Frustrated!!! | Autism PDD

Maybe one of these advoacating links will help I hope so! Its rough when you have to fight the school!

Get a hold someone in your town that would now about early intervention or have your peditrician or neurolgist refer you to someone that can help. My son started early intervention at the age of 3 yrs old. He had other disabilites at that time until he was diagnosed later with autism. A had a wonderful day care provider that my son was picked up and dropped off there until I got home from work.

Good luck.

A few things

In Michigan there is an organization called Cause which helps parents with IEPs. Their address is www.causeonline.org. If they cannot help you, maybe they can direct you to something in your state.

I pulled my son out of the public school program when he was 2.5 yrs. The program was a joke, 5 min of speech a week. I transferred him to a private preschool with an extended day and a low teacher student ratio. I also took him to private speech therapy once a week. That was the best year he has had. Perhaps the school can send someone to the preschool you want. Remember, YOU are in the drivers seat.

I am in the same situation as you now. Our son's (4.5 yr) IEP is next Fri. They want to offer him M-Th 8:30-11:30. How do they expect me to hold a job with those hours??? His current preschool director is begging me not to send him to public school. This is a tough choice.

Both my kids have big heads too and I have the c-section scars to prove it

My prayers are with you.

I would check to see how you can appeal their decision (when they make one) and ask for your child to be placed in another district so he can attend a fully included school that your district does not offer. I believe you have the right to make that request and appeal it if they said no. I am assuming that if you took your son to that fully included school, you would be okay w/ him attending it, right?

W/ my daughter, I am requesting a specific school for my daughter that is not located in our district. And the school system will provide the necessary transportation to the school.

There has got to be a way for you to work this out w/ them. Maybe if you can get some written testimony from the fully included school and even parents of children enrolled in that school as to how beneficial the program is for their child. Maybe that can help. I'd even go so far as to provide criticism of the school they will send him to in your district. You have to make and prove your son's case.

Gosh, I hope this works out for you. It must be so stressful.

In our school district, in preschool, you can get just speech therapy services and not put your child in the school's preschool if you prefer not to. Also, you can put your child in preschool for only 1 or 2 days if you want. I would ask your school district if this is an option.

In Minneapolis we never sign the IEP at the meeting. I am sent a proposed IEP and can make changes and/or suggestions to it and send it back. But they never have the IEP written up at the initial meeting. Maybe it is unusual in them doing this. I don't know. But I have never signed the IEP at the meeting.

Tammy

I want my son in a fully included preschool. We visited it yesterday. He ran all over the place and was seeking out other kids. . .I talked to who would be his preschool teacher. He was wonderful.

My school district does not have a fully included preschool and they want him full time in there program full time.

As a single mom I also need an extended program like the fully included school so I can find a part time job while he is in school. The school program is so short I could not go the work for four hours a day at least. I am without a job right now needing to get at least a part time job four hours aday.

I really want full inclusion I just do not know how to get it!

I agree w/ Bonnie K. Don't sign the IEP if you are not satisfied w/it. You know what is best for your son and unfortuneately your going to have to butt heads w/ a few people and rules to get what you feel is the best for your son. I agree w/ the others that the school psycologist is not your son's advocate. You are his advocate. I suspect the school psych says this to 'encourage' parents to do what SHE feels is best, even though she does not know the child well. No matter what school your son is placed in, the school system is required to provide the necessary services. I guess I am not clear of your post. Where do you feel is the best place for him? You know that if you place him somewhere, you an request anotehr IEP meeting like in 6 mos and request for him to be transferred to another school if the one he is in is not the right 'fit.' Each child on the spectrum has different needs and react to their enviornment differently. So one school or classroom setting for one child may not meet the needs of another child.

Do you have a parent 2 parent network or a local Autism Society of America group in your area? What about an Autism Center?

Here are a couple links to places that help parents understand IDEA:

The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education http://www.fape.org/

Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers http://www.taalliance.org/

Here are some links that may help you know your child's rights under IDEA. Research is the best thing you can do for your child in order to provide him what he needs, not what the school system is willing to give him.

http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html

http://www.ideapractices.org/

http://www.wpic.org/rights.htm

I bet you could search under google for information more specific to your area.

I have to say being new to getting my 3yr old Andy diagnosed is so frustrating. I have been in tears wondering if I am heading in the right direction. The school psychologist I wish would go away as she said they will not offer a regular preschool because they do not have one and they only offer their programs. So much for least restrictive enviornment. . . .

My son's first peditrician said if my son ever went to a newdoctor because of his size they would assume things in the wrong direction and it has happened.

I took Andy to play time at the pre school I want him enrolled at to see if he would like it and he was in a few minutes in the middle and trying to interact with the other kids. . . . .although he did eat dirt! He did not want to leave. . .I got to meet who would be his preschool teacher and his class. . .They seemed so loving. . .They only have about two hours of intruction and transition time. . .It seems to be loosely structured. . .They are more about teaching kids to share and socialization. . .The other special needs kids there seemed adjusted. . .

When I take him by the public school he screams. . .my worry is although he needs something it should be a place he wants to go not a place he runs from. . .

I wish I could call off the IEP!!!! Enroll my son at the fully included school only. . .I know he needs speech therapy. . .

Has any one ever had someone removed from the IEP team. . .The school psychologist when I asked her about Advocates told me she was my advocatge and I did not need to speak to anyone else. . .seems like a conflict of interest. . .

I am very overwhelmed with this whole process and it IS taking its toll on me.

II am sorry for rambling just exhausted maybe once the fog lifts it will be fine

HI.....
The very first thing I want to tell you is that the school psychologist is not an advocate for your child or you....Please check and see if you can get an advocate for you child......

Please check out the website called........wrightslaw.com.............It is has alot of helpful information.... Good luck....

Most school districts have an advocacy phone number. Look in your local phone book and see if there is one listed. As far as removing someone from the IEP, depends upon how big the school district is. Generally if the child moves to another school, you have all new members on the IEP. Is this the school's psychologist or is this the districts? If it is only the one with the school you could try getting in touch with the district's supervisor.

Tammy

Wow I am so pleased you brought this up. I am trying to decide if I want to use our ECI program or not. I fear that once I get them involved that if I don't want Levi to have to go in PUBLIC school...I will not have an option. Right now I home school my children because I was so unhappy with the public school system. I cannot afford private school, yet my children are coming out very high in their Stanford Achievement Tests, so home schooling is working out awesome. I understand if I need to take Levi to say a speech therapist and such a couple of times a week, but I don't think I will like my son in a public program full time.

Has anybody else had issues with putting their child in to one of these government education systems and then felt like the government soon owned them not you? Maybe I am overreacting here. I just know that a lot of parents of Down's Syndrome used to complain about how the government takes over your child once involved.

I will definitely go check out Wrightslaw. Thank you for sharing your experiences, they truly are so helpful to me!

Andy's mama...I sure hope you can get them to give you an advocate for Andy. I will also be praying for all the situations you are going through.

With much appreciation, Julianne

Hi there! You absolutely have the right to have anyone you want attend the IEP with you as an advocate. You don't have to agree with the proposals they make at the IEP.......don't sign it if you do not agree.....in fact don't sign it that day...tell them you want to take it home and read it over first.    You can make suggestions as to what preschool you want to enroll your child in, what additional services such as ST, PT, OT he may need. I think a preschool that works on social skills and sharing is a great start!

I know all to well how frustrating the whole diagnosis process can be!     I haven't been online in a while so I don't know your Andy's dx.......I have 2 boys on the spectrum.....my 16 yr old was dx with Asperger's at age 10 after 7 yrs of searching out the right dx (he's doing great!)    and an 8 yr old who was dx with HFA at age    3 1/2.     I also have a 6yr old son and a 13 yr old daughter.

I hope your surgery goes well and you are able to rest and relax and recover!    You have to take care of yourself first and foremost before you can take care of any one else!    I know as a mom we often put everyone else's needs before our own.      I hope all goes well!    God bless ya!     bonnie

I have had real good luck with the school system with my kids, minus the first school Jeffrey went to. Now true Gabe did get away with anything with the first three schools he went to. But I had no problems in letting the school and the school district know where I stood on that issue. And the teacher Gabe has now is really good with him. And he will have her as a teacher next year. Consistency is real good for him. You always have the option of home schooling. But that is not for everyone. My kids do better in the public school system but we also keep the classroom sizes very small too.

Tammy

My son was diagnosed by nuerologist after 40 minutes on his first visit as Autism Spectrum Disorder yesterday. . .I just does not think he quite fits and the doc left room for error. . .He threw a tantrum as he does when he goes to the doctor

Since he has familal macrocephely (large head) He kept repeating his head is bigger then 98% of most 18 year olds. . .I think knew he had a large head as I gave birth to him. . . .The nuerologist almost fainted at the site of my head size. . .

My son just takes after me. . .

I am thinking of going back to my sons first peditirican I switched my son to a teaching hospital where you never see the same doctor. . . .At least with his old ped. we would talk and discuss all the time. . .I miss the personal side of having a doctor who knows you. . . .

Also does anyone know what old more weigh a educational diagnosis or a doctor diagnosis. . .

THANKS again all

My kids go to a teaching hospital and so do I. And all three of us see the same doctor all the time. Only when our primary doctors are out do we see someone new. With my kids neuro, Jeffrey has seen her since he was 3 years old. He is now 13 so he has seen her for 10 years. Both an educational diagnosis and doctor's diagnosis carries weight. In my experience the doctor's diagnosis carries more weight since the schools now bill insurance companies for ot,pt, and speech, to cut down on the cost.

Tammy