blank look

August 18, 2011

Yes, there are hundreds of children out there with autism, in our area, and

other than being forced into crowded public school programs that may not meet

their needs, what options are there?

We homeschool because we can; it's worked out well for our 7 yo, 5 yo

with Asperger's, and starting our almost 4 yo. I did consider putting my

daughter into public school this year and when talking to the ESE coordinator,

who was very nice (frank and helpful), I discussed my daughter's reluctance to

go to school. (She had been dragged twice into a preschool special program and

hasn't forgotten it. The teachers mistook her fear of sounds as behavioral and

forced her to go. Any wonder she won't go now?)

Anyway, it was a new school, very nice. My daughter wouldn't even

go to the EMPTY school to look at it or go into the office with me. The ESE

coordinator said, " If a child won't go, we do what the parents allow us to do,

after trying to have someone special help the child enter the classroom. We

physically force them into the classroom. "

Oh.

The whole ESD journey has been a challenge and perplexing. How can

there be so few options for so many children?

I took my daughter to the Atlantis School in Coral Springs. The

teacher was great, the administrator frankly told us they do not take children

with behavioral issues. ie, if a child has sensory problems and has anxiety

when the school bell goes off, there is nothing for the school to do. They

don't take children with any behavioral concerns. Why not? Of course these

children have behavioral problems- that's the whole point!

Anyway, as one of the hundreds of parents in south florida with

children on the spectrum, I understand the frustration. Khat

August 20, 2011

Steve, Which are the ones in Broward?

Adressing the coments made by Omayra Matamoros regarding "McKay Schools," the requirements are very lax by

design. In 2000 when the McKay Bill passed there were very very few schools

specifically for disabled students. The intent was to make the process as easy

as possible to help promote the opening of new schools and to make it easy for

existing schools to become a McKay School.

As a result there and hundreds of McKay Schools, around 105 in Broward alone.

Regarding your comment that that indicates there are no appropriate schools for severely disabled ASD students, I disagree. There are several I am aware of including the Victory School and the Autism Charter School, both in Dade. There are several in Broward also.

Your comment about babysitting may be true about some McKay schools, but my son has attended McKay Schools where that is absolutely not the case. He has attended public schools whwre we believe babysitting was the "education" provided.We could not confirm thos brcause we have to give 2 days notice in Broward to observe the classroom. All the private schools we have ever looked at had open door policies

The program is "buyer beware," and yes there are some less than perfect school

operators and some downright scams, but most of the schools provide a real and

necessary choice for disabled students. It's all about the "fit" you child might

have (or not) with any particular school. At least with McKay private schools,

you can change schools, something not so easy in public schools.

The McKay program isn't perfect, but before 2000 we had nothing, nada, zilch,

except public school or home.

The McKay program by all measures has been a very sucessful program. Currently 20,000 plus students parents would disagree with your assessment.

Steve

> >

> > Subject: blank look

> > To: sList

> > Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2:46 PM

> >

> > Yes, there are hundreds of children out there with autism, in our area, and other than being forced into crowded public school programs that may not meet their needs, what options are there?

> > We homeschool because we can; it's worked out well for our 7 yo, 5 yo with Asperger's, and starting our almost 4 yo. I did consider putting my daughter into public school this year and when talking to the ESE coordinator, who was very nice (frank and helpful), I discussed my daughter's reluctance to go to school. (She had been dragged twice into a preschool special program and hasn't forgotten it. The teachers mistook her fear of sounds as behavioral and forced her to go. Any wonder she won't go now?)

> > Anyway, it was a new school, very nice. My daughter wouldn't even go to the EMPTY school to look at it or go into the office with me. The ESE coordinator said, "If a child won't go, we do what the parents allow us to do, after trying to have someone special help the child enter the classroom. We physically force them into the classroom."

> > Oh.

> > The whole ESD journey has been a challenge and perplexing. How can there be so few options for so many children?

> > I took my daughter to the Atlantis School in Coral Springs. The teacher was great, the administrator frankly told us they do not take children with behavioral issues. ie, if a child has sensory problems and has anxiety when the school bell goes off, there is nothing for the school to do. They don't take children with any behavioral concerns. Why not? Of course these children have behavioral problems- that's the whole point!

> > Anyway, as one of the hundreds of parents in south florida with children on the spectrum, I understand the frustration. Khat

> >

>

August 20, 2011

Steve you make a very valid point. Buyer beware. I am a parent of a low function son and have seen the different Mckay schools and you need to make the right choice for what meets your childs needs. Not every school is the same or set up the same. I'm going to try a private school this year for the 1st time. Hoping to prepare my son for the real world in 8 years. They have set up a vocational program but I'm also going to be there volunteering my time to get him the education I feel he deserves. Some thing that struck a cord with me as well about his public school which was the fact that they are located by a waste site. Then I researched and found out schools which my son would most benefit from were next to a waste site. He has already chances for cancer and a couple years back there was an area which individuals were getting cancer located next to a waste site. Wow I thought. Its like no one cares for these kids. So I'm making a huge sacrafice for him and commuiting from weston to kendall because in my heart its the best thing I can do for him. Connected by MOTOBLUR™ on T-Mobile blank look> > To: sList > > Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2:46 PM> > > > > > Yes, there are hundreds of children out there with autism, in our area, and other than being forced into crowded public school programs that may not meet their needs, what options are there?> > We homeschool because we can; it's worked out well for our 7 yo, 5 yo with Asperger's, and starting our almost 4 yo. I did consider putting my daughter into public school this year and when talking to the ESE coordinator, who was very nice (frank and helpful), I discussed my daughter's reluctance to go to school. (She had been dragged twice into a preschool special program and hasn't forgotten it. The teachers mistook her fear of sounds as behavioral and forced her to go. Any wonder she won't go now?)> > Anyway, it was a new school, very nice. My daughter wouldn't even go to the EMPTY school to look at it or go into the office with me. The ESE coordinator said, " If a child won't go, we do what the parents allow us to do, after trying to have someone special help the child enter the classroom. We physically force them into the classroom. " > > Oh.> > The whole ESD journey has been a challenge and perplexing. How can there be so few options for so many children?> > I took my daughter to the Atlantis School in Coral Springs. The teacher was great, the administrator frankly told us they do not take children with behavioral issues. ie, if a child has sensory problems and has anxiety when the school bell goes off, there is nothing for the school to do. They don't take children with any behavioral concerns. Why not? Of course these children have behavioral problems- that's the whole point!> > Anyway, as one of the hundreds of parents in south florida with children on the spectrum, I understand the frustration. Khat> > > >>

August 20, 2011

Hello:Those 2 days notice need to be removed because in a lot of cases are used to prepare the show for parents and visitors, so they have the feeling that everything is o.k. Comparing these visitation with the educatin provided, results and other factors have never matched.Jeannette Suarez

From:

Steve ;

To:

<sList >;

Subject:

Re: blank look

Sent:

Sat, Aug 20, 2011 12:44:35 AM

Adressing the coments made by Omayra Matamoros regarding " McKay Schools, " the requirements are very lax by

design. In 2000 when the McKay Bill passed there were very very few schools

specifically for disabled students. The intent was to make the process as easy

as possible to help promote the opening of new schools and to make it easy for

existing schools to become a McKay School.

As a result there and hundreds of McKay Schools, around 105 in Broward alone.

Regarding your comment that that indicates there are no appropriate schools for severely disabled ASD students, I disagree. There are several I am aware of including the Victory School and the Autism Charter School, both in Dade. There are several in Broward also.

Your comment about babysitting may be true about some McKay schools, but my son has attended McKay Schools where that is absolutely not the case. He has attended public schools whwre we believe babysitting was the " education " provided.We could not confirm thos brcause we have to give 2 days notice in Broward to observe the classroom. All the private schools we have ever looked at had open door policies

The program is " buyer beware, " and yes there are some less than perfect school

operators and some downright scams, but most of the schools provide a real and

necessary choice for disabled students. It's all about the " fit " you child might

have (or not) with any particular school. At least with McKay private schools,

you can change schools, something not so easy in public schools.

The McKay program isn't perfect, but before 2000 we had nothing, nada, zilch,

except public school or home.

The McKay program by all measures has been a very sucessful program. Currently 20,000 plus students parents would disagree with your assessment.

Steve

> >

> > Subject: blank look

> > To: sList

> > Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2:46 PM

> >

> > Yes, there are hundreds of children out there with autism, in our area, and other than being forced into crowded public school programs that may not meet their needs, what options are there?

> > We homeschool because we can; it's worked out well for our 7 yo, 5 yo with Asperger's, and starting our almost 4 yo. I did consider putting my daughter into public school this year and when talking to the ESE coordinator, who was very nice (frank and helpful), I discussed my daughter's reluctance to go to school. (She had been dragged twice into a preschool special program and hasn't forgotten it. The teachers mistook her fear of sounds as behavioral and forced her to go. Any wonder she won't go now?)

> > Anyway, it was a new school, very nice. My daughter wouldn't even go to the EMPTY school to look at it or go into the office with me. The ESE coordinator said, " If a child won't go, we do what the parents allow us to do, after trying to have someone special help the child enter the classroom. We physically force them into the classroom. "

> > Oh.

> > The whole ESD journey has been a challenge and perplexing. How can there be so few options for so many children?

> > I took my daughter to the Atlantis School in Coral Springs. The teacher was great, the administrator frankly told us they do not take children with behavioral issues. ie, if a child has sensory problems and has anxiety when the school bell goes off, there is nothing for the school to do. They don't take children with any behavioral concerns. Why not? Of course these children have behavioral problems- that's the whole point!

> > Anyway, as one of the hundreds of parents in south florida with children on the spectrum, I understand the frustration. Khat

> >

>

August 20, 2011

We all need to contact the School Board and write letters.

blank look> > To: sList > > Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2:46 PM> > > > > > Yes, there are hundreds of children out there with autism, in our area, and other than being forced into crowded public school programs that may not meet their needs, what options are there?> > We homeschool because we can; it's worked out well for our 7 yo, 5 yo with Asperger's, and starting our almost 4 yo. I did consider putting my daughter into public school this year and when talking to the ESE coordinator, who was very nice (frank and helpful), I discussed my daughter's reluctance to go to school. (She had been dragged twice into a preschool special program and hasn't forgotten it. The teachers mistook her fear of sounds as behavioral and forced her to go. Any wonder she won't go now?)> > Anyway, it was a new school, very nice. My daughter wouldn't even go to the EMPTY school to look at it or go into the office with me. The ESE coordinator said, "If a child won't go, we do what the parents allow us to do, after trying to have someone special help the child enter the classroom. We physically force them into the classroom."> > Oh.> > The whole ESD journey has been a challenge and perplexing. How can there be so few options for so many children?> > I took my daughter to the Atlantis School in Coral Springs. The teacher was great, the administrator frankly told us they do not take children with behavioral issues. ie, if a child has sensory problems and has anxiety when the school bell goes off, there is nothing for the school to do. They don't take children with any behavioral concerns. Why not? Of course these children have behavioral problems- that's the whole point!> > Anyway, as one of the hundreds of parents in south florida with children on the spectrum, I understand the frustration. Khat> > > >>

August 20, 2011

I disagree with you. It is worse for students in the middle of the functioning scale. Private school told the parents they don't have a program that fills the educational needs of those students. It is very frustrated for parents to find a private school that accept ASD students no matter the level of functioning. No free choice exist really. Parents have to go from one school to the other because the groups are too big, no staff trained, no aids, no safety for our kids, fear from the schools to deal with our kids. Yes there is a few of schools for low functioning with behaviors or not but no Least restrictive environment exist and in most of those no interaction with regular class students. Remember our kids have to learn to live in the community and the most important think they can. My concern is they are few of those private schools offering services under McKay that really comply. Sent from my iPadOmayra Matamoros, MHSA, JD