Hooray....He's back into the General Ed School!

As of yesterday's IEP, Caleb is back to our home school full time! He has come so far in such a short time! Per his ASD room teacher, "The gap between Caleb and the other autistic students is so wide now that it's no longer appropriate to have him here." Music to my ears........... :)

Also, during the IEP we found that he is right on grade level with reading, is passing all of his AR tests on reading, and actually is ahead of the game in a few concepts for math. He still has gaps in his learning that have to be filled in as he understands more concepts, but truly it's been an amazing day!

Caleb is having more general ed this year, with Gym class (which his Daddy teaches :) and Spanish class. We are also looking at gradually increasing his interaction with the Gen Ed students, and we'll see what happens with that.

For all who read....stick with Biomedical, homeopathy, and of course PRAYER! It works!

Back to the School Fight...ugh...

Unfortunately, we're back in the fight for my son's schooling. Our new Superintendent doesn't want to have the elementary Special Ed. teacher tied to her room due to having Caleb most of the day (3 days a week), and is thus trying to muscle us out of what Caleb's IEP says. After already having a conversation with her, I can see that she has no intention of giving in. Thus...without some divine intervention....we will be doing a lot of fighting! Thankfully, I now know my way around an IEP. I now know that Caleb's current IEP MUST be in place when school starts (by MI law). I also know that services cannot be cut due to funding/lack thereof reasons. In addition, if the IEP states that a child is to be in a special ed. classroom, as opposed to a gen. ed or other setting, then it must be in place. I plan on talking to this superintendent again tomorrow, and if nothing changes I'll be on the phone with board members, possibly an advocate, etc. If all else fails, all 5 of my children will go somewhere else within county. Let's see how that affects their precious budget!

IEP and Ice Skating

We had Caleb's IEP yesterday, and to be honest...it was the BEST one we've ever had! They are definitely on -the-ball with the transition to his new classroom. The new teacher is observing him several times, meeting with his therapists/teachers/aides, and having the old staff set up the new classroom with all of the visuals and supports he's used to. They are providing him with a social story about the new class and going over it daily. Also, they planned a "going away" bowling party for him! I'm feeling much assured that this could work, so now it's time to see it in action! The new teacher seems very kind and knowledgeable.

On a lighter note, we took the whole family (Caleb included) ice skating the other day at my sister's house. It was fun to see Caleb get the hang of it a bit, and to enjoy a new event. He did wonderful! See the picture!

Switching Classrooms again...booo!!!

Well, it's official...Caleb will be required to switch to the new autism classroom forming nearer to our home town. The state is requiring Caleb's AI classroom (which is 1 hour away) to break into another class due to overload of kids. Since Caleb is the most northern & farthest away, he will be going to the new classroom (which is 20 minutes away). I'm glad about the location, but not about another switch for him. To top it all off, the director of the AI classes resigned after Christmas, so there will be no one consistent through the process. Caleb really loves the other boys in his current classroom, coming home talking about them everyday like a little "tape recorder". He gets great therapy and has a great teaching staff there, and I can only pray that things will be similar in the new classroom.

I plan on giving the new classroom 2 weeks to transition, and then I'll observe it's set-up and running. If need be, I can increase Caleb's number of regular special-education from 2 days to 3 days. Right now, Caleb goes Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to the AI classroom, along with Wednesday, and Friday to regular school special education. Oh the decisions and headaches we parents must go through for our autistic children! I can see already that this coming IEP on Monday is going to be a long one!

Inclusion and ADVOCACY for a child with autism

As promised...here are the inclusion and advocacy links & info.:


Websites supporting inclusion:

http://www.positivelyautism.com/volume2issue1.html
http://www.pbs.org/parents/inclusivecommunities/index.html
http://www.paulakluth.com/inclusive-schooling.html
http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html

Websites on autism law:

http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html
http://www.aboutautismlaw.com/sample_chapter.html
http://autism.about.com/od/termsanddefinitions/g/nclb.htm

Websites specific to Michigan:

http://www.northernautismnetwork.org/
http://www.wmin.org/events.htm
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Michigan/

Helpful resources for parents & teachers:

www.childcareland.com
www.positivelyautism.com
http://members.aol.com/Room5/strat.html
www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str10.htm
www.chileda.org/resources/teaching.htm

What is the law? What should you know going into an IEP?

1. Definition and description of Autism & it's symptoms for uneducated teachers/professionals
a) how autism is mantifested in your child
b) Mom hints on working with your child

Here are some ideas to print off:
-http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis
-http://www.autism.com/autism/


2. Key terms to understand & use regarding Autism & Law

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
- to the maximum extent, children with disabilities should be educated with children who are not disabled; this might mean that supplemental supports be included (which must be spelled out in an IEP)

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Act
- to insure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.

FAPE: Free And Appropriate Public Education
-spec. education and related services that are provided in an IEP designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, meet state standards, and are provided at state expense (free to the individual)

NCLB: No Child Left Behind
-improve education by focusing on accountability for results, freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and choices for parents. Much of this is evaluated through testing. Children with autism may take the tests with accomodations such as extra time, or support from an aide.