Tourette support - No child left behind -- but mine

Author

No child left behind -- but mine

Linda

2005-01-14, 10:09 pm

No child left behind -- but mine
John R. McLaurin
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...EDGSMAO5GN1.DTL
Wednesday, January 12, 2005

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As my 15-year-old daughter gave my wife an affectionate hug the other day,
she said quietly, "I'm sorry." It was an apology that nearly broke our
hearts and spoke volumes about the tragic state of affairs that describes
special education in California's public schools.

What Jessica apologized for was being born with "autism spectrum disorder. "
She is a beautiful, bright teenager. As a child, her development was slow,
her behavior puzzling. My wife and I took her to psychologists,
psychiatrists, neurologists, speech therapists and other specialists. What
they told us was that she suffers from a variety of ailments, including
Tourette's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and
nonverbal-learning disorder. Jessica is politely referred to by school
district officials as a "special needs" child.

Sadly, special education in California schools today offers little clear
direction, policies or guidelines for parents and children like Jessica. The
system I now am intimately familiar with is perplexing, inconsistent,
frustrating and seems to respond only to threats and lawyers.

For those parents without the means, skills or inclination to be aggressive
advocates for their child's well being, the system is a disaster. For
Jessica, this broken education system has meant classes with students from
several different grades and with an extraordinarily broad range of
disabilities.

Her current placement is a combination class of grades 9-12. Over the years,
she has had classmates with severe physical disabilities, students who are
nonverbal and nonresponsive, or with behavioral problems and learning
disabilities like Jessica. She has been taught by teachers with little or no
experience or training in special education but who are consistently
overworked and understaffed.

Every special-education child in public schools in California is entitled to
an Individualized education Program (IEP). Over the years, my wife and I
have participated in several IEP meetings with our local school district to
draft educational goals and objectives for the coming year. These meetings
can become fairly contentious. Too often, parents are forced to hire
attorneys and pursue mediation or hearings just to ensure school districts
implement the IEPs to which their children are entitled. It is a costly and
frustrating process.

I have heard school officials complain that "special needs" parents are
quick to file for hearings and force school districts to hire lawyers. My
view is somewhat different: Parents hire lawyers or advocates because they
have no other option. When IEPs aren't implemented, when services aren't
provided, when phone calls and letters aren't answered, it results in days,
weeks and months of lost opportunities for our children. During this time,
the gap between our children and their peers grows wider. And the financial
impact on families forced to hire lawyers is severe.

I can only imagine how parents cope with this system when they don't have
the financial resources to get advice, may not fully understand the law or
do not read or speak English well. The special-education process, at that
point, can actually work against the interests of their children.

Local officials blame the state for lack of funding, the state blames the
federal government, the federal government blames the administration and the
administration blames everybody else in the system. It is a circular and
convenient argument with no one stepping forward to take responsibility.

California must develop consistent, fair and effective policies for special
education. Otherwise the system will continue to drift in a bureaucratic sea
where policies and programs are developed on an ad-hoc basis by those
parents fortunate enough or determined enough to be able to afford legal
counsel and who have the time and energy to fight for their children.

My daughter has nothing to apologize for. She has nothing to be ashamed
about. The same can't be said about our state's special-education system.

John R. McLaurin lives in San Ramon.

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Dagoobster

2005-01-15, 10:07 pm

Problem is the title implies a fed problem..this is obviosuly a local/state
problem
__________________________________________________________________________
It is in times of great sorrow, as well as time of great joy, that allows one
to truly realize that he has married his Faye and destiny!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chaim

Linda

2005-01-15, 10:07 pm

"Dagoobster" <dagoobster@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20050115205443.11909.00000037@mb-m03.aol.com...
> Problem is the title implies a fed problem..this is obviosuly a
local/state
> problem

Not necessarily.

There are scarce resources for educating children in california.

Schools will lose federal money if they don't abide by federal laws.

So the children qualify for programs under federal law are getting what the
benefits the law dictates.

While children who qualify for benefits under state law are getting the
short end of the stick---lack of resources and funding of their programs.

..