Just do your frickin job!!

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I am really fed up with all the brick walls people seem to be throwing in my way while I try to fight to get my son services.

First there was the report from the hospital. Guaranteed to be mailed to me by mid June. Of course it wasn't and my phone calls enquiring about it were not returned either. Finally get a hold of someone who tells me the Dr. that dx my son is on vacation until September and there is no one covering for her. Nice. Well, I can't wait until September because without that report, he gets no services.

So Dr. calls me from her house and says it will be mailed to me August 2, she has to make some revisions on the report first. Fine. August 9 rolls around and since there's no report, I call again. Staff says it was mailed out that day. Fabulous. August 21 rolls around and still no flippin report. So I marched into the office and told them I wasn't leaving until I had the report in the my hands.

I get the report then make an appt with the special ed teacher at my son's school. She's awesome and is totally up to the challenge of fighting for him. I think she's great. So I give her the report, she says it looks great. Then she calls me an hour later to say that there's no placements for him, the new principal wants him to go into grade 3 and there's guarantee of even getting an EA.

Uhm...he's supposed to repeat grade 2 because he only attended half days last year due to no EA support and he spent most of those days hiding under his desk in tears. So I fought to get an EA, and that didn't happen until March. And they tell me that it's more important for him to be with his same age peers than it is to actually understand the curriculumn in grade 2?

I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to start the year off with a fight. That's what I spent all of last year doing. But the SpEd teacher said not to panic yet because she's not done making calls and pitching a fit to make sure he gets at least an EA until a more suitable placement opens up.

Just had to get that out there.

I hear you, I'm not a parent just so you know. I'm a 24 year old who has AS and grew up in the SPED system. So I know what hell they put everyone involved through. It's rediculous, they don't bother to hire anyone competent for any job anymore. It seems being stupid is a requirement these days.

What I don't get is why go to school for that kind of job if you don't want to do it?
"no, I haven't read your son's IEP and I'm not going to read it. He's doing just fine in my classroom and he will be mainstreamed when I decide!"

*JAWDROP*

I would flip if someone told me that!! !

I'm curious to see how the year will go because the principal last year was useless. It was her last year before retirement and she didn't care anymore. I'm hearing awesome thing about this new principal from people who have worked with her in the past. I'm just really ticked that the HOSPITAL waited so long to get me the report because that's why we're in this position in the first place. Everyone else in the district has been placed since June.

At least I have someone on my side in the school. That helps. She's just as ticked as I am. Ughghgh.

I've seen things like this happen before. Sorry for what you're going through.

When I read stories like yours, it helps me when my mother calls wanting to know why I stay in this Podunk little town. Because I've never had near the horrible times I read about from so many other parents. We've been so lucky to get placements and accomodations when they were needed, I just can't imagine.

How can schools, charged with the task of educating the future, get away with such incompetence? It's a crime.

But the problem goes way beyond the schools. It starts with the government. They made cutbacks to education and specifically to EA support. Supply isn't meeting demands. There are way more kids in the system needing various types of support, then there are people who are able to fill the positions. Actually, there's people out there willing to fill the position, but the government isn't putting forward the money to support them. They're cutting them back.

It's awful. The wait list for services are well over a year in a lot of areas. If I waited for my son to get assessed by the school for his dx, we would be on an 18 mos waiting list. Thankfully, we could go private to get it done and since we live in Canada, there was no cost to us.

So frustrating. I feel like a hamster in one of those little wheels in a cage where you run and run and run and still not get very far.

Services in the states is spotty. My son's dx was "free" to us because the state (Lanterman Act in CA) paid for it. We only waited 6 months and we heard it was common for people in Northern CA to wait years.

UGH! I would be totally pissed off too. It's great when you all that you can do and have to rely on others to fulfill their end of things only to find that they are not nearly as motivated as you are. If it means anything... We kept calling and calling and finally were given an appointment to be assessed by our regional center (that was last spring) then we had 2 appts. Then they wanted to observe Chris... blah blah... I am sure you are getting the picture!

We have been lucky with the school so far, so I will send some positive school energy your way! Sounds like you guys need it up there!

Katherine

hang in there. i know the fighting is ridiculous and exhausting....hopefully things will smooth out soon

I have been there, and wish I could tell you that it gets better. Truth is, only YOU get better. You and your child. I had to accept that most people I'd come in contact with would be ignorant and unmotivated, but found that they would do what I needed them to if I TOLD rather than asked. Get well informed, and throw your knowledge around. Let them know that YOU, not them, are the expert on your son's needs and rights. Then you may find that you get better response.

Sorry - been there too!! !

However, if you want to take a different tack and let me run round screaming at them all with a bright purple face (which I can be depended on to do at certain times of the month) then you have only to send the message!

And - if this prospect does not appeal to you then - best of luck!