2nd Child/Texas Bashing (long, I'm sorry)

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr. ,

Thank you for posting such an lovely post and thank you for keeping

standards high. As for the other poster,

... was very offended by marvin's post.

I have several questions for her, and madam, please don't get defensive

and use profanities in your response. I would really appreciate that.

Not only does my child get

ABA at the school but they also have a home trainer come into my home

several times a week and do ABA here.

I am truly happy that your son is receiving ABA at school and also at

home. Is your son considered in the severe range according to school

district criteria? (please bear with the questions, I will explain why I

ask)

My son has his own aide at all times during school hours

Does this aide facilitate participation in age appropriate academic

activities and does your son participate in the same academic (Language

Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Journal writing etc.) and

non-academic activities (school performances, ) activities as the other

children in his grade who do not have a disability, with appropriate

supports and modifications?

The reason I ask, is that our district, too provides ABA, but it is VERY

watered down. A consultant comes from Austin every 4-6 weeks and spends

ONE HOUR each special-ed teacher who is assigned to work to " Autism

classrooms " (there are four in the district to serve different age

groups). There's also an In-home and parent trainer in the district who

is student at the local university who had a year of ABA experience in

another city with a family whose son was high functioning and verbal.

In other words she had no previous training or experience in shaping

language for a non-verbal, non-echoic child.

In our district, only highly verbal, high functioning children with

Autism who are able to participate without modifications in the

curriculum get to participate in academics and there are 2 of those

children in our district. Both children were highly verbal, when

diagnosed with Autism at age 5, due to behavior and social delays.

Neither one of the children has ever had any intensive training, nor

have they needed it and both are fully mainstreamed.

We have about 50+ other students with Autism in our district who are not

participating in age appropriate academic and non-academic activities,

although they are brought into PE, music, lunch and recess for inclusion

with an aide.

99% of the parents are very happy with our district. I am NOT. I

believe the reason the other 50+ students are not performing at their

potential is that the district's program, however wonderful it sounds by

it's components (ABA, Parent & in-home training, BCBA consultation, 1:1

para-professional support) lacks the intensity and the comprehensiveness

that is needed by most of these children for them to succeed in the same

academic activities as non disabled peers.

And if anyone thinks I'm asking too much, I don't think so. three years

ago, it was written in my son's IEP that he would not meet his IEP

objectives, even with the supports and modifications. That was right

after our wonderful district who is also recognized by TEA for their

" exemplary program for children with Autism " was sited by the TEA and

given a corrective order on our son's behalf.

We pulled him out of public school, because their wonderful program was

too watered down for our son to truly reach his potential. We did an

intensive ABA program and he was included in a private school with a

shadow that was ABA trained. Today, he continues to thrive in the same

private school in the first grade, he participates in ALL academic

activities that I named above, and he is the ONLY child in town who has

equal access to academic and non-academic and non-academic activities as

non disabled peers. And please note he is among the most severely

effected children in our district. This has all been done at private

expense as we've been on a wait list for CLASS and MDCP and HCS since

May of 1999. There are still hundreds of children ahead of ours on

those wait lists.

Thank you again, for your consideration in allowing the rest of us to

post our painful experiences with Texas public schools and our dismay in

the lack of funding and supports for mental health services in this

wonderful state.

Sincerely,

Arzu, mom to two children with ASD