FoggyRock General Forum

Technically, you team makes the decisions for special education. If you do not agree with your team, then you need to do as you are doing now, figure out how to put forth a case in support of appropriate services for your child. Each state has a parent information center geared around special education. You can call the Deptartment of education for your state and ask them what agency that is. Also, check out www.wrightslaw.com, there you will find information and support to help you understand the law, help you communicate better with your team, etc.

Your team cannot discontinue the speech on your IEP without an evaluation to determine his progress. Since he hasn't made any progress, I would have a hard time figuring out how they can justify no speech. If the did an evaluation, you should write the school and let them know you disagree with their evaluation and would like an independent evaluation. Contact your insurance company as a back up to see what they would cover. It sounds like you might also benefit from asking for more evaluations that are appropriate for children on the spectrum. This isn't to be used to suggest he is limited and any doors are closed, it's to determine an appropriate plan. In your letter, write that you are concerned about his regression over the past 4 years and want to put in place an IEP that will provide an appropriate education for your child.

It also sounds like you school needs more education on autism. You can talk to your local autism society and find out resources and who does these trainings. Ask your school if they would consider hosting a training.

There are so many ways to advocate, the most important being, get more involved. Attend school board meetings, always appear positive, but share your story and concerns for this epidemic and that you just hope that your school can prepare itself to address the needs of children like yours. Offer to help in any way you can. Offering help and appearing to be concerned for the masses works more effectively then raising your individual concerns.

Feel free to email me directly for more support. Your child deserves an appropriate education, you should be able to work with your team to determine what that is, overall, regression isn't a part of the plan. State and Federal laws support progress, but resources, education and community support need to be there too.

Check out wrightslaw under the evaluation section, start there. It's going to take a bit of time.

Not sure if this helps at all as I live in the Uk and we have something launched by the Autistic society here.  Every child matters and make school make sense campaign which has seriously made schools and Education as a whole sit up and listen.

My son has a fully loaded statement which basically pays for all of his support in his school.  This is reviewed once a year and any changes from both sides can be added and deleted but ultimately the agreement is via both the family and education.

If I have any problems then we contact the GP and the Paediatrician who will send a report for the review meeting and then if of course funds are available Tom is given the provision.

Don't let this woman to speak to you like this.  Quite frankly the report is out of date and needs updating now.  No professional with a decent knowledge would turn to something so dated.  Ask for a new report and indeed the speech therapy.  We communicate through speech the fact that your son is not yet able to access this form of communication does not mean he should be denied the teaching and help.  Don't be pushed about.  Good luck

In our state we have parent advocates who can help you advocate appropriately for services for your child.  They will help naviagate the edcuational laws.  Also, as a special education teacher, I have observed administrators fall in line and offer more services when a partent advocate is present.  I would also suggest recording the meetings so you have a clear transcript of the meeting to refer back to in the case you decide to take legal action.

I would think even with pecs insist on him receiving speech while he does pecs and the communication board you have to enforce all communication while he does this that way he will still be getting  speech.  I thought also is the testing wasn't done right you had the right to get someone else to test him at the school's expence

I have since then had the Speech put into place, but I feel is an attempt to butter me up. After the new speech evaluation they offered 30 15 minute sessions.

I have found out about a private ABA school in a neighboring city that just opened up last September, and after letting the district know what I wanted for Mickie, they gave me their options for next school year and the classes they offered are not at all appropriate.

He never had ABA therapy and I thought since he has not made significant progress since entering this district that a more intensive approach with a more restrictive environment ,would be most beneficial.

Well, I just came back from the IEP meeting and they don't agree with me and I don't agree with their proposed placement. I signed the IEP as in attendance only. The district manager wrote in for me under my signature that I was only signing that I agree to attend only. I don't know why she did this, since she seemed to be fighting me, but who knows.

I remained calm, for the most part, but I did tell them that I had entrusted them with my son's education for the last four years and that they had flushed it down the toilet and that I was not going to hand him over to them, for another two years. I couldn't help it, I just wanted to scream.

I am not sure where to go from here, but I'm going to fight them, till the end. I feel so sure of this, that if they don't agree to pay for the ABA program, I'll pull out of school and teach my self.