Deri,

I agree with Bill on this issue. We placed our son in an LIU classroom for
neurologically impaired (NI). It was to teach children at a slower pace,
using a variety of teaching methods. It consisted of three grade levels and
only allowed ten students with one teacher and an aide. An O.T. and P.T. came
in once a week and Speech was there twice a week. It was considered the
"Cadillac"  of services offered by the LIU per LIU representatives!  What a
joke!!!!! My child was there for three years from K till second grade and
then we fought to get him placed in regular ed last year. He had a great year
repeating second grade to acquire all the things not taught at the LIU class.
He has no problems with math, but money and time were not taught along with
fractions and other important details. He struggled with reading and didn't
learn to read until he entered regular ed because they actaully took the time
and energy to teach him!  I can't tell you how many times I went to get my
son 1/2 hour before school was over for private P.T., and the teacher asked
if I could wait 15 minutes as she didn't get reading in yet! The best time to
teach is in the morning. not the late afternoon. It was truly a babysitting
service. The children often were playing or watching disney movies. When I
got upset with the T.V. watching and approached it from my moral issues that
I don't allow him to watch certain Disney movies, I got slammed by the
classroom psychologist that he needed this interaction for social
development. I have no respect for what I witnessed. They taught down to the
lowest functioning student and this was no challenge for my son. Also, the
class was in a regular ed building and the other children never played with
the classroom kids, there was no interaction. Since my child has joined the
ranks of the regular ed class, he has been fully accepted. Of course, that
depends on the interaction of the teacher and the parents inviting playmates
over to the house. Then these children have had my son over. All I know, my
son had a successful year. He did require Title 1 services for reading, which
he couldn't obtain at the LIU classroom because I was told it was double
dipping. But there was no accountability in the LIU classroom so there was
sothfulness and no one seemed to care but a few parents who ended up pulling
out their children. Also the therapists weren't good at all either.
Cindy