Hey, thanks, really, i was unaware of autism before..

Most autistic children relate well to their parents, and to their siblings, and often to other adults, too. Not all, but most do.but, he will spend hours in solitude, staring at a wall or making repetitive movements and sounds.

Helping an autistic child can be frustrating because they need continuous, intensive and multifaceted assistance. Autistic children in the 60 to 70 IQ range tend to have a better outlook, as do those who have spontaneous speech by age 5 or 6.

Pictures can help them to learn how to speak and communicate effectively. For instance, if a child wants a drink they will present a picture of a drink. hen kids didn’t know how to talk they were very frustrated that they could not communicate After a while, they are able to construct simple sentences using pictures. They are then taught to associate the pictures with words and many go on to speak.

Interacting n playing with Autistic children will help them tremendeously

Actually, children with mild autism need more than just “mingling” with other children to help them perform socially. They don’t pick up cues from the environment, so they have to be taught thses skills explicitly.

I’m not sure why you think that public schools deny entrance to these children. Actually, the reverse is true. They must provide a Free and Appropriate Education in the Least Restrict Enivronment that meets their needs. This is Federal Law under the 2004 renewal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law has been on the books since 1997.

Many high functioning children with Autism are served in regulare education with accommodations to the testing and the curriculum. This is overseen by a Resource or Autism teacher who collaborates with the regular education teacher.

However, you are quite right about parent with autistic children being isolated, especially those with young children who have not yet entered school. There isn’t much outreach and there is no medical help unless the parent pays for it out of pocket or has insurance. Many times parents feel ashamed, as though this was there fault. It isn’t! But it is hard to take your child to the playground, particularly if he or she acts out. Then the other parents want to get their kids as far away as possible. Parents in rural communities or small towns are particularly isolated because autism groups are many miles away.

I had nine autistic children (K-1) on my case load last year. All of my students are in their home school and fully included. I am in Illinois. I sure don’t know what state you are in but start by looking at your State Board of Education Web site. I had one severely autistic child in Kindergarten, developmentally 24 months – little speech or compliance in the classroom. He made great strides and by the end of the school year he was in the classroom about 80% of the day. He had a one to one aide. Because autism is such an individual disorder it can be difficult for integration into a regular ed. classroom, but by no means is it impossible. IDEA states that children with disabilities be placed in the LRE – least restrictive environment. Some of these children need quiet and uncluttered spaces in order to concentrate and learn. Others fit right into a regular classroom. The goal is to get them there. I’m sorry you are running into so many problems with this. I guess that because Illinois is pushing for full inclusion that I assumed all states were doing the same thing. I wouldn’t think that schools could deny access to a child in their home school. The IEP should state the setting and the school must comply. If you disagree, then you shouldn’t sign it and go to mediation at the state level. I believe the school has to pay the mediator. A mediator within a district is only going to try to sway you into doing what the school wants. Or try to seek out an advocate. There is a board on Yahoo for special education.

networking and more

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEP_guide/database

our bookmarks

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEP_guide/links

to read and post messages online

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEP_guide/messages

This last one is one I belong to – lots of parents write. You can read the posts, and join the board if you want to pose a question. Best of Luck and I hope you join the board – it’s free and a great resource for parents and teachers. – Melanie

How dare you suggest a child with autism is not normal ..do they have two heads six arms … my son Thomas is nine and has severe autism non verbal as well, what do you mean their deceiving appearance what should mothers do stick a sticker on their heads saying AUTISTIC , of course some children need special education what the hell are you on … as if my son could have attended a mainstream school is just plain stupid as for ‘mingle’ with other children he wont even bother with his own twin sister , he is in a special school… parents do not want sympathy and yes lots of people are ignorant but you deal with it ..you have to look for help it wont find you

Yes, I have thought about the not so normal ones. As a matter of fact, I have dedicated my entire professional career to them as have many other dedicated professionals, parents, organizations etc.

It sounds like something has come up that has made you feel real ticked off and alone dealing with your situation. Now, lets get you on a path that will empower you.

First, do a web search for autism, just doing that will offer you links to a variety of autism support groups for families and children.

Second, if there is no local support group, start one. There are other parents who could use your desire and drive to get organized or provide education to those around you. Also, find the closest autism expert and call them. Explain your situation and ask for help.

Next, if you are not happy with the school situation, call a meeting and invite your specialist. If you haven’t found one close enough, print out everything you have learned and present it at the meeting.

As for the no hope, check out the list of success/famous individuals who have been successful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_autistic_people

Good luck, the more we educate others, the more hope there will be.

Hi

I am a Special Education Teacher in an urban district. There are a lot of specialized schools out there in this area in particular for students with autism. I teach in a public school in the largest district in my state. I teach autistic support. There are currently around 14 students with autism in our school. There is a slight lack of knowledge on some of the older teachers part as to what autism is and how to teach them. However, on the most part I find that the teachers do understand and adapt their curriculums and ask for help when needed. According to IDEA, it is against the law to deny a child an education that has disabilities. They must be placed in the LRE (least restrictive environment) which may be a special school, or special education. In all cases, the idea of special education is to exit them out of SPED at some point. So I guess I don’t understand what your question is. In my experience at five different schools (working as an aide and then a teacher), I do not see students being denied services at all. It is a hard situation for a parent to be in and I am no way saying that the system is perfect. You do have to advocate for your children, but with the way things are going in our world now, autism is on the rise and there is an abundance of information out there for teachers, parents, laymen, etc.. about autism. Please let me know if I helped at all.

If you are not happy with the IEP of an identified child you have the right as a parent to revisit that IEP. If the child has not been identified with a disability, you have the right to call for an intervention assistance team (different schools have different names for this) meeting. Once appropriate interventions have been found not to solve the concern a multiple factored evaluation can be given to the student. If it is a borderline case and the ETR (evaluation team report) determines the child is not eligible for services the parent has a right to go outside the school (at their own expense) and independently test the child.

Here is a link for the procedural safeguards in Ohio explaining your rights as a parent of a child with a disability. http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=967&ContentID=11128&Content=29562 Even outside of Ohio, this document includes federal regulations as well. You might want to research special education procedures in your state. They do vary state to state.

The school cannot “refuse to give entrance” to any student. All students in the United States are entitled to a free and appropriate public education.

I am the mother of a WONDERFUL mildly austic boy. My son is 9 years old and will be entering 3rd grade this year in a regular ed. classroom. He does not need special instruction and has been on the honor roll since kindergarten. He does have some social impairments but enjoys sleepovers, birthday parties and has three best freinds (true friends that invite him over and honestly enjoy his company). I think that parents need to look at their child’s gifts and not their inpairments. My son is a gifted “engineer” he can build anything out of legos and is branching out to building things out of wood and scrap materials (thanks to Junkyard Wars).

My point here is simply, face your child’s diagnosis and embrace his gifts and talents. Set the bar high and support him in his journey and you will be surprised at how much they will achieve.

yes………..you are right……the main problem of this world is inequality……….every body is equal in this world……we all are one and we belong to one family….

i will support you in this…….but what shall i do for that.

http://alpesh-mynotebook.blogspot.com/2007/05/sai-baba-shirdi-aaratis-abhang.html