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I dont have an autistic son, but saw this article today in the Huffington Post that does go into detail about one kid's situation in the Wash DC public school system and other issues that may be of interest....
Those long term costs to society are staggering! The school systems are passing the buck from local taxpayers for state and national taxpayers. I understand the districts can't afford to provide the level of special education required for someone as severe as the student in the article, and fights to not pay for private school due to the costs, but our country should be investing into heavily supporting autism in schools simply to save long term costs in the future. I'm not being cold by only focusing on the financial aspect, but it's a no-brainer that investing money in the early years will save society money in the future. If the public schools can't afford it, money should be provided so schools can afford it. Inclusion laws are really hindering our most severely disabled children too. They deserve the best private schools our country can buy.
How sad and infuriating. DCPS needs to stop playing with that family and that child's education. The school system knows it cannot provide for Max. The amount of fighting and hostility seems personal, and it has to be extremely costly -- as it continues, it likely will be more costly than paying for that year at Ivymount.
Do we really know if a school that costs $70,000 per year is going to make a significant difference for this child? Studies may show a statistically significant difference for a particular modality for treating autism, but is that a clinically significant difference? What is the track record for these programs?
My impression from the article is that the expectations of the parents are probably unrealistic.
"Studies like those have made Greg and his wife, Maya Wechsler, hopeful that if Max catches the right instruction at the critical moment, he might learn to ask questions. To read. To become an independent member of society."
Max's mother says, "I didn't sign up to be a parent of a child who will remain a child until I die."
Although my heart breaks for this family, there is also the stark reality that public education budgets are limited. Is it really fair to pull out all the stops for a severely disabled child if it means that the quality of education for hundreds or thousands of other students will be impaired?
Although my heart breaks for this family, there is also the stark reality that public education budgets are limited. Is it really fair to pull out all the stops for a severely disabled child if it means that the quality of education for hundreds or thousands of other students will be impaired?
If we don't try to educate this child, then we will have to support him through our taxes for the rest of his life. Remember his parents even if they have money will not live forever and when they are gone, he will still need to be taken care of.
Disabled people pay out more in health care and may have very little income. Approximately 19 million adults age 18 to 64 have a disability and receive social security disability benefits. It is short sighted to not attempt to educate these children so that they may be able to become independent and provide at least some of their own care.
If we don't try to educate this child, then we will have to support him through our taxes for the rest of his life. Remember his parents even if they have money will not live forever and when they are gone, he will still need to be taken care of.
Disabled people pay out more in health care and may have very little income. Approximately 19 million adults age 18 to 64 have a disability and receive social security disability benefits. It is short sighted to not attempt to educate these children so that they may be able to become independent and provide at least some of their own care.
All I am saying is that the services being paid for need to have demonstrable benefits. I am not sure that for the child in the article that those benefits are there. Is it reasonable to expect that every child on the most severely affected end of the autism spectrum is going to be able to learn to read and live independently? At what point does the cost not produce any benefit for the individual child? The parents will want to keep trying. When do you have to say that it's not working and we cannot afford it? Shouldn't the school have to show that children who have been through its program are indeed able to live independently? Should the school take all comers, or should it have to say to parents that based on past experience your child, after being evaluated, will not benefit?
I think that only one year was permitted to see if Ivymount will make a difference for Max. The school system probably is betting that the one year will not show much improvement. That is flawed thinking, because any improvement is going to take longer than one year, and it has to be consistent.
I bet if Max was a major behavior problem, DCPS would be quicker to agree to a non-public placement.
It's sad and I see no simple solution. We can't just tell school districts they have to pony up the dough for services that go beyond a typical education and into the medical realm, and we can't just ignore these kids either. I seriously DON'T KNOW where the money is going to ultimately come from to do it all and do it right. There are way to many issues fighting for our funds and only so much to go around. Who has an answer?
The difference between medical and educational is not clearly defined. If a non-disabled student fails to learn to read, you could call it reading therapy to help the student catch up, and call it medical because it's therapy. If you have a stroke and need to learn to walk again because the part of your brain that controlled walking was damaged, you could call it educational, because it involves learning to walk, which is learning. Clearly in those two cases, educational and medical are being confused with each other. So maybe the real issue is whether the therapy should be provided by IEP's or Obamacare.
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