Benote - Needed Supports to Succeed in School

Kothyn’s son, Benote, had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the supports his school was using to meet the goals of the IEP wasn’t as successful as the school thought it should be. The school’s solution was to place Benote in a half-day school setting. Kothyn told the school she didn’t think this was the best option for her son because it would only allow him to be in an educational setting for a few hours a day resulting in significantly less time to reach his educational and behavioral goals. When she asked the school what she was supposed to do about continuing his education, the school suggested that they could probably get a tutor to come to his house.

Kothyn refused the school’s suggestion because she knew that her son needed the time in the classroom with his peers to work on important social skills. It was at this time that Kothyn called Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services (IPAS) for support.

When IPAS joined the case, Kothyn gathered all her documentation and shared it with Valentino, IPAS Advocate, and Keith, IPAS Staff Attorney to get them up-to-date about her discussions with Benote’s school. At this point, Valentino began attending IEP meetings with Kothyn and the school. During these meetings, the school offered to have a behaviorist observe Benote in the classroom to see what was working for him and what supports could be changed so he could be more successful. This is something that Kothyn had been requesting for years.

The behaviorist observed Benote three different times in the classroom and quickly discovered why the program wasn’t meeting Benote’s needs. The behaviorist was able to research other options in the school district and make a recommendation to Kothyn about what program he thought would be the best fit for Benote. Not only did the behaviorist find the program, but he also asked the teacher and the teacher’s aide at the new school if they would be willing to make adaptations to the program so it would better fit Benote’s needs.

The teachers agreed and worked with the behaviorist to make sure they understood the adaptations and could implement them in the classroom. Once Benote started at his new school, the behaviorist returned to the new classroom to see how the new program was working for Benote.

Kothyn says she has seen a positive change in Benote since he began attending his new school. He is still working on his socialization skills and he still struggles to determine the best coping mechanism for when he is feeling mad, or frustrated, but there are bright spots in his day. Kothyn told us that, “I also feel like every day, there is some positive coming into this house and he can speak about a positive part of his day.”

When asked about her experience working with IPAS, Kothyn said, “Even for someone with experience [with the public school system], it felt good to know that you had someone trying to help you get what you need on your side of the table with you.” IPAS is pleased that Valentino and Keith were able to support Kothyn and Benote to get the accommodations and adaptations that Benote needed to continue his education.