YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A CATERGORICAL ASSISTANT!!! Call the principal, call the head of special educaiton, call the superintendant if you have to but don't let up. If your child escapes from school and gets injured, it will be the school's fault since they know that this is an issue with him. I don't think they would want a lawsuit like that that they can't win!!! I am so aghast that they are not providing a categorical!!!
Children with developmental delays
- Thread starter lesliemarie
- Start date
Something that might be of interest to those with a special needs child:
Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills... .and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills... .and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
Really great postings.
Just wanted to add: start communicating with the school via letter, it doesn't matter if it is not perfectly written. You need to have a paper trail because they obviously don't get it and you are going to have to keep going up the food chain til your son gets the support he needs. Innocently CC the superintendent of your school district on every letter. I am guessing the supt knows the law.
Jen
Just wanted to add: start communicating with the school via letter, it doesn't matter if it is not perfectly written. You need to have a paper trail because they obviously don't get it and you are going to have to keep going up the food chain til your son gets the support he needs. Innocently CC the superintendent of your school district on every letter. I am guessing the supt knows the law.
Jen
Great ideas! Get a paper trail. Always talk to them with someone else present. I agee that you need an advocate. I've been in meetings with them and they are all for what is best for the child.I've also had parents come into meetings with a tape recorder and place it right on the desk.
Ellen
Ellen
buffettgirl
Cathlete
My DS has Prader Willi Syndrome. We thought at the time that the school was doing us a favor by calling us when he was having a temper tantrum. We believed everything the oh-so-sincere principle told us. We were stupid and naive. The school system pushed Tristan though and graduated him at age 18, even though he hadn't done any homework or pasted any tests for the past three years. When we tried to get services and benefits though the county MHMR agency,they denied us, saying Tristan wasn't retarded - he had graduated from high school. We ended up fighting an expensive and long legal battle until the country was forced to provide services. Tristan is now in a group home, has a job, has a social life and lives as independently as possible. You need to get a lawyer and get serious with your school district. Don't be afraid to have your child diagnosed as mentally retarded. You won't get anywhere without it. Good luck and stay strong.
story1267
Cathlete
Lesliemarie, my heart goes out to you. I have two children and both are on IEP's. Please follow the excellent advice you've received from the other posters and make sure to put everything in writing. Sounds to me like you have an uphill battle to get services.
In my state, the school has X number of days to respond to a request in writing - be it for testing that they provide, a meeting, etc.
Definitely pursue medical testing and some kind of diagnosis. The people who do the testing should be able to provide you with recommendations for the school.
Once you have the clinician's report get yourself right in to school for a team meeting to discuss his needs and the services they will provide.
When it comes to services basically the rule is the more the merrier and the sooner the better.
If it does turn out that he has autism, rest assured that austistic children are as individual as snowflakes and pursue every element of therapy and understanding that you can - he'll need speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy. Find out his learning style(s) and make sure the school is accommodating him.
If you're not ready for a lawyer you can also hire an advocate - this is someone who is familiar with various disabilities as well as the applicable laws in your area. Worth every penny when you are up against a resistant school district.
It may feel like you are all alone in this but you'll be surprised to find so many other parents out there trying to figure this all out.
Try to find out if you have a Special Education Parents Advisory Council that's connected with your school district. The best advice will come from other parents in your area. They are also great for just general support.
Best of luck to you and please let us know how things go!
In my state, the school has X number of days to respond to a request in writing - be it for testing that they provide, a meeting, etc.
Definitely pursue medical testing and some kind of diagnosis. The people who do the testing should be able to provide you with recommendations for the school.
Once you have the clinician's report get yourself right in to school for a team meeting to discuss his needs and the services they will provide.
When it comes to services basically the rule is the more the merrier and the sooner the better.
If it does turn out that he has autism, rest assured that austistic children are as individual as snowflakes and pursue every element of therapy and understanding that you can - he'll need speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy. Find out his learning style(s) and make sure the school is accommodating him.
If you're not ready for a lawyer you can also hire an advocate - this is someone who is familiar with various disabilities as well as the applicable laws in your area. Worth every penny when you are up against a resistant school district.
It may feel like you are all alone in this but you'll be surprised to find so many other parents out there trying to figure this all out.
Try to find out if you have a Special Education Parents Advisory Council that's connected with your school district. The best advice will come from other parents in your area. They are also great for just general support.
Best of luck to you and please let us know how things go!