NewWhat type of issues is he having in school? Has the school started their assessments yet? One thing that helped me was lists. I had lists of every question that popped in my head, people to talk to, doctors, etc. And don't be afraid to ask them. And don't forget to take care of yourself. Make sure you get rest, food and time for yourself. I know it's hard to think about at this point, but the better you feel and the more you take care of yourself, the better you'll be able to handle everything. Welcome to the forum. Hi Lighteyes, and welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of helpful information here and people who understand exactly where you're coming from. First of all, check out www.spedwatch.org and http://www.massadvocates.org both of whom offer workshops throughout MA and can point you in the right direction to learn all you can on how to best advocate for your child in the school environment. You are the engine that will drive the team in providing services for your child. Secondly, from the onset it is important to realize that, while you have a MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS for your child, his EDUCATIONAL CLASSIFICATION may be different. It is basically a two-pronged approach to the problem - and while the school district may look at the doctor's diagnosis, it is not required to accept it. You, the parent, needs to request IN WRITING, a full and comprehensive evaluation of your child for all areas of suspected disability - and from your post, you have numerous, including cognition, social skills, functional skills, comprehension, etc. I do not know the regulations governing charter schools in your state, so cannot say whether or not charter schools are subject to compliance with the IDEA or not. It is possible that, although they may provide some accommodations for your child, they ultimately will tell you he needs to be elsewhere to receive services. Private schools are not normally required to provide FAPE since they are not publically funded. That question can be addressed for you by one of the advocacy organizations. Again, welcome - to both the forums and the start of an interesting journey! Hello, I thank all of you who responded and gave me advice. My son Kristofer has had OT therapy and is currently getting speech therapy at school. As of his IEP I have an appt now in January to go over his diagnose. He was diagnose by getting a Neuropshychological testing that was ordered by his Psychiatrist. He was put on Medication which I'm not sure I want to put him on(for his ADHD) The problems his having at school are a few: Social issues, memorizing, matching, writing, following directions, sitting still waiting for his turn....He has been removed from his regular sitting table to a table where he is sitting with a teacher's aid that makes sure he is doing his work, which I had a problem with because I feel that is making him feel different and aware he is not like the other classmates which has cause him to hate going to school. I have gone to school meeting and have had conferences with teacher discussing this issue but I don't know if I'm not expressing my thoughts correctly or they don't know or just don't want to listen. My son goes to a charter school(college preparotory) I would like to know if anyone have any thought about the cons and pros of having a child with this diagnose go to a school like this one or do you think a regular public school would be better? Please let me know any thoughts you have. I remember when my son was diagnosed and it was very overwhelming and I did not even know where to start. This is a good place to start out reading and learning. It will take you a while to figure out what your son has and then what your son needs. I wish I could tell you but every kid on the autism spectrum is so unique that there is really no treatment or prediction fits all. As far as school: Does your son have an IEP yet? If not ask your school for an evaluation. He might need some help in academic areas, he might qualify for speech, he might need OT, he likely will help for social skills. Some school districts are great in providing this, some not at all. You will become your son's greatest advocate. Welcome here - ask any questions. Hi! My name is Betsy Hernandez and my 6 yr old son Kristofer was diagnosed with PDD-Nos recently. I had never heard of this condition and I'm overwhelm with all the information I have found. He is in Kindergarden and is already having a lot of problems in school. Its been hard to get services for him and since I'm learning about everything not sure if I'm going the right direction. We live in Springfield, Ma. I'm new at going into Forums so give me some time to get use to it. I'm open to suggestions and in need of friends that have the same issues and can understand how I feel. Looking forward to making new friends.It IS overwhelming. Rest assured, it gets better.My daughter was diagnosed by the school, in Kg. She has had some very helpful services and is now in grade 3, approaching her triennial evaluation. who did your evaluation? I would definitely get a school evaluation and work toward an IEP (and that is your next overwhelming set of info ... but it IS doable!). Ask away, and welcome! Hi there, I just want to chime in on the aide assisting your child with schoolwork. As long as the aide is assisting in keeping your child on task and assisting in helping your child to understand what he needs to do to complete the work, I wouldn't stress over it. We could have used a 1:1 for our son right from the beginning of kindergarten, but were denied and the reason was the committee preferred to see the children try to be as independent as possible. I should disclose that my son attends kindergarten at a parochial school. He receives all services from the public school district. My son is very smart, but has trouble focusing to do his work and has some comprehension issues unless something is visually presented to him and very concrete. He also does not understand the ways of social behavior and ettiquette in a regular classroom. After going through the first 10 weeks of school, he was observed by school district personnel (psychologist, his special ed teacher, speech therapist as well as his own teacher chiming in) and the evidence was overwhelming that with the an adult working 1:1 with him, he would just blossom. We are hopefully only a week or two away from the aide starting. Of course, we don't want our son becoming dependent on the aide, nor does anyone else who works with our son. That's why the special ed teacher will come to my son's school and spend a day modeling for the aide how to work with my son. The ultimate goal of course is to get our son to a point where he can function without the assistance of a 1:1. I hear what you're saying about him being singled out and such. Only because that's what my son's teacher was afraid of doing to him if she allowed him say, the opportunity to sit in a chair instead of teh floor at circle time, and stuff like that. For me, I believe that our children should be allowed accomdations that will help them to be succesful in a world that conforms to NT types. And in the parochoial school he attends, children who may be different are not seen as different by their peers. As to your earlier post about pros and cons about private versus public school, I can only speak from my experience. I observed 2 kindergarten classrooms in the publci school where my son could have been placed in. They were integrated classes. I can honestly say, nothing in either class made me go "Wow, I must send my son here!" The only advantage I could see to him going to public school was for convenience of services, and push-in opportunities. Otherwise, DH and I felt our son should be at the same parochial school attended by his older sister, and where he has been a part of the school family since the day he was born. Fortunately, our state allows for parents to place their child in private schools and the child can still get services from public school. We are even more fortunate that we were able to make the case for our son to have some services at his school, and the remaining take place at the end of his school day where it would create no issues for our son with constant transitions. Originally we were told all his services would have to be taken at the public school (which starts half an hour later than parochial and goes 45 minutes longer), and he would potentially have had to travel to the public school more than once a day. Welcome! Welcome to the forum. You've received some great advice already. Can I add that you purchase the book "From Emotions to Advocacy" written by Peter Wright. It's my "bible", so to speak. All of us know how you feel. It's overwhelming and so emotional to here the diagnosis of autism. I think I cried every day for the first 6 months. But I gradually came to accept it, and I love how special and different my son is. As far as school, my child is in a TEACCH classroom with children that have similar needs. This is his 3rd year and he has made great gains, especially over the last year it's been phenomenal how much he has changed!
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