Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Search Results: Thomeczek and Brink Law Firm
Search Results: Thomeczek and Brink Law Firm
Heidi Atkins Lieberman, the former Assistant Commissioner of Special Education for DESE, is now working for this firm.
Heidi Atkins Lieberman, the former Assistant Commissioner of Special Education for DESE, is now working for this firm.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Sherri Tucker's Qualifications For School Board
Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Sherri Tucker's Qualifications For School Board
Read the comments and see how some people feel about our struggles.
Read the comments and see how some people feel about our struggles.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
How Do They Sleep At Night
Sometimes I sit and relive the past four years. I think of all of the tears, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, and hurt that my family has gone through. Then I think of all of the other families that are going through the same thing. Their lives being destroyed while they sit back and helplessly watch it happen.
One thing always comes to mind. How do the people that are paid with my tax dollars sleep at night? How can they destroy the life and future of another human being and then take their paycheck? How can they hug their children while they are destroying the lives of other children?
I was raised in the 60s and the 70s. My parents were strict and taught us to be honest, caring, and loving human beings. We were taught that you never progress in life without hard work, integrity, honor, and respect. You never hurt others or lie.
I wonder what the parents our of teachers, principals, superintendents, legislators, and school board officials taught their children. Would they be disgusted by the things that their children do to innocent children? Would they be dismayed that their children care about nothing more than self promotion and the almighty dollar? Would they be proud that their children are successful because they are robbing children of their future? My parents would disown me. They would not tolerate the behavior that I see every day.
I have been to many school meetings and sat across the table as these people have lied, cheated, and stolen my child's future. I am powerless to stop them. They have all of the power and my hard earned tax dollars have bought it for them.
How many lives are going to be destroyed before this is stopped? How many people are willing to stand up for their children no matter what the consequences are? I am. I have been for four years. Its a lonely journey and I invite you to join me.
One thing always comes to mind. How do the people that are paid with my tax dollars sleep at night? How can they destroy the life and future of another human being and then take their paycheck? How can they hug their children while they are destroying the lives of other children?
I was raised in the 60s and the 70s. My parents were strict and taught us to be honest, caring, and loving human beings. We were taught that you never progress in life without hard work, integrity, honor, and respect. You never hurt others or lie.
I wonder what the parents our of teachers, principals, superintendents, legislators, and school board officials taught their children. Would they be disgusted by the things that their children do to innocent children? Would they be dismayed that their children care about nothing more than self promotion and the almighty dollar? Would they be proud that their children are successful because they are robbing children of their future? My parents would disown me. They would not tolerate the behavior that I see every day.
I have been to many school meetings and sat across the table as these people have lied, cheated, and stolen my child's future. I am powerless to stop them. They have all of the power and my hard earned tax dollars have bought it for them.
How many lives are going to be destroyed before this is stopped? How many people are willing to stand up for their children no matter what the consequences are? I am. I have been for four years. Its a lonely journey and I invite you to join me.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Misouri Law Will Not Allow Civil Suit Against Teachers Or Volunteers
Missouri Law States That Teachers Can't Be Held Civilly Liable For Abuse
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES WALLACE (Sponsor), FISHER (125), HUMMEL, FISCHER (107), SHIVELY, CUNNINGHAM, FLANIGAN, THOMSON, SMITH (150), NANCE, COX, RUZICKA, HODGES, SATER, SCAVUZZO, MUNZLINGER, YAEGER, WILSON (130), ROORDA, LAMPE, CORCORAN, SCHAD, HOSKINS (121), AULL, DIECKHAUS, PARSON, KINGERY, LAIR, WETER, McNARY, DUSENBERG, WILSON (119), SWINGER AND LOEHNER (Co-sponsors).
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1543
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7. All school district personnel responsible for the care and supervision of students are authorized to hold every pupil strictly accountable for any disorderly conduct in school or on any property of the school, on any school bus going to or returning from school, during school-sponsored activities, or during intermission or recess periods.
8. Teachers and other authorized district personnel in public schools responsible for the care, supervision, and discipline of schoolchildren, including volunteers selected with reasonable care by the school district, shall not be civilly liable when acting in conformity with the established [policy of discipline] policies developed by each board [under this section], including but not limited to policies of student discipline or when reporting to his or her supervisor or other person as mandated by state law acts of school violence or threatened acts of school violence, within the course and scope of the duties of the teacher, authorized district personnel or volunteer, when such individual is acting in conformity with the established policies developed by the board. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a new cause of action against such school district, or to relieve the school district from liability for the negligent acts of such persons.
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES WALLACE (Sponsor), FISHER (125), HUMMEL, FISCHER (107), SHIVELY, CUNNINGHAM, FLANIGAN, THOMSON, SMITH (150), NANCE, COX, RUZICKA, HODGES, SATER, SCAVUZZO, MUNZLINGER, YAEGER, WILSON (130), ROORDA, LAMPE, CORCORAN, SCHAD, HOSKINS (121), AULL, DIECKHAUS, PARSON, KINGERY, LAIR, WETER, McNARY, DUSENBERG, WILSON (119), SWINGER AND LOEHNER (Co-sponsors).
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1543
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7. All school district personnel responsible for the care and supervision of students are authorized to hold every pupil strictly accountable for any disorderly conduct in school or on any property of the school, on any school bus going to or returning from school, during school-sponsored activities, or during intermission or recess periods.
8. Teachers and other authorized district personnel in public schools responsible for the care, supervision, and discipline of schoolchildren, including volunteers selected with reasonable care by the school district, shall not be civilly liable when acting in conformity with the established [policy of discipline] policies developed by each board [under this section], including but not limited to policies of student discipline or when reporting to his or her supervisor or other person as mandated by state law acts of school violence or threatened acts of school violence, within the course and scope of the duties of the teacher, authorized district personnel or volunteer, when such individual is acting in conformity with the established policies developed by the board. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a new cause of action against such school district, or to relieve the school district from liability for the negligent acts of such persons.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Write A Letter To Arne Duncan
Sherri R. Tucker
1200 SE London Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
816-554-3017
autism@kc.rr.com
Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to you for advice. My child, Jacob Tucker, attended Lee’s Summit High School in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District. We are in the state of Missouri. He was forced to drop out of school because he was receiving no services and was no longer progressing academically. He required medication to attend school because of the anxiety that attending caused him. He does not require this medication for any other part of his life. Once he was removed from the situation the medication was no longer needed.
The local school district, as well as the state education department, is unresponsive to our needs, and refuses to obey the regulations set down in IDEA. As result, my child, as well as others, are suffering and not receiving FAPE. Child complaints are not sufficiently researched and are almost always found in the favor of the districts. Even when the parent has documentation that the district is out of compliance the State finds in the district’s favor. Due process is out of the question as most parents cannot afford it and rarely prevail. The State and the district are co dysfunctional. Even the Special Education Advisory Panel is not set up in such a manner that it would be parent friendly.
My son has a diagnosis of Kanner’s Syndrome/Early Infantile Autism, Dysgraphia, Inattentive and Impulsive ADHD, and Anxiety Disorder. I requested, and received, an IEE but the district did not discuss it at the follow up meeting and simply stated, “We have all read the IEE.” That was the extent that it was considered.
My son has had an educational diagnosis of Autism since 1998. He had never received any services related to his autism. He has a nonverbal IQ of 123 and the interpersonal skills of a one year old. He received no OT services for his dysgraphia and was in regular education classes all day. He had an IEP, but it did not address his issues and the State and the district refused to allow his evaluation scores to be put in his present level of performance.
They also refused to allow the parent full participation in the IEP meeting. When we complained to the State we were told that parents do not have a right to be an equal partner on the IEP team. I have documentation for all of the claims that I am making and can provide them to you at any time.
I filed an OCR complaint. They found that my son’s IEP was not being implemented, but that it did not materially affect his education.
I would appreciate your guidance in helping me to explain the Federal regulations to the school district in such a way that they will comply with current special education law.
Sincerely,
Sherri R. Tucker
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Don't Allow Your Child To Have Vocational Testing
Sherri R. Tucker
1200 SE London Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
816-554-3017
autism@kc.rr.com
Mr. Jerry Semsch
Acting Director
Herndon Career Center
11501 E. 350 Highway
Raytown, MO 64138
Mr. Semsch,
My son attended Lee’s Summit High School and he was referred to your center for vocational testing. My son has a diagnosis of Early Infantile Autism/Kanner’s Syndrome, Inattentive and Impulsive ADHD, Dysgraphia, and Anxiety Disorder. These diagnoses are documented in his IEP.
I have never allowed my son to attend an IEP meeting because the environment is negative and can do nothing but harm him and as his mother I have carefully avoided that. He has always disliked school and I was trying very hard to avoid giving him further reason to hate it.
I was under the impression that attending the meeting to discuss his evaluation at your center would be harmless and might even be helpful for him. Therefore, I allowed him to attend. It was worse than any IEP meeting that I have ever attended.
The woman that represented your center was very negative toward my son and obviously did not understand his disabilities. She berated him during the entire meeting and he kept telling her that he was sorry and that he had not meant to offend her. The issues that she had with my son were behaviors that are due to his disability. I kept trying to explain that to her, but she kept telling me that I better straighten him out.
Following are examples of her evaluation and the inappropriateness of her demeanor and her evaluation of my son:
Although Jacob has the motor visual skills to complete this basic assembly type of work, his results were not encouraging. This was due to failure to follow his instructions and lack of attention to detail. He did not seem to follow videotaped instructions well. He work style reflected the issues with his work behaviors. Jacob was consistently very impulsive, very impatient with instructions (and demonstrations) and often inappropriate in the way he interacted with his supervisors and his task. He often cut his supervisors off in the middle of instructions, once even grabbing materials out of the supervisor’s hands. Clearly Jacob has some understanding of his problematic behaviors. At one juncture he was asked if could do a required task, even if he did not want to. His answer: “I can. But, will I?”
Jacob was so confused that he didn’t even know what he was doing there. They asked him what area he wanted to work in and he didn’t know which to pick. He picked electronics assembly because his uncle is an electrician and it was the only thing that seemed remotely familiar.
Jacob was asked to pretend that he was an employee and the instructor was his supervisor. Children with autism do not know how to pretend play. He had no idea what that relationship would look like and he was asked to do something that he is incapable of doing.
A quick glance at Jake’s IEP would have let the instructor know that Jake cannot follow instructions that are more than two steps and that they have to be written down for him. Repeatedly going over the instructions will only overwhelm him and cause him great anxiety. This is common with children with autism and should be known by someone that is trying to evaluate children with autism.
Social concerns are also an issue for children with autism. They have no idea how to interact with other people in an appropriate manner. That is not a problematic behavior. It is a disability.
Jacob likes to think that he can be a comedian. He often tries, unsuccessfully, to be funny. One of his favorite things to say is, “I can. But will I?” Of course he then complies. Once again this is not an acknowledgement by him of knowing that he has problematic behavior. It was a child that has no social skills trying to be social.
To say that this meeting was less than productive would be an understatement. My child was berated and treated like he had committed some major crime. He was so concerned that he had offended this woman and in reality she had offended me. Clearly, she had no knowledge of the disabilities that my son has and the behaviors that come with them. She just kept saying that he would never have a job and that he needed to work on these issues.
I was going to just let this go. I removed my son from school the following week. He has now joined the ranks of high school dropouts. It was clear to me that children with disabilities are not going to get the services that they need or the respect that they deserve and it was time to remove him from the care of these type of people. But, the more I have thought about this the more I felt that it was my duty to bring this to your attention. I would be just as responsible for letting happen to other children if I didn’t notify those that were in a position to remedy this situation.
I hope that you take the time to read this and address this. I would hate to see other disabled children be forced to endure this same treatment.
Sincerely,
Sherri R. Tucker
"It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home." Carl T. Rowan
Sherri R. Tucker
President, SER (Special Education Reform)
President, Lee's Summit Autism Support Group
autism@kc.rr.com
http://www.lsautism.org/
1200 SE London Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
816-554-3017
autism@kc.rr.com
Mr. Jerry Semsch
Acting Director
Herndon Career Center
11501 E. 350 Highway
Raytown, MO 64138
Mr. Semsch,
My son attended Lee’s Summit High School and he was referred to your center for vocational testing. My son has a diagnosis of Early Infantile Autism/Kanner’s Syndrome, Inattentive and Impulsive ADHD, Dysgraphia, and Anxiety Disorder. These diagnoses are documented in his IEP.
I have never allowed my son to attend an IEP meeting because the environment is negative and can do nothing but harm him and as his mother I have carefully avoided that. He has always disliked school and I was trying very hard to avoid giving him further reason to hate it.
I was under the impression that attending the meeting to discuss his evaluation at your center would be harmless and might even be helpful for him. Therefore, I allowed him to attend. It was worse than any IEP meeting that I have ever attended.
The woman that represented your center was very negative toward my son and obviously did not understand his disabilities. She berated him during the entire meeting and he kept telling her that he was sorry and that he had not meant to offend her. The issues that she had with my son were behaviors that are due to his disability. I kept trying to explain that to her, but she kept telling me that I better straighten him out.
Following are examples of her evaluation and the inappropriateness of her demeanor and her evaluation of my son:
Although Jacob has the motor visual skills to complete this basic assembly type of work, his results were not encouraging. This was due to failure to follow his instructions and lack of attention to detail. He did not seem to follow videotaped instructions well. He work style reflected the issues with his work behaviors. Jacob was consistently very impulsive, very impatient with instructions (and demonstrations) and often inappropriate in the way he interacted with his supervisors and his task. He often cut his supervisors off in the middle of instructions, once even grabbing materials out of the supervisor’s hands. Clearly Jacob has some understanding of his problematic behaviors. At one juncture he was asked if could do a required task, even if he did not want to. His answer: “I can. But, will I?”
Jacob was so confused that he didn’t even know what he was doing there. They asked him what area he wanted to work in and he didn’t know which to pick. He picked electronics assembly because his uncle is an electrician and it was the only thing that seemed remotely familiar.
Jacob was asked to pretend that he was an employee and the instructor was his supervisor. Children with autism do not know how to pretend play. He had no idea what that relationship would look like and he was asked to do something that he is incapable of doing.
A quick glance at Jake’s IEP would have let the instructor know that Jake cannot follow instructions that are more than two steps and that they have to be written down for him. Repeatedly going over the instructions will only overwhelm him and cause him great anxiety. This is common with children with autism and should be known by someone that is trying to evaluate children with autism.
Social concerns are also an issue for children with autism. They have no idea how to interact with other people in an appropriate manner. That is not a problematic behavior. It is a disability.
Jacob likes to think that he can be a comedian. He often tries, unsuccessfully, to be funny. One of his favorite things to say is, “I can. But will I?” Of course he then complies. Once again this is not an acknowledgement by him of knowing that he has problematic behavior. It was a child that has no social skills trying to be social.
To say that this meeting was less than productive would be an understatement. My child was berated and treated like he had committed some major crime. He was so concerned that he had offended this woman and in reality she had offended me. Clearly, she had no knowledge of the disabilities that my son has and the behaviors that come with them. She just kept saying that he would never have a job and that he needed to work on these issues.
I was going to just let this go. I removed my son from school the following week. He has now joined the ranks of high school dropouts. It was clear to me that children with disabilities are not going to get the services that they need or the respect that they deserve and it was time to remove him from the care of these type of people. But, the more I have thought about this the more I felt that it was my duty to bring this to your attention. I would be just as responsible for letting happen to other children if I didn’t notify those that were in a position to remedy this situation.
I hope that you take the time to read this and address this. I would hate to see other disabled children be forced to endure this same treatment.
Sincerely,
Sherri R. Tucker
"It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home." Carl T. Rowan
Sherri R. Tucker
President, SER (Special Education Reform)
President, Lee's Summit Autism Support Group
autism@kc.rr.com
http://www.lsautism.org/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Story Of My Son's Education
I was talking to a friend today and some things came to mind. Many people want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am not. Well, let me explain it to you.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
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