Theo Grimm

Theo’s reintegration process

Theo was born in 2011.
He has Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS).
This was diagnosed in 2012.
Theo is bright, lively, approachable, empathetic but sometimes also anxious and ungainly, said his parents.

Even before kindergarten, Theo received support from a special education teacher.
The special education teacher visited the family back home. This is known as early years special education.

Theo attended kindergarten as an integrative part of mainstream school.
He was assigned to this kindergarten at short notice.
There were already two children with special school status in Theo’s kindergarten class.
Theo’s parents had the impression that the special education teacher in the kindergarten had little time for Theo.
She mainly focused on the other two children with special educational needs.
However, Theo was lively, could not sit still and sought contact.

Theo’s integrative special education (IS) was in the balance surprisingly quickly:
The first meeting in the kindergarten was set for the beginning of November 2017.
The parents were informed without warning:
Theo was to switch to a special school from February 2018.
Theo was then to be reintegrated into 1st grade.
Theo would be supported in one-on-one therapy.
This decision came as a great surprise to Theo’s parents.

«After about two months of kindergarten, we thought we would discuss how things were going. Instead, we ran against a brick wall – the whole school including the school psychologist, […] the kindergarten teacher, […] and the special education teacher […] plus the principal of the mainstream school […] had already made the decision together and said ‹Theo out›.»

Theo then switched to special school.
In the special school class, he was the only one who could communicate verbally, i.e. speak.
However, the promised therapy sessions did not take place.
His linguistic development declined.
He could not talk to anyone in the class and had no role models for speaking.

The parents were not happy about the separative special education and discussed Theo’s situation with the teachers.

However, it was clear that the former kindergarten in mainstream school was also not a good place for Theo.
They hoped that the management of the special school would keep their promise:
Theo was to be prepared for reintegration in the remaining school year at the special school. His reintegration was to take place in 1st grade.
As a result, they agreed.

Six months later, the parents were told that Theo should stay at the special school. However, this had not been agreed on.

«We had the impression that they really wanted to keep him there because he was one of the few children who could speak and learn.»

Theo’s parents disagreed.
They refused to sign this proposal.
There was a discussion with the district school administration.
The district school administration takes precedence over the principal.

The parents prepared themselves.
They did some research about integrative special education (IS).
They explained to the district school administration that the promise of reintegration had not been kept.
In addition, the parents had never seen a support plan at the special school.
This was because there wasn’t one.

The president of the district school administration suggested a compromise to the parents:
Theo was to stay at the special school for another year.
Theo would then definitely receive therapy lessons and support.
He could then be reintegrated into a school in the residential district in the summer of 2019.
The president of the district school administration promised that he would oversee the support of Theo in the special school.

Theo then received the promised support and therapy lessons.
The reintegration process was now back on track.
A search was made for a mainstream school that was open to integrative special education (IS).

The new special education teacher, Ms Ganz, visited Theo at special school.
There was a handover interview at the special school.
However, the parents and the special education teacher were not invited together, but instead one after the other. This was strange.
The special school told the special education teacher Ms Ganz many negative things about Theo. Theo’s abilities were hardly discussed.

«They listed many of Theo’s shortcomings: what he is not good at, that he is a troublemaker, that things are difficult, [….] that he is aggressive, that he has outbursts of anger [….]. And because everything is so difficult, there would also be a generous setting that would give hope for the best possible outcome.»

Theo’s reintegration process was put under enormous pressure.
At first, his therapies were carried out at special school.
Later, the parents and the special education teacher found out that this was done on purpose.
The special school thought that Theo would return to the special school.

«Six months later, the person responsible for the placement told me ‹We actually thought Theo would come back. We didn’t even assume that this would work›. That is when I realised that they didn’t really want this at all. They thought that the boy belonged in a special school and not a mainstream school.»

Starting at mainstream school was challenging for Theo.
Theo received 13 lessons for integrative special education (IS) in 1st and 2nd grade.
However, he quickly trusted Ms Ganz and Ms Akay.
Theo also made new friends in the class.
The special education teacher and the class teacher worked closely together and were there for all the children as a team.

«It was also clear to the children that there were always two class teachers. They were both the main teachers. This meant we worked openly and closely together for all the children.»

In the autumn, an initial meeting was held with the principal of the mainstream school and the person responsible for placement.
The person responsible for placement is from the special school and decides whether Theo will continue to be taught at mainstream school.
It became clear that Theo should continue to attend mainstream school.

The two years of school with Ms Akay and Ms Ganz came to an end.
Theo then moved to 3rd grade, still in the same school building.
He had a new teacher and a new special education teacher.

The start in 3rd grade was very difficult for Theo.
Although the special education teacher worked with Theo in 12 lessons per week, things didn’t go well for long.

«They then quickly said that things were not working out. And within two months, Theo’s reputation was again the same as when he came from special school. […] You can’t leave him alone, he does very dangerous things, he doesn’t get along with the children. This really frustrated me.»

The new special education teacher was only able to be on site to support the class teacher on two days a week.
After only two months in 3rd grade, the situation had already escalated:
The class teacher and the special education teacher worked very little together.
This was also felt by the parents.

«There was no communication between the two.»

Theo was often left to his own devices.
The parents were not informed about the difficult situations in the classroom.
The principal of the mainstream school was surprised that Theo’s reintegration was no longer working.

«I was quite surprised to hear so soon from this new special education teacher that things were not working out. This was after two years that I considered a success. A lot of things were also difficult during this time. But it was a success. I was very surprised that such a statement came so soon. This was a shame.»

Theo was taught at home for the rest of 3rd grade.
However, his parents wanted Theo to return to mainstream school from 4th grade onwards.
But the mainstream school refused: there was no room for Theo.
It took several months for a new mainstream school to be found.
It was only in the second semester of 4th grade that Theo was able to start at a new mainstream school.

His new class was demanding.
It was also difficult for Theo to make friends.
The lessons for integrative special education (IS) were not well distributed.
It took a long time for a class assistant to be found:
In the first two months, Theo had no support in maths or German.
He was left on his own.

«At this point, I thought the integration was not entirely successful.»

When the interview takes place in summer 2023, Theo is still in the same 4th grade.
Theo says he doesn’t yet feel at home here.
He misses his time with Ms Akay and Ms Ganz in 1st and 2nd grade.

«I wish I could go back to my previous class, to my friends.»

In spring 2024, the situation had gradually improved in Theo’s class.
There was a class assistant for Theo.
The special education teacher and the class assistant worked together.
It is now clear to everyone from the school as to who does what with Theo, and when.
Theo is enjoying school again. This is important.
The school topics and the faster pace of 5th grade are very challenging for Theo.
The fact that he only joined the class later did not make finding friends any easier.
He is well liked in the class and also receives good feedback.
However, he has only made new friends in other classes at the school.