Going to Court to Get to School
Lynn Shane of Mississauga is taking her case to have her 8-year-old autistic son, Adam, attend school with a private therapist to the Ontario Court of Appeal next week, the Missisauga New reports. The Peel District School Board, “forbids anyone or any agency from paying for in-class help for students,” according to its procedures for special education”—-but what about if the school district cannot provide teachers or aides who can adequately and appropriately help a child to succeed in school? Over a year and a half ago, we moved into a school district that has a good program for autistic children because our previous school district simply did not have staff who were trained to truly help, and to teach, Charlie. We have not had to take such actions (not yet).
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, Education, ontario, pdd-nos, PsychologyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Education, Legal Issues
8 opinions for Going to Court to Get to School
Marla
Feb 8, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I have never heard of someone paying for their own aide but it sure makes good sense to me. I am sure the schools would like to avoid that because in many cases it would reveal just how inadequate their daily services to special needs children are. This really peaks my curiosity. I would consider paying for my daughter to have her own aide if it helped in a school setting. I wonder if it is legal in any state? Somehow, I doubt it.
Linda
Feb 8, 2008 at 6:01 pm
How could it not be legal if it is in the best interest of the child and called for in the IEP? Ok, maybe unrealistic, but illegal? Would calling the added help an aide rather than a therapist be less threatening and more palatable? Should that matter?
We will look back on these years as the dark and troubled years when parents had to work so hard for so little.
Linda
Feb 8, 2008 at 6:02 pm
PS I am so glad the internet troubles got worked out, you were missed!
Autismville
Feb 8, 2008 at 7:57 pm
We lived in one of the best school districts in Texas. They refused to allow Jack to have an aide and insisted he be fully included in a regular preschool class. (He is non-verbal and very extremely challeneged.) It was just so crazy! I have nothing against inclusion, but the one-size-fits-all approach just didn’t work for Jack. We hired an attorney and got absolutely nowhere.
We’ve sinced moved to Boston where our new school district provided an aide for him even during the first few weeks of school when they were simply evaluating him. They recongized his needs immediately. It was amazing.
Night and day.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 8, 2008 at 9:43 pm
It seems to be something that no one quite wants to say outright, but where one lives can make a huge difference! Certainly just moving among various towns in New Jersey has made a big difference in Charlie’s school situation (and our commutes to work; another story). I continue to wonder if there is something of a relationship between autism rates and the level of education and services that a child might receive.
Wednesday and Thursday when the b5media server outages were occurring—-it was very trying, and it was pouring rain and really warm here in New Jersey; it all made for a very curious day.
I have heard of families who got the school district to allow an aide/therapist of their choosing and training to attend school with their child. I can look up details—-I do think some legal action was required, or at least a number of meetings with the district.
KimJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 12:18 am
Back home, I lived in a college town while my son was in preschool and kindergarten. The 1-1 aides (or “paras”) were often student teachers working through college, the special ed work granted them “points”. So, we had highly educated aides that were focused on learning about autism (or other special needs) but not costing more than the aide wage.
Here in AZ it’s just not that way. When we suggested it to one school, first they asked, “who will pay for it?!” When we described the system and even that we would pay, the principal said no, “No strangers in my school”. Like she had some happy family there.
Autismville
Feb 10, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Real estate therapy is a reality…
Cat
Feb 11, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I moved to Ontario from the US and was shocked at the schools a. not wanting my daughter, in violation of the laws, i got online and read up on education rights and laws in Ontario and Canada, but b. how backward the schools can be. No offense. I have been trying to get anyone to try the in school therapy as they do in the US. Some therapyis better than no therapy. Ont and those in the IBI ABA world are pushing hard for a one size fits all therapy for autism. This is making IBI therapist rich and short changing many kids.
Nova Scotia is the only province that now mandataes in school therapy for spec kids. Thank god.
Canada unlike the US has education by province and spec ed is not guaranteed for therapy as it isn the US per federal regulations.
It is time for all special needs parents in Canada to band together for a common goal, to improve outcomes for thier kids. Therapy can be done in the school along with education and social skills. It is done all over the US and it’s territories. It is called IDEA and federal laws mandate even more.
I now write, call mpps and mp all over Canada whe take an interest in special ed and autism.
Get politicially involved parents. It is your right as a Canadian.
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