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Post by kpiper0101 on Apr 7, 2008 11:03:03 GMT -5
Hi. My name is Karen, and I have an 8-year-old son, Jacob, who was diagnosed with autism at age three. He received early education services and learned to speak, and made truly great strides. My problem is that because of his progress, the school has now taken away his autism eligibility for special education services, and now his behaviors are being construed as attention-seeking or avoiding work, etc. An example is that he makes odd noises, always has, particularly in a situation where things are quiet and there is nothing visual to occupy him, like waiting in the examination room for the doctor to show up, or in a quiet classroom when he's working. His progress reports used to read "Jacob makes noises while working," now they read "Jacob makes noises while working to distract peers and avoid work." I'm really upset by this because he has a hard enough time without being punished for behavior he struggles with. He has meltdowns at home and in public, but since preschool, has not had any in the classroom. His teacher says this is because he's embarrassed in front of his peers. Trust me, this guy is NOT embarrassed. Oh how I wish he were! He's had huge meltdowns in front of neighborhood kids, at playgrounds, in the middle of super markets, at church. Anyway I'm just feeling really alone, and worried for his future because they're acting as if he's just got behavioral problems despite his developmental history which clearly indicates otherwise. I don't know what to do or who I might turn to. I love my son very much, and I just feel like this attitude that his teachers have adopted is going to be very detrimental to his future if I can't do something to make them understand that he indeed has mild autism.
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Post by finnie on Apr 20, 2008 17:37:42 GMT -5
They are doing him a great disservice and well......they stink.
I am in the boat with ya. If I stumble onto an answer I will let ya know. Good Luck ;D
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mema
New Member
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Post by mema on Jun 19, 2008 18:45:55 GMT -5
Hi Karen, I'm a retired (as of 2006) Special Education teacher. I taught autistic children for the last 3 years, with 25 years total in the Special Ed. field. I also have a two-year old grandaughter whom I suspect is autistic. Her parents have requested an evaluation for her. If you are in the United States, I have two suggestions for you,assuming Jacob has a clinical diagnosis of autism. 1. Under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), you as a parent have the right to request testing through the school system. I would take the progress reports you mentioned to the Exceptional Children's Director (also called Special Education Director) and demand a retest! 2. Go to the U.S. education website, and read, read, read! Understand your own rights! These are the links: www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtmlidea.ed.gov/I hope that this will help you some. You didn't state when his special ed. services were terminated, but it doesn't matter. Jacob needs this support, and the school system has a legal obligation to provide him with these services. Jacob & you are also protected through the Office for Civil Rights, assuming Jacob has a clinical diagnosis of autism. This is how the U.S. schools work: All public schools receive federal funds to support these programs. If you file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, and your complaint is found to be valid, the OCR can yank their federal funds away from them. This is a school system's worst nightmare! Also, of course, some parents have even sued their school district. This is the web address for OCR: www.hhs.gov/ocr/My younger, gifted, son is totally deaf in his right ear. His English teacher in high school was giving him Fs! He was always a straight-A student. This was a real delimma for us because he was seeking admission into a public high school for the gifted & talented for his Jr. & Sr. years. I asked him if his teacher had been giving him his written notes per his Section 504 Plan due to his deafness. She had not. I tried calling the teacher & the principal. Nothing worked. I finally called the E.C. Director & told him in no uncertain terms that the teacher would either change his grades or I would file a complaint with the OCR. They had to call a meeting at night, in knee-deep snow to insist the teacher change my sons grades. They met. She did! Trust me, the OCR is a powerful threat! Use it!  Good luck & God bless you both! |
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