We started with the following email to the main team members.
It is getting to be that time again; Amigo’s IEP expires in early April. Family would like to try to have meetings earlier, rather than later, in order to beat the busy season for IEP writing. Because of its size, this group often has trouble coming up with good dates, and trying to get ahead of the calendar seems to help.
I know what you're thinking. Why are you, the parents, reminding the staff? We do this because of past experience. The kiddo's team is so large that in order to get most of them at a meeting, we usually need at least five choices of dates. In order to get on our Advocate's crowded calendar, we need notice. A lot of advance notice.
We continued our email outlining our major concerns: technology training (adapting for his blindness), vocational services, future placement options, and autism. His high-functioning autism (Asperger's Syndrome) tends to get swept under the rug because blindness is his primary disability.
The reply came from the coordinator:
Since the issue of autism has been raised again, I suggest that we re-evaluate Amigo and do a thorough evaluation for educational autism. Teacher B, would you please submit the referral? If the parents don’t mind, I would like you to identify them as the source of the referral.
AARGH!!! No, we're not asking for a new referral! His Asperger's has been confirmed by medical and educational specialists, including a pediatric neurologist and a psychiatrist who specializes in the autism spectrum. We're asking that the team (duh) recognize Asperger's Syndrome as a factor in his behavior and his learning and teach to it! Provide reasonable accomodation! Teach the kid what he has and how to deal with it!
We, the humble and overloaded parents, work on teaching him every single blasted day. Why are we educating the educators, too?!
Oh, wait. That's another post entirely.
I have come to the conclusion that educators are not trained enough in special education (unless that is their specialty). I work with autistic children, and dealing with the school system is something that I do not look forward to. I literally cringe when talking to regular education teachers. Sometimes it's all I can do not to scream at their stupidity. I really feel for you. Good luck with the IEP.
Posted by: Perksofbeingme | January 29, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Perks: the hard part is I AM a regular education teacher. The others don't recognize that in addition to knowing my own kiddo, I understand their jobs very, very well.
Posted by: Daisy | January 29, 2009 at 07:09 PM
Pity the poor parents who don't understand the job and the system as well as you do. You do an amazing job advocating for your son -- a job that wouldn't be nearly so gruelling if the people who are supposed to be onside... actually were.
Posted by: Ilona | January 30, 2009 at 07:12 AM
In my experience most teachers only know how to teach to a child's strengths. Teaching athletic skills to the kid with poor gross motor skills, teaching a kid to carry a tune rarely happen. So it's not surprising they don't understand you can teach social behavior skills to the kids with social learning disorders. In their minds it would be like teaching him to see. Amigo's lucky to have parents who "get it". Still, it's exhausting, isn't it?
Posted by: Molly | January 30, 2009 at 01:49 PM
Molly, exhausting is right. We got another email from the case manager yesterday and I was so upset I hardly slept. Almost (almost!) makes me want to homeschool the kiddo.
Posted by: Daisy | January 30, 2009 at 05:25 PM