Re: Needing some information about a couple of things.

[Guest guest]

Hi!Where does your child attend school? Having that info might help us to give you info about and advocate or lawyer. The Vineland test assesses or measures personal and social skills that your child would use for everyday living. Does the child ask for things, or simply point. Will your son part from you and sit with the person giving the test and will he interact with them are all things the person who came to your home will take note of. Your son's speaking ability or lack thereof should be a determining factor in how much speech therapy he gets. My son was almost non-verbal at age 3 and got 60 minutes 5 days per week from our local school. Please let us all now what county you are in so we can all try to assist you w/ info on advocates etc. G.Subject: Needing some information about a couple of things.To: sList Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 2:25 PM

We have been fighting with our school system to get what my son needs

from them. Thet have told us basically that they don't care what he

is labeled with, they will give him therapy as they see that he

needs. Right now he is only going for speech therapy for 90 minutes a

week. We had a meeting with tem at the end of last school year tp see

if he could get more therapy. Today, we had someone from the school

where he goes come to the house and do a vineland adaptive behavior

scale test. What does this test prove or disprove and what is the

purpose of giving this test?

Also we have been advised by my son's new psychologist that we either

get a lawyer and/or an advocate. Does anyone know how I can go about

finding an advocate? Our school system does not seem to care about

whether our child or any child that has autism gets the help that

they need. Our county has been in the news lately about how bad the

school system is toward autistic children. My son's psychologist says

that he at leasts needs speech therapy 5 times a day and that the

school system, no matter where it is, is suppose to see that he gets

it. Can anyone advise me on this subject or at least point me into a

direction to get more information? Thank you so much for reading this

and if you have any information that could possibly help me in either

of these situations, please let me know. I am seeking out any

information that I can get a hold of.

Laurie

mom to an almost 4 year old autisic son

[Guest guest]

Hi Laurie,

The Vineland assesses behavior across several domains of functioning and can help to determine the child's developmental age, which is helpful for planning and identifying IEP goals, etc.. It is a tool, one of many, that are used.

A better tool would be the VB-MAPP by Sundberg, which also assists in developing appropriate IEP goals. You can google that or Verbal Behavior or Behaviora Analysts Inc. However, most school boards do not utilize this very functional tool. This is what, I believe, some parents should be fighting for.

Are you talking about Speech services or perhaps, Language services. Two different service areas. Most of our kids do not necessarily receive Speech until they are older. It is mostly Language services. Speech (from my layperson's understanding) is articulation, pronunciation while Language is pragmatics and getting them talking in general, particularly on a social level.

Regardless of what a privately paid psychologist recommends, a child typically is to receive services (OT, PT, SLP) that help him/her access his/her academic environment. That may seem to us parents like they need 5 hours a day in Speech/Language, but not in the schools. Note that when our kids are placed in Special Ed. pre-k settings, they are, hopefully, in a language rich environment all day long.

90 minutes is actually a lot added to the language rich environment he should already be in within the classroom setting. Is your child pulled out or assisted with his language in his natural environment (preferred). The SLP also provides strategies to the teacher and aides and modeling for your child while in the room.

The more your child is removed, the less interaction he gets with the other children and the less time he gets within the classroom setting learning other very functional skills and routines.

However, if you feel this is not sufficient, several people will provide advocates to assist you.

Good luck.

Needing some information about a couple of things.

We have been fighting with our school system to get what my son needs from them. Thet have told us basically that they don't care what he is labeled with, they will give him therapy as they see that he needs. Right now he is only going for speech therapy for 90 minutes a week. We had a meeting with tem at the end of last school year tp see if he could get more therapy. Today, we had someone from the school where he goes come to the house and do a vineland adaptive behavior scale test. What does this test prove or disprove and what is the purpose of giving this test?Also we have been advised by my son's new psychologist that we either get a lawyer and/or an advocate. Does anyone know how I can go about finding an advocate? Our school system does not seem to care about whether our child or any child that has autism gets the help that they need. Our county has been in the news lately about how bad the school system is toward autistic children. My son's psychologist says that he at leasts needs speech therapy 5 times a day and that the school system, no matter where it is, is suppose to see that he gets it. Can anyone advise me on this subject or at least point me into a direction to get more information? Thank you so much for reading this and if you have any information that could possibly help me in either of these situations, please let me know. I am seeking out any information that I can get a hold of.Lauriemom to an almost 4 year old autisic son