This page is a work in progress to be completed eventually ...
Daniel was Born June 13, 1993 ~
Vaccine Injured on October 1993 left him autistic but unknown to
me at the time. He seemed to recover from the high fever and
almost comatose state, except looking back i know there were changes.
Diagnosed March 1996 ~ Gloom
and doom diagnosis from a Dr. that said he would never do anything but
sit in a corner staring into nothingness, he would never be toilet
trained, he would never communicate, he should be institutionalized so
i could get on with my life. The Dr. was wrong. Today Daniel is toilet
trained, he communicates thru sign language and PECs, he is learning to
read and type, he smiles alot and finds pleasure in many things.
Daniel's life is not normal in any sense of the word but he brings
happiness to those he touches.
Began School September 1996 ~
Back then I trusted people to do what was right and according to law.
It didnt take long to learn that school districts couldnt be trusted
and felt they were above the law. Daniels first school experience was
nothing short of tortuous. He cried for weeks before they informed me
how unhappy he was, they tried to force feed him foods that he didnt
want. It was horrible.
The Battle of the Schools Begins ~ Finding
the internet I learned some things that might help Daniel. ABA
particularly. When i suggested this to the school special education
teacher he stated, yes that might help Daniel but the school wont pay
for it. Schools are required by IDEA
to do what is appropriate, ABA is
the appropriate methodology for children with autism. This was to
become the first of many battles with the schools to provide what was
promised by law.
Move to New School District to Avoid
the Closet ~ The school built a small room not bigger
than a large closet to teach Daniel in. It was in the basement far
removed from his normal classmates. The smells of the kitchen permeated
this room. He would grab the door frame to keep from going into
this room. It was horriffic to watch. Office of Civil Rights said it
was big enough. Our family decided to move so that Daniel wouldnt have
to endure this room.
School District Denial of FAPE ~
We moved to a neighboring town, being promised wonderful things by a
special education teacher who said she would give Daniel what he
needed. Several months later it was apparent how false her promises
were. He basically rode a tricycle around the gym all day. He was given
none of the instruction promised on his IEP. This was the first of many
Due
Process Hearings I had to endure to provide Daniel appropriate
education.
2 Years of Progress and Bliss ~ Things
went fairly well for 2 years after the judge ordered the school to do
what was appropriate. Daniel made excellent progress, he learned things
many they had said previously that he couldnt. He proved them
wrong.Amazing what appropriate education can do to a child with
autism. School
was a great place for him to be, he loved going there, being with the
kids. He learned to communicate.
Changes Bring Low Expectation Teacher
from Hell ~ A new special education teacher brought
unwanted changes. I knew from the first day i met her that it was going
to be bad. She had such low expectations and preconceived notions
that
i knew it was going to be awful, and it was. Daniel no longer made
progress, he no longer wanted to go to school. He was unhappy. This
person (and i wont give her the title of teacher, she doesnt deserve
that title) blamed Daniel for her inability to teach. She blamed
Daniel for her ineptitude.
Change Schools Hoping for a Miracle ~ After
2 years of no progress and this person's continued lazyness and
ineptitude it was suggested that I bus Daniel 50 miles away to an
autism
classroom. I met the teacher and all seemed idealic.It appeared to be
good. He went there and
was happy again. He made friends, he was learning, he got to swim every
day. This was in the spring of 2005. All seemed right in the world
again.
No such thing as Miracles ~ Something changed at the
beginning of the 2005 school year (September). Still don't know what
happened. Daniel no
longer wanted to go to school. He wasnt happy at school. It was
reported he screamed alot. I am not sure if this is true or if they
just didnt like my asking questions about the rights they were
violating. I personally believe they were trying to intimidate me into
accepting less than the law provided, accepting what they were willing
to provide. And Daniel deserved to not have his rights violated. They
forced me to medicate him. To put him on drugs to make him more
manageable. I did comply and felt horrible. It also began my renewed
research into the treatments of autism and for that I am grateful. I
learned a great deal in the month of October. I learned there was hope
for a cure.
Coming Home ~ On October 20, 2005 The school district kicked
him out of school.In addition to this being a violation of our rights,
it hurt more so because things had gone so well in the
spring, but it also came as a blessing in disquise. Daniel was
now back
in his old school, with the kids he grew up with. A few miles away
instead of an hour away. And with a new teacher that expected
great things and is willing to work with me to provide Daniel what is
appropriate.
New advances in the Treatment Of
Autism ~ The medication of Daniel, forcing him to be
drugged, which he has since
stopped taking, forced me to find new alternatives. I hated putting him
on drugs, it was against my better judgement, but I didnt have a
choice, it was drug him or he was out of this school. In the past his
behaviors
were controlled with behavior modification, not drugs. The drug was
horrible, it gave him night mares, it made his skin cold and clammy. He
looked drugged most the day. The drug was clonidine. Never again.
I started him on some supplements that have already shown benefit in
his focus and ability to attend. He is calmer. He said mom (actually
ma) for the first time in 9 years. I want so much to give him all the
supplements and RX supplements (MB12 and Nystatin, and DMSA) that
are recommmended by DAN ! Drs. for
the treatment of autism but they are expensive, so barring some
donations it will be slow going, but eventually I hope he will
have all that is needed. I do feel he needs it now, while he still has
a chance, and it is painful knowing I can't provide the things he
needs.
11/21/05 ~ Daniel has been
in his new program I designed for 2 weeks. He is enjoying going to
school. . The teachers that have known him
all say what a change they see in him . They dont know that
this change is due to biomedical intervention. And its just the
beginning. I see great things happening in Daniel's life with just a
little help there can be hope.
2006 - The New Year looks to be
another one full of difficulty ....
When Daniel was kicked out of the out of district school in October and
forced to return to this school district the bleakness of it turned to
a blessing in that I was able to design his educational program and his
learning atmosphere. It did seem like for the first time in a long time
that Daniel would have appropriate education.
However the person they hired to assist him throughout his day was not
qualified. Daniel had 2 wonderful paraprofessionals in this school
previously- paraprofessional is the title of his educational assistant
- and I had hoped the District would rettain one of these ladies to be
Daniel's paraprofessional, but the District had other ideas (influenced
by school political motivations and personal friendships with this
person by the sped teacher) and hired someone with no experience at all.
I stated repeatedly this person wasn’t qualified and would never be
qualified (my opinion after spending many days attempting to train this
person) but they were determined to keep her. So I had to remove Daniel
from school on December 16. Being in school with this person as his
para was creating situations and behaviors that were making him regress
and will be detrimental to Daniels future educational progress, as well
as preventing him from learning. This person was incapable of
implementing the program yet the District was adamant in keeping her,
so I had to request a Due Process Hearing to force them to provide
someone qualified.
Since then we had a resolution meeting - a new requirement of IDEA '04
- to try and resolve the issues but afteer being screamed at repeatedly
by the special education teacher we were unable to resolve anything.
They are determined to keep her, to try and cover their butt's for the
violations of rights and Denial of FAPE that has occurred (its actually
a very long and complicated story), they are determined to keep this
unqualified person and they seem to think they wont be accountable for
their actions. So we have to go to hearing on February 7th 2006 and
until the Judge makes a decision it is looking like Daniel wont be in
school at all ...which is taking its emotional toll on me for having to
prepare for this hearing - I can't afford an attorney so its up to me
to protect his rights - and the anguish of knowing he needs to be in
school is extremely upsetting as well.
What makes it even more upsetting is that for probably the first time
in his life Daniel's mind is out of the fog he has been in and he is
very receptive to learning. BIOMED intervention has created new
opportunities to reach him that are exciting and miraculous and yet he
can't even have access to his birthright appropriate education because
of this School Districts actions .....
Sure, I am capable of teaching him, but I do not have the resources the
school has, nor does he have the contact of peers. And its a proven
fact he learns better with a qualified paraprofessional than he does
with mom.
So once again I am faced with a legal battle to fight for my son's
life... forced to fight a system in a court of law against a qualified
attorney, with the most complicated laws of this country. How fair is
that ? I know I can do it, I have had to before and won, but I
shouldn’t have to....
If this school would JUST do what is right, if ALL schools would just
do what is right, without their little games and power trips, parents
such as myself wouldn’t face this so overwhelming seemingly
insurmountable task , a simple obligation a school has (that most take
for granted) of providing education to a child.
So fight I must, time and energy wasted just to provide for my son what
the law says he will have and the school has to be forced to provide…
On a brighter note Daniel was laying in his bed the other day and I
went in and he said "Bye Mom"...... 2 simple words. Usually he would
just wave bye bye, meaning “leave me alone mom” but now he has found
his voice... thanks no doubt to biomedical intervention, and told me in
typical preteen fashion to leave him alone....