My son’s IEP meeting | Autism PDD

thanks. i just got off the phone with my DH and funny enough, the lawyer who we talked to who was too expensive, actually gave us renay's number! I'm just waiting to call her back, it's just good to hear great things about her. I totally feel more comfortable with her now that some of you know her! thanks so much!!thanks, so much, i'll have to check her out. it's all so frustrating!! ASD kid = frustration (with school/people in general/etc) Eventually you would be calm - cool and collected when dealing with these people - because you will know they will learn that they won't push you around especially if you get an advocate/lawyer at that due process hearing! GOOD LUCK! I've never had to go that far. I have met Renay. She is EXCELLENT. If anyone can help, she can. She's expensive but effective. I would trust any of Renay's recommendations.

Ok, I'm new here, and so glad i found this place. I'm hoping that someone can help me out. My son Zachary was diagnosed last may. We work with a very good pediatric neurologist here in Jersey. We worked with him for over a year before we got our diagnosis, and i totally trust him, b/c he didn't rush to diagnosis him. I've always known something was wrong with zach, as a baby he hated to be cuddled, he barely smiled at you, his face never lit up when he saw you, at about a month old i thought he was deaf. Then before he turned 18 months he lost the three words he had, and that's when i started thinking autism. Now zach is very mild, the signs are there, just subtle in some areas, and very prominent in others. In jersey the autistic program is 6 autistic kids that are either at his level or higher functioning, and 1 teacher and 2 aids, and it's full day. He needs that class size and i know he needs the full day. When we went to them, they refused his diagnosis. His dr never specified, he just said Autism Spectrum disorder, along with sensory intergration, and low tone. Well we did their second opinion and their dr. said PDD-NOS which is the same thing, and great it got us his class. Now he's made great improvement with his speech, and with a lot of work is potty train except for BM b/c he still has his sensory issues with that, and holds it in. They had a meeting with me last month and told me they want to remove him this summer, and in the fall put him in this intergrated preschool program with 6 disabled and 6 non disabled kids to work on social issues. they proceed to tell me he's developing like a typical 3 year old, and said his social issues are that he just doesn't like to be the center of attention. I almost flipped. Yea that's why he won't play with kids. Anyways, his neurologist feels that he's not ready to be off the spectrum and still needs the class, but says the intergrated is ok for the afternoon to work on social skills. Fine, well they won't do it so i have to go to due process. they won't give him OT, and says he has no sensory issues. Meanwhile i can't even cut his hair, let only brush it without him screaming as if i'm killing him. And hello, he won't even poop on his own. I have never done the hearing, and we are looking for a lawyer, or an advocate, but i'm so clueless as what to do. I'm trying not to be too nasty, but when she proceeds to tell me what an autistic kid is, i just freak! Anyway, sorry to rant, and any help would be really nice!

thanks so much, Angie

Hi Angie. I'm new here too (we have our first big meeting w/ the school on
Friday). Anyway, I'm not sure where you are in Jersey, but I have the name of
a great advocate if you're interested - Renay Zamloot (908) 730-0080 - if
you Google her a few good articles come up. One of the mothers at our ST
uses her and apparently she's known to a lot of districts around here as
being a real fighter. I spoke to her on the phone and I definitely wanted to
hire her but she told us that in our district (Summit) you need a lawyer
rather than an advocate. Anyway, good luck to you and your son. I hope
you end up with an appropriate placement!

Does anyone know someone like that in the Phoenix area? I'm just not ready to do meetings all by myself!

Thanks

Angie -- What's up? Have you spoken to Renay?