My son hasn't been on one school field trip since his diagnosis...

  It must be difficult

Submitted by Terribee on Fri, 2011-02-25 - 01:36

It must be difficult being in a situation such as yours. You said your son's on an IEP? My question is: do they provide him with a Personal or Teacher Assistant to give him extra support? That is one thing that should have been addressed in the IEP. What kind of supports has the school put in place to aid your son? Does the IEP only address a physical concern (epilepsy) or have they added in behaviour, academic and or social/emotional goals too? I'd be interested to see whether just the epilepsy was addressed or whether their bias is coming through by setting up the aforementioned types of goals as well. Were you part of the IEP process--believe me a parent needs to be involved in that kind of a situation! I'm a special education teacher and have been a PA as well for a child who is wheelchair bound and epileptic.  The school made every accomodation possible for her to enjoy a positive educational experience. In Canada, the school receives special funding for most children on IEPs--if they're getting the money why aren't they using it to support your son? I think what they're doing to you is a bunch of crap (pardon the french).  Get really involved and don't be afraid to cause a commotion--you're standing up for your son. 

If your child is in the public school's care and something happens they have to administer it or be prepared for a huge lawsuit.  You just need to provide the medication and write down the dosage.

It sounds like you need to let them know you're not going away and they're going to have to deal with you no matter what.  Go above the principal's head if you need to (they don't like it when they have to be held accountable to their boss).  Request your child to be cognitively and physically assessed by a specialist and the proof will be in the pudding that your son is more than capable of functioning successfully in all school environments--even on field trips.

 They have E-Bus (sounds like the same thing) in Canada where the child is schooled via computer in online courses.  It's a pretty successful program.  I am also a Hospital/Homebound teacher and teach children on a one-on-one basis if they are ill or behaviourally challenged. (we try to teach the latter on the school grounds if possible) This isn't to say that your son is "ill" however if he could access some one-on-one instruction from a certified teacher that would be of some help. The only complaint I've heard about the E-BUS program is that you have to be really motivated and disciplined to complete the courses on your own.

If the School Board doesn't help you out, access the Epilepsy Advocacy group in your area.

Good luck...I'm rooting for you!:)

Teresa

Re: My son hasn't been on..

Submitted by Matt74 on Sun, 2011-05-01 - 00:20

I went to a small college where a considerable portion of the students were home schooled. As a rule they were very sociable, very well adjusted kids. They were unquestionably the best educated. Some of the kids I have known (old friends and others) who have the most problems went to public schools. I was in private school for my first few years of school, then went to public schools (relatively good ones) in several different states. The private school was not perfect by any means, but it's contrast with the public schools was remarkable. I switched during the middle of the year, and learned practically nothing after I started attending public school. It was dismal. Public schools were inhuman in contrast to the private Christian school I had attended. I never had any help as a student with epilepsy in public schools. They didn't have such things. You were either in special education classes or you were in regular classes. The only "discrimination" I encountered was that I was prohibited from attending swimming class. The biggest problem I had was that I was smart, but had a bad memory, and fell asleep in class a lot. I got very discouraged because I always felt like I should have been doing better than I was. I did great in English, Social Studies, and Band, but barely passed in French, and Algebra. I don't know how it might have been otherwise, but I do think that I would have done better in a more supportive atmosphere. By supportive I don't necessarily mean accommodations, just a more positive environment with more personal attention. I had some good friends all the way through school, wherever I was, but generally had a difficult time socially. I love learning, and even going to school, but thought that public school was about the next thing to a prison. I wouldn't worry about him socially. As someone said below there are a lot of other ways to get to know other kids. Sports, church, scouts, etc. He can be as busy as he likes. Even if you aren't doing homeschooling per se, there are a lot of homeschooling groups that you might be able to join up with. If the school (and school board) is treating him like this, he is going to feel it. He may have to deal with negative attitudes and so forth his whole way through. On the other hand, he may enjoy very much studying at home, and having the opportunity to meet a bunch of kids that he has much in common with. He should also benefit from getting more personal attention, from you or even an online tutor. One of the most stressful aspects of schooling for me, elementary through postgraduate, has always been trying to do everything like everyone else, being a number. I always did better, and learned more, when I had a greater degree of freedom to learn the way I learn best.