A New School for Carmen McCullough?
Carmen McCullough is 13 years old, non-verbal, and receives (according to the September 17th WIFR (News 23), “receives 30 minutes of speech therapy 4 times a year.” That would be two hours of speech therapy for an entire school year—-that does not seem right, to me, at any rate. My son Charlie, who is minimally verbal and ten years old, receives 30 minutes of speech therapy 3 times a week at school.
Lial and Doreen McCullough, Carmen’s parents, are seeking to have her attend a new autism school in Rockford, Illinois, the Autism Therapeutic School—I hope they can prevail.
4 opinions for A New School for Carmen McCullough?
Niksmom
Sep 18, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Sadly, this doesn’t surprise me. Nik only received a total of 7.5 hours of speech therapy in an entire calendar year (year-round school). Ans then schools wonder why parents get so upset b/c their children don’t make progress they *know* is possible if their child is given adequate support. I’m not even talking exceptional support…merely adequate.
bethduckie
Sep 18, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Alex never had speech therapy because he ‘couldn’t speak’. D’oh… in fact docs told me he’d never speak, so I’m wondering if it was seen as a waste of money?
Now he only has it through an aide in a group, otherwise known as ’social skills group’.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Group speech has not been effective for Charlie—he has had 1:1 only, pretty much. Speech therapy because he couldn’t speak, what is wrong with that prognosis……
KimJ
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I have a friend who tried to get her (PDD-NOS dx’ed) son in a Deaf-ed class. He can sign and understand language to a point. Deaf-ed didn’t want him because he was “cognitively impaired”. However, it’s very difficult find special ed teachers who are fluent in either ASL or English-language sign.
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