Life, Asperger’s, and School Budget Cuts

So my 2 kids were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder over the summer.   My 12-year-old son was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.  My 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with PDD, Asperger’s variety.  The difference is slight… it has something to do with the speech delay that the little one had.

I have spent the past weeks pouring over information.  Reading books, surfing the web, calling the schools, becoming increasingly frustrated at how difficult it is to find services, support groups, medical and dental practitioners who are Autism friendly….

I’ve had some big “AHA” moments, finally understanding why we have seen our children struggle so much in certain areas such as social interaction and sensory overload.    Their struggles make so much more sense now.  I find it frustrating that my 12-year-old wasn’t diagnosed sooner, but those teachers who never said a word are now telling me, “I knew it!”  If they only knew how angry it makes me that they saw something and never mentioned it.  If they only knew how important early intervention is and how much progress we could have made in the last several years rather than worrying, wondering, and hoping our son would be able to find some friends, act like his peers, and “grow out of” his depression and anxiety issues.

But I’m very glad as he begins life at middle school this year he will eventually receive some help.  Yes, eventually.  Despite our diagnosis, the school district has 60 days to complete an evaluation of him to determine the areas he needs help in.  ASK ME!  ASK the neurologist who diagnosed him, and start helping him already!  Geesh!  But we will wait as patiently as possible while the school conducts their own study of our child while he (unnecessarily) continues to struggle and we will wonder what they will eventually decide and hopefully there will be a staff member who knows how to best help him (unfortunately not with the transition to middle school, they will be too late for that in spite of my repeated requests over the summer).

At least my 7-year-old will have the earlier services that she needs, after the 60 day evaluation.  Oh, wait… the school district budget tanked this year.  They have taken away the Autism Support Teacher that used to be assigned to our school.  So instead they will be assigning her to a Learning Support Teacher.  I have nothing against Learning Support Teachers.  I was one (before kids).  They are wonderful people who do amazing things to help children with learning difficulties!   But my girl has no learning difficulties.  She has social/emotional/anxiety difficulties.  She has sensory issues.  She has Auditory Processing problems.  The Learning Support teacher has a lot of children with Learning Disabilities to instruct… how exactly is she supposed to talk my child down from a melt-down?  Prepare a visual schedule, and let her know of changes for the day so her anxiety doesn’t rise due to an unexpected change in the day?  Sit down and work on social skills and discuss and instruct her when she has difficulties with a friend?  How will she drop everything and head to the classroom where my daughter is overloaded, stressed, and crying or even screaming because she can no longer handle what is happening?

I’m hoping none of the above will happen.  And if it does, I’m hopeful her teacher will be well able to handle it.  But the teacher shouldn’t have to.  There should be a well-trained educator in the building who knows exactly what to do.  There needs to be someone providing a “safe place” for children who have Autism and are overwhelmed.  A place where they can have quiet and calm down and then learn from the situation because someone understands what they need, and provides it.

Am I asking too much?  Well… for years there has been a teacher who could provide this support to Autistic children who are mainstreamed (educated in the regular classroom with support where they need it).    I want that for my child also.  I want her to have full access to that free and appropriate public education (you know… the one we pay for with our taxes?) that her autism gets in the way of.   And they are legally obligated to provide that, but even though they are “legally” providing it with a Learning Support teacher acting as Autism Support, I don’t see how it will work in “reality.”

So now that the district has less money and ended up in financial trouble, we get less help.  Sports continue on as usual.  The gifted program still has teachers and they bus my older girl once a week for a day with the smart kids.  The office is fully staffed.  The administration will still receive their paychecks and still have their secretaries.  But over 30 teachers, some of them special education teachers, have lost their jobs because our school district decided that our children’s education takes second place to other activities and luxuries.  They have made many (probably much-needed) cuts in supplies, computer software changes, busing, but none so horrid and ridiculous as our teachers.

I guess I’m silly for thinking providing a quality education to our children should come before other “extra” things that we can offer.

Stepping off of my soap-box for today.

HW

 

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