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Our 14 yo son with PDD-NOS had been educated in our District's self-contained special education classes from K through 7. But last year, in 7th grade, he had to enter the middle school. It was a disaster. So much so, we had to put him on Home Teaching last May. We knew he would have to be educated in a special school this school year. I live on Long Island in New York State and there is a system of publically funded special schools called BOCES where children can be placed in specialized settings. The BOCES administration only allows Districts and parents to view programs they recommend for the child based on his records. We were allowed to look at two programs. One was in a school that educates higher functioning Asperger's and some PDD kids. The classes are very small (6-1-1) but the curriculum is the normal curriculum that will result in a HS Regents diploma. The other school educates children with a wide range of disabilities. The highest functioning class is a 12-1-1 and the highest functioning child is far lower functioning than our son. Everyone (including me) thought the Asperger's school was too high functioning for him and the other school was too low functioning. I spoke to the principal of the Asperger's school last spring and introduced him to Jamie and the prinicipal said, "Don't worry -- we can work with him." Fastforward to December. The Asperger's school is WONDERFUL. In two short months, our son changed from being school phobic to being obsessed with school. He wants to go 7 days a week! He earns every single behavioral point. He is no longer violent at all -- at home or in school. He stopped ticking entirely (he has SEVERE Tourette's). He's back to being the happy child he was back in 6th grade before all of this started. So what's the problem? There ended up being a new principal in Sept. and she doesn't want a child at Jamie's functioning level in this school. She's not the one who promised to work with him and she doesn't want to. The fact is, their curriculum IS too difficult for him. But he doesn't seem to mind. He does his very difficult homework without complaint. He was horrified last year when he was taken out of school. It took us 6 months to get him back to normal. I'm afraid he'll have a total breakdown if he's rejected from this school. I would be happy to put him somewhere else next year (change in Sept. is something he can handle because he knows that's normal). I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get him on the bus to go to another school mid-year. They are the ones who agreed to put him into their school. And now that he's met each and every challenge, they want to kick him out. Even our District sees the wisdom of keeping him there. They'll have to run me over with a train before I sign to get him out. However, there's the perpetual problem ahead -- where should he be placed? Because he's what I'd call middle functioning (3rd grade reading level, early 5th grade math level, extremely poor language), the high functioning classes where they do "normal" work are not for him (at least not now on the secondary level) and the lifeskills programs, where they don't do ANY academic work, are not for him. The school District's High School is too busy a place for him and he really needs to be with teachers who understand autism (rare in the Districts) so I'm left with wondering where to put him in Sept. I guess we've gotten to the point where we have to give up on anything academic. It's clear, even to me, that normal secondary academics are a waste of his time. What he needs is functional academics, but not on the very low lifeskills level. I worry so much about his future, whatever we decide to do. Anyone with a "middle-functioning" PDD adolescent have any suggestions? I just read your post and wanted to let you know that I live on Long Island also. My son was diagnosed with Aspergers and he is currently attending a Boces school in Greenvale on Long Island. This is his first year in the school and he is in 10th grade. The name of the program is Alternative Learning Program (ALP). The curriculum is not as hard as in regular HS. They hardly get any homework. The school's main objective is to have the child fit in socially while still maintaining the academics. If you have not already done so, check this school out on the Boces Website. I think the school starts in the 9th grade. I am not sure.Hi All, I live in Kansas and I have two autistic sons, and we attend public schools though it isn't easy we're making it work, by sticking to one school come hell or high water. I don't know how you guy do it in Rhode Island ( and please don't take this as rude) but where is your child's IEP? Are these Boces schools private? Are they accepting any federal monies? Do they not honor IEP? If they are unable to provide a free and appropriate education for your child then they should pay for it to happen elsewhere. The law says that the environment that your child is learning in must be the LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT these accommadations should be written up in his IEP, what needs to happen for things child to succeed? How does this child learn. How can we make that happen is what that IEP should reflect. has your son ever had a Sensory Profile done? Is there something in the environment that is setting him off? What was it about the school that he was in that changed him for the good? Fight to keep him there that's his least restrictive environment. In our school district schools are set up according to where you live and that's your neighborhood school. However, 1) there is a waiver that can be signed to let my child attend a school that is in the same district but not his neighborhood school. 2) since there is another school in the district but not our neighborhood school, that has an Autism Behavioral Classroom (ABC classroom) it is written in the IEP that this is the school they will attend transportation comes across town to pick the boys up and take them to school. I know I don't have the whole story, but from what I have read: get an IEP because he seemed to have strived in his last school, change can be devistating for an autistic individual, as we see. Have you started transitioning for your son? Contact your county's (CDDO) County Developmental Disabilities Organization, for case management possibilities. I wish you the best. I hope I didn't offend anyone, because I've had soooo many battles with my school district I stay on the offensive. Best wishes. Mary |
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