School exclusion of autistic boy unlawful, judge rules

So i will state upfront I may be bias in my opinions in this thread

A school has excercised its right to exclude a child for

hit a teaching assistant with a ruler, punched her and pulled her hair

School exclusion of autistic boy unlawful, judge rules

I do have genuine sympathy for the teaching assistant its a hard job in a lot of mainstream schools, but the local authority and school were aware of the childs condition, do we have to accept that certain children will be unable to control their reactions, i am sure some people will now be rolling their eyes and tutting something about "just a naughty kid, not raised right".

The Judge stated

"nowhere near striking a fair balance between the rights of children such as L on the one side and the interests of the community on the other".

what I have found is it is the local authorities which give parents minimal options regarding schools which are suitable, they need to be making more schools which create a enviroment which autistic children can also thrive in, more specialist schools are needed immediately as, 'Worrying rise' in number of children with autism being expelled or suspended from school





If you ever meet a child with autism you will understand a little better, imagine for a moment the videos was how you viewed the world, daily, every minute, its a suprise some ever leave the house let alone try and cope in a school enviroment.

My own son is not a the age yet where he can easily articulate what the issue is, so he stims a lot, stimming is a reaction that some autistic children use to cope with a situation, sometimes it can be unnerving if you are not aware of autism.

Maybe what the world needs to do is understand that these children with autism will become adults with autism and we can make their lives easier if we understnd how the world looks to them,with the numbers of diagnosed cases of autism on the rise, its a plea to everyone out there, compassion and understanding are skills we all require

Stay safe and hold your loved ones close.

I worked with a teenager who was 17 years old. She was placed in regular school for gym class only. This girl had Autism and she was violet, punching, kicking, spitting. It took next to nothing to set her off. Why should any school have to deal with that, or why should the students have to? More suitable places need to be on hand. It's not fair that so many parents of disabled kids are left with no options. I'm with school on this one.

At what point is one child allowed to rule the rest of the class? Was this a special needs class...I didn't see that.

All I know is that teachers should not have to suffer abuse from ANY child.

This reminds me of that episode of South Park where Cartman faked Tourettes. Not that anybody is faking, it just reminds me of that.

Several years ago my daughter befriended an autistic boy in her class.
She's a kind hearted girl.

But as the years went by she would get pulled out of her classes to go to his class to calm him down..

He not only disrupted his own classes, her disrupted my daughters too.
I had to call the school and put an end to that practice.

Sorry but if they can't behave, they can't go to regular class.

a reply to: Jerseymilker

Yeah in my ramblings I sort of agree, there is nowhere near enough schools set up to deal with children but even if there was they still need staff and the staff would still have to deal with these outbursts, if the local authorities are offering no other viable option then surely the school has to somehow provide training to their own staff and that the staff have to be aware of this as a possibility.

When I met my sons high school this summer, I went with the SENCO from his current school and informed them of his issues, (besides being the most lovable boy in the world), they promised me they can facilitate his condition, if (which i doubt with my son) something negative does happen though, why then should he be expelled, have they not failed him or will he have failed the schools behaviuor policy.

If both side of the argument seem right then surely something needs to change, no ones fault its just time we as parents were given better options and teachers given smaller classes and more money, in both wages to make it appealing to the best and funding for the schools

Gotta go and make his toast now, there are still normal moments

My grandson is autistic..

3 years old and he started a special school yesterday.

He still not talking , still not pody trained, wont feed himself unless its finger foods,.

He is easily distracted and loves to spin .

I am really hoping this head start school setting will help him.. It is a class of 3 students and 3 teachers and 3 teachers aids.

So he is going to get alot of attention from people that know what they are doing.

people decided kids are requiered to attend school no mater what reverse that law and see how quick they dont go

my cousins autistic he canot benifit from school but is forced to go he wont ever have a job will never read a book or do math hes in a class of 6 to 10 kids all in the same boat with a 100k a year speshalist to run a class that will get them exactly no where in life

... but we cant have thos kids not be in school thats aganst the law

a reply to: lakenheath24

As far as I am aware it was not special needs, based on my own experience the decision is made by the local authority and associated specialists, it is less a decision and more dictated to the parents, thats if they have been lucky enough to have the child diagnosed and EHCP statement.

I doubt that it qualifies as abuse based on it being a isolated incident, if another child fights another we dont call that abuse do we, and like I have said I see both sides of the argument (I myself work in education), which surely means things have to change for both the teacher and the student.

a reply to: Bluntone22

"They" cant behave in the traditional sense, but most parents in the UK have no other option its the local authorities who are stating which educational setting is best suited for them, based of expert opinion of child psychologist observations, they say my son will be ok in mainstream, if the worst happens and he strikes a teacher is it then his fault?

a reply to: UpIsNowDown

The problem is the monopoly that the public education system holds over our children's educations.

Sure, we have FAPE, but just because the law says they have to provide us a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment doesn't mean it actually happens in most places. Since they know that parents have very little realistic options, they can sit back, mismanage their funds and cry about not having the money to do what they are being told to all day because they know parents can't make other choices even if they wanted to most times.

As a parent of a son who has CAPD, ADHD and Disorder of Written Expression (dysgraphia), I know there are schools out there that are set up to deal specifically with children who have constellations of issues like his. Heck! There's one IN MY CITY, but I don't have a prayer of being able to afford the $24,000/year it would cost to send him. Now, consider ... my city spends the equivalent of $12,000+/year on each student that they send to their inner city suck mills they label "schools." If that money followed the students instead of going to the schools for the students trapped in their clutches by law, I could erase half that tuition ... I could come very, very close to being able to afford that school.

But even more, as you look across the country? A lot of the best schools for dealing with these kinds of issues are in states like North Carolina. Why? Because North Carolina is one of the few states to have passed a specific education bill that does award parents with education vouchers, especially parents of students with learning differences like specific learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorders. If I relocated with my son to North Carolina and obtained that yearly tuition voucher, I could afford the remainder of the annual tuition to one of those schools.

And, honestly, depending on how our current district responds to our findings and works with us to help him, that option is not off the table.

But that sort of education freedom allows parents to best help their children and allows schools to specialize because you're right ... It's not fair for the kids who aren't differently abled to have to be sacrificed for the kids who are, but it's also not fair for the differently abled but still very capable to be simply shoved aside and sacrificed because they only need something done differently in order to reach them.

a reply to: notsure1

One of the things I had to understand is my son/your grandson will always be autisitic, no matter how many GCSE my son may or may not achieve he will still be autistic, that is why the best for all people on the autistic spectrum is that the rest of the world at least meet them halfway, and just be more compassionate

Your grandson will amaze you like any other child, all you need to do is what you do already, provide stability and love.

One of my sons early issues was when we had to go to the supermarkets, he would always ask how many things we needed, and as I was still learning we just shopped as normal, its not that he cant cope, he just requires as much information as possible so he can remain calm enough to deal with the noise and lights, if I was half as strong or brave as him I would be twice the man I am today.

a reply to: UpIsNowDown

our grandson will amaze you like any other child

Allready has.. he knows his numbers and letters , he just doesnt talk at all. 0 words.

he loves to play with his tablet and he likes the apps that do letters and numbers and will play with his letters and numbers as he is watching them .

When they count he will put his fingers up and count like that.

A year or so ago he started changing the language on his tablet and would watch them in Spanish or Mandarin.

Well now he knows his letters and numbers in Spanish and Mandarin.

Those are the only 2 languages he changes them too..

In the UK there are still special schools for children that suffer like this, are there not in US? I believe that certain children deserve schools appropriate to their situation.

a reply to: notsure1

speech is still an issue for my son at 11, he does not sound words correctly but uses some amazing words in context, we were hiding the other day in sleeping bags, and he said it was claustrophobic, its not a word I recall using with him, little genius

The tablet and most computers seem to really help with writing as dexterity for holding a pen seems difficult,my son used an additional aid which attacthes to the pen, but he is also left handed which adds its own difficulties, you will find many areas where your grandson will be equal to his peers, the easiest way that i understood it was the term "spiky profile" with more peaks and troughs than non autistic.

Good luck!!

Well the schools will have to figure this out as they're only going to get more and more autistic children coming thru their doors due to increasing rates of vaccine injury.

originally posted by: Jonjonj
In the UK there are still special schools for children that suffer like this, are there not in US? I believe that certain children deserve schools appropriate to their situation.

There are if you can pay for them out of pocket. Otherwise, the practice is to mainstream. It is the belief of progressive educators that children should be mainstreamed and one classroom will suffice for every child. I personally think that's wrong. I don't think that because I think some kids can't learn, but because I think that every kid learns slightly differently, and it's stupidity incarnate to think that if you put 20+ kids of disparate learning styles and abilities in one classroom with one teacher that you can adequately reach each of them. All will be compromised to some extent and some will be outright sacrificed.

But my private feelings are that education in the US has been about anything other than actually learning for quite some time.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: Jonjonj
In the UK there are still special schools for children that suffer like this, are there not in US? I believe that certain children deserve schools appropriate to their situation.

There are if you can pay for them out of pocket. Otherwise, the practice is to mainstream. It is the belief of progressive educators that children should be mainstreamed and one classroom will suffice for every child. I personally think that's wrong. I don't think that because I think some kids can't learn, but because I think that every kid learns slightly differently, and it's stupidity incarnate to think that if you put 20+ kids of disparate learning styles and abilities in one classroom with one teacher that you can adequately reach each of them. All will be compromised to some extent and some will be outright sacrificed.

But my private feelings are that education in the US has been about anything other than actually learning for quite some time.

Same framework applies in the UK, whose proverbial nuts have I got to go and kick to rectify this for us all

a reply to: UpIsNowDown

I have 15 year old autistic son myself that was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder. I also have 3 other sons that treat him as a regular kid. This does wonders for my15yr Old son because he has issues dealing with people he doesn’t know too well but he sure can sass talk his brothers like a professional lol! Maybe someday I’ll start a thread about some rather interestingservations he has shared with me about life and people in general. For a young man who can’t articulate feelings too well he has completely amazed me about how he sees the world. Some of it downright scary and other things are just completely foreign to my understanding of life.
Through it all he has taught me patience and humility even when I naturally would be mad or upset. He hasn’t been to school in 3 years because he has episodes of stemming that he cannot control and speaks his mind like macho man randy savage (totally not joking but that’s how he talks when he is mad). It’s hard to take a person seriously especially when it’s your own son wanting to snap into someone’s slim jimover the fact that they want to watch shark week instead of spongebob squarepants.(true story)

As far as a separate school system, I would back that 110%! My son loves to learn but not the way that public schools tend to teach. He had an aid by his side to help him focus but I needed more help in his daily routine such as tying his shoes. I’ve spent countless hours trying to teach him this rudimentary task but still can not grasp it. On another token, he can build a computer and a radio from scrap broken pieces and some solder. Blows my mind in every conceivable way but maybe conventional isn’t the way to go with these kids. It is no different than some kids cannot learn certain subjects but can excel in others. God didn’t make us all the same to do only one task but he made certain facets of people to fulfill niche roles that complete the spectrum of a complete society.

a reply to: UpIsNowDown

I have attended countless meetings over ten plus years for the welfare of an autistic child. the child came to us at three months of age under very sad circumstances.
it took approx four years before an initial diagnosis was given and then another two and a half with ongoing assessments
to determine the severity of the condition coupled with the initial health issues.

it takes time, effort and patience to gain insight into the world of an autistic child and over the years I have met many each with their own unique differences, quirks, qualities and trigger points.

with respect to the educational issue I do agree that one child should not be allowed to disrupt an entire class to which I am fully aware of and have witnessed on numerous occasions. all parties should at the very least try the mainstream and if it goes fubar then the local area authority has a duty of care to make alternative provisions. this takes time due to the many factors involved with the principal one in my opinion being funding. currently many councils are stressed here in the uk due to austerity, mismanagement of finances etc etc. this has shown itself in long waits for an initial diagnosis once concerns arise. patience under these circumstances is indeed a virtue.

an off the record conversation after a meeting involving the funding award left myself and my wife with our jaws on the table. an award/funding is given via the LEA where the parents 'decide' how much is given to the school and how much they keep for home 'expenses'. we were informed that a proportion (sizeable percentage but not informed exactly) kept the bulk of the award and allowed the school the change. them same parents then sport branded threads and/or nice holiday/car/lcd etc. lol playground bragging/observations bring out some truths! this here is an issue that needs to be addressed and in no way, shape or form should those who have been awarded funding be allowed to exhaust those monies on indulgencies.

i'm shutting shop now so I will say I wish you and all others the best in managing your child's issues. the river is not always gentle.
f.

originally posted by: UpIsNowDown

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: Jonjonj
In the UK there are still special schools for children that suffer like this, are there not in US? I believe that certain children deserve schools appropriate to their situation.

There are if you can pay for them out of pocket. Otherwise, the practice is to mainstream. It is the belief of progressive educators that children should be mainstreamed and one classroom will suffice for every child. I personally think that's wrong. I don't think that because I think some kids can't learn, but because I think that every kid learns slightly differently, and it's stupidity incarnate to think that if you put 20+ kids of disparate learning styles and abilities in one classroom with one teacher that you can adequately reach each of them. All will be compromised to some extent and some will be outright sacrificed.

But my private feelings are that education in the US has been about anything other than actually learning for quite some time.

Same framework applies in the UK, whose proverbial nuts have I got to go and kick to rectify this for us all

In what position do you find yourself? There are so many options available but also it's possible you need something specific?