Redefining autism and how it might affect your child.

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In my state, there is a check-the-box list of conditions that qualify a child for an IEP, and ASD is on the list.

Here, the ASD diagnosis would be all it takes. Double check the rules in your state; your school may be misinterpreting them.

Without that box checked, however, or another of similar weight, you get nothing. It is amazing how many parents are desperate to get an ASD classification so their struggling students can get help, and it drives me nuts that they get nothing, when clearly "something" would make a big difference.

Miss one check box on the ASD diagnostic and it doesn't matter anymore how severe the child's other issues are, if they can't find another box on the list to check, that child will fall through the cracks. Bizarre.

I would try a tactic I used with my son's school in middle school, that worked for us. I wanted to give up his elective and program him into academic support to use as a type of study hall, have that teacher review papers and assignments with him and help him stay organized. Those classes already exist, the teacher is hired, and small enough that the teacher could handle the work variation. I was amazed when the first answer I got was, "no." My response was this: "Are you really going to tell me that you can't do what we all agree is best for this unique child, and that will cost the school district NOTHING?"

Repeat as necessary

I do hope you get it figured out. The rules are soooo frustrating.

I'm very interested in this component.

Given the huge waiting list for assessment, never mind support in this country.

Does/can DSM specify that currently diagnosed individuals be re-assessed?
As Mama to Grace asks, will insurance companies require (and organise and pay for) currently diagnosed individuals to be re-assessed? Or will they just withdraw from and refuse to pay for supports until parents/individuals turn up with a fresh, new criteria diagnosis.

Not that we really get any coverage for supports from insurance here anyway. It's wait for the government, with their waiting lists and budget deficits or pay out of pocket.

Anyway, I kinda assumed that because it takes so long to get a diagnosis, anyone already diagnosed under previous criteria will keep the diagnosis. But new "patients" will be assessed under the new criteria. I may be very mistaken!

DW is kind in her assessment that it may be a misinterpretation; we discovered that our school both had the resources and were highly likely to know to use them, but didn't until we'd reached a triage situation and had an outside advocate who knew more about our rights. I call it BS!

So, a bit of googling brought me this:
Looks like NC (where I see you are from your sig, correct me if I'm wrong) has some support here: http://www.autismsociety-nc.org/index.p ... Itemid=741

Easter Seals (I wish those words didn't make me feel icky) has a page here: http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageSer ... h_carolina

And, check it out, unless I googled this wrong, on the NC State Education website, the page on Autism has a specific section on support for executive dysfunction: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/ec/instructional/autism/



I find it sooo difficult not to go into the school loaded for bear knowing what I know now - we could have been ahead of this thing in 1st grade when we were first referred, if they'd offered us the standard therapies instead of lip service. I don't know if it will help you, but I bought this book, if only to look at the title on days like this - How to Compromise with Your School District Without Compromising Your Child: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096652 ... 00_details

In my state the schools do not have to accept an ouside diagnosis!! !


My daughter is diagnosed by a major University Health Science Center and the school "threw out" that diagnosis. Then, if you want to fight them they give you a list of diagnosticians (some just MSWs) you can see for a second opinion (or 4th or 5th) but they DO NOT even HAVE to accept that and most of the people on the list are in the school's pocket.

HOWEVER, the day I withdrew my daughter from public school (August 2010) I filed a FEDERAL complaint and it is still ongoing and they are in a ton of trouble. I get certified letters and phone calls from my district monthly asking me to withdraw the complaint.

I refuse.

We, as parents, need to stand up to these schools that use whatever loophole there may be in the wording of the law and not let them play these games with our children.

My daughter left public school completely regressed academically. In the one year and one month she was there she was bullied by students and teachers (one teacher used to bribe her with gummy bears to get her to talk-and that was seen as "acceptable" by the principal), suffered extreme anxiety which manifested in pulling out her eyelashes and hair and exhibiting many ritualistic behaviors, and cried and begged me not to take her there.

Since I removed her to a private school, she is on grade level reading, is far advanced in math and consistently makes good grades. She has many supports. But we struggle financially to pay the tuition...and I hate paying my property taxes to a school that refused to do what was required of them!

I remember, Mama! It's true, and I think it is true in most states - and there is a good reason behind that rule: that way people can't get some charlatan to give them a diagnosis.

That being said, your child fell victim to a strategy that many districts use. I am never sure how much of the intervention we're getting now is because we found the correct interventions and the correct way to ask for it, how much is that my son was in the ER last year, and how much is because they know we are fairly high-profile parents active in local politics, who volunteer heavily - who could really make them look bad. I really hope it is the first.

I'm surprised that they continue asking you to withdraw your complaint, but have not yet offered to pay for the private school! The question is, is it worth your time and effort to pursue that through legal/public channels.

I have no doubt that this sort of thing makes a difference. Someone loosely connected to our elementary school basically told me as much, that I got listened to because of who I was. Not so much that they feared looking bad but because having connections made them feel I was a parent that could work with them, and that what they did for me would not be wasted effort.

I settled with the district in a document that outlined them getting into compliance and doing training districtwide on recognition of disabilities. I was trying to do the fair thing (and their attorney hustled me pretty good). One of the stipulations in the agreement was a burden of proof that they had completed the various items, and a timeline. THEY FAILED TO ABIDE OR COMPLETE THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT. I couldn't believe it! It was so easy for them to do.

So I called the OCR Attorney and notified them that our agreement was not fulfilled and re-activated my complaint. That was last June. I have a box of letters from the district, the most recent one a few weeks ago. All are sent certified. I have told them I am not open to dropping the complaint. Not even private school tuition would do it now. They pompously and arrogantly assumed that once I signed that agreement it was a "done deal". Wrong.

Now I've been told this will go on the district's permanent record (don't know what that does?) but too many of these and they lose federal funding. I think what really did it was the principal telling me my daughter's issues stemmed from "home issues". I don't know if that particular moment will ever fade from my memory!

BTW, the district has offered numerous items of "restitution" (please let us serve your dauaghter with our myriad of supports and services in any campus you desire). I just don't trust them. AT ALL.

We do try to approach things in a positive manner, despite me sounding all crankypants about it (we haven't had a good week) - but, like many, we have been burned, too. We are fortunate that things did not have to go beyond us having to get an outside opinion; I know many who've sued the school district. I get really angry at the "school not responsible for social skills" thing, and the "but he scores fine on tests, so he doesn't qualify," because that's what we were told, and it just isn't true.

I do understand that the ADA is an unfunded mandate, but schools are supposed to budget to cover special services, too - it's not as though they can claim the existence of special needs students is a surprise, nor that they don't have access to statistics to help them plan. The truth is, people who are involved in the political process at their school; school board elections, budgeting, etc - not just the other stuff - do carry some weight. It stinks, in an NT-stinky-popularity-contest-kind-of-way, but being not-entirely-NT, we have a perspective that is very helpful.

The flip side of all of this: right or wrong, my husband and I try to make up for stress we place on the school by volunteering our pants off and doing whatever's needed; we are lucky to have the time and resources to be able to do this. Being the visible parents has made some things easier for my son (though it was sometimes difficult for him; I learned to volunteer outside of his classroom.)

I think I have ceased making sense, so I will stop now.

It's great that they included sensory issues in the definition, but the examples are missing a lot:

My son's sensory issues are mainly auditory, proprioceptive, and vestibular, but they don't match up with the criteria above:
- hearing is extra-sensitive, but doesn't generate an adversive response. He doesn't have good discrimination about which foreground/background sounds to pay attention to (noises in the next classroom over are a constant distraction)
- sensory seeking for vestibular, constantly moving or turning upside down
- sensory seeking for proprioceptive, rolling around on the floor during circle time, etc

I interpret that part as the person has any sensory issues and they don't need to meet those things mentioned above when they said they can include those.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/201 ... utism.html

Yet another article on the subject.

Here's what gets me. Nobody, NOBODY seems to be asking if people who receive these labels and their corresponding interventions have a better quality of life and are less likely to become a drain on society later in life. Wouldn't that be a better approach?

I agree.

I think getting the label has made a world of difference for my son, everything the district has invested has paid off, and he'll eventually earn more money and pay back more tax dollars because of it.