Autism/IEP for Autism

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Expert: - 9/23/2008


Question
Hello.  I have a 3 1/2 year old son with autism.  He started at Macomb Intermediate Schools when he was 2 years old for speech and ot and he's been transferred to an ecdd program.  My son was diagnosed with autism two months after we signed his IEP.  I sent a letter to the board of directors requesting a new IEP and evaluation with the school psychologist.  We're suppose to do all this in the beginning of November.  If my son's new IEP is specifically for autism, what does that mean?  Will he get the treatment he needs for autism in the classroom?  I have an advocate coming with me to the IEP and evaluation to make sure things are done properly.  Can you help me to understand the IEP a little better.  If my son is not in an autism classroom and just an ecdd program, is the teacher going to know how to teach him?  

Thanks,
Danielle


Answer
Hi Danielle,

Most likely, your son will get services from "resource" specialists who assist the classroom teacher. Sometimes, this means he would leave the classroom for part of the day. It varies from district to district how this is all handled. Continued speech and OT may be needed and those would be handled by district specialists.

Some regular classroom teachers are very skilled at handling the special needs for autism IEP's. Some need more help. How things go will depend on your son's reactions to the new environment and his rate of development. This is really hard to predict. Keep an eye on his behavior and contact the school if he becomes more resistant to going to school for more than a day or two.

It is great you have an advocate to help you through the process. To read up on the rules, go here: http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html (official government guide to the IEP).

The treatment he has already received would be very similar whether he was diagnosed with autism earlier or not. I'm sure his OT therapist addressed social issues along the way. This should continue. As he grows he will need more teaching in the skills used to interact with others.

Much has been learned about educating autistic children in recent years. Read up on some of the methods. It helps you join the discussion at the IEP meetings. Here are a few web sites to explore:

http://www.neurodiversity.com/main.html (many links to books, articles and resources)

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html (books and resources)

http://www.autism.org/ (many links to information)

http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/as/asteachersites.html (teaching resources)

Best wishes,
Catherine

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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