Autism/School consequences

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Expert: - 3/9/2006


Question
My son turns 13 in two weeks.  It's only been 1 1/2 years since his middle school developed an IEP for him.  I have mixed feelings about the results to date.  Unfortunately, due to illness and school anxiety, he has missed 25% of the school days this year.  For nearly 2 months, he has been looking forward to a FABULOUS field trip with his 7th grade.  Just today - one day before the field trip - the school decided to take the position that he cannot attend due to his extensive absence from school.  We tried to let them know that he was likely to perceive this as negative consequences and that it would probably do more harm than good regarding his academics.  He has announced that he will not go to school tomorrow (of course we can force him to).  His social opportunities are next to zero and the fact that he was looking forward to this is significant.  I have looked on the internet to find ANYTHING that addresses this.  No luck.  The best I can find talks about not making "sudden changes".  I want to march into school tomorrow and put him on the field trip bus and let them arrest me if they have to.  What will I really do when tomorrow comes?  I'm not sure what my question to use is.  So I will just ask for your thoughts.

With best regards.

Answer
Hi Cindy,

I hope you get this before "tomorrow."

Unless ALL students who have missed a certain number of days are being excluded, this is discrimination.  And yes, he will perceive it as a negative consequence or another example of how he is different and excluded from the normal.

He should not be kept from this trip unless it was CLEARLY and BEFORE THE FACT declared for only those with a particular grade point average, attendance record, or the like.

If it were me, I would go to school with him tomorrow, present myself in the principal's office and offer to sue them for discrimination if they can't prove the above conditions.

Don't get arrested on my account, but do stand up for your child.

If they say no, explore your options under equal treatment and IEP legalities.  Discuss it with a lawyer if you can.

Best of luck to you and your son,
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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