Question regarding early dismissals

[Guest guest]

Dear a and our group,

In the Dallas area we now have a treatment facility that is ran by 3 BCBA's and

as far as I know is the only one of its kind in our state. The work is done by

the Analysts themselves and a team of therapists who are all in some form of

schoolings to eventually be certified as a BCBA themselves or Speech

pathologists. The kids are worked with one on one and in some sessions with a

play date depending on the goals that are being addressed.This facility is not a

school for autism. We consider it clinical rehabilitation. is in Second

grade and was ARD for full time in our school district half in regular ed and

the other in the stacc class for more specific teaching instruction. We are in

the Keller school district which many of you are aware of there reactive

approach in handling conflict or new endeavors for training their staff.

We visited our neurologist this summer requesting a letter recommending that

need 25-35 hours a week of 1 on therapy along with speech therapy and

exposure to typical peers. On that note we were concerned about what the

District would do if he only attended 2 days of school.

Our Decision..... We covered our selves with the physicians note and also a

letter from the treatment center saying he would be there 3 days a week 9-3

until he was reassessed by his physician next summer. We opted for the

passive/aggressive approach. For the first time we were not asking for a plug

nickel from our school and felt we had nothing to lose. The worst that would

happen is if they pressed truancy charges against us. Truancy court is not TEA

it is local government. The people who are in your community who know your

doctors and run for your vote. We also believed that our school district would

rather save face then have a media explosion in the DFW area where the headlines

read " Family works second job for their autistic child to be rehabilitated and

it's WORKING!!! " The community would scowl down on them for persecuting a family

who is spending hundreds of their own money in order to help their child become

a productive self-sufficient citizen and not to be a financial obligation on the

community for the rest of his life. You can see where we would go with this. As

for now we have not received any further notification from the district and

further more it is obvious to all, even his teachers on the monumental gains in

communication that were made in just two months during the summer when he

started the treatment center. I know a center based program is a little

different than a therapists coming to your home but depending on the persons

credentials and such you may have more options than you think. The state is now

recognizing BCBA's so that they can be providers for rehabilitative

interventions through medicade. Also two local MHMR organizations in our area

have begun to submit contracts with groups like I am speaking of with degreed

specialist. This means private insurance companies will be soon to follow and

that will raise the expectations of who schools have on staff or consult with.

When it comes to the school districts and our kids it is easier for us to ask

forgiveness than to ask permission for something that they do not value,

understand or have a life long responsibility for.

Best to you all,

Mika