RE: Re: schools To Sharon

[Guest guest]

Sharon, Hi. Skylar is also ADHD and Asperger's. He is high functioning

also and its hard to see the Asperger's. He attends a Special Ed school in

Cape May County, NJ and I feel it is the best place for him. He is in the

3rd grade and there are 8 kids in the class. The kids all seem to be on

about the same level with all of them having behavior problems. Sky knows

the class rules so he is pretty good about following them, but when things

get out of control, the teachers call the " Transport team " and the child is

removed and sent to a quiet room to settle down or goes and talks with a

counsellor.

This year when we did the new IEP the school psychologist suggested there is

a LD but did not get into specifics. He is a little behind in his reading

and math but he is making steady progress and his teachers are pleased. For

Christmas I got him a book about " Monster Garage and one about "

from the Discovery Channel and then I got him " Yuck, The encyclopedia

about everything nasty " . both to encourage his reading and so far it has

worked. He has been bringing the books to me asking for help.

Sky has been working with our Landlord doing some clean up work in one of

the other apts and earned some extra money to go to Toys R Us (along with

his Christmas money from his grandma in Fla.)but he had a runnin with some

kids down the block over someone using the middle finger and who was hitting

who. He came in crying and running around locking the doors and telling us

not to answer the door. He was so afraid I wouldn't believe him that I said

to him " No matter what anyone says I believe you " . It took him about 1/2

hr to settle down even though we went to our house which is 40 blocks away.

I know how important it is for our kids to feel safe and that they will be

believed.

I to am a single mom (no boyfriend either) and i know how difficult it is.

That is one of the reasons I have made the living choices I have made. To

Make sure that Sky stays in the same school situation he has now so he can

continue doing so well and wanting to go to school. I live in a small apt

cause the rent is reasonable and the small resort town I'm in has changed so

much in the past several years that rentals are nearly impossible to find.

Gotta go Hope everyone had a Happy New Year. Sharon in So Jersey

>

>Reply-To: autism-aspergers

>To: autism-aspergers

>Subject: Re: schools

>Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 21:52:20 -0000

>

>When deciding to put my son into Wordsworth Academy, on Medical leave,

>the school had basically said that they didn't have the facilities for

>my son. At the time it was just an ADHD diagnosis with a possible

>Asperger's diagnosis coming. They said that the only resource room

>available was for children older than gavin (he is 6, and the school

>only goes up to 5th grade). At the most recent eval they have said

>that he doesn't really need a special resource room and that with a

>TSS in place he should be fine. They won't put in writing that he

>needs the TSS because they don't want to pay for it, but they said

>verbally that there is no way he can be in school with out one. Most

>of the schools in Philly with the necessary Resource rooms are filled

>or in bad areas. Charter schools are an option, but they don't accept

>kids based on special needs, only on a lottery basis. This June, my

>son will be thrown into a huge lottery with 6000 other kids in hopes

>that his name is pulled, and then he can turn in an application to the

>charter school, and maybe after all of that he will be accepted.

>Philly schools are in shambles. They are having trouble educating

>regular students, how could they possibly educate mine. He is super

>smart and high functioning. I am lucky and I know this, and I don't

>want him to fall through the cracks. He is to smart to go into an LD

>setting, and they don't want him to go in with the other Autistic

>children because he lacks alot of the traits, and his case manager and

>behavioral specialist fear that he will gain the traits as a learned

>behavior which would set him back. I am in a very tough spot, and I

>am seeking an educational lawyer, but I am in for a battle. I have

>seen first hand what the Philadelphia Public School System can produce

>and I want so much more for my child. Even if it was just a public

>school across state lines, it would still be better than my options

>here. As for the physical restraint, that had to do with his

>tantrums. I originally told them, since he was in kindergarten at the

>time, that if they set up the nap mats in a corner and told him that

>was where he should go if he wanted to have a tantrum, then he would

>do it. They refused. It also didn't help that the teacher spent all

>of her days screaming at my son and telling the other kids what a bad

>kid my son was. He never hit anyone else, he was just anti social,

>and threw tantrums. He was so scared of his teacher. This year he

>told me that he really liked the first grade teacher, she was nice to

>him. How sad is that? And there were 8 children, including my son,

>who had something happen to them. All but 1 were boys. It is also

>common knowledge that this teacher hates boys, she has stated it on

>many occasion to many people. Because I live in a tight knit

>neighborhood, it has been swept under the rug. She has been a teacher

> at the school for many years. She was my teacher, I am 29. I am the

>only parent who feels that this is something worth persuing. I guess

>partially because they knew that he had ADHD and we were still trying

>to find the meds that would work, and they also knew that we were

>looking at PDD, yet they still treated my son like that. Sorry to

>have rambled on, but understand my frustration. Being a single mom

>with a PDD child is hard enough, but add this stuff in and it gets

>super stressful. Have a Happy New YEar.

>Sharon

>

>

>

>

> > In a message dated 12/31/03 9:02:31 PM Central Standard Time,

> > autism-aspergers writes:

> > PDD, and he had a definate diagnosis of ADHD, a teacher grabbed my son

> > by his neck, trying to make him focus or at least that is what he

> > claimed the reason was. The school also informed me in front of my

> > son's case manager that they enforce physical restraint " when needed " .

> > I am currenly searching for a lawyer on that matter. My question is,

> > does anyone know of any schools in Pennsylvania, more specifically the

> > Philadelphia area, that are more catered to Aspergers? I have

> > I work in a government funded pre-school. I know that we cannot

>enforce

> > " physical restraint " unless the child is flinging about, about to

>hurt someone or

> > himself. No, they cannot grab a child unless for instance that

>child is

> > under a desk and needs to come out, they can grab him slowly by the

>arm and pull

> > that child out carefully. This is for safety. The teacher cannot

>grab a child

> > by his hair or neck as you said a teacher did. Also, I believe this

>is the

> > general rule every where that gets government funding.

> > As for private schools near Philly, well, the school does not have

>to send

> > your son to any special school unless the entire IEP team decides

>this is

> > necessary and agrees. This however may not be something that he has

>to have, and

> > they may not all agree. I know here I would never get that kind of

>service, but

> > all situations are different depending on the child's needs and the

> > situations. My son is also ADHD and Aspergers. I have battled the

>schools since

> > preschool for him. He is now in high school, in ninth, and it gets

>better, but only

> > by a fraction actually as far as dealing with schools who understand

>or care.

> > in IL

>

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