Battle with the school for my autistic son

Lisa - posted on 09/12/2012

Just as an aside to this wonderful conversation, this thread was started in 2009 and so Amy Hale may not be seeing the responses that are currently being posted. Still some great advice and stories are being shared; they just may not be relevant to the original thread starter any longer.

Victoria De - posted on 09/12/2012

Hi,

I found out when my daughter was 10yrs that she has High functioning. Originaly Diagnosed as ADHD. She too was mainstreamed since preschool. the last school she was in, in AZ was a middle school and we were stupid enough to go ahead and put her in a enclosed class, with one aid to take her and 5 others to mainstream science art and music. Dont put your child through it!!!! They are in a room with others like Down Syndrome and worst. She still got lost in the shuffle, and a 6th grader doing 2nd grade work. My girl was bored, kept having melt downs and they wanted me to punish her at home for what ever she did in school. To say the least I yanked her out the naext day! I'm sorry but where ever you go they will not follow an IEP correctly.



I am back to home schooling her now through k-12 and Its works out better because she gets her schooling in without the drama EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH FIGHTING THE TEACHERS AND OTHER KIDS. Its not worth the agravation. You can do other things for the child for socialization, and make sure they see a great therapist. Yes most are social )children) but try horseback riding, its great.

Joyce - posted on 09/12/2012

I have a child that is high functioning autistic as well and he was mainstreamed up until 4th grade as well with an aide in the classroom. He was failing miserably and was having a lot of difficulties. They suggested half mainstream and with a one on one and then they decided to put him in an (IDP) Individualized Day Program. This is set up to help your child with schedules. His school uses Point sheets and this is throughout the district. This has helped my child and he has been it for 4 years. Now we are at the point where they are considering mainstream. They put him in 2 classes to start and see how that goes. If it goes well the following year they put him in mainstream with support from the IDP team. That way my child has a comfort place to go if he has any problems. If he does well they mainstream him completely. I have been told that he can come back if it does not work out. But placing my child in half mainstream in 4th grade was the best I could I have done for my child. I see that this was posted in 2009 and I hope that he is doing well. My child went from D's and F's to B's and C's with an A in one class. I am at the point now I won't know if he is completely on grade level until he goes into mainstream but am told that he is on grade level in the IDP program. We will have to see how this goes.

Dori - posted on 08/08/2009

Hi, all the information in the response post are correct you are your son's biggest advocate. Where you live, there should be an advocacy agency that can assist you with getting help for your son. It is sad but true that most school district's choices are driven by cost and not what will be best for the child's academic career. I am an special education advocate here in WDC with specialization in early childhood special education and ASD. Believe it or not I have many parents today that have encounter this same obstacle to getting their child the appropriate services and educational setting.

Tracy - posted on 08/07/2009

I hear that! my 7 year old is going into 2nd and we are putting him in a 6:1:1 class with other ASD students he is PDD-NOS and/or high functioning autism we did have to label him as Autistic to get him in and he has to be bussed to another district to attend but hey K was a crap shoot and 1st was just as bad so i feel your pain! The school HAS to do all they can to help your child and if that means bussing to another district they HAVE to pay for the transportation etc.... I live in a town with one stop light so believe me i get it!

Nanci - posted on 08/07/2009

http://www.smartbraintech.com this may help. http://www.eeginfo.com/

Amy - posted on 08/06/2009

Hi Amy, I am not a mom of a child with Autism, but have worked with children who have Autism for 12 years now. Here in AZ, we have AZ Center for Disability law. I would check your state to see if they have a similar organization. Many families here go to them to find out what the laws are in regards to what services they have to provide for your child. If a kiddo can't have their needs met in their home school district, the district has to pay another district or private school here to meet their needs. Also, we have a law that states the district has 10 days to schedule another IEP meeting once you put a request in writing. The more you know, the more of a threat you are to the schools and the more you will be able to do for your son. It is a lifetime battle for many. Very few luck out with good schools/staff. I wish you the best of luck and strength!

Chalene - posted on 08/06/2009

Look into the mediation process in your school district. You may be able to get funding to go to a school better suited to fit your son's needs. Yes, you can switch schools, and the school system would have to pay for the tuition at the new school. This kind of action may also prompt them to do a better job at educating your son, and not shoving him off into a corner. Did they give you any benefits to putting him in an enclosure class?

Kristie - posted on 08/06/2009

I had the same issues with my son, he is also high functioning autistic and is in a mainstream school. He was not diagnosed formally until the end of his first year in primary school so he was severely labelled, i was lucky that his 1st grade teachers were very understanding and worked with me. We had a number of meetings that we made a goal plan for him to achieve, although he is always behind level wise with the other kids he has improved. We are lucky too that a volunteer organisation that I HAD contacted have also got an aide who works in the school sharing her time with Heath and a couple of other children so this adds to his funded time. Taking him out of the classroom to work with small groups of struggling kids did not work as it emphasised that he was different so we stopped it, he now has a ILP book that he brings home to do extra work and we have a communication book with his teacher so she is aware of any issues at home (diet changes mainly) and also she can let me know if anything has happended during the day without me having to come in after school and Heath having to be there and getting upset listening to us talk about him. We have a reward voucher system in place with Heath that works well too. If he puts in a good effort to attempt his work over the day and does not distract other kids he earns a voucher that gets him either money from me or a special treat if he saves them up. Also a small thing that has helped him sit still in class is a wheat bag on his knee while doing mat time. He is much less fidgety with it sitting on his lap, it wieghs him down but also gvies him something to do with his hands.

Leslieanne - posted on 08/06/2009

You can ..by law..request a child advocate to come in and intercede for your child's rights. How about virtual school or homeschool as other options? Don't back down no matter what and get across to everyone that you are doing what's best for your child! Join local support groups and educate yourself w/ whatever is available in your community. Never give up hope!

Angela - posted on 08/06/2009

I wish you the best of luck! My child is high functioning as well, but had such bad behavior problems in his younger years, that he is also grouped with others who can barely read! He's going into 10th grade with a 5th grade reading level. The others he's grouped with have to have things read to them to understand anything...it's pitiful!

Tara - posted on 08/05/2009

My son is also high functioning (Asperger's) and is about to turn 15. In my experience I found I needed to be my child's advocate. Get to know the teachers, counselors, and the admin. In other words, be a *very* squeaky wheel. =)

By the very fact that he's been diagnosed and has had an IEP he has rights. They can't simply brush them off, perhaps they need to be reminded of this? You are his parent and know him like nobody else does, don't let them make you second guess yourself. If you feel he needs help or isn't ready for something let them know.

Amy - posted on 08/05/2009

Thanks everone! I am going to check out the autisim speaks, we have been fighiting since kindergarten and im just so tired of it. We have called in back up at the iep meetings, but with the budget cuts its been hard, We have even talked to the supe intendent of the school district. I just hate how they tell me hes doing fine all year and then they at the end of the year change their story, they even asked me to keep him home from a fieldtrip last year and he was just crushed! I wish they could just give him the tools he needs to learn instead of shoving him aside!

Tara - posted on 08/05/2009

oh wow! Soooo nice to see this posting. I just tried to send my boy to school today, he has pdd-nos and the whole time he did not care about what was going on in the classroom. At his IEP they told me he will not be able to go into the one special ed class at this time, because they will not send him until he is in first grade. So now what? A whole year has to go by before they will give him the services he needs? Anyway, good luck to everyone, and thank you for all the good advice.

Valerie - posted on 08/05/2009

When they tell you they can't do this or that for your child... demand that they write it down and sign it. Tell them that you will take it to your lawyer and sue them. They must provide for your child. We made the decision to homeschool instead of taking the fighting course and now we are doing a cyber school program with excellent teachers and results.

Suzanne - posted on 08/04/2009

Most states have set up advocacy groups for this very purpose. Most will come to the school do an evaulation, and provide a advocate to sit in and help with IEP"S, ARDs, or whatever they may be called where you are. A good place to find out about them is through your local autism awareness group, if you have one. If not you may be able to find out the info through Autism Speaks, or the Autism Society of America.

Melissa - posted on 08/04/2009

I agree with Cindy. In Louisiana we also have groups like family helping familes and they have education liasons that will sit with you go over IEP's help educate you and ours will even go with you to the IEP so you can fight with someone who is on your side. Every state has different laws but IDEA and No Child Left Behind are United States wide. I went to barnes and noble and ordered the book Wrights Law. It gives you all kinds of information on the special ed laws, its wonderful. Good luck and God bless

Cindy - posted on 08/04/2009

Call your State Department of Education. Every state has one and they can assist you with all of your IEP. The school district is very helpful after the State Department of Education gets involved!!! Refer to your copy of the PARENTS RIGHTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION paperwork it will help answer some questions you have. You can ask for a new IEP as well.

Amy - posted on 08/04/2009

I'm sorry I don't have much information for you but that is why we decided to homeschool. My son is going to be in kindergarten this year. We had so many problems at the preschool level. There is no way I was going to continue all that effort on fighting with the school, when I could focus my energy on teaching my son. The preschool that he went to was a private on and the teacher's son had asperger's (so does my son). So if we were getting that much flack from someone that was supposed to understand what we were going through. Sorry no way, it's just not worth it.

Kavithananthi - posted on 08/04/2009

i guess that i am in quite in a bad shape too. I am from malaysia. so there is no proper education for kids like mine. His theraphy had always been in english, i was encouraged to usae a single language ( malaysia has multi language but th national language is malay) So when he goes to school next year he will not be able to cope. Worst in Malaysia it is compulsary for kids to go to school from 7 to 12 years old. No home schooling it is illegal.

Marilyn - posted on 08/04/2009

Hi I'm having simialr problems here, My son now aged 13 has been excluded from school so many times i cant count them. And when in school he is often taught in isolation. He goes to a school witha an ASD Unit attached but they still don't seem to underastand him. Good luck with your fight

Mo - posted on 08/04/2009

thankfully, My daughter has it worked out in her I.E.P. Plan that she gets the help she needs. The school system has realy changed since I went. I am sorry to hear about your son having trouble at school. There realy should be more than one class to offer you.

Amy - posted on 08/03/2009

good luck to you, and thanks, I really wish people would understand that just becase they are austic dosent mean they caint learn

Stormi - posted on 08/03/2009

Good Luck. I live in Great Falls, MT and are getting ready to sue the school system for not giving him what he needs. My son is going into 6th grade but is at a late 1st grade level in learning. He is high functioning too. But the way our school district runs things is "Autism doesn't effect his schooling". Like he comes with a switch and for some reason it get's turned off when he is at school but as soon as school get's over it get's turned on again for us to deal with at home. Like I said good luck. I could keep you posted.