Homeschooling was Re: School discipline problem...advocation suggestions??

[Guest guest]

I have thought about homeschooling. I am guessing if you got to the

point where you needed an attorney that your child was being sorely

mistreated in the school system. We had one really bad year, the year

before our son was dx'd when the school thought his behavior was due

to poor parenting and that he was a spoiled rotten child and that was

why he tantrumed and was uncooperative and insubordinant. Uh...nope.

Anyways that year, I was ready to pull him (and his brothers) if the

school didn't get a clue.

Luckily since then we had little problems. I told the school what

they needed to do and they did it. They didn't always enjoy my point

of view but they always caved. I know this is very rare and we have

been very fortunate to get our way where many others have not (even

in the same school district). Of course that was a different school.

So far, the new school has really impressed me. They have, prior to

this month, taken me seriously and been very proactive in thier

suggestions. But lack of education on thier part has clearly played a

part in the past few weeks, because otherwise the write-ups make no

sense. They are completely ineffectual.

I would definately homeschool if things were back like they were the

first year or if I found I had to constantly fight to get him the

services he needs. My main reason for not doing it right this second

is because I fear my ability to keep up with my children. My HFA

son...I am afraid to say, is probably smarter than I am. I wouldn't

have a clue how to teach him. The other two, how are closer to

average...though still very bright... I could more easily forsee

teaching them. So I take the easy way out in some ways.

>

> So many great ideas....

> I notice that every time I read about these problems at school I

get almost physically sick and tired. We have had the same problems

due to lack of knowledge on the part of the therapist(s) or the

teacher or the administrative people in the school. The bad thing is

that these people write reports and unless the person reading the

report has the HFA person in front of them and can see/hear how

garbled the communication, how easily sensory overloaded, how much

the HFA shuts down in those situations, etc. the report from the

ignorant " professional " is taken as Gospel. It took a good disability

attorney who read the reports and finally found one sentence from an

OT " functions at the 3 yr old level " (child was 6 at the time of OT

exam) to have him start to question the qualifications of the people

writing the other observations. This attorney had me bring the child

in to his office. After chatting with (or rather, being chatted at

about the child's obsession) for 30 minutes,

> the attorney turned to me and said: No, problem... we will win.

The disability evaluator person testing/observing the child a few

months later turned to me after 45 minutes and whispered: why are we

doing this (it was obvious to her after 45 minutes that yes, the

child was indeed disabled due to his autism). So, we home school

because I am no longer willing to subject this child to the ignorant

professionals and paraprofessionals in our school systems (We are in

Kansas). I am highly selective as to who works with this child after

observing his wonderful and terrible experiences with people who are

informed/educated about autism and those who are not. I'm here for

the long run. Leaving him with people who may be well-meaning, but

are ignorant (not stupid, just uneducated/uninformed) about autism

for 6 hours or 15 minutes in a day of " school " is more than a waste

of time, it is a loss of his future because when he spends time with

unqualified professionals he simply cannot

> and does not learn. He is the happier and more educated for this

decision. BTW, at age 9 he is slowly catching up with his age peers

in terms of reading fluency and comprehension. Something he never

would have been able to do in the brick and mortar.

>

> I used to have a great deal of faith in the public school system

and in the brick and mortar school system...... no longer. I highly

recommend home schooling for almost any child with a label and even

for those with no label.

>

> Priscilla in Kansas

>

>

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