Does a child net to be offically diagnosed with autism to receive Manatee co. school placement at 3?

Question

Instead of going to a autistic school I wanted to place my son in Manatee co schools at 3 and soon is his evaluation. What pointers can anyone give me. and what official diagnosis does he really need. I am fearful of the official Autism label he has PDD for now. He of coarse ages out of early steps and needs continual schooling and I have heard great things about the school system. Any advice and help would be appreciated

Answer 1

If this is a public school, contact the early childhood special ed department.

PDD(NOS) is actually a better dx than Autism where services are concerned.

Who is evalulating him?  Who gave him the dx of PDD?

Answer 2

A child does not qualify for special ed services just because they have a diagnosis. The child has to do an evaluation and the school has to do other things to determine if child qualifies.  Here's a message board that can help --

http://www.millermom.proboards107.com/in...

There are 14 categories that a child can fall under to qualify for special ed. I can't remember all of them , go to www.wrightslaw.com to find out.

It doesn't matter which category he qualifies for special ed under, the school is to help with ALL problems.

For example, if child qualifies for sped under 'autism', the school is to help if this child has problems in math, reading, etc.

Answer 3

I don't work for Manatee, but I work for another Florida district. Actually, any label that the school district applies is not a medical diagnosis but rather an educational label. There are several labels that may apply or that he may receive, but the crux of the issue is regardless of the label, he will receive services. Some of the other labels we see with ASD kids are Developmentally Delayed, PDD and Language Impaired. Some high functioning ASD children are hard to classify at young ages, so the team tends to go with the above three.

Only a doctor or a neurologist can make a diagnosis of Autism Syndrome Disorder, so if you want to make sure he has that label, you'll want to take him to a doctor for the diagnosis. Regardless of this, the evaluating team will place him in the program that they feel best meets his needs.

And remember, YOU are a part of the team, so do your best to be as knowledgeable as possible. A visit to the Wright's Law website will help prepare you to understand your rights as a parent of a child with special needs. I am not saying that the school district won't try to do the best they can, because they will. But, you know your child best, so the more you know the better you can advocate for your son.