Sad ... :'(

[Funball]

i think the best thing you should do is focus on the school stuff, maybe get him into some extra classess to get him caught up. I struggle with certain things to in life and when i was in school , i have autism also, i have aspergers syndrome a high functioning autism, but still i had to work twice as hard as he rest of the kids in the class becuase i did not understand the school work, but with a little help and some extra classess i was able to get through school and even graduate from high school..mind you that was 15 years ago but still you get the point--even as i am 30 now i still struggle with certain things but i know my limits

 

[dreamerliz]

You and your family have a wonderful Disney Holiday!

Life is going to be full of struggles and I agree 3 days here or there will not a difference make. Enjoy your wonderful son for all that he IS!!
I always wished I had got my boys a tutor. They did ok in school but it would have been a huge advantage. Good luck~

 

[raftislander]

What I see is that your son has progressed to a point where he can be taken out of the special needs classes. This is an achievement that should be celebrated - do so on your trip. Don't lose sight of that advancement by focussing only on the reality that his struggles are far from being over. You have undoubtedly been a part of his success - so go on your trip with a light heart. Will you have to work hard when you get back so that he can succeed in the mainstream classroom - Yes you will. And when he gets his grades up in his current classroom, then you can celebrate again!

 

[jenpace]

Wow. ConnieB, you make some excellent points! I was going to post some of my thoughts as a mom to 5, one of whom has distractional ADHD but you covered all the bases

To the OP: go on vacation, have a wonderful time and celebrate all the progress your son has made

 

[taylor3297]

Ok, I am totally shocked that your son was exited from Special Ed and not put on consult first. This is what most tend to do if they think a child is ready to be mainstreamed and may not need Sped services any longer.. I would go back and fight to get some services if it was my child.

Something is not right with this picture. Also, did the school do another full evaluation before exiting? If not, I would insist on a re-eval.

Like another poster said, you have to advocate for you child and let that "mama bear' come out. Please meet with his teacher and make sure she is aware of his past. Also, tell the teacher you want to start SST due to your child not doing well academically. This will help get your child back on track for getting assistance.

If there is any more information you need or want help with, please send me a PM>

 

[Luv Bunnies]

OP - I have an autistic child (15 year old son w/Asperger's) and I have worked in a special needs preschool class for almost 10 years. I can tell you with great confidence that kids diagnosed with autism at 3 don't usually progress enough to lose the diagnosis by 6 (unless he was misdiagnosed in the first place). The sad truth is that many school districts will pull as many kids as they can from special ed. and put them into less-costly regular ed. programs. Once a child leaves special ed., it can be difficult to get them re-qualified. I also know from experience that you cannot solely rely on a school district evaluation team to diagnose your child. I took my son to a private psychologist at age 5 for a full evaluation. She said he was definitely on the autism spectrum, which I had suspected. The school district said he had a simple speech/language delay which, as I learned later, was a lesser diagnosis that requires fewer services. They offered him speech therapy only, when I believed he belonged in a special needs preschool class. When the teacher (who was also the speech therapist) saw him, she insisted he be in her class! I needed that outside diagnosis to back-up my request and, luckily, I had a dilligent teacher who was more focused on the kids than the budget. I ended up working for her as an assistant the year after my son left her class and, even though she moved, I still work there!

If you feel your son has more needs than are being met in a regular ed. class, you can request further evaluation from the school. If you have the resources, I would strongly recommend getting an outside evaluation and diagnosis just to be sure your son is receiving the help he needs. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[tholczer]

I wholeheartedly agree with most here who say you shouldn't cancel now. It sounds like you know how important school is and that you will do what you can for your child when you get back. Homework might not be great either. But you could do some activities on the plane and the idea about finding M words and then giving stickers sounds more like fun than work!

Have a great time with your family.

OT - to those who have talked about autism and Aspergers - I just read the best middle grade novel called Mockingbird. It's a finalist for the National Book Award and I highly recommend it. It's about a girl with Aspergers dealing with the death of her older brother who used to help her mainstream. I read the entire book in one sitting with a lump in my throat, but it was well worth it!

Tracy