Re: Playground Ban

[Guest guest]

Okay folks,

I was in a bit of a crotchety mood after reading this article.

Certain phrases stuck out at me that caused me to ask a number of

questions and I am going to list them out below. People who know me

fairly well realize that not too much time can go by before I need to

have a nice rant, and this article affords just such an opportunity

for one. I cannot let it go by as these sorts of windfalls do not

often befall me.

Before I do, however, I just want to say that ALL opinions (not just

mine) are valid. For example, if I wasn't so upset about the way

this article was written, I could view it more objectively, and I

would easily agree with regarding what she said:

> I don't think what the school officials did was entirely

unreasonable. The way I read it, they did not take steps differently

than they would with someone without AS. However, they did ask for a

professional evaluation so as to determine how to best channel

imappropriate behavior (if the story is true, kid should have been

removed, IMO. Nobody should be allowed to get away with those

actions). AS might have been diagnosis, but clearly, one on one

training is needed.

That makes perfect sense to me. If there were ANY kid (NT or AM)

bullying another kid, a stop should be put to it immediately, and

steps ought to be taken to find out what's really going on. Yet I do

think if you look at the article and read it in its most literal

sense, the reasons for the kid's behavior are self-evident and the

only ones who need therapy are indeed the teachers, the psychologist,

and the other students themselves.

[WARNING!!! SATIRICAL RANT TO FOLLOW!!! PLEASE RECOGNIZE THAT ZOO IS

BOTH BLOWING OFF STEAM AND HAVING FUN!!!]

" Asperger's syndrome, named for a Viennese physician, is an autism-

related condition characterized by deficiencies in social and

communication skills that was first recognized as a disability only

a decade ago. "

1) Deficiencies by NT standards perhaps, but on the other hand, you

don't see AS people warring among themselves and bombing other people

into oblivion like the NTs do, do you?

2) Disability? Not from my standpoint. I get along just fine with

most AS people. It is the NT's that I have a problem interacting

with. Then I feel disabled, but only because many of them tend to be

loud, rude, obnoxious and unpredictable.

" For children with Asperger's, a simple conversation can be a

minefield of misunderstandings. People say things they don't mean,

or say one thing and do another. Social interactions don't always

follow logical rules. "

1) Hmm. I see. So it's us that have the disability because we

assume that people say what they mean and that people ought to do

what they say and that social interactions ought to follow logical

rules? And its them who are normal because they lie, practice

deceit, and act illogically?

2) SHOULDN'T social interactions follow logical rules? If the answer

to that question is no, then how illogical should social interactions

be allowed to get? For instance, what if tomorrow, every time

someone says the word " ear " the listener is expected to hop three

times on one foot and twice on the other, am I " disabled " because I

can't pick up on this new social cue? Or am I disabled because I

think it's moronic?

" That's why experts say it is so important for such children to play

with other kids, to learn the behavioral norms that most youngsters

are socialized into understanding. "

1) Are the " experts " aware that these norms run contrary to common

sense and good morals? If doing something different than what you

say you are going to do is the norm, or if people say something that

isn't meant, then I don't want to be " normal " because why would

anyone want to make deceit and deliberate miscommunication a point of

departure for " social understanding " ?

" Students reported that Jan swore and threatened them... "

Definitely inappropriate, but on the other hand, he was playing with

kids that he probably felt were lying to him and teasing him by

saying one thing and doing another. Children (especially AS children)

tend to respond to deceit and mistreatment with hostility. He was

probably frustrated that, having come from an environment where

honesty and straightforward communication was the norm, the vast

majority of these kids wouldn't accept him at all unless he did the

opposite.

" [P]layed roughly with younger children and kicked one child. "

I'd like to hear the whole story. Remember, the STUDENTS reported

these incidents, and since the " norm " is for people to say one thing

and do another, or to not say what they mean, how do we know they

aren't lying? If it is NORMAL for them to lie 99% of the time,

shouldn't any reasonable person EXPECT that they would lie the other

1% of the time? And why are the teachers, knowing that lying is the

norm, so quick to accept the statements from all these students?

Aside from all that, what if the teachers missed seeing these kids

picking on him just before they saw the boy picking on the other

kids? Maybe the As boy was only defending himself.

" Teacher's aides said he defied their commands and told students they

didn't have to listen, either. "

A born leader! Just think of what nice honest kids could have been

cultivated had the boy succeeded in winning over those classmates!

" 'This is somebody who would not take adult instruction and was

encouraging other students not to, " said Hewey, attorney for

the school officials. " The people who are supervising the playground

during school hours need to be listened to, by everybody.' "

Why? If they are NTs, they don't do what they say they are going to

do, and they don't mean what they say. Why would anyone who has any

sense place any kind of trust in them whatsoever? Would you trust

your life with such a person, especially if you were a helpless kid?

I wouldn't.

" They wanted to return him to the playground once a psychologist

could evaluate his behavior and determine ways for him to interact

better with other children. "

Teach him to lie and practice deceit in other words. In my opinion,

it's the teachers, the psychologist and the rest of the kids that

need therapy. But that's my disability talking!

" The boy's parents say they hope their lawsuit will force schools to

treat disabled or home-schooled children the same way as other

children. "

Er, by " treat " I hope they mean " respect their differences. "

" Others across the country are watching the case as the number of

children diagnosed with Asperger's continues to climb. "

Thank goodness! Maybe we'll be in the majority soon. Then we can

turn the tables on everybody and start banning NTs from places, or at

least brainwash them into learning what honesty, trustworthiness, and

logical social interaction REALLY mean!!!

(All of the above was satire by the way).

(Well, maybe not ALL of it!)

If I have a comment, it is that this boy more likely than not is

already seeing the futility of trying to conform to nonsensical and

absurd NT social rules and that is why he is acting out. The

teachers involved would to better to try and understand him instead

of banning him from the playground.

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Boy With Disability Banned From Playground

Wed Sep 22, 8:54 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

By SARA LEITCH, Associated Press Writer

FALMOUTH, Maine - What started as a playground spat between school

officials and the parents of a child with autistic-like behavior

could end up having repercussions for the way school districts treat

children with neurological disorders.

The parents of 9-year-old Jan Rankowski are suing Falmouth school

officials for banning their home-schooled son, who has Asperger's

syndrome, from the town's public playground.

" This is going to help children across America, " said

Rankowski, Jan's father. " Schools are going to realize they can't

exclude a child because of a disability. "

School officials say Jan was never permanently barred. They only

wanted a psychologist to evaluate his playground behavior after

complaints from students and staff. His parents refused.

Asperger's syndrome, named for a Viennese physician, is an autism-

related condition characterized by deficiencies in social and

communication skills that was first recognized as a disability only

a decade ago.

For children with Asperger's, a simple conversation can be a

minefield of misunderstandings. People say things they don't mean,

or say one thing and do another. Social interactions don't always

follow logical rules.

That's why experts say it is so important for such children to play

with other kids, to learn the behavioral norms that most youngsters

are socialized into understanding.

" By banning the kid from the most social part of the day, you're

ensuring that he won't be able to learn social skills. It's almost

like saying, 'You don't know math, so we're not letting you in the

math class,' " said Wayne Gilpin, president of Future Horizons in

Texas, which publishes books and holds conferences on autism and

Asperger's syndrome.

Jan's family moved from New York to Falmouth after the 2001 terror

attacks and the boy attended the Plummer-Motz School in the second

grade, enrolled in special education classes. He improved so much

over the year that school officials wanted to move him to a regular

class in the third grade.

But Jan's parents wanted him to stay in special education classes.

His mother, Gayle Fitzpatrick, felt that putting Jan into mainstream

classes was " a disaster waiting to happen " so she taught him at

home.

" Just because you're getting somewhere, doesn't mean you remove it, "

she said. " If it's working, don't fix it. "

Jan's parents were elated when Jan asked to go to the school's

playground after a year of home-schooling. " When he said he wanted

to go play with other kids, we thought it was great, "

Rankowski said.

In the year that Jan attended the school, there were no incident

reports filed about Jan's playground behavior. But administrators

said they began fielding complaints shortly after he began playing

there last fall.

Students reported that Jan swore and threatened them, played roughly

with younger children and kicked one child. Teacher's aides said he

defied their commands and told students they didn't have to listen,

either.

" This is somebody who would not take adult instruction and was

encouraging other students not to, " said Hewey, attorney for

the school officials. " The people who are supervising the playground

during school hours need to be listened to, by everybody. "

While Jan's parents say students who misbehaved similarly would be

punished by being barred for a few days, school officials say Jan's

suspension was not disciplinary. They wanted to return him to the

playground once a psychologist could evaluate his behavior and

determine ways for him to interact better with other children.

Jan's parents say previous assessments of the boy were sufficient

and that his suspension was meant to exclude their

son. " Discrimination is treating someone very, very differently, "

Fitzpatrick said. " Neurologically based behaviors are not crime

scenes waiting to happen. "

A state judge last month denied a request by Jan's parents for an

injunction to allow him to visit the playground while the case was

decided. No trial date has been set.

The boy's parents say they hope their lawsuit will force schools to

treat disabled or home-schooled children the same way as other

children. Others across the country are watching the case as the

number of children diagnosed with Asperger's continues to climb.

As many as 1 in 250 children could have Asperger's syndrome, Gilpin

said from his office in Arlington, Texas. " Any legal precedent can

be used in other jurisdictions, so it could have important national

implications, " he said.