Autism: Support Across the Spectrum
I am feed up with my son's school it is like they don't know how to deal with a child that has Autism he gets sent to the office for not wanting to do his school work but I know it is not that he does not want to do it I know it is because he does not know how to get it done Can anyone tell me how I can help the school out and help my son
Replies
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Do you have an IEP? It would state in the IEP what your son was expected to be doing, or not doing during school, but unless you have that then they are required to stick to the cirriculum of all the other children. My daughter has an aide who works with her one on one, so if she needs to step away from class for a breather, or to have quiet time in the computer lab, then her aide will take her.
I think the first step would be to speak to the principal or special ed director of the school and set up a meeting with them and his teacher to discuss his progress, and talk about the IEP. Try to get familiar with his teacher, talk to her by email if possible, and see what suggestions she has. It's always good to get them on your side.
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Like Violet's mom, My son also has a 1:1 aide that is with him all day. My school has been terrific with him and I also have a great relationship with the Child Study Team. When something goes on that I don't like, I don't hesititate to make a phone call. I don't know what I'd do if they didn;t handle him the way they should handle an autitstic child...I would ask for a meeting and voice my concerns!
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If yu have an IEP, you should review it and see if the school is in compliance with it. If they are not in compliance; then you should schedule another meeting with them. In this meeting you should give them suggestions on how to handle your son; when he is not wanting to do his school work.
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an educational advocate
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Is he in the mainstream classroom, resource room for part of the day, or self contained classroom? If he is in the mainstream or inclusion classroom, most teachers are not trained enough in college to work with disabled children in general. They tend to receive a chapter at most in the subject methology textbooks on how to work with disabled kids. Autism is another classification on their teacher certification with the state. You might want to see if you can get a behavioral consultant familiar with Autism to see if they can help with the situation in the classroom. I would suggest requesting in writing a meeting with the teacher, special education teacher, and the principal to see what can be done to improve the situation. I will include some resources to help you.
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Here is a link to a page that describes some of the recourses you have available to you (at least in CA) if your child is being denied services - all we had to do was MENTION the Early Start Mediation Conference and suddenly oh look our son's hours are approved.
http://www.dds.ca.gov/Complaints/Home.cfm
I also got the following contacts but did not use them:
Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) 866-828-8275
Area Board XI 714-558-4404 ext. 2
We ended up doing a google search for a special education lawyer in Orange County, CA where we live and we have been COMPLETELY thrilled with her work. She is very familiar with the school district, what they try to do to deflect responsibility, and is on their backs at all times. It's amazing how helpful and nice everyone is when they know you are not someone to be trifled with... long story short, our daughter, 4 on saturday, will be attending the county's early intervention preschool 4 days a week. BAM. The psychologist who did all her testing and gave us the formal diagnosis did not think we'd EVER be able to get her to qualify b/c they would take one look and say "oh she's not that bad" and indeed they did until our lawyer made them ACTUALLY evaluate her. Then all the signs of her autism were crystal clear.
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Quoting KatyTylersMom:
Here is a link to a page that describes some of the recourses you have available to you (at least in CA) if your child is being denied services - all we had to do was MENTION the Early Start Mediation Conference and suddenly oh look our son's hours are approved.
http://www.dds.ca.gov/Complaints/Home.cfm
I also got the following contacts but did not use them:
Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) 866-828-8275
Area Board XI 714-558-4404 ext. 2
We ended up doing a google search for a special education lawyer in Orange County, CA where we live and we have been COMPLETELY thrilled with her work. She is very familiar with the school district, what they try to do to deflect responsibility, and is on their backs at all times. It's amazing how helpful and nice everyone is when they know you are not someone to be trifled with... long story short, our daughter, 4 on saturday, will be attending the county's early intervention preschool 4 days a week. BAM. The psychologist who did all her testing and gave us the formal diagnosis did not think we'd EVER be able to get her to qualify b/c they would take one look and say "oh she's not that bad" and indeed they did until our lawyer made them ACTUALLY evaluate her. Then all the signs of her autism were crystal clear.
thank you! i'll save your reply this time :)
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Yes my son does have a IEP and his school tells me that they are doing everything they can for him but my thinking is if you were doing everything or just doing anything for him then I would not be getting 2 phone calls a day