Re: I'm so furious I don't know where to begin.

November 17, 2002

Forgot to include the editor's email address ...

letters.editor@...

Sis

Ernst - Nov 15, 2002

Misguided sense of fairness throws kindergarten class into an uproar

Something's wrong at Deep Creek Elementary School. It's been wrong since the

beginning of the year. Now, it's getting worse.

Here's the situation, as relayed by parents and folks who work there.

Since the beginning of the year, a child with a disorder, diagnosed as autism,

has been disrupting a kindergarten class.

This is not a typical case of a child acting up. He has kicked, bitten,

pushed, and/or struck other children and/or school staff.

He has been carried by his hands and feet, screeching, from the classroom.

He's set off the fire alarm. He's slammed the door into an aide.

" Sometimes the kids are told to do something, and he's rolling across the

floor, " one staff member says. " It's the talk of the teachers' lounge. It's like

that every day. "

One teacher characterized the boy's behavior as " extreme like I've never seen

before. "

" If there were a child like that in my child's class, I'd have a fit, " the

teacher says. " So would other parents, if they knew. But they don't have a

clue. "

Some do. One couple asked to have their daughter transferred to another class.

" All we've gotten is, 'We can't give you any comfort,' (twice) and 'Please bear

with us,' " the husband says.

Here's why. The school district has to adhere to the federal Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act, which, in short, tries to guarantee a normal public

education for everyone, including those who may need special attention.

The parents of this child obviously hoped to keep him out of classes that have

been designed to deal with children who have special needs. And, the district

has tried to accommodate.

Wherever the child goes, two aides walk and sit on either side of him. On some

occasions, when his behavior has deteriorated and the aides have feared they

could not remove him from the classroom without his injuring himself or others,

the entire class has been moved to another room.

This is a sad, sad predicament. It's easy to condemn the boy's parents for

forcing him into an environment unprepared to handle him. But, perhaps some of

us would have done the same thing. We all see our own children differently from

how others see them.

However, in this case, the rights of the individual seem to be trampling the

rights of everyone around him. That's not his " fault. " That's just the way it

is.

It's pretty clear that his parents' attempt to ensure he enjoys a normal

education is preventing 18 other kids in his class from receiving one.

School started on Aug. 12. On Oct. 28, the boy's kindergarten teacher, with 23

years of experience, filed for relief under the Teacher Protection Act. Steve

Fischer, executive director for the teachers union, says the boy's conduct has

impeded learning and posed a danger to him and others.

Finally, after 10 weeks, the district is taking action. On Wednesday, an

investigator went to the school to talk to teachers and staff.

But get this. The investigation has nothing to do with making a bad scene

better. The district is trying to find out who talked to the media, who dared to

let parents and the community know what's happening behind closed doors where

they send their children to school.

District administrators are seeking a scapegoat, someone to fire, someone to

draw attention from their own impotence.

This may be the greatest wrong at Deep Creek. Sensitivity has its place. But

there's also a time to say enough is enough. Enough is enough.

November 17, 2002

Okay, Sissi...this is what I sent them:

To the Editor:

Mr. Ernst's column concerning the " something wrong " at a local school

brings out a very real issue...that of the rights of the disabled to

a free and appropriate public education. Unfortunately, Mr. Ernst

failed to properly identify the " something " that is most

certainly " wrong " at said school.

The problem, Mr. Ernst, is not " a misguided sense of fairness " . It

is a lack of appropriate training and support for the staff entrusted

with the education of ALL the children in American schools. The

teacher with 23 years of experience in teaching typical children has

run into the reality of life in our world--and that reality is that

autism incidence has risen from 1 in 10,000 children 15 years ago to

1 in 250 children at present. It's easy to be condescending to those

dealing with issues we have never had to address. We all want to

believe that we will never come face to face with the realities of

life with autism.

Many children diagnosed with autism have near or above average

intelligence, and would be completely unchallenged academically

in " special needs " classes. People who never before anticipated

having to deal with children with this disability are now having to

come face to face with it, and most are not prepared to do so. By

failing to provide adequate training so that these children can

succeed in typical classrooms, we condemn them to a life in which

they are never able to function in the " real " world. And that, Mr.

Ernst, is the " something " that should be addressed.

Let's look at Mr. Ernst's statements from the perspective of a child

with autism:

Mr. Ernst: " Since the beginning of the year, a child with a disorder,

diagnosed as autism, has been disrupting a kindergarten class. "

Child with autism: " Since the beginning of the year I have been

trying to let the grownups around me know that the environment in

which I have been placed needs to be restructured to make it possible

for me to succeed here. They don't have a clue what I am telling

them. "

Ernst: " This is not a typical case of a child acting up. He has

kicked, bitten, pushed, and/or struck other children and/or school

staff. "

Child: " I am not a typical child acting up. Because of my sensory

needs, lack of communication skills, and failure on the part of the

professionals around me to provide appropriate alternatives, I have

been unable to control my behavior, and resorted to the only

effective means of getting my point across and reorganizing my senses

that I have found. "

Ernst: " He has been carried by his hands and feet, screeching, from

the classroom. He's set off the fire alarm. He's slammed the door

into an aide. "

Child: " Rather than decreasing the sensory load in the area where I

am when I begin to get upset, providing a quiet 'safe' area for me

during meltdowns, or changing the set up of the classroom so that it

is not so overwhelming for me, I have been treated like an animal. I

responded in kind. "

Ernst: " Sometimes the kids are told to do something, and he's rolling

across the floor, " one staff member says. " It's the talk of the

teachers' lounge. It's like that every day. "

Child: " I try to help myself stay calm by giving myself deep

pressure, movement, and vestibular information...but they want me to

sit down without letting me do what I need to in order to be able to

comply with their instructions. The teachers talk about what is

wrong with me, not how to help me. It's like that every day. "

Ernst: " One teacher characterized the boy's behavior as " extreme like

I've never seen before. "

Child: " Nobody hear understands me. "

Ernst: " If there were a child like that in my child's class, I'd have

a fit, " the teacher says. " So would other parents, if they knew. But

they don't have a clue. "

Child: " They don't want me here. They don't want to learn how to

help me; they want me to go away...to be with 'my own kind'. "

Ernst: " Some do. One couple asked to have their daughter transferred

to another class. " All we've gotten is, 'We can't give you any

comfort,' (twice) and 'Please bear with us,' " the husband says. "

Child: " Parents are teaching their children that I shouldn't be

around them. The school has asked for time to fix things, but the

parents don't want to wait, and apparently they aren't willing to

help make things better in the classroom. "

Ernst: " Here's why. The school district has to adhere to the federal

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which, in short, tries

to guarantee a normal public education for everyone, including those

who may need special attention. "

Child: " I'm an American citizen, just like kids without autism. "

Ernst: " The parents of this child obviously hoped to keep him out of

classes that have been designed to deal with children who have

special needs. And, the district has tried to accommodate. "

Child: " My parents, recognizing that I am just as smart as the kids

in 'regular' classes, wanted me to be placed in a situation where I

could learn what they were learning, in spite of my challenges. They

thought that the teachers would be trained to know how to help me. "

Ernst: " Wherever the child goes, two aides walk and sit on either

side of him. On some occasions, when his behavior has deteriorated

and the aides have feared they could not remove him from the

classroom without his injuring himself or others, the entire class

has been moved to another room. "

Child: " I am being treated like a dangerous animal. "

Ernst: " This is a sad, sad predicament. "

Child: " This is the most accurate thing you have said, Mr. Ernst. "

Ernst: " It's easy to condemn the boy's parents for

forcing him into an environment unprepared to handle him. But,

perhaps some of us would have done the same thing. We all see our own

children differently from how others see them. "

Child: " My parents see me as clearly as any other parent sees their

child, but the rest of the world does not have accurate information

about autism, so I am misunderstood almost everywhere I go. "

Ernst: " However, in this case, the rights of the individual seem to

be trampling the rights of everyone around him. That's not

his " fault. " That's just the way it is. "

Child: " My right to an appropriate education has yet to be met by

these people, and now people are blaming me for their failures. The

parents of other kids in the class, who could band together for a

positive change so that their children could learn not only their

ABCs, but also to live with people with differences instead of

fearing us, see no need to get involved. It would work if they cared

enough to make it work. "

Ernst: " It's pretty clear that his parents' attempt to ensure he

enjoys a normal education is preventing 18 other kids in his class

from receiving one. "

Child: " It's pretty clear that somebody needs more training to make

this work for all of us. "

Ernst: " School started on Aug. 12. On Oct. 28, the boy's kindergarten

teacher, with 23 years of experience, filed for relief under the

Teacher Protection Act. Steve Fischer, executive director for the

teachers union, says the boy's conduct has impeded learning and posed

a danger to him and others. "

Child: " Either my teacher would rather quit than learn how to help

me, or she has given up on the school district ever providing

adequate training and support for herself and her staff. "

Ernst: " District administrators are seeking a scapegoat, someone to

fire, someone to draw attention from their own impotence. "

Child: " Politics wins again. "

Ernst: " Enough is enough. "

Child: " Enough is enough. When are they going to educate people

about autism? "

Raena G. Rawlinson, Pediatric physical therapist, and mother of a

child with autism.

November 17, 2002

Child: " Enough is enough. When are they going to educate people

> about autism? "

>

> Raena G. Rawlinson, Pediatric physical therapist, and mother of a

> child with autism.

Raena~~

that was an amazing letter~

nancy

November 17, 2002

Great letter, Raena.

Salli

November 17, 2002

Excellent letter Raena. You everything perfectly. Wow.

Tuna