Public School Funding and Autism

While no doubt what you're saying is true in some places, I would strongly caution you about blanket statements about schools not wanting to "spend the money." In all likelihood, the school doesn't "have the money" so it's not that they're being selfish, it's that they're trying to best balance the needs of "some" kids against the needs of "many" kids. It's a very very complicated balance.

Also, learning disabilities are not black-and-white. If a child needs a feeding tube or they're going to starve to death, it's pretty clear that the money needs to be spent or the child will die. However, determining whether a mid-range autistic child needs a full-time aide is different. Some "experts" will say that the kid needs the aide, other experts will say that she doesn't. And if $15,000 is riding on it, the school has to figure out the best way to spend that money. I don't know any responsible caring educator who would willingly deny a student who truly needs that aide - then everyone loses. But I know lots of responsible caring educators who would say "lets try without the full time aide and see how it goes." It's not that they're denying services, it's that they're trying to determine how many services the student actually _needs_ not just "would benefit from."

As a parent, it's your job to advocate for your kid, but that doesn't have to mean fight every step of the way. I encourage you to take everything with a grain of salt, but know that just because the school doesn't do everything you would like them to do doesn't mean that they're "denying needed services;" they're doing their best to balance the needs of all students. Good luck.

edit: I sent my response the same time that Brenda (below) did, so I didn't read her answer. My aide example was in no way aimed at her personal experience - I don't know what her son needs. I left the example in, however, because I think it's true.

I'm in California, where education budgets are really being stretched. I've been in 4 IEPs for my daughter, and it's really run the gamut. Some places we had to fight for everything, while other places have been very collegial in determining what my daughter needs. So it really depends! Go to the IEP prepared and bring an advocate with you if you think it'll be needed. Good luck!

C.
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I am from Minnesota, so things may be different here. In our schools, if a parent gets an "official" diagnosis, from a psychologist, the schools are helpful. Without that outside assessment and diagnosis, they are not as able or willing to give the services they can. The assessment can be expensive, but worth it for the change in response from the schools. Again, MN might be different from TX.

My friend has an autistic child, and she has had to fight for everything.

However, I don't blame the schools for not wanting to spend the money -- they really don't have it, especially right now. Teachers are being laid off everywhere.

I've recently had these problems when I decided it was time to mainstream my son. My son was diagnosed with ASD when he was 3 years old he will be six in July. When it was time to promote my son out of the ASD classroom because of his age there were issues.
My son's teacher wanted him to go to continue in an ASD classroom only because he had problems focusing and concentrating. There was noway I wanted to continue on this path and I wanted my son mainstreamed. He had already been attending kindergartin 3 hours a day in a mainstream classroom in additon to being in the ASD room. My son was 1 of 2 kids to score a 100 on a spelling test in the kindergartin room and can read at 2nd grade level and it was recommended he continue ASD room most of the day? This really upset me because it seemed as though once you decide to put your child in special ed. It's difficult to get them out.
I asked that he be placed in mainstreamed Kindergartin all day (even though he is suppose to be a 1st grader in the fall) and I had to fight for that. They would not offer the necessary services that he would need to succeed in the mainstream classroom (no aides). I was told that in order to have an aide you have to be in a situation where you are less than High Functioning.
It seemed as though had to fight to get my son mainstreamed (which costs nothing) and fight to get him an aide. In the end he will be going to (a mainstremed) kindergartin class this fall all day. With a resouceroom teacher.

Hi J.-

I'm in Conroe ISD and my son has Aspergers. From my experience (and talking to other moms with special needs kids), I wouldn't say it's necessarily a fight, you just have to show just cause for the therapy. The thing is, the school has to see an "academic need" for services in order to just offer to provide them to your child. Every child with an autism diagnosis doesn't automatically get speech and OT through the school for example. If a child's speech delays are causing him or her to fall behind academically then there is an academic need and they would offer services. My son is only on a 504 and does not get any services other than those accomodations in the classroom that we feel he needs. The school has been very accomodating with those changes and they have really been willing to do anything that I have asked.

I guess my point is from a school point of view, there are some therapies that while they would certainly help the child with social issues or other things so that as he got older he might move closer to "normal" (for lack of a better term) these things may not be viewed as being necessary for his academic success so the school will not offer. They are looking at his academic performance, nothing else. As a parent we are looking at his overall development and want as much help as possible, obviously.

In my sons case, he is in a mainstream classroom, getting straight A's, making a few friends, and seems happy. That's good enough for me, I'm not banging down any doors to get more help for him at this point as he doesn't appear to need it. If you feel that your child's academic success does require more help, then by all means get an advocate and fight if that's what it comes down to.

I hope that made sense,
K.

Yes, what you are finding is true, and since you are in Texas, it is more true than it is in many other places.

I have been through that ringer, and you will have no difficulty finding horror stories that will curl you hair. I spent years in your shoes, and if I could offer you a little advice about what to do here it would be to educate yourself and learn how to get what you can from the schools, and find a way to pay for the rest. Don't loose yourself in the process or spend too much time spinning about the inequity of the situation, it can consume you and if that happens, the schools may not win every battle, but they win the war because you loose your focus.

Start with www.wrightslaw.com and follow the advocacy advice. Buy their books, do what they say, and read, read, read. You need to learn how low the 5th circut court sets the bar in how it interprets IDEA, CFR, and Texas Code, it is very easy for schools to crawl under. Your school may very likely rather pay special education attorneys to keep them abreast of how low they can go than they would to pony up for good services. Your big job is to know what they can get away with and find a way to talk them into giving you more than that.

I have met many people who descend into the this endless abyss, they can talk about nothing else but what the school did, and seek out other people to hear thier horror stories too, rehashing it over and over aganin, and it just feeds on itself; it is an endless cycle and they anlinate everyone outside of this tiny set of special education warrior Mom-Dad circle. I pulled myself out of that, and learned that no matter how difficult the school district, you are not as effective as you could be if you are foucused on how bad the schools are. Your focus needs to be on what you can do, even if that is less than you think IDEA promises; the big lesson here is that it will always seem like a lot less than that promise, and legally, the schools get away with that.

All over the contry, schools are only required to make our kids "functional" in the classroom. You want more than that, so supplemental services will always be part of your plan if you want to maximize your child's potential, which is what every parent wants. That does not mean that you can't get services that will benefit your child in school, you can, and you should set out to know what that is, how your school will push back, how low the bar is, and how to keep the lines of communication open with your school so that you can get as much as you can out of them.

Good luck, be educated about the reality of the situation and stay on good terms with your school.

Advocates can help, check out the yellow pages on wrightslaw for Mickinny and find a support group, but stay away from the group that just wants to gripe about how bad it is, that really does not help you.

M.