Aspies For Freedom

So...Some of you know the nightmare I have been dealing with in regards to my sons teacher.  Here is our latest correspondance:

She wrote this to me:

Hi Ms. Gamboa,
    I understand your frustation with the aid but unfortunatly that is not an option here at Beall.  I agree that it would be very beneficial for Noah to have one-on one attention and he does get a lot of small group instruction.  As far the comments on his contract, I am simply informing you about Noah's day.  Noah's other teachers and I feel he has not been
as productive and attentive in the past few weeks. We have noticed that he has not been asking questions as to what to do and we have seen a lack of effort on his part. Noah was trying and paying attention more in the past than we have seen recently.  Therefore, we know he has it in him to put more effort and focus into what he is doing.


My response to her:
Hi Ms. Friedman,

I understand it is a part of the contract for you to inform me on what is going on.  My email to you was in regards to the way you were wording your notes...ie - "Noah chose not to pay attention" or "Noah decided not to focus."  The latter was written on the assignment which you said the whole class reviewed, but Noah's was still left blank.  This is what was upsetting to me.  If Noah has difficulty focusing on an assignment, it is not because he is intentionally deciding not to focus...

I am glad you agree with me on the one on one aide.  I know it can be frustrating for you as well, which is one f the reasons I had suggested it.  I think Noah's inattention is due to his frustration, because of his  lack of understanding.  Even when I work with him at home, he gets very frustrated.  If I explain to Noah what to do and then leave it up to him to complete the work, 90% of the time he will not know what to do.  I always let him try though, because he tells me he wants to attempt it on his own.  I will then have to explain to him what to do step by step.  He works better with step by step instruction, as opposed to hearing a string of directions at once.  
Please refer to what Noah's psychologist had previously said:

"If the class is learning new concepts Noah will exhibit increased inattention or
frustration or even off-task behaviors (i.e. being silly, laughing,
etc.) as he struggles to process the new information.   These Children
also integrate information slower, particularly new concepts
and sometimes as a defense they either shutdown or focus on other
things.   Thus, if he is learning novel information, he will need the
items broken down into chunks with lots of repetition until he
accurately integrates the information."

"During times where Noah appears less attentive or less motivated, it will be
important for the teacher to check in with him more during the day and
to increase prompts and cues to help him regain attention."

"Given that he is still not completing all of his in-class work, it is recommended
that the teacher and/or paraprofessional devote more in-class time to
Noah to assure that he understands the assignment/directives and he is
frequently encouraged to continue attempting each item."


It is also important that all of his teachers understand that just because he may repeat directions back to you (per his accommodations), this does not mean is is grasping the concepts.  It has been more than a year now since these accommodations began and he is still having ongoing issues.  There is obviously a problem if the these ongoing issues are outweighing the times that he is able to do well.  

Also, what do you mean that an aide is "not an option here at Beall"?  I had contacted both Cynthia Webb (Special Education Supervisor) and Kris Secan (Autism Instructional Specialist).  Both of them said that one-on-one aides are an option.  Several things were mentioned:

*Since it is acknowleged by you that it would be very beneficial for Noah to have one-on-one attention, this is something the IEP team can put into place.  Otherwise, the school has to provide evidence to me that Noah is able to work succesfully on his own without an aide.

*If the IEP finds that Noah can remain in the mainstream and be kept in the "least restrictive environment" with the help of an aide, a request for "intensive adult support" or "enhanced staffing" can be done.

*Resources that exist should be provided upon determination.

My questions to the team are:

*Is Noah's inability to focus or understand concepts affecting his work?
*Is the current group support he is getting enough?
*Would Noah benefit more from one-on-one help (as you said)?
*What can the IEP team do to rectify issues that have been a problem for more than a year?

Seems as if his teacher is simply trying to cop out of helping your son as she should. It's very common for us to not be confident in asking for assistance, so her comments are unkind and unfounded and show little understanding of the social impacts of having Asperger's. So I hope you can get some more assistance from the IEP team and maybe they can pull this teacher into gear too.

Thank you...I am hoping for the best.  There is one thing I am happy about...I am glad my son's teacher wrote what she did in her email about the one-on-one aide.  The IEP team will have a tough time saying my son doesn't need one, if his own teacher says he does.

Not that simple.

When is your next IEP meeting again?  Make sure that they have provided you with any new assessments prior to the IEP meeting and DO NOT HESITATE to record the meeting.  Check your state's laws, of course, but in CA you are able to record the meeting if you let them know ahead of time.  You also do not have to sign anything at the time of the IEP meeting, and I would suggest the psychologist have time to read and review the amended IEP before the meeting.  Can the psychologist attend the IEP meeting (meaning, can you afford it and does your psychologist do it, you have the right to have him/her there)?  You need a new IEP in place now.  I want to hit that teacher on the head with a ruler.

Hi Korrigan,

Our next IEP is scheduled for 4/16.  That is a good idea about recording it.  Now if I don't sign it, do you know what happens to the current IEP?  This is all so frustrating!  I have been battling his school for more than a year now.  The accommodations just aren't working and my son isn't able to self-regulate.   The autism center charges $225 an hour and it's not covered by insurance.  I just just my son's psychologist an email asking how much she charges.  PS- I've wanted to smack his teacher in the head numerous times lol

The new IEP should stay in place (I believe) until the next one is approved.  When we attended my daughter's IEP meeting they handed us a draft with notes all over it, it was not complete at all, and we signed that we had attended the meeting, and when they got us a complete and final copy, then we signed that we approved it.  

Did they do any new assessments of him for this IEP?  You can have those 24-48 hours in advance of the meeting.  Make sure to get all they have so that you are able to review it beforehand.  It really helps you be focused and remove some of your emotions while you are there.  And yes, I would record it.  It will make them very aware of your intent to make them provide the services he needs.  Let them know in writing ahead of time, and check your local laws to make sure it is allowed.  It should be in the educational code for your state (you can look it up on findlaw.com).  Send me a PM if you need me to do it for you.  I am good with legalese.

If you can set up a payment plan or something with the Autism center or the psychologist, you should do your best to have them there.  And if I were in your shoes, I would see if you could get another advocate on board before the meeting.  Another person there to be on your side.

Keep us informed about status, please.  I want to help!    

I really appreciate all of this! When we go this IEP in November, I was the very first one to experience their new sew software.  Basically, everything was on this overhead up on the wall.  We filled in the blanks as a team and then when it was completed, they just printed it out and had me sign it.  My son received this IEP on the basis of his first two diagnoses of Nonverbal Learning Disorder and ADHD.

About  3 months later, we got the additional diagnosis of Aspergers from The Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.  They sent me a detailed 12 page report with all of the recommendations.  I faxed this over to my son's school as soon as I received it.  Now I was told by the director of special education for our county that just because medical experts make recommendations, that the school is not legally required to follow them.  I was also told that most one-on-one aides are used for the severly disabled.  I mean even though my son is not in a wheelchair, he is struggling even with all of his acommadations.  

A payment plan is a good idea.  I am still waiting for my son's psychologist to get back to me.  She has been with us from the jump and has been very proactive about his needs.  It's so hard keeping my emotions in check when I am dealing with this idiots!!  I will check out that website now and thanks again!

I sent you a ton of PMs with state specific information.  I hope they help!

you are wonderful! i just replied to you

Your letter was very good.
If this school is letting down and failing to use effective teaching methods with your son - there will be others who are being treated in a similar way. A lot of parents don't feel strong enough to confront teachers.

Thank you.  Yes, I've never been afraid of confrontation.  It's keeping my emotions in check that's hard..

I hope things go well for you! I graduate high school in two months (if all goes well) and they still have yet to do their battery of assessments to re-evaluate me (which I think it's going to help me get further accomodation, though they claim that nothing would change - so why are they doing these tests?).