Time for School....

So now, here we are. Landon is going into a therapeutic pre-school. We had to develop an IEP, that is basically just an "instruction" sheet for the teacher to let him/ her know what the child is behind in, and where they need to be, how they are going to get there and by when.

This first one was easy, it wasn't until I started voicing my opinion to the EVSC that things went bad.

A few months after Landon started pre-K I was watching a Good Morning America segment on something called Asperger's Syndrome, they described it as a form of autism. I didn't know anything about autism, just a brief description of it in a high school psychology book, and of course from the movie "Rainman"....what I knew from those two sources was not my son.

There had been a person from EVSC early childhood department come to our home to evaluate Landon and she suggested PDD...we didn't know what that meant, she said it might mean autism...I said, "No, he doesn't have autism" She never bothered to explain to me WHY she thought my son was PDD or ASD or anything..she didn't point out to me the oh so obvious signs that were staring me in the face and I didn't want to see them.

So, as I sat watching GMA, they were describing Asperger's and Autism Spectrum Disorders....it sounded like they were describing my son. My really beautiful brown-eyed boy. So, I started searching the internet for more info and every website with every checklist...I checked off the signs he was displaying...he had most of them to some degree or another.

It was devastating, it was sad, it was heartbreaking. I thought to myself, "How did you miss this, Lori?....how could you not know this?....what am I gonna do?"

I started researching. I waited until our next Case Conference meeting and I bring up the fact that I believe Landon is autistic. (I now know that I have the right to call a Case conference ANYTIME I want.)

The whole table of people sitting there...Disagreed with me. Even though just a few months earlier, stated in a report from the social worker from EVSC...there it was in black and white...."Possible PDD" and a list of symptoms. For those who don't know, PDD is Pervasive Developmental Disorder, it is basically just an umbrella term for all the types of autism.

From then on, things turned into a battle, It took me 2 years to get them to accept the diagnosis of autism as Landon's primary diagnosis, and they still want to continue to hold onto the diagnosis of Mild Mental disability as a secondary diagnosis.

My son is NOT mentally retarded, not even a little.

As every mother knows, we know our children best, even better than their fathers. The EVSC does not acknowledge that fact, even though in IDEA law it says that "parents bring a unique knowledge and perspective of their child as being the only person to have known this child for such a long period of time"....or something very close to that. Yet, this school corporation engages in bullying, manipulating and ignoring the true needs of the child, all because the don't want to spend the money, that is just MY OPINION>

Just as it is my OPINION that there is no need for any of these people employed in any capacity by the EVSC to be driving fancy cars, such as a Lexus or receiving a bonus! or having any other perks, not until you do your job and do it correctly, this is just my opinion. I have only met a few teachers that I would love to hang a big medal on because the pride they take in their job as a teacher is very evident. However, again, just my opinion...many, many teachers get discouraged by the lack of support coming from the school corporation they work for.

A bonus is received for a job well done, and in this mom's opinion, the job they do is anything but well done. I have yet to meet a parent that has not had to put up some kind of monumental fight to get what their child NEEDS and is ENTITLED to under the FEDERAL LAW...many either give up, which is just what they want us to do, or they hire lawyers...they spend what little money they have just to make sure their child has what they should be eagerly provided with in the first place.

In anything you read about autism, it will say that they are visual learners and the use of visual aids, pictures, symbols can SIGNIFICANTLY aid the child in learning, reduce behaviors, and reduce anxiety...yet the EVSC does not routinely provide a child with autism with these accommodations, they have to be fought for and bargained for....the education of any child is not the time for bargaining and compromise. The federal law does not say the IEP is to be based on a set of compromises and deals, but on the UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE CHILD!

I have been told to PROVE he needs this or that, his DIAGNOSIS proves the NEED< how hard is it to figure that out? It is just plain old common sense, if you ask me...you don't ask a carpenter to prove he needs a hammer, you just know he needs a hammer or you don't ask a doctor to prove he needs a stethoscope, EVERYONE KNOWS he needs one!!

Anyone who knows ANYTHING about autism knows they need visual aides, for tasks to be broken down and taught in small steps and repetition in order to learn. It is simply a different learning style.

It seems to me that the school corporation has lost sight of what its mission is, and what the responsibility is of the school and its educators. I get the impression that there is way too much concern for the teachers and not enough for the children and then the parents. This is especially true if you have a child in special education. I hear things like,

"We/I don't have the time." (this is actually illegal, it is not about their time, it is about the child's needs and what is in the IEP which by law they are required to follow)

"We are doing the best we can" (Really? Many schools in the state of Indiana are doing a FAR better job, what's your excuse? Many of them do it on a smaller budget too.)


I just don't understand the overall attitude of the EVSC. I am hoping that Dr. Bertram will make some positive changes, and not just for the general education population, but for ALL the students enrolled in the EVSC.

For now, this mom is hiring a lawyer.


I would like to state that the statements made in entry of this blog is just this mom's opinions and feelings on the matters I am writing about. I do not base these statement on facts, only on what my impression is.