Autism Education Reform!

Hello I am Brad, a father of an Autistic child. Arek is 4 and in his second year of Early Childhood Education. He was diagnosed with Autism at 18 months and received a vast amount of services until he went to school. Now he is receiving some of the services through school but not to the level that they should be. Case and point, We live in small town America where schools are important to the people but things like sports seem to get most of the attention and funding. Special Education is broken in many regards. It is not just Autistics that are being let down but all children with special needs. My 8 year old daughter Lauren is also in Special Ed. She has learning disabilities. Her services are also OK but not great. We used to live in the Burbs of Chicago. They had an actual public Autism Spectrum School setup. Great if you live in the area. Unfortunately, we could no longer afford to live there.

Arek is moving along OK for now but at what point does he stop getting Autism specific education? It depends on where you live. Here it seems the level of services dramatically drops down every year older the child gets. I have spoke with parents of junior high students as well as high school students. The system stinks flat out is what I have been told. I know it is the same across the country. If every parent of every child was educated on the current boundaries to adequate education then they would do something as a majority. Our daughter is in Special Olympics which is a great program. It is funded by the state as well as by the individual teams. Our teams have recycled uniforms and outfits. Personal fund-raising has brought in some money but not enough even after a few years. If it were not for the parents that started the fund-raisers then there would be significantly less money available.

I know that our governments at the National, State, County and the City level can and should do more. I know that if we as parents really fight for it they will stand up and do more. Our education system has improved quite a bit in some areas compared to 20 yrs ago, It has become worse in others. I am starting out by fighting for my children's education. It is not enough though. I, as well as all of you need to fight for every child's education. Understanding and a standardized process for Autism and other disabilities educational needs must be implemented. If it is ABA that works then it should be available. If it is xyz therapy that works then it should be available. They say every journey starts with just one step. Same is true with every change made in our democratic society. It just takes one person to stand up for something and others will follow and eventually that one voice is as loud as a million voices and those who need to listen do and implement the plans brought forth by the people. Education should not and doesn't have to be based solely on economics. Many therapies that are working for people are extremely expensive and not covered under most insurances without some trickery or loophole finding on the parents or their attorneys part. You shouldn't have to fight tooth and nail with the school district, get an attorney, or any of the nonsense which has worked for some. If you need services and those services exist then why on earth should they not be made available. People with disabilities are not that way by choice. They are not a market sector. They should not be targeted by expensive ad campaigns, to become poor for a service that they need. Learning how to communicate is a two way street. We need to learn Autistics communication and use that knowledge to allow them too learn our communication. Doing this is communicating.

I propose a new special education classification system based on diagnosis, need, level of disability and other unique characterizations that are derived from the proceeding. Once you fit the certain classification system, you are then taught in the best possible method for you to learn. The more advanced you become the less services you will need. Only then should your services be taken away. If you are not progressing at all after a certain time period then you are reevaluated and an attempt at a new methodology of teaching is implemented. If you build the system to its users specs. it will overall produce better results for the system as well as its users. Let's not try and make a square a circle because it just doesn't work. instead let's call the square a square and the circle a circle. Once you learn how the opposite shape communicates you then can transform your communication to fit the other and vice versa. It is amazing how since our other daughter, Alissa, turned 18 months and began talking and pointing etc.. Arek after a six month period began to imitate her sometimes. Not perfect at it but enough that we were able to communicate with him on some of his needs. Some days he will not, or can not communicate, others he can and will. Lumping Special needs children altogether in the same group or learning environment is not the right answer and is not working. Lumping that group with the so called normal children has even less than desirable effects. I want my children to be in with the other kids as much as the next person. If my child is not safe or ready to get anything beneficial out of that relationship then there is no need for it to occur. Once a child has learned the proper communication with the so called normal world then naturally the relationship will develop with the outside world. Our special children do not need to be in a separate school but just in separate classrooms with separate teachers and services. There should be No tolerance for making fun of our special children. Other children far to often make life hell for special children. There are exceptions to the rule, I know that tons of kids are understanding of there peers and treat them with respect. Some children such as those with Autism do not even understand the jokes at their expense in the first place so it is not as detrimental to them as say someone with learning disabilities or a more higher functioning disorder. I believe the minds of those with disabilities are capable of and quite possibly more capable of genius thinking and problem solving. It is a matter of them being able to communicate with the world they live in. School environments are far more pliable then the world we live in as a whole. We all have to live by certain rules and customs to survive in the environment we are in. Slightly different throughout the world most principles of survival and quality of life are the same though. I would love to see my son, Arek, grow up and be able to understand the world he lives in. I would love for him to be able to survive in the world with the minimal of support. The way things are going though it is not likely. This is why the changes I have proposed need to be implemented immediately. The business of special needs, needs to be stopped and reversed. Stop profiting off of the disabled and start helping the disabled. It can be done, it is just a matter of doing it.

If people can buy insane products off ebay for such large amounts of money then why can't they donate to the cause of our future? There is a law stating all TV broadcast must be in digital by sometime this year i believe. If they can get this legislation then how about some Autism education reform? How about reforming the whole special education system altogether? This article is just a generalization of my thoughts and observations of our education system. It is broad and will be followed with more detailed articles. If you liked it then pass it on and spread the word. Everyone's future is at stake here, not just the disabled! The information, though my opinion, is based on facts that if you want to take the time and effort to research, you will find to be truth. It is easier for me to write from an opinion point of view than a matter of fact point of view. I am disabled myself. I have bipolar, as well as anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and major depression. Life has certainly been a roller coaster for me and I know first hand what it is like to be looked at differently. I know how it feels to be looked down upon or thought of as less than. Depending on my mood I either don't care or don't notice such ignorant behavior. I grew up being different but without a diagnosis. I just thought that how I was, was normal. I didn't realize until I was older about my disabilities.That is when they came out of the shell, I had kept them in. That is when I no longer knew who I was or what had happened to the person I thought I was. Luckily, I have made it through many difficult situations and am looking forward to coming out on the other side better and stronger. I am thankful for my wife Lisa and all of my children Brett, Lauren, Arek, Alissa and Amanda. They have saved my life and taught me what is really important in life. I apologize for getting off topic but I am to an extent an example of what happens to a child that is pushed through the educational system without the proper interventions put in place. Although, I was an average student I struggled with quite a few subjects. If we do not properly educate our children and adults to communicate effectively with the world we live in then more children will be like me and my children on disability. They will grow up and then more adults will be on disability as well as their children and so on and so forth. Our Social security system is already failing. Then what happens to all of these disabled folks. Let's change the system one mind at a time. It is possible just believe and do it. If i can write this article and raise 5 children then I think anyone can. If I can see how important change is then why doesn't the majority of other people?