I need some help | Autism PDD

I'm not sure if you guys can help me or not but any suggestions would be very welcome. Here is the situation, I had my son's IEP on October 4th and there was the school psychologist, OT, ST, and his teacher in there, plus a kindergarten teacher and the vice principle. My son right now is in a self contained kindergarten class and is doing really well, but his teacher feels like he needs to be in a regular kindergarten class, this is after they told me he is basically like a two year old, as far as I know 2 year olds don't go to kindergarten They want him in the regular kindergarten to get his speech going, isn't that what a speech therapyst is for? Also they said they wouldn't provide a full time aide with him because in there professional opinion they've seen kids become too dependant on them.

After much arguing and stuff I got it written into his IEP that he only goes to regular kindergarten for specials, like music etc...

I'm just frustrated and feel there trying to railroad me and my son, I'm not feeling comfortable with them now and was close to tears from being so frustrated. Should I have said or did anything differently, I know I need to get tougher but sometimes I'm shocked at this school district. thanks for listening.

I support what KathyK said above. To find an ABA therapist go to

http://www.bacb.com/ and you can search your state. The BC, ABA is a lower level certification than the BCBA. There are some good threads going right now that deal with similar IEP issues. Good Luck!

I think the claim that a child would become too dependent on an aide is a standard line they give parents. The reason a shadow trained in ABA is good is because they can also fade prompts correctly so that the child DOES NOT become dependent but independent. They can also use a motivational system that hardly anyone would notice that could also shape the behavior that is desired as well.

I have a autistic diagnosed 4.5 year old. He's getting preschool with an aide (our nickel) and ABA (school). I don't see how the transition (special class to general ed class) can happen without some supports.

The aides are tricky. Our aide is good and fades supports fast. I mentioned the aide to the school district and they just about had a kitten since the aide --- when not needed --- works with the NT kids to disguise they fact that she's an aide to one kid. In that environment I do not see how an aide can fade supports. It does not help any that they do not need prior experience and only get an afternoon's training.

Incidentally a "paraprofessional" is mentioned in the law, and levels of training are mandated in the law, aides are not.

Anyways, I vote with KathyK try to get ABA.
My son is in a regular kindergarten right now with his ABA therapist as his
shadow aide. His Kindergarten teacher has testified that at this time my
son does need hs aide. While he is smart and academically ahead, he has
trouble showing or talking about things that he does know. I was lucky
that although she is a district employee, her integrity as a teacher was
more important than what the SD wanted to do.

My son is not dependent on his aide, she is there to help him facilitate
transitions should he need it, keep him on task should he need it, be
reminded to sit still and be attentive. The list goes on. There is a number
of things that she does which are subtle but go a long way to help my son
learn from his teacher. The most important thing she does is to take data
on his day so we can adjust his home program to complement the
demands of kindergarten. We are taking data on a peer in the same class
as well. When the data looks about the same, that is when we will fade
out the shadow.

So next time they suggest that your child be placed in a typical
Kindergarten reply that you will need 1:1 ABA trained Aide to accompany
him to facilate his learning. You also will need an ABA home program to
help your child learn some more independent skill so your child will be
more sucessful in the school program. This way he can learn more skills
so he will not become dependent on the aide.

By the way, dont sign any IEP until you take it home and have a good look
at it. I would even have an advocate look at it. Just tell them at the
meeting that you need to really give it a lot of thought. My IEP team
leader is like a pit bull, any minute I think she is going to bite. Do I get
intimidated? Yes! You are not alone! Just hang in there!
KathyK39362.739212963I know that can be tough, especially when you are 'outnumbered.' Good for you for standing your ground. It sounds like you made a wise decision for your son, and I hope things go well for him.I know what that feels like as I am sure most of you do. We have all been there at one point or another. Do you have a service coordinator? In NY state where I live I had my son evaluated through an agency called the Taconic DDSO. They did an intake, had some meetings and decided he qualified for services. He is now 9. We then applied for a medicaid waiver even though we have health insurance. Due to his autism he qualifies. They pay for the agency which supplies us with a service coordinator that attends all of the meetings and helps us fight for our sons rights during those horrible meetings. I do not know if each and every state works the same. Otherwise there are some educational advocacy groups out there that may be able to guide you as to what your rights are and your sons.

Good for you candy, sticking to your guns. I am new to all this stuff, and I can't believe how difficut it is to deal with the schools. Im just about shaking in my shoes about a meeting I have tomorrow. Im taking Kathy's advise and telling them i have a lot to think over and bringing the IEP plan home with me to get an advocate's input, as well as asking for help on this board.

You would think it would be a #1 issue for the school to handle these kids with the utmost care and consideration, but Im finding that isn't the case, and they just want to find a place to put them where they cause the least amout of trouble for the district.

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions, I will call and look for an ABA trained aide, I know I'm going to have a fight on my hands with this school district, it's just depressing and overwhelming at times, with all we go through with Autism, fighting a school district shouldn't be something we all have to deal with