When to hire a 1:1 TA?

[DebbieSolloway]

Our son (9, Yr 4) has plenty retained reflexes which impact academics.

Spl Ed is recommending a 1:1 TA in class for 2 hours a day, to 'keep him on task'.

What reasons prompted you to hire a 1:1 TA?

Trying to understand why a TA is required over and above spl ed sessions.

I'm not sure that you can hire a 1:1 TA in a state school.

It is unlikely you would "hire" one as such. State schools are allocated funding by LA for TA's which may be used at their discretion unless your child has a Statement. If they are offering 2 hours one to one that is a good start. In a classroom setting they would help a child access and follow the lesson being taught and classwork whereas outside the classroom sessions would focus more on skills such as literacy which would be of particular benefit to the child. Longer term support in the classroom could help him develop skills and ways of working which would eventually lead to more independent learning and ability to apply whatever he is learning in his sessions, with fewer distractions.

We would have to pay for the TA. Spl Ed says she knows somebody who might be a perfect fit.

I assume your ds is at a private school then ?

Does your DS have a statement? If so I would ask for a review and see if you can get it changed, if the ed psych thinks he needs 2 hours a day with a 1-1 to access the curriculum efficiently then that should be in the statement. If not I would make the application.

Are you actually in the UK?. I only ask due to the words Spl Ed.

I assume too this has been suggested by a private school.

If you pay for a TA you'll be making a big and expensive financial rod for your own back longer term. Its not a solution.

Attila echoes what I feel my sentiment too - 1:1 is not the solution, especially when we have said he has RR issues and we are addressing it.

It may not be a solution on its own, you do need to address the underlying issues, but surely it would help him in the classroom situation. I suspect he finds stressful and hard to handle, needs a lot of teacher's input and maybe distracts other children. You haven't clarified the situation with the school ? If it is private and they feel the need to suggest this are you sure his needs would n't be better accommodated elsewhere ? Does he have an IEP and has the school already put measures in place for him ?

Long term he does need to be able to fit into a ms class and this is a way of preparing him for secondary school life where typically resources may be even less readily available and expectations of his ability to cope independently higher. As to whether you should meet the cost (in full or part) that is something you need to negotiate with the school. Do you already pay extra for his out of classroom support ?

You misunderstood my point. The 1 to 1 is not the problem but paying for it long term is (I note he is only in Y4) because that could almost bankrupt you in the process. That is why paying for such help is not a solution to his difficulties in school.

If you could clarify the situation with regards to the school that would be helpful.

Situation is as Liz says preparing for secondary school and needs more teacher attention than a regular kid.

We dont have a statement that recommends a 1:1.

What makes me uncomfortable me is that school is not being concrete with what the TA is expected to achieve.

We think one reason son does not stay on task / complete tasks on time is because he cannot write. A 1:1 cannot teach him write, problem goes deeper - motor issues and RR.

Second, we believe there are gaps in his foundation, so he does not know how to answer.

Third, he is used to extra attention and will wait for someone to help or let him off the task.

I am trying to understand what the criteria is when school recommends a 1:1.

So does he have any statement , and/or an iep ? The aims of 1 to 1 should be reviewed as part of that. Perhaps the 1:1 could scribe for him if the physical part of writing is an issue. The more time he spends inthe classroom the better his chances of making academic progress in line with his peers surely. Just because he cannot currently write at the same pace doesn't mean he can't learn. The tasks should be differntiated so he can learn to complete them - answer fewer questions in the time or produce 2-3 sentences, gradually increasing. Does he get a prompt sheet so he knows what step is next (or the 1:1 woudl be able to reinforce verbally). Has he had an Ed Psych assessment ?

There is an IEP.

Liz, you have a point. Its not we are against the 1:1, its just I am not clear what she will do.

I sympathize and agree when they say son takes up too much of the class teacher's time and we need to prepare for secondary, but that is not enough.

He ended Y3 on grade level reading, knows his addition and multiplication facts, but has gaps - will she address the gaps, when and how. Even more importantly, do we know the gaps - no texts books, school does not give out curriculum and class papers dont get sent home until last day fo school, I am clueless.

Are you in UK ? Info on The UK National Curriculum is available online here. Have you met with the class teacher, you could ask to see his work intermittently rather than wait until the end of term. If he has time out of the classroom already then that is where to bridge any specific gaps like spelling patterns and handwriting. However I'm not sure where you feel the gaps are if he has tables etc ticked off by Year 4. The IEP should specify each target , how and and by when it should be achieved/reviewed and you can have input into this. It may be his issues have more to do with planning techniques which comes with reinforcement and practice, as easily and possibly more relevantly done in the classroom. If you are being asked to pay then you should have more control over what he/she does with your ds.

if you are in a UK state school, and this is support he needs to access the curriculum, then the school should be providing the TA - i'm still not clear why you have been asked to hire and pay for a TA. if he has an iep and is not meeting his targets and requires additional support, the school (or you_ should be applying for stat assessment.

are you in the uk?

is he at a private school?

there are lots of very good reasons to have 1-1 support. but if a child needs 1-1 support and attends a private school, it is sensible to consider whether that setting is a long term option.

Not in UK and in a private school.The school follows British system the GCSE. At elementary level, I don't know if they follow UK standards.

As LIZS says issues could be related to planning which comes with practice- son has NEVER written.

Issues could also be related to RR issues, writing exhausts him I can see that, how will having a 1:1 help?

He can answer addition facts in under 3 secs. He learnt his add facts over 90 days of actual practice on a computer program at home.Simultaneously he learned his multiplication facts. Does this sound like a child with low working memory & processing that needs 1:1?

I am very confused.

he learned his multiplication facts. Does this sound like a child with low working memory & processing that needs 1:1? - No :)

My dd cannot learn her times tables. Or at least she can learn them but can't remember them some time later :)

We've 'talked' over so many threads Debbie, that I can't remember what you have or haven't done. But have I told you about the Gibson Test?

For £20 you can test your DCs working memory and processing speed. Then you'll know if it's a problem or not. Plus you'll have a pretty report to send into school :)

(if you do do it you need to enter his birthdate in US order (month first) not UK order (day first) )

(Apologies if we've already discussed it - in great detail .)

can he/ does he type? if so, a netbook would be more use for recording? dd2 has used TA for scribing etc in the past (she has cp and some issues with rr but has over the top iq, so with her it's very much her physical difficulties that impact in an educational environment.) certainly scribing sounds helpful. she also scores lower in processing in wechsler etc - jury still out on whether processing means processing or time to physical response though.

i have actually also been a scribe/ TA for an adolescent with nf (as well as LSA for lots of other issues) - a TA can be really useful for keeping on task/ schedule and ensuring that no further gaps build up. it sounds as though they mean 'keep up' rather than 'keep on task', and a TA can certainly help with that. in terms of identifying gaps - if he is unable to dictate an answer or work through a math problem, a TA alongside him can spot that immediately and go through it until it is clear which piece of the jigsaw is missing. in terms of repetition it can also be useful, as the class teacher may have moved on.

how are they managing at the moment? if he doesn't write at all, how is he currently recording?

could he use dragon or similar?

if you are paying for the TA and are using an rr programme, the TA could also do that during specific periods too - PE?

his iep should state what help he needs, so presumably those are the areas a TA would be supporting him in.

it could get really expensive though. are they suggesting that they can't cope with him and he will have to leave if you don't pay for private TA? unfortunately it's not a new thing with private schools, uk or elsewhere.

tbh I'm not sure why you seem so resistant to the idea. Why not try it for a term or at least until Christmas to see how he may benefit but make it clear you cannot fund this indefinitely. If there is an improvement then you could renew until such time as you feel he can cope independently. Of course you need to be clear what the speciific aims and targets of this are and your ds needs to realise that it is a way of helping him long term, not a crutch to lean on. Your first port of call should be the Special Needs coordinator at the school and his teacher so you can discuss the practicalities and review his progress and IEP. Until then this thread is going round in speculative circles. However , having had experience of schooling abroad I'd be concerned as to whether his place there is sustainable or even ideal for him longer term , with or without additional help.

Lizs - this will cost a fortune. And once you start paying for a TA it will be very hard to stop paying for one.

School will always say it helped, and he needs one, and that the parents have to pay for it.

LIZS

I am not clear what the TA will do even after a meeting with the spl ed.

I agree with Madwomanintheattic, the TA might help to spot the gaps.

Have you had a recent EP assessment - that should highlight both his weaknesses/strengths and gaps plus give strategies as to how to overcome them - may give you more guidance and a TA could certainly follow them. You may be able to re-claim some of the costs on your health insurance btw if you have some, but it rather depends where you are and how the system is set up. And agree it may well be a slippery slope costwise but I suspect ultimately you won't have much choice - to either pay for support or reconsider the school options - unless there is sudden progress. There is often an assumption that expats (assuming that is what you are) have endless resources.

LIZS, Son has several retained reflexes and we are doing the INPP program.

I want to do a EP AFTER we finish the RR program. I believe we will be able to more accurately assess him after his retained reflexes are gone. Does this make sense?

The downside is the INPP is a 18 month program.

My approach would be to make a list of gaps. Then find a way of plugging the gaps. The TA could well be a way forward but she'd have to have a goal and she would have to be accountable for it.

I appreciate all the feedback, it helps me make a list of what I should tell school we expect from a TA.

Just checked the IEP.

Spl Ed is not doing math right now, so I wont be surprised to see if math goal is not met.

Asking a child to write 5 para in a 2 month period when he can barely write 3 sentences - realistic?

Of course it will be all son's fault. Such a duffer, we did our best, we must have a 1:1. And because we have no options, we'll have to agree.

The IEP would have the goals - some of the targets could eb specific to a classroom situation and the TA responsible for monitoring the progress. At his age I'd suggest delaying 18 months for an EP report could be leaving it too close to secondary school to be as useful. tbh I'm surprised the school haven't steered you towards that as a starting point already. They are focussing on his academic and social attainment in school and perhaps you need to see their suggestion as in parallel with the RR therapy - so that each could benefit the other. Presumably you are funding the INPP yourselves, could you afford to have the TA for the same period if needs be ?

sorry , posts crossed. You sounds resentful and frustrated towards the school - are there really no alternatives ? Assuming he attends maths classes he is being given the opportunity to improve his numeracy skills, whether he has specific support 1:1 or not, as not everything written into an IEP relies on extra sessions. An EP woudl be able to demonstarte that your ds isn't a "duffer" (it woudl breakdown his IQ scores for example and benchmark against his peer group) but has genuine issues and suggest how to approach it educationally by playing to his strengths. This is slightly different to tackling the underlying physical issues highlighted by RR therapy.