Kurt Said:

Should I home school my son?

We Answered:

Allow me to tell a couple of stories which might help you decide...

A few years ago, my mother in-law passed away. We "inherited" boxes and boxes of old paperwork...

Included in these boxes were the educational records of my brother in-law who is now in his 40's.

This man dropped out of high school and never completed his GED. Today, he is unable to hold a job and depends on welfare and help from surviving family to get by.

Here is a summary of what his educational records showed through the years:

- in first grade he was "diagnosed" as learning / developmentally challenged.

- he was put into a special education program all through elementary school

- what he learned was that he "was somehow disabled" and not capable

- in middle school yet another evaluation conducted by the school system stated that he was intellectually capable of correct grade level work but he was "lazy" and thought himself incapable (I wonder where he got that idea?)

- in high school yet another evaluation was conducted by the school system and once again found him capable but this one blamed the parents for the child's challenges. One example cited was that he was driven to and picked up from school rather than being allowed to ride the bus. He was constantly bullied on the bus and the school would do nothing. That is why his parents drove him. They even recommended the parents voluntarily send him to a special education boarding school?????

I have to comment: The spelling and grammar on these reports from "professionals" was absolutely atrocious!

When we announced to family that we were going to homeschool, this man was present. He bowed his head and very quietly and despondently said: "I wish that had been an option for me."

----

Our own situation was almost opposite of this. Our son was put into the gifted program in public elementary school (he was in a private Christian school through 3rd grade). At the end of one year, the gifted teacher bragged about their big accomplishment that year - learning 10 new vocabulary words! The expectations even of "gifted" students was astoundingly low.

In public school my son developed social anxiety / social phobia - he was regularly being made fun of by both teachers (I'm not kidding) and students , he started to actively downplay his intellect.

There is not a chance in *You Know Where*, that we would trust the public school system to help (e.g. conduct any kind of evaluations or make recommendations). We sought professional help outside the school system. Both a medical doctor and a psychologist recommended that we get him out of that bad environment.

We looked into private schools but decided to homeschool. Our only regret is that we did not start sooner or even from the beginning!

He is now a happy kid again, has a better social life than he ever had in public school, is excelling academically and has a very bright future!

Don't listen to the critics who claim that "socialization" is an issue! That is just so untrue and I personally believe from real life experience that the exact opposite is true!

Our son participates in co-op classes, clubs, youth group, camps, etc.

I think people often confuse innocence and social (in)ability. My 14yo is still pretty innocent and I personally think that is a wonderful thing. He'll be "worldly" soon enough and once innocence is lost it is lost forever.

Rose Said:

I live in NJ &baby just diagnosed autistic, why NJ has so many cases?

We Answered:

thats interesting, I had not heard that. I live in Massachusetts, and its free here. As for whether you should move... I wouldn't necessarily do it for the early intervention, as your son has about a year left of it (it ends at age three) - I'd start looking into your school system, as that is coming up very soon. If you don't like the school system for any reason, I would probably consider moving. I lucked out... we chose the town we live in now, before my son was diagnosed. it turns out is has one of the best special ed public school systems. I have many friends who moved to this town, specifically for the school system for special ed. So I feel once your child is school age, even for typical kids, but especially for special needs kids, that if you can afford it/works for you.... that you should definitely consider moving to a town with a good school system, that will offer the services your son needs.

One thing though... maybe the system in NJ is so good, thats why so many families with autistic children live there, maybe they moved there for the services? Not sure.... I moved and my neighborhood alone, my son has PDD NOS, my neighbor across the street's son has asperger's, and two other neighbor's children have severe sensory integration disorder...... its odd. I hope this helps!

Tracy Said:

Masters? Certifications? What step is next?

We Answered:

My advice is to try working in the field with the kids for a bit. Your B.S. will qualify you to do behavioral analyst or developmental specialist work, and you'll get some on-the-job training in it. Pay is low, but the experience will be excellent. The Bancroft School in Haddonfield, NJ has a behavioral program for autistic kids and I believe they almost always have openings. http://www.bancroftneurohealth.org/

If it's for you, there are graduate programs in this. Or you may just want to search for jobs in speech therapy or audiology and see what the requirements are. The job ads will tell you if you need any specific certification or licensing or an advanced degree.

Tony Said:

How can I become a speech/voice therapist?

We Answered:

Check these websites:

The government's "Occupational Outlook Handbook" description of Speech Language Pathology - http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos099.htm

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)'s website [the national professional organization for Speech Pathologists and Audiologists] - http://www.asha.org

Both should have a wealth of information. You can also search the ASHA site for many topics related to speech therapy. Licensing requirements are similar across the states, and certification is through ASHA. You can find info on both on ASHA's site. You can even search for schools in various states to see if there are any in NY/NJ (there definitely are). They also have a phone number on their site to their action center if you would like to speak directly to someone.

As far as voice, many different kinds of professionals work in the area of voice and voice disorders...and speech therapists are a good number of them. Make sure you express that interest to the programs you want to apply to because some schools may have more courses and internships in voice than others. Good luck.

Julian Said:

How do you qualify for special education preschool?

We Answered:

Each state has developed its own policy based on federal law. Here is NJ
http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/Stu…
According to that, any child with a disability qualifies for services (which is how it is in most states) I would push for additional testing, and write a written letter disagreeing with the school's findings and ask for outside testing to be considered. I had to do this for my son, who has dysarthria. Generally schools will say a child needs 20% delay in more than two areas, but this can be argued with.

Good luck. I have no idea about aid, but I'd start with DHS and see if they have a developmental delays board. They generally are in charge of funding for that.

Ken Said:

Anyone familiar with program called "Early Intervention", my 20 month old stopped talking.?

We Answered:

delayed speech is actually common. In my area the program you are referring to is called First Steps and I have heard absolutely nothing but good things about it. I say it can't hurt to have him in a speech therapy program. Try it and see if it makes a difference. My son is 4 and has chronic asthma. He has been in the ICU on three different occassions and when we come home he stops talking as much and when he is talking he stutters and has elongated words. I took him to the speech program through our public school system to be evaluated. They recommended one day a week for 45 minutes, in the back of my mind I thought how will that help but in all honesty...it has been by far the best 45 minutes a week. Give it a try for a couple of months and see what happens..it can't hurt. Good Luck!

Ronald Said:

Do you think my 20 month old should be in the "Early Intervention" program, he stopped talking.?

We Answered:

I understand your concerns, and they are valid. My advice (as a former Early Intervention Teacher and current special ed teacher) is to take as much help as you can get! Early Intervention doesn't lock him into services for school, and research has consistantly shown that it is by far the most effective method for helping bring young kids "up to par" with their peers. Just be sure to carefully read everything they give you, ask lots of questions (write them down when you think of them), and google everything that you aren't sure of (be sure to look specifically for federal laws and NJ laws, as every state is a little different). There are tons of websites dedicated to helping parents with this stuff.
It really can't hurt him to get a little extra boost this early in life - better now than to have a small problem creep up on him in 3rd grade, and then have to scramble to fix it, right?
Post here in Special Education with any questions; there are a ton of knowledgable people who can help guide you. Good luck and congrats on following through with this, it can only help your son!