by Pat on Jan 30, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Filed in Autism and Education | Autism and Stress | Autism Family Facts | Parenting Autistic Children | Stories from Readers
I have a 7 yr old daughter who was dx'd in September with PDD-NOS. "They" whoever they are would call it Asperger's Syndrome if she didn't have a speech delay. She had seizures at 3 mo and 15 mos and took meds until she was 3 yr old. She never met any of her milestones, walked at 17 1/2 mos. She has an IEP and went to preschool with 1/2 typical and 1/2 "special". I sent her to kindergarten last year and first grade this year with a question in my heart as to what is best for her. She shuts down when she is overloaded and doesn't make eye contact. Her stubborn streak is a mile long as to what she will and won't do. We have been to OT, PT and Speech in school and privately thru Children's Hospital. She only sometimes works with everyone. Anyway, Wednesday this week, I met with her teacher because I feel that the gap between my daughter and her peers is getting bigger instead of smaller. I was told that I was right to feel that way and it is. I asked what to do and they said that "she has an IEP to protect her and she will be fine". Meanwhile, I have a first grader with NO desire to read or write. Her obsession is to "mother" everything...animals, dolls, children, parents...she doesn't discriminate. I started to cry and asked her teacher if I should look into "alternative" schooling options and after a few minutes of thought she said "yes". Finally, a straight answer from someone. I am curious about The Summit Academy, it sounds almost too good to be true and I wondered what other experiences anyone has had? Have you worked with anyone that would know about these "charter" schools?
Kristen