interact with peers. Finally, until recently, I worked full time, which would not allow us the opportunity to even consider homeschooling.  

Our Current IEP Needs and Team

J’s IEP outlines accommodations to help her manage anxiety while in the school setting, with the expectation that she attend all general education classes, and complete the required work. (Click here to see the difference between accommodations and modifications.) She is diagnosed as having severe generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, OCD, Dyslexia, and ADHD. All of these diagnoses were through a source outside of the school, which we paid for ourselves.  She is very low academically due to her time out of class over the years but does not have a learning disability.  

J’s IEP Team:  Director of Special Education, Intervention Specialist, General Education Teacher, School Counselor, School Psych, Personal Therapist (we pay a session visit rate for her to attend these meetings), my husband, and myself.  During the meeting prior to the start of the school year, we expressed our concerns for J and what we believe she needs in order to be successful. Our therapist educated the team on where J was concerning treatment and offered guidance and education on helping J manage anxiety, such as word choice, calming techniques, etc.  

Current IEP Plan

Currently, J has a teaching aid with her at all times.  This is very rare and hard to get but given what we have been through, everyone felt it was in her best interest.  This aide meets us at the car at 8:15 each morning. School starts at 8:00. Arriving late allows the chaos of the morning to have occurred and she can enter a quiet, calm school building.  The aide travels to all classes with J, helping her manage anxiety and collecting academic information in order to help J understand and complete assignments and projects. Often J’s anxiety is so high that she is not able to take in and process the information taught in class.  J has the same expectations academically as all general education students, but materials can be chunked, allotted extra time, and presented orally. While in class, she is permitted to take short breaks as needed as long as she does not manipulate the situation by lengthening the allowed breaks or not returning to class.  Additionally, she is allowed to use fidgets as needed, apps on her phone for calming, and has the choice to complete work in the general education classroom or return to the smaller intervention room once the lesson has been explained.

J begins her day with intervention, which is similar to study hall.  This period takes place in a small, quiet classroom with her aide.  This “class” is in place of an elective such as art or choir. She uses this time to get settled and organized for the day. She has another intervention period, rather than a second elective later in the day.  Our hope is that at some point in the year she will use this period as an elective, but for the time being, she can get extra support as needed. She has 4 core classes, 2 in the morning and 2 after lunch. All of her classes are collab general education classes, meaning there are two licensed teachers in each class, allowing for more small group instruction as needed.  This class schedule allows for breaks (intervention periods) throughout the day, in the hopes that she can unwind and manage her needs better.

As well laid out as this plan is, she is really having a hard time getting to class, which is quite a disappointment.  She is successfully getting ready for and entering school, which is a huge improvement from last year, and she is managing her anxiety much better this year, but she is still not utilizing the plan as we had hoped.  By having an aide and available tools in the classroom, we are working on getting her to attend classes, as that is how learning is most successful. When not in the classroom, she is completing work in the intervention room, but that causes her to miss out on peer interaction and classroom discussions.  

Final Thoughts

My overall opinion after the first 2 and a half weeks of school is that the school is genuinely taking into account all that we have requested.  I am thrilled that J is getting herself ready each morning and walking into school with only the support of her aide. Last year, mornings were a battle with screaming, refusal to get dressed, defiance entering the car, negotiations to enter school…the list goes on and on.  Therapy over the summer has helped this tremendously, along with her seeing that the school is offering her assistance. (I should note that we feel good about where she is with medication as well.) According to the school, her mood is much better this year. While she is still anxious, she is able to communicate what she is feeling and able to ask for help.  I wish she was attending more classes but knowing that she is at least completing all of her school work is an improvement over last year. Finally, her attitude towards school is more positive which helps us in the evenings because she is less resistant to the idea of going to school the following day. We have a long way to go until she is attending school the way that a “typical” student would attend, but I try to focus on the small improvements each day.  You can view the updated IEP plan for this school year here.)