Heeelp needed now!!!

[Guest guest]

Well my daughter’s prodding at her son’s elementary school has finally gotten us an IEP meeting, after all year the teacher, school psychologist and all involved insisting we HAD one! So I have been reading about them rather quickly and the meeting is next week. One place I read it said to ask the district what “options†were available. Like is there a special class somewhere I guess, or special teacher in autism somewhere that can be assigned to him.

All he’s had so far, is last spring near the end of the year they callde a meeting where they told us that Lucas qualified for special ed services, due to all the testing they did he rated as “mild autism.†They showed us all the tests they did on him, although we barely understood them and they didn’t explain them, just said he rated towards autism in them.

Well then he was tested by a developmental pediatrician, and after her tests she too diagnosed him with “mild autism.â€

The school has made a few accommodations but not many. One he goes to a speech meeting with a speech teacher, not sure how often but he said he likes it ok.

What he HATES is math and reading. He can read, but I am not sure to his grade level. He says he hates reading group and it is too long. Also he hates math not sure why. And he hates music, just too noisy he said.

Also the main thing that he hates is his days are too long. When my daughter drops him off he goes to his desk and puts his head in his hands, and she is sure he begins his long wait till the end of day when she picks him up.

So our idea is he needs special help in READING, WRITING, and MATH mainly. But the special ed math teacher said he did not rate low enough to get help from him. He can write real neatly, knows all his letters and asks how to spell words when he is writing on a picture, but hates spelling and hates writing out his thoughts. I don’t think he knows how. Instead he draws his thoughts. I visual not verbal.

Anyway his teacher is saying lately that he does not do ANY of his work at school, we presume he is drawing pictures instead. And he does not do AN homework. I asked him yesterday if he would do a page of homework for $1, and he could store up his money until he could buy something like one of the expensive models of aliens and space ships he likes. He is thinking about it. Another idea we have is can he learn math and reading from a computer. He loves video games and excels in some of them as he enjoys the pay off. Another incentive we thought of is his mother will come get him two hours earlier every day if he will do his work.

Because there is not enough of a pay off for for him so he will work at school. They tried punishment like keeping him in for recess but he didn’t care or get it, not sure which. Anyway punishment does not phase him. He just endures until his mother comes.

So we are asking for shorter days, and the time he is at school to catch up on school work so he doesn’t flunk 2nd grade.

Oh yes what I read said there had to be a way to test the IEP, to see if it is reaching goals established. We do not have that. All the teacher says is he is not doing his work, do you have any ideas?

Do any of you have any ideas? He is getting so frustrated he has started increasing his anger, kind of like he is going to hit you but he doesn’t so far actually hit.

Thank you for any help,

Carolyn Harper, grandma in Oregon ;o)