Re: New diagnosis of autism

[Guest guest]

ann? welcome to the group! Its great to have another midwesterner on the list,

many live on the coast lines, lol. Tell us more about your son, name? siblings?

and yourself too. I live in iowa, and they have never tried to put nathan in

another school,In fact ive had more trouble getting him out of reg ed classes we

didnt feel appropriate for him, hmmmm. The only talking he did at that age was

echolalia pretty much that I remember, seems ages ago, my oldest, with

is 17yrs old right now, we are transitioning over to the adult stuff,

but there are many on the list with ones at your age and around your age,

and many smart cookies here too. Have you toured any of the other offered

schools? Talked to any of the parents who kids may go there? Is there any online

or written surveys or  " press ganey scores " as we go by at the hospital? for each

school including the one he is in now. I would get as much information as I

could about each

place, maybe have a groups meeting with a person from each place so each can

have their say about pros and cons for your son. And then, sit down and go over,

over and over your info and try to make a decision on what you feel is best for

your son. Also I would have a second plan in place in case the first plan fails,

and make sure all the heads know about each plan. keep a maticulous paper trail,

tape meetings if you have to. charlene and irma are very good with difficult

schools, im sure they will chime in. Again, nice to meet you! Hope you enjoy

this group as much as i have for several years now, we laugh and cry together,

support eachother, occasional differences of opinion, but that keeps us healthy

and is what makes each of us different in a very important way that is needed to

come up with different ideas and still support one another. I think thats why I

love this group soo much and I hope you will too. shawna

 

 

 http://sewshawna.blogspot.com

________________________________

To:

Sent: Friday, January 9, 2009 11:38:30 AM

Subject: New diagnosis of autism

My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

about their diagnosis??? ? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program. Their

program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to teach

or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it

has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

recommended four special education schools, two run by private and two

through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do something.

Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann Marie,

The answer to your question SHOULD be no, in the US, once a child has a

diagnosis, it should open ANY door that the child needs to make progress in

school. That being said, depending on the school district, a secondary

diagnosis may help to access services that the school has determined are for

'just this type of kid,' even though that's technically illegal. If you can

prove a child would benefit from a service, they should be allowed to access

it, regardless of diagnosis.

I would think that 6 is young to diagnose ASD in a child with DS. It is a

difficult diagnosis to make, as many children with DS have characteristics

of autism due to possible low IQ or sensory needs. That being said, I would

highly recommend doing some research (and maybe there are some parents here

who know) about an autism assessment team in your area that has training in

the dual and differential diagnosis of ASD with DS. Just because a child

with DS rocks back and forth, does NOT mean they have autism. That child

would also need to meet the triad of diagnosis: 1. Communication impairment,

2. Stereotypical behaviors, 3. Marked social impairment. Plus, this would

need to be put in the context of the child's DS. Could the DS (and

potential IQ impairment) explain these deficits? If so, then I would

question an ASD diagnosis. But it is possible to have both, as this group

can attribute, so I would say get someone who KNOWS and STUDIES the dual

diagnosis to evaluate your child. The best world would be a

multidisciplinary team including at LEAST a psychologist, speech-language

pathologist and occupational therapist with training in identifying ASD in

children with DS.

Best,

JEn

> My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

> district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

> about their diagnosis???? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

> problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program. Their

> program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to teach

> or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

> possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

> profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it

> has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

> school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

> recommended four special education schools, two run by private and two

> through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

> Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

> therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

> spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

> attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do something.

> Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

> where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

--

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:

http://bookcrossing.com/friend/nifferdoodle

See my photos from my recent trips:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nifferdoodle/

" I've always wanted to have a life someone would want to live vicariously

through. "

[Guest guest]

Welcome. My son is 9 with DS and autism. You can get a second opinion from a

developmental pediatrician or a pediatric psychiatrist if you want. I live in

Indianapolis and could recommend some here, but I'm sure there are some in the

Chicago area, too. As for school, this should definitely be the last year of

preschool for him, so insist on kindergarten next year. My son is 2 years behind

on school, too, mostly due to his leukemia treatment at ages 3 to 7. As for

school, the autism diagnosis should be reason to do a nonverbal IQ test. See how

that comes out; my son scored much higher on nonverbal IQ tests than the classic

verbal ones. Have you taught your son any sign language? There is a PBS show and

DVDs called Signing Time. That has really helped my son communicate and he

usually learned words after the signs. He still is not at all conversational but

can get most desires across. The diagnosis could open more doors in terms of

medical and therapeutic care, but you would need to check on your state laws.

Not sure if that helps, but welcome to the group. I'm here a lot sometimes and

hardly at all other times, depending on what's going on here.

Beth, mom to , age 9 with DS, autism, and a leukemia survivor; also mom to

, 15, and , 12

New diagnosis of autism

My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

about their diagnosis???? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program. Their

program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to teach

or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it

has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

recommended four special education schools, two run by private and two

through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do something.

Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Guest guest]

I was told and have read to that autism diagnosis comes with two of the three

triad components (communication impairment, stereotypical impairment, and marked

social impairment), and that many times, kids with DS and ASD have less social

impairment (better eye contact, more affection, etc.). I understood that many

legitimate cases of DS/ASD are missed due to this.

Beth

Re: New diagnosis of autism

Hi Ann Marie,

The answer to your question SHOULD be no, in the US, once a child has a

diagnosis, it should open ANY door that the child needs to make progress in

school. That being said, depending on the school district, a secondary

diagnosis may help to access services that the school has determined are for

'just this type of kid,' even though that's technically illegal. If you can

prove a child would benefit from a service, they should be allowed to access

it, regardless of diagnosis.

I would think that 6 is young to diagnose ASD in a child with DS. It is a

difficult diagnosis to make, as many children with DS have characteristics

of autism due to possible low IQ or sensory needs. That being said, I would

highly recommend doing some research (and maybe there are some parents here

who know) about an autism assessment team in your area that has training in

the dual and differential diagnosis of ASD with DS. Just because a child

with DS rocks back and forth, does NOT mean they have autism. That child

would also need to meet the triad of diagnosis: 1. Communication impairment,

2. Stereotypical behaviors, 3. Marked social impairment. Plus, this would

need to be put in the context of the child's DS. Could the DS (and

potential IQ impairment) explain these deficits? If so, then I would

question an ASD diagnosis. But it is possible to have both, as this group

can attribute, so I would say get someone who KNOWS and STUDIES the dual

diagnosis to evaluate your child. The best world would be a

multidisciplinary team including at LEAST a psychologist, speech-language

pathologist and occupational therapist with training in identifying ASD in

children with DS.

Best,

JEn

> My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

> district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

> about their diagnosis???? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

> problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program. Their

> program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to teach

> or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

> possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

> profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it

> has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

> school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

> recommended four special education schools, two run by private and two

> through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

> Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

> therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

> spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

> attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do something.

> Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

> where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

--

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:

http://bookcrossing.com/friend/nifferdoodle

See my photos from my recent trips:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nifferdoodle/

" I've always wanted to have a life someone would want to live vicariously

through. "

[Guest guest]

I just wanted to mention that our son is 4  1/2 and is waiting to be diagnosed

for ASD - so I don't think 6 is too young.  I think it is helpful to get the

diagnosis as early as you can.  His preschool teachers have already agreed he

likely has ASD and use different techniques with him (especially reducing his

sensory overload).  And it has made a real difference.

  Also, if you have doubts (and I think many of us have - its part of the

process), there are some useful websites which might help you decide how many

behaviours your child exhibits that are possibly ASD related and not DS

related. 

 When I came across this informal webiste about a boy named Harry who has

DS/ASD, it clicked for me - this was what my son did that other kids with DS did

not do.  The website is:

http://uk.geocities.com/grahamdavidcookbtinternet/behaviour.htm

Also, one helpful (although long) essay is at the following:

http://www.kennedykrieger.org/kki_misc.jsp?pid=2140

Take care,

[Guest guest]

>Hi, my name is actually Kalle and Ann is my daughter. She is 11 yrs

old and my son, is 6 with Ds. My husband and I work full

time. Mikey is a happy child who seems bright and he communicates

his wants and needs to us at home but have always had problems with

this preschool classroom. Their complaints have been things like,

runs down the hallway doesn't stay in line, doesn't want to come in

after recess, pulling his pants up in the bathroom etc. They have

placed such importance on these issues, but don't even discuss

learning. I've always felt there are just a babysitting service.

I'm suppose to wait for these schools to contact me, then set up

meetings based on if there are waiting lists etc. I was just trying

to get a head start, I'm just confused. The autism diagnosis was a

shock and I'm tring to figure out if I'm in denial or if

these " professionals " are clueless, or if it evens matters. I

suppose at this point I just feel anywhere else than this school

would benefit Mikey.

> ann? welcome to the group! Its great to have another midwesterner

on the list, many live on the coast lines, lol. Tell us more about

your son, name? siblings? and yourself too. I live in iowa, and they

have never tried to put nathan in another school,In fact ive had more

trouble getting him out of reg ed classes we didnt feel appropriate

for him, hmmmm. The only talking he did at that age was echolalia

pretty much that I remember, seems ages ago, my oldest, with

is 17yrs old right now, we are transitioning over to the

adult stuff, but there are many on the list with ones at your age and

around your age, and many smart cookies here too. Have you toured any

of the other offered schools? Talked to any of the parents who kids

may go there? Is there any online or written surveys or  " press ganey

scores " as we go by at the hospital? for each school including

the one he is in now. I would get as much information as I could

about each

> place, maybe have a groups meeting with a person from each place

so each can have their say about pros and cons for your son. And

then, sit down and go over, over and over your info and try to make a

decision on what you feel is best for your son. Also I would have a

second plan in place in case the first plan fails, and make sure all

the heads know about each plan. keep a maticulous paper trail, tape

meetings if you have to. charlene and irma are very good with

difficult schools, im sure they will chime in. Again, nice to meet

you! Hope you enjoy this group as much as i have for several years

now, we laugh and cry together, support eachother, occasional

differences of opinion, but that keeps us healthy and is what makes

each of us different in a very important way that is needed to come

up with different ideas and still support one another. I think thats

why I love this group soo much and I hope you will too. shawna

>  

>  

>  http://sewshawna.blogspot.com

>

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

> To:

> Sent: Friday, January 9, 2009 11:38:30 AM

> Subject: New diagnosis of autism

>

>

> My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

> district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

> about their diagnosis??? ? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

> problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program.

Their

> program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to

teach

> or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

> possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

> profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and

it

> has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

> school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

> recommended four special education schools, two run by private and

two

> through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

> Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

> therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

> spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

> attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do

something.

> Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

> where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Kalle,

Welcome to the group. I am mostly a lurker and learning tons from all of

these members. My son Cole is 8 and has the dual diagnosis since he was 6. We

are working (or should I say fighting) for our outside placement for him. We

live in Plainfiled IL. I have toured 5 different schools in Will and Cook Co,

nothing in your area, we really like 2 and are waiting for the school to get

their act together and get us in to one of them. It has been a long process and

Cole has been out of the classroom, getting homebound services since early

October when we found out his teacher was being verbally abusive and was as the

classroom aides told me " going ape sh** " every time he did something wrong.

If you are thinking of a therapeutic day school, I would start researching and

touring now. As for getting a private or medical diagnosis we went through Dr

Keck at ian Brothers Hospital in Hoffman Estates and we had an eval done at

Little Friends in Naperville. The eval at Little friends was pricey, but had

lots of good info. Good Luck and keep in touch. There is actually another mom

out this way trying to get a group together in our area for support, let me know

if you are interested and I can let you know if and when we decide to get

together. Take Care WEndy

To: @...: kalles@...: Fri, 9 Jan 2009

17:38:30 +0000Subject: New diagnosis of autism

My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school district. He is

six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts about their diagnosis???? I'm

not sure if this is a blessing or a problem. He has not done very well in their

preschool program. Their program is about three yrs old and I don't think they

know how to teach or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for profound mental

retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it has taken them another

year after testing etc. to come up with new school choices. He's still in

preschool at age six!!! They have recommended four special education schools,

two run by private and two through school districts far from home. I live in

lake county, IL. Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye, spongebob,

no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited attention span and is

stubborn when he doesn't like to do something. Does the dual diagnosis open more

doors for him? I just don't know where to start. Any suggestions or comments

would be appreciated. Thanks.

_________________________________________________________________

Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync.

http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_explore_012009

[Guest guest]

Based on the DSM-4R, which is what the medical world uses for identifying

ASD (though not necessarily the educational world), in order to have ASD you

must have components of all 3 in the triad. There is another diagnosis,

PDD-NOS, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, that

allows for two of the three in order to meet the criteria. I would think

that, as children with DS TEND to be have social interactions as a strength,

that the lack of that would be the cue for ASD in DS. In my work, I would be

very weary of calling a child with good social skills ASD, regardless of

other identified special needs. There's really a fine line between ASD and

not ASD which can be quite difficult to identify, even moreso when you have

DS as well.

> I was told and have read to that autism diagnosis comes with two of the

> three triad components (communication impairment, stereotypical impairment,

> and marked social impairment), and that many times, kids with DS and ASD

> have less social impairment (better eye contact, more affection, etc.). I

> understood that many legitimate cases of DS/ASD are missed due to this.

>

> Beth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Beth,

You're spot on there, sign language is a FANTASTIC tool for helping children

with Down syndrome to learn to communicate! I use it daily in my practice.

Not only does it encourage communication, it also helps the children to

understand his/her environment and expectations better.

Best,

Jen- SLP

> Welcome. My son is 9 with DS and autism. You can get a second opinion

> from a developmental pediatrician or a pediatric psychiatrist if you want. I

> live in Indianapolis and could recommend some here, but I'm sure there are

> some in the Chicago area, too. As for school, this should definitely be the

> last year of preschool for him, so insist on kindergarten next year. My son

> is 2 years behind on school, too, mostly due to his leukemia treatment at

> ages 3 to 7. As for school, the autism diagnosis should be reason to do a

> nonverbal IQ test. See how that comes out; my son scored much higher on

> nonverbal IQ tests than the classic verbal ones. Have you taught your son

> any sign language? There is a PBS show and DVDs called Signing Time. That

> has really helped my son communicate and he usually learned words after the

> signs. He still is not at all conversational but can get most desires

> across. The diagnosis could open more doors in terms of medical and

> therapeutic care, but you would need to check on your state laws.

>

> Not sure if that helps, but welcome to the group. I'm here a lot sometimes

> and hardly at all other times, depending on what's going on here.

>

> Beth, mom to , age 9 with DS, autism, and a leukemia survivor; also mom

> to , 15, and , 12

>

>

[Guest guest]

well welcome to the group then kalle! was dx around age4, I didnt really

understand or know much about autism, just knew he wasnt like other kids with

ds. I checked out several books from the disabiltity resource library at

university of iowa's hospital school , now called Center for children with

disablities. I also found this group not lng after that, was on geocities or

somthing. it really has grown. Us and school started teaching nathan as an

autistic child with  ds, he has all the other letters included often with

autism, add/hd/ ocd/ sib, etc etc. We found sensory integration at school a

huge helper with tantrums and attention. An occupational therapist can help plan

this.Does attend a reg ed preschool? attended a early child

special ed preschool and a reg preschool 3/week back then. I am unsure what

illinois offers, it may be different than iowa, nathan has had teachers and

therapist wince he was one month old and in

actual school since he was 3yrs old. I am unsure how they even knew about

nathan but the AEA called and set up appts and taght us how to do lots of

teaching things with nathan, now adays they have been spread too thin and its

very hard to get mucvh more than consultants exceptionof IEP meetings.

University of Iowa hospital and clinic, especially the hospital school helped us

the most, they have a whole ds team and help get you set up in everything you

need to, school wise and health wise. They even have a behavioral team which

really helped us and the school during those really behavioral years, (elemetary

school) and are there if we need them. One thing is our kids all seem to outgrow

the horrible behaviors with all the interventions we all do, just keep a few odd

autistic beahiviors, like the dangling of woody or stings or other dangly items,

the " rewind " syndrome, lol just keep reading you will see many of our kids are

really alilke in

behaviors. hugs! shawna

 

 

 http://sewshawna.blogspot.com

 

________________________________

To:

Sent: Friday, January 9, 2009 12:45:04 PM

Subject: Re: New diagnosis of autism

>Hi, my name is actually Kalle and Ann is my daughter. She is 11 yrs

old and my son, is 6 with Ds. My husband and I work full

time. Mikey is a happy child who seems bright and he communicates

his wants and needs to us at home but have always had problems with

this preschool classroom. Their complaints have been things like,

runs down the hallway doesn't stay in line, doesn't want to come in

after recess, pulling his pants up in the bathroom etc. They have

placed such importance on these issues, but don't even discuss

learning. I've always felt there are just a babysitting service.

I'm suppose to wait for these schools to contact me, then set up

meetings based on if there are waiting lists etc. I was just trying

to get a head start, I'm just confused. The autism diagnosis was a

shock and I'm tring to figure out if I'm in denial or if

these " professionals " are clueless, or if it evens matters. I

suppose at this point I just feel anywhere else than this school

would benefit Mikey.

> ann? welcome to the group! Its great to have another midwesterner

on the list, many live on the coast lines, lol. Tell us more about

your son, name? siblings? and yourself too. I live in iowa, and they

have never tried to put nathan in another school,In fact ive had more

trouble getting him out of reg ed classes we didnt feel appropriate

for him, hmmmm. The only talking he did at that age was echolalia

pretty much that I remember, seems ages ago, my oldest, with

is 17yrs old right now, we are transitioning over to the

adult stuff, but there are many on the list with ones at your age and

around your age, and many smart cookies here too. Have you toured any

of the other offered schools? Talked to any of the parents who kids

may go there? Is there any online or written surveys or  " press ganey

scores " as we go by at the hospital? for each school including

the one he is in now. I would get as much information as I could

about each

> place, maybe have a groups meeting with a person from each place

so each can have their say about pros and cons for your son. And

then, sit down and go over, over and over your info and try to make a

decision on what you feel is best for your son. Also I would have a

second plan in place in case the first plan fails, and make sure all

the heads know about each plan. keep a maticulous paper trail, tape

meetings if you have to. charlene and irma are very good with

difficult schools, im sure they will chime in. Again, nice to meet

you! Hope you enjoy this group as much as i have for several years

now, we laugh and cry together, support eachother, occasional

differences of opinion, but that keeps us healthy and is what makes

each of us different in a very important way that is needed to come

up with different ideas and still support one another. I think thats

why I love this group soo much and I hope you will too. shawna

>  

>  

>  http://sewshawna. blogspot. com

>

>

>

>

> ____________ _________ _________ __

>

> To: @yahoogrou ps.com

> Sent: Friday, January 9, 2009 11:38:30 AM

> Subject: New diagnosis of autism

>

>

> My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

> district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

> about their diagnosis??? ? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

> problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program.

Their

> program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to

teach

> or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

> possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

> profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and

it

> has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

> school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

> recommended four special education schools, two run by private and

two

> through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

> Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

> therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

> spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

> attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do

something.

> Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

> where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kalle,

I also live in IL. We are in Western Cook county, west of Schaumburg, in

Hanover Park. My son was 6 when he was diagnosed and I think, for him, it

could have been caught earlier. It sounds like what the school is basing

the “diagnosis” on is compliance, and I am not sure that is a criteria.

LOL!

I would recommend seeing a developmental pediatrician or a peds pychaitrist,

like Beth mentioned. We got our diagnosis from Dr. Keck who is at

St. ius in Hoffman Estates and at the Children’s Research Triangle in

Chicago. I HIGHLY recommend her.

Please feel free to email me on or off group should you have any other

questions.

Davenport

Mom to Logan, 9 ½ DS/ASD and Emma 5

[Guest guest]

Hi Kalle,

School districts do not employee medical doctors and only medical doctors can

diagnose. The school psychologist may have done testing for autism and gave you

and the teacher a questionnaire to fill out. They could tell you that according

to their testing that he may have autism but legally do not have the expertise

or the medical degree to give a medical diagnose of your son. What does your

pediatrician say about this? Your son should not be in preschool at age six. He

should be with age appropriate peers. I can only guess that they kept him in

preschool so they would not be accountable to teach him. No child has to earn

their right to an education and the classroom. How dare this school district

deny your child an education. How many years has your son been retained in

preschool? What instructional strategies is the teacher using to teach him? What

are his IEP goals?Does he have a paraprofessional? Does he have related

services, OT, speech etc. Did you

consent to a private placement? There are good and bad school districts and you

are in a very bad district that has no regard for student's with differences.

They do not have any desire to educate him so they would rather pay and ship him

out. In fact, they may have said he has autism because they do not have an

autism program, a reson to place him privately. The district has a good idea

that you have limited knowledge of IDEA, your child's legal rights to an

education. I would argue that a private placement is not the least restrictive

environment.You desperately need an educational consultant preferably with a PHd

to review, revise and retrain the staff and routinely monitor the program. I

would tell you to get an advocate but I think you are beyond what assistance

they could offer. It is my opinion that you gather every IEP, educational

document and district correspendence you have and do some research to find a

sped attorney with expertise in

litigation for students with DS and a good track record in due process

hearings. You have major issues that only a skilled attorney can fix. I seldom

send parents immediately to an attorney, don't wait.

Charlyne  

Subject: New diagnosis of autism

To:

Date: Friday, January 9, 2009, 12:38 PM

My son just received a new diagnosis of autism from the school

district. He is six yrs old with down syndrome. I have my doubts

about their diagnosis??? ? I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a

problem. He has not done very well in their preschool program. Their

program is about three yrs old and I don't think they know how to teach

or handle him. I would love to get him out of there as soon as

possible. One year ago they wanted to place him in a school for

profound mental retardation with nursing care. I raised a stink and it

has taken them another year after testing etc. to come up with new

school choices. He's still in preschool at age six!!! They have

recommended four special education schools, two run by private and two

through school districts far from home. I live in lake county, IL.

Are there any parents who rate these schools? Are there private

therapists who diagnos autism? My son is non-verbal other than bye,

spongebob, no,and has no real medical problems. He has a limited

attention span and is stubborn when he doesn't like to do something.

Does the dual diagnosis open more doors for him? I just don't know

where to start. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.