Please Help! Autism and Education Question!?

Question

My step son just turned 5 and is Autistic. He is starting school this year in the town that his mother lives in. Everyone has told us that ther would be problems with the school and their programs. Well, his mom took him to school and instead of putting him in special classes, they want to put him in normal kindergartin classes and have a teachers aid there to help him. I just don't think I agree with this. He doesn;t talk, he won't potty train. I just don't think he needs to be in a reg classroom setting. He doesn't pay attention and it is hard to keep his attention on one thing. IMO I don't think a normal classroom settign with a teachers aide is going to help him. Has anyone ever dealt with this and how did you handle it? We were always told there are special classes they would put him in but that the school would prob not want him in them. But that the special classes were better for him!

Answer 1

Schools are required by law to serve students in what is called the "Least Restrictive Environment".  Since there isn't any mention of any special pre-school education - he may not have been evaluated by the school district and may not have an IEP and an evaluation needs to be done.  I can't tell from the information you gave.

It is not unreasonable to have him with same age peers - as a starting point because remember that Special Education Services are dependent on the students Educational Need within the context of typical peers.

In any event lots of facts are missing here for any of us to give you any specific advice - some of the resources that have been provided for you might help you better advocate for your stepson.

Answer 2

he is not autistic, he has autism, and just tell your school counselor what you want, and why, and check his IEP, make sure everything that you want for the child, should be at his best interest, and not the school, if they cant come up with something, then just enroll him in another school. be strong and speak up your mind, otherwise they step over you.

Answer 3

write your congressman for help in this area it is their job to help you

Answer 4

It's impossible to know whether or not this placement is going to be the best one for your stepson until he is actually enrolled in the class.  A lot will depend on the skill level of the teacher's aide who is assigned to work with him, and the degree of rapport that the child and the aide can develop.  The reasons that are usually given in favor of full inclusion in a regular classroom are that the child has opportunities to interact socially, and get the models for appropriate social behavior, from his typically developing peers;  and that exposure to the language-rich environment can help the child with special needs in language development.

One thing to take into consideration is that Kindergarten isn't what it used to be.  There are high academic expectations, and lessons move along fairly rapidly.  Even less mature children who don't have a disability sometimes find it very difficult to keep up with the current kindergarten curriculum.  Your stepson will (dependent on the IEP) probably not be expected to keep pace academically with the other children, but that may mean that he is not participating in activities with his peers very much, either.  

I would also be a bit concerned about the toilet training.  That's a skill that definitely needs to be worked on, and that may be more difficult logistically in a kindergarten class as opposed to a Special Day Class.  Also, there can be a social stigma for a child who is still in diapers or pullups.

I teach a Special Day Class for K - 2, and many of my students are on the autism spectrum.  I often get students who were in a full-inclusion class for a year or 2.  Often - especially for kids who have good social skills - it was a good experience, but the need for specialized instruction became more obvious as the child became older.  It also sometimes happens that the general ed kindergarten or 1st grade class has nothing to offer the children with special needs, and it becomes a frustrating situation for the child, who sometimes begins to act out.  Arriving in my class usually makes these children calmer, because our program is structured to fit their needs.  We have equipment to give them the sensory activities children with autism often need, and our entire classroom is structured, predictable, and supported by a team of people who have many years of training and experience in helping children learn self-regulation, self-care, and communication skills.

Full inclusion works for some kids, not for others.  In my opinion, the most important thing is to stay vigilant and aware of the child's progress.  If the placement is working, great;  if not, don't let it go on until the child is so frustrated that he hates school or begins to act out.

Answer 5

Your husband should be part of the IEP team as well so he can participate in the meeting and understand fully the reasoning behind the placement.  If he doesn't have an IEP, he should.  How it works is the IEP team does evaluations, discusses the findings, makes goals for learning, then decides the most appropriate placement for the child to reach those goals.  Some children do fantastic in a fully inclusive setting, some flounder and fail.  I've always found the best way to make sure a placement option was appropriate was by visiting the classroom and seeing for myself.  Since I know my child better than any of the other people on the team, I have a pretty good idea of how they will handle the situation.  This is part of the reason that parents need to be fully involved in the process. THEY are the expert in their child.

My daughter at age 5 was somewhat verbal, and toilet trained, but she was not at all ready for a typical kindergarten class. She needed more direct instruction on how to participate in a classroom. She could not handle the chaos of a typical kindergarten class. I wanted her to be able to learn how to learn and enjoy school, not go to school each day, hide under her desk because the chaos, noise, etc.  

I would be worried about him not being toilet trained.  Usually kindergarten kids are very accepting of things, but I think having a kid their age/size in diapers will be something that will really work against your stepson.  Kids will remember that he wore diapers at school.

I can't understand why the school would not want him in a special education classroom if it's the most appropriate placement for him.  I'd love to know the reasoning behind that.  

Do check all the resources that were posted. Wrightslaw is excellent.

Answer 6

try the normal class, he might do well in it. in kindergarten you don't really do much anyway. my brother who's autisic is in a main stream class with an aid (which aidsare really good. they keep them on track and help out a lot) then for part of the day he is pulled out and does one on one tutoring in a special classroom that has a more hands a learning experience and really teaches kids that needs help. he really learns a lot being in both. if your step son never is in a mainstream, he won't learn how to interact with other kids and socialize, which is hard for children with autism. what level autism does he have?

Answer 7

the mainstream class is appropriate for amny children --not all---but there is a big push for includign all chidlren--

if he is not able to interact with the class--itr is not appropriate

Federal law requires free and APPROPRIATE education (FAPE)...

it sounds like this child needs specialized instruction such as ABA or DIR---for most of teh day--they can bring a teacher in to provide this within the mainstream class-----but it may be very disruptive to him and the otehr students

have you contacted any local autsim support organizations?

Answer 8

Now a days, educators push towards putting the autistic children in regular classrooms and see how they do. The theory is that the child will get the social cues and interaction he needs to develop. IMO it's better for a special needs child to be in a regular classroom, but every child is different. It sounds to me that since he is nonverbal, they are hoping that he develops that while in the classroom. He should also be seeing a Speech Pathologist either at the school or privately. He should have a few simple signs that he can use or even pictures (some don't comprehend pictures) that he can use to communicate.

Do you all see him regularly? (once a month, summers, holidays?) Ask his mom to send you all a list of words/signs/pictures that he knows so that you can use them to communicate with him when he's visiting with you and your husband.

Not all special ed classes are best - a higher functioning child can be be placed in a classroom of all lower functioning children. There wouldn't be anything to work towards or have an age appropriate model. Just give the regular classroom a chance, if you are really concerned, then the next time his teachers + mom meet for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) request to be there. Use your husband (the boys father) as an excuse to go. You can state your concerns there and have them answered.

I don't know how much you know about Autism but here are a few facts: Autistic individuals strive on schedules/routines, they seem to relate to people like you and I relate to a brick wall, and some autistic are nonverbal but as able to communicate using sign language, pictures/object identification methods.

Answer 9

It depends on what his IEP said. You could give this a try, but if he is disruptive he may end up in the special day class. Children with Autism mimic other children's behavior so he may be ok with an one-on-one assistant. You mention that he is non-verbal. (doesn't Talk) so this might help you and the teacher. You might suggest to his teacher to use a PECS system. This means Picture Exchange Commutation System.Here are some good web sites for information.  www.pecs.com  and www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9cs... PECS will help with a schedule of what will come next in the classroom and to ask for what he wants. . Most children with autism use this method of commutation in the classroom.

I also like to recommend this book called "Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wants You To Know" written by Ellen Notbohm. She is a mother of an child with autism, has done a lot of research. Check out her Web site www.ellennotbohm.com/ten_things_book.htm...

Answer 10

I am not an attorney (so this is not legal advice), but I do have a child on the spectrum and have been trying to advocate through his school issues for the past three years.  As parents wanting to do the best job you can, it would be beneficial to start reading up on the disability and the special ed law (gag, I know!).  There is so much to learn, but, knowledge becomes your power...seriously!  

When first faced with my son's diagnosis, I googled and found out about www.wrightslaw.com...go there, read liberally!  They also have books and boot camps you can attend to learn the steps in advocating for your child.  I would suggest the "bible" is the book Emotions to Advocacy...if no other resource, read that one.  

Also, you need to start asking the district politely, but in writing, for what you think your child needs...starting with a full battery of testing for educational issues, speech and OT needs, if not already done.  If testing was already done by the district, if you disagree with their assessment or want additional evaluations to support that your child needs additional services (to deal particularly with the issues you describe), you can request an independent evaluation at public expense (the district has to pay for it).  The wrightslaw site has samples of letters to request the district test, as well as to request an IEE, and many others.  Also, one factor here is whether the school district has already held an ARD meeting (formal special ed planning meeting) for your child.

If the district held an ARD and you disagree with this placement, you can request another ARD meeting to discuss additional testing, as well as to discuss the other issues that MUST be addressed in an ARD concerning children on the Autism spectrum.  If they have never evaluated your child for the disorder (if the autism diagnosis came from an outside doc or psych, for example), once you give written consent to the district, the district must do the testing within 60 days and have an ARD meeting within another 30.  For a spectrum child, you want to do things for this as soon as possible because early intervention is very important.

Also, join a special ed blog or support group in your area.  There are likely many others with similar situations who would be happy to let you know how they have handled things.

Once you learn about the disorder and the sped laws, you in a much better place to advocate for what your child requires.  You can learn what specifically to ask for, and then use the law to get at least some of what you think he needs.  Try to make it a collaborative process with the school as much as possible (your child will be in the system for a long time to come, so you'd rather have friends than make enemies there...), but don't be afraid to advocate for your child when needed using your knowledge of the disability and law as your sword and shield.

Hang in there...