Dachel Media Update: School Tells Mom To "Get Autism In Check"
By Anne Dachel
Read Anne's commentary and view the links after the jump. The Dachel Media Update is sponsored by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy and OurKidsASD, an online supplement retailer for patients with special needs.
Aug 17, 2015, (Louisiana) KATC TV: Mother said school administration told son to get autism in check
"They then went on to tell us that after being sent home they would try again Monday, but if he spoke out of turn, or if he didn't get control of, as she said, 'his behaviors,' that he would go into ISS, which is in school suspension," Peters said. "If that didn't work they were suspending him for the year."
Peters is upset because her son is ahead academically, but he struggles socially because of autism.
"Right now the only option we have is to take him out of school and to home-school him," Peters said. "He's not getting the social interaction he needs there. He's not going to develop right."
The problem is her son is not classified autistic by the school system. He has only been classified by a doctor. Because of that, the Acadia Parish School System does not have to provide special services.
Peters said she's requested an evaluation multiple times for Xavier, but she said she was told her child was too smart.
Who are those people? This boy "too smart" to be autistic? Do they even know the definition of the disorder? How can they help these kids?
This is outrageous. Every child is entitled to a free and appropriate education. Nowhere does that law say "except if they are too smart to be called autistic."
The mother on the video said, ". . .just because teachers aren't trained to handle [autistic children]." What does that say about the claim that this is just better diagnosing? The Dachel Media Update is sponsored by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy and OurKidsASD. Lee Silsby is one of the most respected compounding pharmacies in the country and is committed to serving the needs of the Autism community. OurkidsASD is an online retailer for nutritional supplements for patients with special needs. OurkidsASD carries thousands of products from more than 60 brands and offers free ground shipping on all orders.
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism and author of The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public, which is on sale now from Skyhorse Publishing.
Suspension is supposed to be for older students who are able to respond to the punishment with a change in behavior. Suspending a 6 year old for any length of time is legally inappropriate as the child is entitled to a public education even if he speaks out of turn. Autistic or not, at 6, the school administration demanding that he have perfect social skills by the second day of first grade, no less, is idiotic. And how can the school ignore/disagree with a medical diagnosis of autism? What this woman needs is a good lawyer to sue this school and another school to send her son to.
Posted by: Linda1 | August 19, 2015 at 09:22 AM
I've always been 'too smart' even to get a diagnosis from a doctor, and the consequences of that are very serious when it comes to getting services, jobs etc. The problem is not about socializing. The difficulties lie not in doing academic work but in understanding what is expected in a communal situation, and remembering what might seem to the Aspie person to be meaningless rules. The uneducated public sector simply don't have the first clue about what autism is.
Posted by: Grace Green | August 19, 2015 at 05:58 AM
Ask them to put that in writing !
Bet that will put on manners on them .
Posted by: Georg Elser | August 19, 2015 at 02:30 AM
When I was teaching it was unusual for a student to serve in-school suspension, especially an exceptionally bright one. It happened, but it was never a big deal, and I was always happy (and they were, too) to see them return to class the following day. It sounds to me like a mismatch between teacher and student. It seems to me placement with a different teacher might solve the problem. I always figured it was my duty to engage every student's interests and capabilities, and suspension was a last resort. I often thought it was my failing as much as the student's. I didn't put up with any crap from them, but I respected them all and engaged parents to solve problems. Each child is different, and some are difficult, but that is the nature of kids. Teachers have a duty, like parents, to go the extra mile in raising kids. It's not the paycheck, but the immense satisfaction in seeing intellectual and social growth in students that is the payoff for teachers. Real teachers work hard to keep every student in class every day, but it takes years in the trenches to learn the necessary skills; classroom management must be learned, and we all makes mistakes during the process, but suspending a student for a year for a solvable problem seems draconian. By the way, I just finished The big Autism Cover-Up. The chapter about Dr. Wakefield infuriated me, as it always does, but by the end I was hopeful. Both Dr. Wakefield and Kent Heckenlively promised that we will win, and I believe them. Thank you so much, Anne, for all the good work you do. AoA is the first place I visit when I turn on the computer.
Posted by: Gary Ogden | August 19, 2015 at 12:28 AM