Re: 1st IEP--question re: classification

August 27, 2003

In a message dated 8/26/03 5:29:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

comom_db@... writes:

> The two choices are " Autism " (which all indicators do

> point to this) or " Disabled. " The answer does not impact his

> education program or our insurance benefits. Does anyone know what

> this classification DOES affect? TIA!

>

> Darla

>

I believe it does impact his educational program. It impacts everything in

respect to how his problems, behaviors and planning are approached and will be

approached in the future. Perhaps the people now are all on the same page

with respect to how to do things but it will not always be so! And when you sit

down at a meeting with a teacher who wishes to tell you what a lazy

manipulative child you have, you will need the autism classification to prove

that this

is autism and not some bad-boy behavior problem. When people look at your

child and make decisions about how to handle anything to do with your child, you

want them to know he has autism so that they are starting at the right spot.

JMO.

Roxanna ôô

What doesn't kill us

Makes us really mean.

August 27, 2003

> In a message dated 8/26/03 5:29:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

> comom_db@y... writes:

>

> > The two choices are " Autism " (which all indicators do

> > point to this) or " Disabled. " The answer does not impact his

> > education program or our insurance benefits. Does anyone know

what

> > this classification DOES affect? TIA!

> >

> > Darla

> >

>

> I believe it does impact his educational program. It impacts

everything in

> respect to how his problems, behaviors and planning are approached

and will be

> approached in the future. Perhaps the people now are all on the

same page

> with respect to how to do things but it will not always be so! And

when you sit

> down at a meeting with a teacher who wishes to tell you what a lazy

> manipulative child you have, you will need the autism

classification to prove that this

> is autism and not some bad-boy behavior problem. When people look

at your

> child and make decisions about how to handle anything to do with

your child, you

> want them to know he has autism so that they are starting at the

right spot.

>

> JMO.

> Roxanna ôô

Darla,

I agree. Additionally, was originally classified under the

learning disability classification and when he received the Asperger

diagnosis, I had to provide a Dr.'s written diagnosis and have him re-

classified under the Autism label. Without it, he would not have

qualified for the aide he now has.

Kathy

August 27, 2003

Thanks Kathy & Roxanne, this is just the info I was looking for.

We've been told that the label of autism could also work in reverse,

causing teachers to expect less, therefore, not challenge him and

that when " word got out " that he is autistic he may be ridiculed by

his peers. My take on this theory is that it's up to us as parents

to see he is receiving the proper education and chances are he may

face " ridicule " with or without an official " label. " Thanks again!

Darla

> > In a message dated 8/26/03 5:29:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

> > comom_db@y... writes:

> >

> > > The two choices are " Autism " (which all indicators do

> > > point to this) or " Disabled. " The answer does not impact his

> > > education program or our insurance benefits. Does anyone know

> what

> > > this classification DOES affect? TIA!

> > >

> > > Darla

> > >

> >

> > I believe it does impact his educational program. It impacts

> everything in

> > respect to how his problems, behaviors and planning are

approached

> and will be

> > approached in the future. Perhaps the people now are all on the

> same page

> > with respect to how to do things but it will not always be so!

And

> when you sit

> > down at a meeting with a teacher who wishes to tell you what a

lazy

> > manipulative child you have, you will need the autism

> classification to prove that this

> > is autism and not some bad-boy behavior problem. When people

look

> at your

> > child and make decisions about how to handle anything to do with

> your child, you

> > want them to know he has autism so that they are starting at the

> right spot.

> >

> > JMO.

> > Roxanna ôô

>

> Darla,

>

> I agree. Additionally, was originally classified under the

> learning disability classification and when he received the

Asperger

> diagnosis, I had to provide a Dr.'s written diagnosis and have him

re-

> classified under the Autism label. Without it, he would not have

> qualified for the aide he now has.

>

> Kathy

August 27, 2003

In a message dated 8/27/03 7:21:51 PM !!!First Boot!!!, comom_db@...

writes:

> We've been told that the label of autism could also work in reverse,

> causing teachers to expect less, therefore, not challenge him and

> that when " word got out " that he is autistic he may be ridiculed by

> his peers. My take on this theory is that it's up to us as parents

> to see he is receiving the proper education and chances are he may

> face " ridicule " with or without an official " label. "

Hi Darla,

I would also go with the " autism " label. It may not effect his services now,

but it could in the future. I was asked the same question when my son was

going in to pre-k, he's now in fourth grade.

When some of his reg. ed. teachers saw the lable of autism, it scared them at

first, but then they turned to the internet, trainings, books, etc. to get as

much info as they could on working with . If he had a lable of

" disabled " that would have done nothing for them, it's too vague.

He has never been ridiculed because of his " label " , it has " never gotten

out " . Other kids (in the young grades anyway) do not see/know what " label " the

school has on the child. The other children may see a peer that is " different " ,

" weird " , " akward " , etc., but not " autistic " . The label that the school gives

the child has nothing to do with how the kids will react to the child, it's

the behaviors or ways the other kids see him as being different. Am I making

sense?

August 28, 2003

> Thanks Kathy & Roxanne, this is just the info I was looking for.

> We've been told that the label of autism could also work in

reverse,

> causing teachers to expect less, therefore, not challenge him and

> that when " word got out " that he is autistic he may be ridiculed by

> his peers. My take on this theory is that it's up to us as parents

> to see he is receiving the proper education and chances are he may

> face " ridicule " with or without an official " label. " Thanks again!

>

> Darla

Darla,

you are absolutely right. The teachers will think what they think

regardless of which label you use. Using any label will get them

thinking and you just have to take each teacher as they come and deal

with lower expectations directly, if it shows itself.

As for peers, they don't need " autism " as an excuse to tease what is

different. In fact, they will probably tease him more when they

don't know or understand why he is different. I was surprised to

note that telling the class about autism actually helped my kids as

other children were a lot nicer to them once they had a reason and a

name to put to it. When in doubt, facts are best.

Roxanna

August 28, 2003

, you made PERFEFT sense! Thank you and everyone for their

thoughts on this topic. We have officially gone with the autistic

label for all the reasons you and everyone have described. W/o this

input, I would have been in doubt but now am comfortable with our

choice. Thanks again!

Darla

> In a message dated 8/27/03 7:21:51 PM !!!First Boot!!!,

comom_db@y...

> writes:

>

> > We've been told that the label of autism could also work in

reverse,

> > causing teachers to expect less, therefore, not challenge him

and

> > that when " word got out " that he is autistic he may be ridiculed

by

> > his peers. My take on this theory is that it's up to us as

parents

> > to see he is receiving the proper education and chances are he

may

> > face " ridicule " with or without an official " label. "

>

> Hi Darla,

>

> I would also go with the " autism " label. It may not effect his

services now,

> but it could in the future. I was asked the same question when my

son was

> going in to pre-k, he's now in fourth grade.

> When some of his reg. ed. teachers saw the lable of autism, it

scared them at

> first, but then they turned to the internet, trainings, books,

etc. to get as

> much info as they could on working with . If he had a lable

of

> " disabled " that would have done nothing for them, it's too vague.

> He has never been ridiculed because of his " label " , it has " never

gotten

> out " . Other kids (in the young grades anyway) do not see/know

what " label " the

> school has on the child. The other children may see a peer that

is " different " ,

> " weird " , " akward " , etc., but not " autistic " . The label that the

school gives

> the child has nothing to do with how the kids will react to the

child, it's

> the behaviors or ways the other kids see him as being different.

Am I making

> sense?

>

August 29, 2003

Our (now 15) had a designation of " multi " for years, because of his

AS, and gross and fine motor problems and his anxiety. Just last year, they

changed it to " autism " , and we were VERY pleased. He is in high school this

year (starting Tuesday ...) and things are going very well.

His new resource teacher has attended an autism conference at her own

expense over the summer, purchased some books, and has asked permission to

use a workbook with . This workbook is designed to help individuals

with ASD to understand their own disorder, but she feels that it will help

HER to understand 's order. Of course is quite aware of how his

disorder affects him, but it sure won't hurt!

He has accommodations for locker (his own lock), lunch (in the resource

room), bus (they changed the bus route so that he would go straight from

here to the school, at my request), gym exempt, EA most of the time -- I

probably should have written that first -- and he will spend one quarter of

his school day in the resource class this first semester. I don't anticipate

any problems at all. Key is to find a school that really WANTS your child.

is the first AS child that this resource teacher is having, and she

wants to learn from him. We had the same experience in elementary school. He

was well accommodated there, too.

The high school we selected is in a small town near us and has less than 500

students.

/ 4makelas@...

Way, Way Up in Northern Ontario

----- Original Message -----

> In a message dated 8/27/03 7:21:51 PM !!!First Boot!!!, comom_db@...

> writes:

>

> > We've been told that the label of autism could also work in reverse,

> > causing teachers to expect less, therefore, not challenge him and

> > that when " word got out " that he is autistic he may be ridiculed by

> > his peers. My take on this theory is that it's up to us as parents

> > to see he is receiving the proper education and chances are he may

> > face " ridicule " with or without an official " label. "

August 29, 2003

That sounds great. will hopefully have a really good year.

That would be such a blessing.

It sounds like you really got lucky with the teacher too,

You also seem to understand the IEP writing process

Wish i could say the same

how cold is Canada again?? ha ha ha ha ha

Dawn