Discussing Autism

When it comes to Special Education parents often get ignored, thus the need for Advocates, Due Process, and yes, Court.

But, when it comes down to it…I am AJ’s best advocate and I am his parent, the one who knows him best. And I will have to fight for his services…hmmm advocate for his services for another 14 years. I just hate being that kind of parent that I complained about when I was teaching. You know, the one who didn’t agree with the classroom activities or procedures, or how the IEP was being followed, or how the teacher graded a particular assignment. (more…)

I’ve been writing this series on IEP’s for a week now and hoping that you are gathering your information. Is there anything else you want to know? Make sure to leave a comment and let me know.

Today’s topic is Goals and Objectives within the IEP. But before you can do anything with an IEP you must first define your child’s needs clearly and specifically.
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In your line of work you would never go to a meeting unprepared would you? So why would you go to your child’s IEP meeting unprepared?

The key to going to an IEP prepared is to do your research before hand and make sure you share all of your concerns and even suggested accommodations and modifications with the IEP team several days, if not weeks, before hand. This will eliminate surprises from both sides and help facilitate the meeting. (more…)

Valentine’s Day is so close, so why not giveaway a pair of Garnet Swarovski Earrings in the seasonal Rocks in My Dryer Giveaway?

Did that get your attention?

The rules…obviously leave your name AND your email so that I can contact you if you win. If you have a Giveaway please also leave that so that I can visit your site!

I also have TWO other Bloggy Giveaways up at My Two Boys and A Child Chosen.

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A few days ago I wrote about accommodations to the IEP, stating that accommodations refer to the actual teaching supports a student receives in order to get an equal education. But, what about modifications?
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* Kathleen Seidel, of Neurodiversity.com says this:

Autism is as much a part of humanity as is the capacity to dream.

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When we talk about IEPs, or Individualized Education Plans, we are not just talking about goals and benchmarks that your child needs to meet (and that the teacher needs to teach to) but we are also talking about accommodations that the IEP teams needs to make to ensure that your child meets those goals and state benchmarks.
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Do you have questions that you need answered? That your school district won’t answer? That you can’t find the answers to?

Need help with an IEP, how to help your little one with Sensory Processing, Visual Processing, or Auditory Processing?

Email me (or leave comments…I LOVE THOSE!) and I can try to find answers for you!

pickelfam at yahoo dot com

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An IEP is one of the hardest things to get (and get right) because you are dealing with bureaucracy and with a group or team of people who can (and often tend to) take things more slowly than you would like.

According to Communicating with Your Child’s School Through Letter Writing there is a specific process one must go through to get the IEP. Here is how a student is identified and how the IEP is written:
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Individual Education Plans can be VERY confusing for parents AND teachers and most parents are anxious, confused, and feel inadequate when they go into an IEP. I am a former teacher and am now in the role of a parent. I never thought that I would be the parent of a special needs child nor would I be having to fight for what he needs but that is exactly where I am at now.

I am actually in a unique situation in that I AM a former teacher and I do understand the educational jargon. I understand how to evaluate student’s progress, I understand diagnoses, I understand testing, and I understand the process it takes to get to where the staff sits. What they don’t know is that I have the utmost respect for them because of the hard work they put into their jobs and into just one IEP. (more…)

“Autism to me is not ‘wrong’, not subhuman, not a collection of deficits, it is simply ‘other’. Another reality. And like anything different, it is going to jar. But I have managed a lot better ever since I stopped fighting autism and simply went with the flow, accepted and honoured Alex’s reality as equal to mine. And conversely, he has lost many of the traits that first brought him the diagnosis ’severely autistic’.” –Beth Silver

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Colors, ABC’s, shapes? The basics, right? And every preschooler should know them.

But, its hard when they don’t know them because they have visual processing disorders and fine motor skill delay. We have started working on these things at home by printing out worksheets and doing them after breakfast and before dinner. It keeps him occupied and he loves it. Sure, he gets frustrated at times and I do have to sit with him to focus him but he is learning and he is engaged in an activity.
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AJ is giving me a run for my money lately…not that I am complaining. I am actually a little proud. Why? Because he is acting like a NORMAL four year old.

Here is what has me perplexed. (more…)

Last Christmas Grandma gave AJ PECS, the Picture Exchange Communication System from Pyramid Education Products. It worked well for a while, or until we figured out that the pictures we had were geared toward school instead of the home and to get more meant to buy more pictures.

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Last week was an exciting week for Autism news so I could not pass up on a week in review. Although my focus was on Early Intervention last week other bloggers like Autism Vox, were focusing in on Thimerosal again, the Trial of Karen McCarron, and Gene deletion…all HUGE topics.

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