Help for autistic spectrum disorder, learning disabled son?

Question

My 13 year old son has been diagnosed with ASD and LD. He is reading at a mid 1st grade level. Tutoring helped a lot, but the only program that works is $40/hour. They say he's capable of reading with lots of help, but his teachers have told me they think he is unteachable. He's never been a behavior problem, and sometimes I think that's part of the problem. The squeaky wheel always gets the grease. He is very quiet and hard to talk to. He wants to read, but says he just doesn't get or remember what the teachers are trying to teach him. He is very shy and hasn't many friends. So, 2 questions: 1) how to deal with educators who want to let him slide yr. after yr. 2) what to DO with him all summer, he wants to play video games and watch tv all summer long- better than hanging out on the streets. The only thing that motivates him is money. We don't have a lot of that or I'd PAY him to do some reading. No summer jobs for a mumbling, kinda slow-ish teenager around here, either.

Answer 1

Since your child is already in special ed, the school has federal laws to follow called IDEA. Parents have rights and safeguards with this law. You have to learn them and use them.

The best site for this is www.wrightslaw.com

If a child is not progressing in special ed, the school is suppose to do whatever it takes to help the child. You have a very good case for the school to pay for him to be put in a specialized school for learning disabilities. And a very good case to make them give compensation (make up) for all the years they have not taught him correctly.

First you need to write down EVERYTHING.

1. Make a list of your childs problems.

2. Make a list of what is written on the childs IEP plan that the school is suppose to do to help him.

3. Write down everything that they are NOT doing on the IEP plan to help him.

4. Write down EVERYTHING the teachers are saying and doing. Names, dates, etc.  ESPECIALLY about the teacher saying 'he can't be taught'. This will be a gem to you.

5. Write down what YOU think would help him. In case you don't know, I will address this below.

If  THEY can't teach him, they are to get SOMEONE who can. End of story.

If he can't remember what they are teaching him, the school is suppose to do something to HELP him to LEARN how to remember what they are teaching him. They can't just drop it and do nothing.

Paying a child to read is not going to help if he doesnt' know how to read in the first place. That is like paying someone to walk who has no legs.

The school has failed MISERABLY in this situation and you have the laws on your side.

I understand he wants to be a  regular guy, but if he can go to a specialized school, EVERYONE will have learning problems like him and he WILL be considered a 'regular guy'.

You do not HAVE to let him be in a specialized learning disabiltity school, it's your choice. But IMO it will be a lot better than where he is now.

So here's waht you must do according to the federally mandated special education law IDEA 'individuals with disabilities education act' ---

1. Do everything I wrote in 1 thru 5 above.

2. Call your state dept of education and ask for information on the 'federally funded special education parent advocacy agency'.  Every state has this agency that helps parents in your situation for FREE.

Tell them you need help and tell them your situation. They will help you get 'all your ducks in a row' so to speak, get things in order to face the school and get this all straightened out.

3. Gather  ANY and ALL of your childs school work that you can that shows he is not progressing.

4. Go to your state dept of education website. Search for 'state standards' . This is a list of what EVERY child should learn for every subject in every grade. Get the standards for your childs grade and print them out.

5. Highlight the ones that he can NOT do .

6. When you have gotten everything situated that you want to present to the school, things you want the school to do to help, etc. --  Write a letter to the district special education director requesting an official IEP meeting.  They will have 10-15 days from your DATED WRITTEN request to hold this meeting.

7. They usually don't want to hold IEP meetings during the summer because everyone that needs to be at the meeting will be gone for the summer.

SO, in your request you can give 3 dates you can be available for the meeting. The IDEA law states the meeting has to be held on a 'mutually agreeable' date for EVERYONE, so you can suggest dates that you can be available.

Make these dates as close to the beginning of the school year as possible. I would even make it a couple of weeks BEFORE school starts, the school employees should be there by then.

8. If at all possible, have your advocate to go to meeting with you. If not, get SOMEONE to go with you. DO NOT GO ALONE. They love to ambush and intimidate, especially women.

9. In your request for an IEP meeting, state that you will be tape recording the meeting. You have a right by law to do this. This sometimes keeps them from being so bad and intimidating if they are going to be recorded, but I have heard some doozies on tape anyway!!

10. Take EVERYTHING to the meeting. All graded papers, state standards, all the lists you wrote ,etc.

11. Write an AGENDA to take to the meeting. This means, before you go in that meeting, make a list of everything you want to talk about, everything you want them to do, what you want to show them, etc. And STICK to it. They will most definately throw you off track and ignore your childs problems.

As for knowing WHAT things WILL  help your child, here's a GREAT message board that can help with this. Actually, they can help with EVERYTHING about your situation.

http://millermom.proboards107.com/index....

you will have to register for free to post your messages. But it is the BEST place on the internet for these type of problems.

All this is VERY hard work but it HAS to be done to get what your child needs. You can't take the schools word for anything, you have to get PROOF your child is not improving and confront them as to what they are going to do to help him improve. By law they HAVE to do this.

Answer 2

Hi.

No child, whatever his problems, is unteachable.  The teachers who said that should be fired immediately.

Children who have autism differ wildly in how the brain dysfunction expresses itself.  Some are literally 'sensory seeking missiles,' to the point of often being mis-diagnosed as having ADHD.  Others are more withdrawn and have different problems, usually sensory in nature and need to be approached in a totally different, more sensitive manner.

I know of a programme run by an organisation in the UK and they don't charge $40 an hour.  In fact, I know that they do not turn people away because of inability to pay.  If you can't meet their fees, you just pay what you can afford on a monthly basis.

I have heard some really good reports of their programme.  The website is on http://www.snowdrop.cc

Answer 3

If he is diagnosed by a M.D., the school must hold an IEP (Individual Education Plan). This document is legally binding and the school MUST comply with the document. As a parent, request an IEP hearing. As far as the summer goes, it sounds like you might need to step up as parents and insist on some reading and work.

Answer 4

Contact a speech language pathologist at your school and ask for help. She should be an advocate for your child. Also, if he has a reading problem she should be providing him services as that relates to a language disorder. Don't give up! There have been many lawsuits against schools for not properly treating children with autism.

Answer 5

Have you tried using starfalls. I work with specail needs kids and they seem to like using this. It is an online program that has game but, also has an educational part to it too. The students do this program when they are allowed free time. Some of them are on the AS.  www.starfall.com

Answer 6

My 7 yo is very similar.  I preteach him over the summer as much as I can that he will be learning in the year.  We work everyday.

What to do all summer is to work with him everyday.  Multisensory is the way to go.  Suggest getting Orton-Gillingham explode the code workbooks.  Level 1 and a half is review of short vowels, level 2 is blends.  Also get the beyond the code workbook.  This is second grade level, but it is done so each lesson builds on the one before.  I think this will be fine for him. http://www.ortongillingham.com

Also, Sterk-Vaughn sells textbooks written on whatever level the child is on.  So you can buy 11th grade U.S. history written on a 2nd grade level.  The sentences are short and concise.

All children are entitled to FAPE (free appropriate public education).  It doesn't sound like what they are doing is appropriate.

When he has a psychoeducational ask disagree with it and ask for an independent one.  They pay.  

Also you could make the above suggestions and ask for a 1:1.  If they refuse file a due process.  

Also there are free educational lawyers, contact them.

We have a PAC-parent information center if you have that then get info there.  

Have you contacted your local autism society chapter?  It is a great resource.

If they have him classified EMH contact The Arc for help.