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	disagreeing with the schools assessment Hi. I haven't posted in a while, but I am having a serious problem with the school. Last April we moved from Tampa Florida to Columbia SC. I did my homework and thought I found the best possible placement for my sons. My boys are very complicated and by no means open and shut autism cases. They are twins, in the first grade. Both have severe speech issues, and there has been a lot of guesses as to rather or not we are really dealing with autism at all or a processing and speech disorder. They were 10 weeks premature and have been seen by a dev pedi who for years worked with Greenspan, who told me it wasn't autism. I have also been told it was. Well, when they were evaluated at the new school, Nikolas, who is an extremely bright boy shut down and the evaluation is 25% lower than his previous evals. Andrew was found not to have autism at all, and I was told Andrew has so many skills Nikolas doesn't. The problem with that is there have been dozens of evals, and the only skill Andrew has Nikolas doesn't is not such a processing problem, plus he is a social butterfly and Nikolas is more reserved, with a tendency to shut down. As a kindergartner he was doing a 1st/kinder curriculumn, now they want him on a autism curriculumn which I have been told by his old ASD teacher would be way too easy for him. He took the Florida assessment test for 1st graders just for fun last year and did great on it. In a nutshell, they have lowered the bar and have no intention of raising it and they are right and I am wrong and it has turned into a learn to color class, and this bright little boy is slipping away from me right before my eyes and i have no idea what to do. I am teaching him after school, and he is jonesing for real learning, and I am thinking of home schooling. They will start putting him in reading time with the first graders, but not without telling me he wouldn't be able to do the work. He is falling behind and I don't know what to do. I have an appt with his dr, I want a speech assessment and diagnosis for real one way or another with someone who can figure out difficult cases. I am also getting names for an advocate. If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate a response. Any home schoolers? What about testing every year? how much did the school fight you? And what do you do about therapies? I think the school speech path is half the problem. Are there other alternatives? I just think the damage is done, he cries his eyes out every night. With the exception of tonight because he has been told he will be spending the afternoon with the 1st graders. Linda1156740127.7857523148 An advocate is a great idea.  If, you don't feel the placement is appropriate you can change it.  He's entitled to LRE with supports meaning an aide, visuals etc.. it's his civil right.    Ask your doctor to put what you feel your son needs in writing... it can help having it come from a professional.   Personally, I'd pull my child out until they provide access to the appropriate classroom; they are putting up barriers to his learning.  I wouldn't want to continue a negative cycle.  I'd also make sure the school admin. knew why he's not at school.  LRE??Least Restrictive Environment. Check out: wrightslaw.com for more information on your legal rights. Good Luck.  Oh my I just realised why you posted the other post about speech delay or ASD.  First of all whether he has ASD or not does not mean he can not learn and is dumb.  They have to teach him in a regular class if that is what you feel is necessary and if they can prove that it does not work after having an aide there and have tried everything, then they can say he does not have any advantages being in that classroom.  Oh my, I am so sorry you are going through this.  I would get an advocate asap and read up on all of the laws.  Do not stop until you get what your son deserves and is ENTITLED to.  I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. lovec you are very right it does not mean that, but unfortunately they believe that it does. I have a friend who is very involved in autism and she is finding good advocates and getting me names, I have a dr appt for him to discuss this, he is going to spend group reading time with the first graders today, I have decided they have the rest of this week and part of next, then I want to observe and see what he is working on. The more I think about the more I think a regular special ed class is what is really apprpriate, but I don't think they have those here, it is inclusion only. They were very clear to tell me he couldn't do the work, he needed to be in the autism room. I have nothing against an autism room he was in one in Tampa, but it was very different from this one. There were plenty of kids just like him in there, there are no kids just like him in this one, and I am thinking that if I am going to play teacher every night why am I sending him to school. I am going to lose him if I don't do something, and I am not letting that happen.
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